Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures - in stitch and otherwise! And I hope that you will leave a comment so that I know you have visited.

Saturday 30 May 2015

Not much time to sew!

But it is lovely to have visitors (Keith and Lorraine) especially at this time of the year when the garden is looking so lovely.



A lovely surprise in the post last week was this super postcard


from Monika Kinner-Whalen. Such a completely different style for Monika and you can read all about the fun evening she had with friends creating these modern cards by clicking on her name. Thank you very much Monika - am enjoying having it on my easel.

I can show progress on my May crazy block


not quite finished but I need a quiet afternoon to myself to do it.

Hope you are having a great weekend.

Saturday 16 May 2015

FNSI was here again

And don't the months whizz by so quickly!






Many thanks to Wendy for hosting us especially having moved this week! Pop over here to see her new home and here to see what everyone else got up to last night.

I made a start in the afternoon and got the edging done on these cards and ATC's

Just the threads to sew in now.

Then I thought it was time that I started sewing these pieced rows together.


This was a Mystery Quilt from the Quilters Guild that I have been working on over the last year. In each of the four issues of the magazine we were given instructions on how to make two or three of the rows - the width of the row and a clue - ie it could be stars or strip piecing or curves etc. The rest was up to us. Not exactly needing another quilt top I was not going to buy fabric so raided my stash (large) of hand dyed cottons and this is what emerged. The idea was for everyone to finish in time to display the quilts at the AGM but that has long gone! I am going to finish machining these together this afternoon and then think about the colour for the border - no more piecing but just a wide border of hand dyed cotton I think.

Then of course in the evening watching TV out came some hand work and I added some more stitching to my May crazy block.


I hope everyone had a great evening - I shall be off to visit and see what everyone got up to in a while.

Happy weekend.

Tuesday 12 May 2015

EPP Tuesday

And once again I am linking up with Anthea as we 'Piece Ourselves Together'!





Click the link above to see what everyone else has been doing - join in too, the more the merrier!

Well, in between other projects, I have been busy cutting and tacking and now have a box full of hexies ready to sew together - when I decide on what to make. At the moment I am thinking Dilly Bag but who knows!



Lots of fabrics in there from way back as I work through my scrap box.

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I also have my May crazy block pieced together, framed and ready to start stitching.


This time the fabrics are all ones I have dyed myself - mottled and blotchy cos that's how I like them. There is some velvet in the middle, smooth and raw silk, cotton and the pin tucks were along the bottom of an old linen apron I bought years ago from a brocante. It had a few holes in but was perfect for ripping up and dyeing. This time I plan to be much freer with my embroidery - more like the work I did on my hexie machine cover .

It's another beautiful day in the Dordogne - hope it's fine where you are.

Saturday 9 May 2015

It has been a while since I have posted - have been busy here with the garden, spring cleaning and of course getting on with some of my projects. So this is what I have been up to.

First of all my CQJP block for April (which I did finish in April but have not shared yet). This was my starter block.






And here it is again with all it's embellishments.


Plus a few closeups!






I am really pleased with the way that the hint of turquiose works so well.

If you would like to see more crazy blocks then go to the CQJP2015 site and feast your eyes on some gorgeous work.

Since then I have been busy with some secret Christmas stitching and my pink BOM which is Batchelors Puzzle.


Couldn't resist putting my four blocks together to see how they look.


I have my swap hexies ready to post off on Monday and I have a batch of postcards and ATC's all ready for backing and edging.


I have more news on the hexie front but am saving that for Anthea's link on Tuesday.

So I have not been idle - starting to think about my May crazy block - I have two colour themes that I want to explore but can't decide which to do first!

We have had a showery week but I have managed to pot up all my tubs and troughs ready for the summer and we have most of our summer veg planted too. Now we need to keep it all reasonably tidy! Looking forward to the predicted few days of hot sunny weather now.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

Sunday 3 May 2015

Birthday Giveaway Winner

Thank you very much to everyone who entered my birthday giveaway. There have been a couple of additions since my last photograph - one of my Jacobs Ladder bags and a key ring.


As usual I cannot get Mr RNG to show up here so I will tell you that he chose number 4 which is


 Congratulations Rosa - if you would like to email me your address then I will put your package in the post.

It has been a lovely birthday so far - after two days it has finally stopped raining and the sun has been putting in an appearance. We have been to a vide grenier this morning and I made two small purchases - this afternoon there is a very important football match to watch! Time to make a few hexies I feel.

Hope you are having a good weekend.