Busy, busy busy ....

I know I haven't blogged for nearly a week, but I have been busy, honest!

I quilted this one for a friend. This is half of it, it's folded over the ironing board. 

For those of you who I know will ask, a close up of the quilting  :)   I used Superior Rainbows thread, which is variegated, in a lovely warm browns. 

I quilted this one for another friend. 

Waves  :)

And it's been busy in the garden too! I just had to get a pic of this tiny moth on the rubeckii

I couldn't get a good enough close up of it even with the macro setting on my camera. 

And of course there is always plenty to pick down at the allotment.  But these are in the garden.

I made my first ever batch of Onion Marmalade, (delicious!) and home made tomato pasatta that I bottled.  I really need the tomatoes to ripen fast to make loads more,  So much tastier that shop bought.  I'm certainly converted to bottling!

I've been working on my city and guilds too, just so you know  :)

One Thing, One Week Cahllenge 1

OK, so I'm a day late, but it's been busy round here, I promise!  Back to the Challenge! 

So, like I said, I wanted to get my pinwheels blocks at least turned into a top.  I knew with all the other things going on here it would be too much to hope for a finished quilt.  How did I get on? 

patience....

perseverance...

and a little luck ....   thanks to the Teenage Diva being out most of the time  ...  :)

Not only did I manage to piece the top, I got it quilted too!  Phew, now that's a bonus!  AND.....

I've got the binding sewn on, I just need to sit and sew it down by hand on the back.  This is one happy bunny!   Thanks Amy!  This is 64" x 72", a reasonable sized quilt for sure.

For this week, I plan to get caught up on my Bees Knees Bee blocks (I have June and August to complete)  and I would also like to get caught up on the Moose on the Porch Jelly Roll Quilt along blocks.  I'm pretty far behind, like weeks!  I can't show you pics right now, because I haven't taken any, but I may get back to you on that score! 

So how did you get on?

Amy has a Mr Linky so you can see how everyone else has done, go take a look!  The button on the side bar should take you there. 

Happy Quilting!

I don't do bags!

Anyone that knows me knows I don't 'do' bags!  I'm definitely not a bag lady!  Don't get me wrong, I love a great hand bag, you know, Radley especially!  But sewing a bag?  Really? 

So you'll be overwhelmed when I tell you this month at my LQS we made a bag!  Yep, I made a bag!  OK, you can pick  yourself up now!  :)

If you want to make your own, search for the Honey Bun Bag at the United Notions website (sorry, it's still too early for my brain to function to add the link - it's a weekend thing!)  This bag can easily be made in an uninterrupted afternoon. 

Happy Quilting!

One Thing, One Week Challenge!

Do you know Amy of Amy's Creative Side?  Of course you do, it's the same Amy who organises the very successful Bloggers Quilt Festival.  Aaaah, now you know who I'm talking about!  She's a clever lady that's for sure, I wish I had half her energy and brains. She's had another brilliant idea.  One Thing, One Week.  Simple, and hopefully allowing a lot of us to not stress over the rest of the stuff that piles up and clutters our minds whilst we try and do it all now! 

So, I've taken the challenge, and this week I aim to complete my ORB Pinwheels quilt that I started, oh, several weeks or even months ago.  When I say complete, I'll be happy to turn it into a top that can be quilted in between the 6 others I have to do for other people. 

I'll update you on Monday and let you know how I've got on.  Deal?

So are you up for the challenge?  There's a link on the right side of blog, go on, you know it makes sense!

Happy quilting!

Hacking Headache!

If you have had strange e-mails from me, I am really sorry, I appear to have been either hacked or picked up a worm.  Though I have pretty strong protocols in place, it hasn't stopped it happening.  I have done a full system scan and did not locate any worm so I think the hacker is most likely. I have re-adjusted the security levels. 

I promise to only send you e-mails that have subject headers and I am certainly not in the habit of sending links to my friends without some sort of contact first.  Please feel free to delete any e-mail from me that does not have a subject header immediately.  I will not be offended.  If it is a legitimate contact, you can be sure I can contact you by alternative means to check you got my message. 

To all of you that may have been affected by this, I am truly sorry. 

a little detour...

Now most of you know I have an allotment, but many ask how big it is, so I thought we'd take a detour to the allotment so see how it's doing.  I took these photo's only a week ago, and with all the rain (that was so desperately need) it has changed some since!

So this is the view up the whole allotment from front to back way beyond that shed!

The garlic is looking pretty ready to come out now, and we've nearly eaten all the beetroot that is there with it.  You can see we have started on the potatoes too!

Plenty of onions that will hopefully last us through the winter this year.

