Change of plans...

Well, my plans to go to a retreat weekend next weekend near Hever Quilt Show have changed, though I don't quite know to what. Sadly, I had a phone call from my brother in the early hours of the morning (which is why I'm up and blogging at 7am on a Sunday) to say my dad had collapsed suddenly and died - they think perhaps a stroke. He and my stepmom live in Baja, Mexico, but the funeral will probably be in San Diego, though it's not certain yet. Nancy (my stepmom) is arranging things, so I will wait to hear from her as to dates and venues. I think it likely to take a little while to arrange things, so I may still very well be in the UK during the retreat, but I've cancelled anyway, as I don't want to have to leave DH with the kids twice in rapid succession - a bit much for both him and the kids, too. And me, too, probably.



This is not entirely unexpected, as he has been in increasingly poor health over the past few years - he has diabetes and various side effects, as well as other health issues, but of course, it's still very sudden and as he was only 65, it does seem a bit young to go. I am glad, though, that it was quick - if you have to go, that's surely better than a prolonged passing.

Anyway, I'll still be here for a while, but will no doubt have to dash off at some point...

A pair (one is spare!)

Today has pretty much been one of those non-stop days - farmers' market, sports discount shop for trainers for Liv (which they didn't have (though she is a particularly particular child)) and a larger size tennis racket for Sarah (which they also didn't have), tennis lesson for Sarah, home to unpack stuff from market, back to collect from tennis (& show DH where it is so he can take & collect next weekend when I am away!!) , petrol in car, lunch, model train exhibition for Alex, and so on.

But thanks to automatically waking by 7.30, even on weekends, I did get nearly an hour to sew this morning (and I confess, another half hour after lunch before the trains) and therefore, not only put the borders on the baby quilt from yesterday (see below) but managed to turn this pile of pairs of carefree nine-patches (from a swap a while back) into most of a top (also see below). The blocks aren't completely sewn together - but they are in fours and sixes, so it won't take long. And thanks to this project, I have worked out what my next giveaway (tune in Monday) will be - you'll like it, I promise.

Before and after...

So, at left is the stuff I had accumulated for the black and white (and coloured) baby quilt I mentioned yesterday. On the ironing board is the backing fabric (which I found by chance AFTER I'd accumulated everything else, if you can believe it), the black and white rail fence blocks I'd already pieced, three FQs in accent colours, a pale blue for a narrow border (I think - and maybe binding? Not sure, will have to check how much there is) and a dark blue stripe for a border. Today I added all the little quarter circle corners, and laid the little quilt out. The blocks are only 6" trimmed, so it's not big. Tomorrow, I will try to get the blocks together, and then probably do something else, rather than start adding borders. After all, I have a few more weeks before this one has to be done!



Received this postcard today, which doesn't show itself off well in the photo - this is one of the cards for the August Challenge on ArtsintheMail (which was "slash and burn") - this one is from Sue and is a burning technique. I need to get mine in the post - maybe tomorrow or more likely, Monday. Go see it on her blog, if you are interested, the lighting is better over there in that photo...

"Spare" quilts

Don't get me wrong, my husband is a dear man and I wouldn't want to do without him (most of the time) but when the phrase "you don't happen to have any spare baby quilts lying around, do you" comes out of his mouth I do sometimes wonder if he couldn't be slightly better organised. I mean, it's not as though babies are a particularly sudden event that one doesn't find out about until the last minute...

Being the boss (more or less) at his work, he likes to give a baby quilt to those among his immediate colleagues who have a baby. This is cool with me, I am happy to paper the world with baby quilts, but today is not the first time he's asked me right before the person is due to go on maternity leave (tomorrow, no less!). Now, being the highly organised type of person I am (and also, having way too many quilts and tops in my house) I did actually have a baby quilt set aside for just such an occasion (see above). However, it's my last spare, and there's another baby quilt occasion coming up in about three weeks, so guess what I will be working on tomorrow! And probably one or two more after that - at least tops - just to get the stock back in good order.



This is what I worked on today (the baby quilt question didn't come until after school, when it was too late to work on anything) - these are both blocks for the birthday block swap I am hosting on about.com. The one on the left is for Patty, who wanted a 12" block (any style) in oriental fabrics, so I made this log cabin/courthouse steps variation for her. The other is for Kathi, who wanted traditional, Baltimore style or Dear Jane blocks in Civil War Reproductions (also 12 inches), so I have done block B-6: Wild Goose Chase from the Dear Jane quilt for her. I decided to take the opportunity to do one of the blocks with lots of fiddly little pieces, as they are much easier to cope with in a 12" block than in a smaller one. I think it's come out rather well. I wasn't sure about the striped fabric (it's definitely a CW era repro, I just wondered how the stripes would work as they are diagonal) but I think it's ok. And I used two different blues, just for fun.

