Festival of Quilts (overload!!!)

Make a cuppa!  This is a LONG blog!


I'm still shattered after four days working on the Kids Quilts stand at the Festival of Quilts. I had a great time. Met loads of lovely people, caught up with some that I haven't seen since last Festival and generally had a ball. But it is exhausting!!

The lovely Christine & David

Christine and David travel up from New Zealand to show their gorgeous quilt designs and showcase the ranges of fabrics that Christine and daughter Rachel design for RJR fabrics.

 Thier stand is always so bright and cheery. And so well lit. David has a thing about lighting, which makes the colours jump out, but it is soooo hot with all those light bulbs glaring at you!

 Bugs A Lot is one of my favorite patterns

Festival is always really busy, and most of the time looks like this

But because I am working, I get to go in early so have a good chance to walk around when it looks like this....

I won't ramble on, but here are a few photos of the quilts that I really liked

The Quilters Guild competiotion

simple design

really effective quilting

 This one was my favourite
          

 Close up detail

 One of the winners

 and some detail

The Miniature Winner

8" square - amazing!!

                                 

                                     

Must finish mine like this one!

                                  

 Modern Mini's

 Best in Show

 This was the Your Quilters winner! Ages 12 - 18Years!

 And I got to meet the lovely Lissa Alexander from Moda

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 My Boy/Man will be thirty this week so we had a bit of a bash.
His sister made the cake - it was scrummy - and full of E numbers!!

 It was so funny to see the two little ones scrambling under the table as all the sweeties bounced onto the floor when it was cut!

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I made friends with my sewing machine this week. It was good to just sit and play whilst DH worked like a trojan in the garden!

The bunting triangles were trimmed

 And 10 sets of bunting are now ready for the sales table.

 I also had a major tidy in my sewing space.

Honest - this IS tidy!!

 And started this months Mini Mania project

 My unpicker became my new best friend!

 But after two days!! I have got it together

sneaky peak of the reverse

 The reveal is at the end of the month but there is not much more to do.

I hope next months is just as much fun!!!!!

Wildlife Gardening

 We trooped over to Lamport Hall on Saturday to attend a Wildlife Gardening course put on by Lamport Gardening Academy

A short slide show started the morning off ( well, after the coffee) with lots of suggestions of plants that can be grown to attract all sorts of wildlife. Ideas too of how to be rid of some of the nuisance bugs (greenfly/black-fly etc) but still be kind to the garden visitors.

Our Tutor had pre cut and drilled the wooden house structure that just had to be screwed together and then filled with all sorts of buggy goodies.  

                       

 Mid morning we filled our coffee mugs and headed out for a stroll around these beautiful gardens.
The Hall was developed from a Tudor Manor and is now best known for its classical frontage. This was started by John Webb in 1655 and completed in the eighteenth century, to the design of Francis Smith of Warwick.

The walled garden covers over two acres and is planted with great swathes of plants. I had attend another course here in June and could easily compare the change in the garden

The beginning of June

August 1st.

 In June the predominant colurs were blues, purples and whites but this week there were lots of yellows, fiery oranges, pinks and reds.

We all decided that someone should build a viewing platform to get the best view of the blocks of colour.

looking back towards the west facing side of the Hall

a small formal spot

the Gnome home

Just off the main courtyard, as you walk toward the walled garden, you pass an old Victorian brick wall.
Behind the wall, this beautiful (even though it is completely dilapidated) greenhouse sits, just waiting for someone to love it. And I did love it!!  What I would give to have this in my garden!

 Turned a corner and found Mrs Gnome sitting on a "tree chair!"

 Anyway - back to the Old Laundry to furnish our newly constructed house.

 Even though we had added a roof to the little building.... some of us got a bit carried away and added more to the rooftop terrace!

 Finished off with more beverages and a slice of cake to celebrate someone's upcoming BIG birthday!

Our little buildings were very proudly and carefully transported home to become the butt of more than one darling husband's jibes!



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Don't forget to check out the August Mini Mania Challenge pattern 

photo from Charise Creates

July Mini Mania Reveal

 The end of another month bring the reveal of
Number 6 Mini Mania Challenge
We have used the Mini Ferris Wheel tutorial that was posted some time ago on SewScatterbrained blog

 The pattern used 112 paper pieces - the squares measure 1"

 This is Ann's bright and breezy piece

 Sandy also had bright circles on a lovely taupe background

 Becca  over at Macaron Quilts has got sucked in joined us this month and has had fun and games with her hexi's. I love her dotty border

 Dee of (Deeroo Designs)- who appears to be the rebel of the group - has inverted the background and has used her low volume fabrics in the circles.

 Jo -So SewJo has some zingy colours and has appliquéd hers onto a spotty background

 And Lynda has also appliquéd her piece, this time onto a dark background. I think that this makes the whole piece pop!

 Now, I have gone for a more sludgy subtle colour-way  this month. I like the earthy tones and I have used the Moda Shirtings for my low volume background

 

This was another fun project but I maybe should not have left so much to do at the last minute!!

August's Mini Mania Challenge

 will be a Paper Foundation Pieced block  and will measure 12" finished.
" Vintage machine & notions "from Charise Creates

photo from Charise Creates

There is also a "put it together" pattern here

I first spotted the pattern over at LR Stitched

Newcomers are always welcome to join our little group  
Its just for fun.
No one checks up on you
You keep your own work


Have a lovely Weekend!!

Playing Catch Up

Even though I did get a bit of a head start on this months Mini Mania project. I seem to have got distracted with other things but we have the reveal tomorrow. So Tuesday was a head down and get on with it day.

fabrics selected

papers covered

lots of them

I had completed the background pieces and it was just a case of finishing the jigsaw


Needless to say, mistakes were made and some unpicking was done.

3D effect!!??

But before I went to bed it was complete.  Probably a good job as we were in Lincolnshire visiting DD in her new home and Thursday was a visit down south for my quota of Granny cuddles.

We will reveal all later on tomorrow as some of our members are across the water.

On Saturday we will be given the pattern for August and it all begins again.
pop over here if you fancy joining our little group


I have also added some extras to a Swap project that I am due to send off in October. This is all done so I am ahead with that one!

 SIL sent a pic of this ...... I think he may be teasing .....