The borlotti beans are all the way to the tops of the canes and some now, there is also some French beans, but they were planted late, thanks to the slugs eating the first lot.  You can just see some of the delphiniums in the background.

The pumpkins (Crown Prince) have completely filled this area and are threatening the courgettes (zucchini) too!  We are harvesting them every other day.  Got any good recipes?  I've got carrots hidden under the mesh warding off the dreaded fly.

Yep, it really is a shed!  the plot goes all the way to that big tree at the back left meeting the gardens of the houses. 

So this is the view back down towards the from from the shed.

Need I explain the sweet peas? the smell is wonderful!  They are next to the broad beans that are doing very well.

All the way up the top is the leeks and corn, more beetroot too!  The leeks have done exceptionally over the last week and the rain, sort of baby leek size if you like eating them that size. 

Oops. wrong way up! 

So this is the view back down the allotment to my car in the far distance!  Pretty long! Yep, there is fruit in that cage affair, and of course it couldn't all be immaculately planted and tended, there's always work to do!  I still have some parsnips to find under the weeds, but those that have been liberated are doing great. 

I know there's nothing quilty in there, hence the slight detour, but I hope you enjoyed the tour of my allotment, and normal quilty service will resume very shortly  :)

Happy Quilting!

Better late than never!

I finished these quilts over the last few weeks, I know, I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner! 

seems Blogger isn't playing today!

Thanks to AmandaJean, this is my version of her Filmstrip quilt.  They are both pretty big quilts.

And I finally got my thread storage on the walls, thanks to my partner and his trusty drill!  More of that later :)

Happy quilting!

Making progress...

This is the little pile of left overs from Margaret's blocks from yesterday.  Now if you know V over at Bumble Beans, you know she is on a mission to get everyone to play for just 15 minutes.  So that's what I did!

I spend a little longer than 15 minutes and made this ...

and what I found was that these little blocks are really quite addictive!

So because I really needed to get on and achieve something more, I managed to do a little more catching up with Bees Knees Bee blocks for Jessica. 

Remind you of anything? 

So whilst I was piecing the scrap blocks and the Bee block for Jessica, I was using my Half Square Triangles as leaders and enders, and I made real progress on them, don't you think?

And because my chiropodist was here yesterday, we went for a little retail therapy... Wait...  I must warn you, there was no fabric involved!   LOL  Remember, I'm on a Pinkie Promise NOT to buy anymore until after 15 Aug (2 months)

Ready?

These weren't quite what I went for, but they are so me! 

So that concludes my weekend activities, and I achieved quite a lot, considering there has been a draught of activity lately.  I'm hoping the momentum will continue....

and it's only another week of school until the holidays start here!  Oh, I'm so ready for a break!

Happy Quilting

Yeah Baby!!!!

I found my Mojo! 

I promised you earlier today I would show you my progress for today for my catch up weekend, and I'm pleased to say I'm not going to disappoint.


I've got Margaret's foundation pieced Tea Leaf blocks done!  They WILL be in the post back to you Margaret on Monday morning. :)

I got the borders sewn onto this top.  The pattern is Love by Charlie Scott, aka, Qubee Quilts.

And I got that pile of HST's pressed...

Isn't it satisfying to have a stack of HSTs?

And I even managed to get some of them pieced into Pinwheels.  I'm using the hst's as leaders and enders as I am doing the Asterisk blocks.

Not many, but enough to be going on with, it's now late enough for me to go cool off in the shower before I head off to bed. 

And that little lot proves I found my Mojo!    More tomorrow....

Happy Quilting!

Finding my MoJo!

That elusive mojo has been missing ...  (not even in action!)  But this weekend I'm planning a little catch up, and plan to finish a few outstanding things that should have been long done!

So this is the plan...

Bees Knees bee blocks for Margaret, I must get these done if nothing else this weekend.  If you want to see the other blocks I have to finish up check out our blog, there's a button on the side bars

And how hard can it be to get 2 borders added to this top, that's all it needs.  One of them is even cut ready! 

And I started the Old Red Barn Quilt Along for the Pinwheels quilt, I have all my half square triangle made, they just need a little chivvy too, pressing is a must today.  That will at least move this project on a bit.

Speaking of ORB, they are now doing the Asterisks quilt along, and I have all my squares cut, all my strips ready, again, I just need to move it along a bit.

Did I tell you I have several commissions on the go.  Well, I'd get on much better with them if I could just get this little quilt off the frame....

So I can get these two quilt tops loaded and quilted.  Surely that's not too much to ask of myself.... is it?

And that just leaves a little C&G work.  Turn this landscape into a paper collage...

It's a start with the tracing paper as a template.   I'll get back to you later and let you know how I get on today.

Catch ya later!!