Also got these in the post today - my fat quarter frenzy club - aren't they pretty? Not sure about the one with large roses, actually, I might give it away next week. We'll see. It's not that I hate it or anything, just not sure I'd ever use it. I'll wash and iron them all first, who knows, I might change my mind.

Back to school, back to work

Here's what came in the post today - two postcards, one a belated Tree card from Angela - definitely worth the wait, as it's a great card. Frankly, with all the effort Angela puts into her cards, I'm not surprised she was unable to catch up quickly when life happened and she got behind in swaps. That's a compliment, really, in case you all missed that. :)

And the other card is from Jeanette, I for Imagine (the song) - great idea, and a fun card. Which reminds me, I should start thinking about what J might be for...



With most of the kids at school today, I did have a bit of time to myself, so of course I sewed. Alex had a picnic - or rather, there was a picnic for nursery and reception students - in the park at lunch time, but this morning after dealing with the uniform shop (chaos, horrors - first day of school - yikes!) I came home and finished the stripes cards (they were mostly done, as I mentioned yesterday). Now they are completely done (except the writing on them, which I will not waste valuable sewing time doing!). I think they came out well, and they were fun to do. The yellow stripe is a flange (i.e. loose flap) which is kind of quirky...



Then I also worked on this piece - finished quilting it with a flame pattern - and at the same time, quilted all the sunset postcards, as I was also using flames on them, and the same colour thread. Two birds and all that. Photos of them when they are finished - perhaps tomorrow, perhaps later. They aren't due out yet, so I might put them aside for a while.

Not sure whether this piece is finished yet or not (obviously the edges aren't finished) - might want something else around the faces. Will let it rest for a few days and tell me what it wants. On the whole, though, I like it. If I still like it when it's done, I might put it on etsy.

Hats off - or on, rather

Today - the last day before the girls go back to school (Alex won't go back until next week, but it's still an official school night). Ran some errands - post office (including sending my blue & white quilt off to Hever), library, hair trim for Sarah, and then some friends around this afternoon, but despite that, I did actually work on the stripes postcards this morning - got up to the edging, but no photos. I'll photo them tomorrow, as I'm sure I'll finish - I only have a few more edges to do.

Instead of today's work, here's the post - a postcard from Anne for 1900's (SOS accepted as universal distress signal in 1908), an African block from Karol Ann for our private block swap (great block, but now it's my turn, unfortunately) and Cloth, Paper, Scissors, which I took with me to the park to read when I took the kids out for half an hour, but of course, there were two friends I hadn't seen for most of the summer in the park, so I just chatted instead. Life is so hard!

And finally, here are the girls' hats - we finished Sarah's this morning, and started Olivia's almost straight away. She did some rows, I did some more while chatting to my friend Caroline, Caroline's daughter (Sarah's age) did a few rows, then Olivia did some more and I finished it off tonight. They love them - in fact, Sarah has worn hers all day. It suits her, actually. And they were so easy to make. I foresee presents!

Little bits and pieces

So, believe it or not, I actually got some creative stuff done yesterday on the journey home from Ireland. Cathi had a set of these knitting rings, a bit like big knitting dollies and gave us the larger two (there are two small ones as well) - Sarah started a hat for herself and Cathi started a scarf for me, which I have subsequently finished - did all the length of it in the car yesterday while Geoff was driving (I usually do most of the driving as he doesn't really like it, and I am a bad passenger, but I was so tired and my ankle and knee ached, that I had to swap) and tonight put some tassley bits on the ends. It's quite a loose weave, so it will be a good intermediate scarf. And great yarn - it was called Monet, and you can tell why. Sarah's hat is nearly done, just needs to be cast off, which I will help her with tomorrow.

Here are some more bits and pieces which arrived while I was gone - the moulds I actually had to go and collect, as they had to be signed for, but if I'd been home, they would have come Saturday - really quick service from Argentice. And hoorah, new faces to make! The bits on the right are experiments with sheer fabrics - a technique swap for my surface embellishment group. Lots of fun pieces. Which I might use for something someday... or not.

Then today's post brought me these little chaps, which look very decorative in their bundles, but don't really show, so I have taken them apart and spread them out to photograph. When I have a few more, I will have to work out how to display them. They are all great, but of course being me I particularly like the brown row...

