I Have a Plan

Many months (well over two years) ago, when I stopped working full time, I had decided that one of the first things that I would be doing with all my new found free time, would be to make a new quilt for MY bed.

I started off well and have made 9 - 16" blocks ( each of the different) from some of my favourite fabrics by Bonnie and Camille , two Moda designers. 

I do love the blocks, but they have been hanging in my work-space since then because I didn't actually want to see them on the bed. Just a bit too fussy for me.

And then I saw a picture of a pattern that was going to be included in a Scrappy Project Journal that was coming on sale. But that was $40!!!  I certainly would not use the journal (far to organised) but I did like the look of the quilt, so I drew up the size that I thought would work and used the pile of fabrics to make up a test block.

And I love it

so in just over a week of fairly consistent sewing

chain piecing for England

With the pieces getting larger

Testing the layout

I am now the proud owner of 90  x 9" blocks ready to make into my quilt. It is all very random but I can positively say that no two blocks are the same!

In between this sewing marathon, I took a day out to spend with No2 sister on a trip to see our Auntie who is now 84.  She lives in Wales so the journey is about 4and 1/4 hours tone way.  After a quick cup of tea off we went (with Auntie driving!!) to a nearby hotel for a very nice lunch , and where we all caught up on the family gossip news, and of course,  to hear about the several operations and two car right offs that have occurred since last we saw her 😲

It was funny how often I saw my Mum (but not so scary!!😂) in her as she put the world to rights. She is full of fun and laughter and the day was a real treat.

The quilt making was also put on hold so that I could complete my Higham Piecemakers Christmas Challenge!  Given out in December and due in on Monday! 

I had made my block up and had decided what item I would make from the block, just had to actually get on with it.

 Mr T was off playing golf for the day, so I got up and cracked on with it.

Done. And. Dusted.

And so was my sewing space

proof I had been busy

The big reveal is on Monday so you will have to wait for a few days more.

Last week at HP a lovely lady came to show us how to make a Stumpwork Portrait.

Not really my kind of thing but I thought that I would give it a go anyway.

We had such fun making these and I was not horrified at the final result.

Darling Daughter has passed the halfway stage with her first pregnancy and Saturday saw us in Lincoln for the day - pram shopping

SIL test driving

Which was fun (and expensive!) and when they started sorting out the car seat I had to go lie down. Who knew there were so many rules and choices? 

I wish I had a picture of the look on their faces when told that they were just put in a carry cot on the back seat 😳
Didn't do them any harm did it?

A Day Out

On an (almost) spur of the moment, and after three hard days in the garden, we decided that would would take a trip out. But where to go?  I have quite a number of places on my list, but this week we chose Oxford. Its about an hour run out to this historic city, and we used te excellent Park and Ride system to get into the heart of town.

There are so many beautiful buildings here - we certainly are not about the shopping!   

But one that was on my list to visit was "The Radcliffe Camera" which was built to house the Radcliffe Science Library. 

designed by James Gibbs in neo-classical style and built in 1737–1749

So we rock up to book a ticket for one of the guided tours only to find that they only take place on Wednesday Friday and Saturday 😞 and we were there on Thursday 😒 so back on my list of "things to see" it goes until we get back, maybe in the summer!

 So we just wandered around the city popping in and out of some of the buildings that were open on a Thursday 🙄

Opposite the "Camera" is the University Church of St Mary The Virgin,

 Which was VERY well heated for a church! 

 After a stop for a bite of lunch,  more wandering, this time around the Bodleian Library area.

 Then into another little church - this time the Anglo-Saxon St Michael at the Northgate, Oxfords oldest building, originally built around 1000–1050, with the tower from 1040 still in existence.

Which was charmingly simple. 

 The Lady's chapel a little more ornate

 William Morris (the artist and designer of beautiful fabrics) was married here in 1859.

the original Saxon Tower

the easiest way to get around the city!

A fabulous Magnolia just beginning to bloom

 Lots of the Oxford buildings were used in the Harry Potter films (of which I have seen none!) but I did recognise many sites of foul murder that appeared in the Morse series😂

We were there longer than we thought, and rather than get caught up in commuter traffic ( all those bikes)  we stopped at a tea shop for a little refreshment before we headed home

couldn't resist 😋

Back at home I have caught up on some sewing - but most of it is a secret so will have to wait for a bit.  I did pull the fabrics for my March Mini Mania  - the colours were chosen for us

 And I have finished my Tessellation quilt with over two weeks to spare!  My math skills were appalling when working out how many pieces of each were needed so the extras were sewn together to make the backing, so I am not unhappy about that. 

 It is quilted and bound ready for the reveal at the end of the month.
Now I will get back to another UFO on my (very long) list . 

A couple of Finishes!

 Well, I did get my Lovebugs quilt blocks all finished and put together, but then there is the problem of "how to Quilt?"

 I layered it all up and waited for inspiration.

After the "jigsaw episode" I knew that all had been forgiven when Mr T spent some time putting this new tiered strawberry planter together ready for Little Miss to come scrumping

just ready for planting

 Our Mini Mania Challenge this month was "Cre8". No quilt blocks allowed 

We had had a workshop at my local group, ages ago, where we added all sorts of stitches and threads to a piece of fabric, so I elaborated on this idea, dying some lace to fit my colour scheme. But what would i actually do with this piece? All of my mini quilts are hanging in the house, but I decided that this months mini would look great as a book cover.

 I am making a few pieces to add to a friends sales table at an exhibition in June. This may well be added to the pile.

 I am making some headway through my stack of scraps ( though I did cheat on the clear out and sent a friend up north a 5kg bag full of scraps) this is a finished quilt ready to go off to Project Linus

A bit of time (when the mood takes) spent putting together the block for my Piecemakers Christmas Challenge. My Block is finished, and now this has to be made into an "item of choice". 

I think I know where this is going

 Piecmakers had a trip to Duxford Quilt Show on Saturday, but I could not go on that day, however, a friend who also couldn't make the date, decided that she would go on Friday and asked if I would like to tag along.
Never say no to an outing !

 We arrived on a very wet and windy day!  The exhibition is held at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford.  They had moved the planes out of the area, and there were some lovely exhibits.


This one particularly caught my eye 😍

 Very clever idea. You could only "see" the circles from a distance


Another pretty exhibit 

 So simple but so pretty

 This one was interesting, but after waiting for ages to get a proper pic, I decided that I didn't like it that much.😐

a lot to talk about

 And the finished Love Bugs Quilt has added MORE scraps to the box. But I have downsized the box so not too bad?

 Inspiration did come and a few days of quilting has seen this one crossed off my list of to do's.

 I have even labelled this one, though I'm not sure where it will find a home... 😕