And finally, amidst the laundry, errands (post office, school (to put away uniform in the uniform shop in prep for wednesday), haircut (olivia), playdate (sarah), dentist (all three)), and general getting-the-house-back-in-order-after-holidays I actually did manage a little work. I made up three more cards with faces on, and did a prototype of a stripes card - it will also have some stitching on it, not sure just what yet. And will be edged with variegated thread, which produces a striped effect. I also worked a little on the sunset cards, the prototype of which I made before going to Ireland. Perhaps more tomorrow on those, though we have another busy day, of course.

Giveaway Monday

Well, you know I've been saying I was going to do a weekly drawing - and I am. Here's how it will work - every Monday, I will post a photo of something which I will be giving away that week. It might be something small, it might be something a little bigger. It might be something I made, or it might be something I have leftover or which I am clearing out of my stash - but it will definitely be something craft related, and usually sewing related. I should think there might be postcards from time to time :) Then on Sunday, I will draw the winner from those who comment during the week. Simple as that. (one chance in the draw per person, so commenting every day won't help, lol)

It's just a bit of fun, and a way to say thank you to everyone who visits and leaves comments and also a way to say thanks to all the generous ladies out there in quiltblog land who take the time and energy to share their work online and bring me so much inspiration!



So, here is today's offering. This is a pile of scraps. More specifically, it is a pile of HST units, ranging in size from about 2" to maybe 3.5". These are mostly units which have been trimmed off flying geese or similar, which I feel I can't throw away, but which I never end up doing anything with except sending to charity quilt makers. I've been meaning to pass these along to someone, as I'd like to put something else in the little box they are living in (see - ulterior motives!). If you'd like to be enterred into the draw for these lovelies, just leave a comment before Sunday... More proper posting later, when I have collected a parcel from the PO and maybe even done some sewing!

[edited to say, I decided that "contest" isn't quite the right word so am changing it to giveaway and drawing... same principle, different title]

Bumper crop (not unexpected!)

Well, we are back home, and of course, there were lots of cards waiting for me. And a few other things, which I will share tomorrow. For tonight, here's a quick rundown on the cards...


left: stripes from Beth (FAI); right: sheers from Myla (FAI)


left: contrasts from Debbie P (Arts in the Mail); right: a thank you from Di for a pattern I sent her (how nice is that!)


left: winter from Mary (Arts in the Mail); right: stripes from Ann J (FAI)


left: pink and purple from Anne R (Arts in the Mail); right: Summer from Ellen (Dyehard)


left: contrasts from Jan (Arts in the Mail); right: something starting with I (Inuit Inukshuk) from Judy (Arts in the Mail)


left: sheers from Elly (FAI); right: summer from Debbie A (Dyehard)

A truly super bunch of cards - lovely to come home to. Acknowledgements will go out tomorrow; tonight, bed is calling - too much driving today...

Retail therapy

A nice retail therapy day with the girls today (in this instance, the girls being me, Cathi and Olivia, who was having a treat going shopping with us big girls). First (bottom left), a visit to Cathi's local quilt shop friend (she has a huge fabric selection in her garage and runs a shop (of the kind where you ring to arrange a visit) & classses - I am seriously envious both of the space and the fabric). I bought a few bits of specific purposes - some pinks and oranges for the September Block Lotto over on about.com, plus a bunch of fabric from the sale rack (6 and 7 euros per yard), plus some that I bought simply because I liked it.

Then, we went into Limerick city, and hit a fabric store, where I got the glittery felt (top left) and the 2 Euro shop (like a pound shop or dollar store) where I got some foil paper and corrugated paper (also top left).

We also visited a number of charity shops (bought a few bits, nothing too exciting) and finally the yarn shop, where I bought the silk ribbon (top right) and Cathi bought lots of balls of wool to make hats for the girls and a scarf for me with her quick knitting hoops (kind of like a knitting dolly, but on a larger scale). In all, an excellent day, not least for being without small complaining children.

Virtual textile experiences

This (a night club in Tralee) is about as close to fabric as I got today...but it was a lovely day, nonetheless, with beautiful scenery - we went out along the Dingle Peninsula (An Daingean), stopping as the spirit took us, including a beach picnic and some scenic overlooks, like the one below, along the Conor Pass...



Cathi, on the other hand, who was not driving, was quite productive (except when the roads got particularly Irish), and finished the second of her funky Pomatomus socks. Here (in the spirit of Yarn Harlot) is the sock at the Conor Pass. Be careful sock, it's a LONG way down.

Hey, if I can't have personal textile experiences, I gotta settle for vicarious ones, right?