Kaffe inspired birthday quilt

My baby is 21 today!

........how did that happen

Beautiful, funny, talented and full of life..... Happy birthday darling girl x

Bloggers quilt festival 2013

OK here goes.....if like me you spend a ridiculous amount of time looking for others online who also create the kind of things you like, then the bloggers quilt festival spring 2013 is brilliant because its an introduction to a world of like minded people. I can happily spend the rest of the year looking at the gorgeous things people have made. That said I am showing my quilt for the first time at this festival and would introduce the .....kind of scrappy court house steps quilt! Ta dah!

Made for my sister's special (50th-sorry J) birthday. I used Kona bleached white and lots of pink scraps in various hues , included lots of Kaffe . I didn't measure it foolishly but its ample single bed size, a generous throw.

 Made with cotton batting and a mixture of machine and my first attempt at hand quilting (the circles.)

It was inspired by one of my favourite bloggers Mary. she makes the most wonderful things and never fails to delight.   

I've 'discovered' my love for all things stitchy in the last couple of years coinciding with my girls leaving home and its been not only a fantastic hobby but has certainly filled the space they left and I am completely hooked.

fabric, fabric everywhere......

I added another strip to my liberty quilt to make it more usable....I love it, the picture doesn't do justice to  the colours of this fabric....all scraps that I've been saving up.

I've had a bit of a spend up ! I absolutely love getting parcels of fabric in the post......its a kid at Christmas feeling! 
All the fabric has come from the u.s....a couple of sites that were doing a reduced shipping offer as the us postal service recently increased the international charge to around $25. 
It still works out good value but I do try and support UK business too and there are some really good sites out there. 

Wonderful Kaffe ....I love this line and will be buying more when I dare.

and these, especially the modern mecca , far right and the orange

Am a wee bit disappointed with these Michael miller fabrics....they're not really my colours....I think I was on the wine when I ordered them....that's a dangerous game!

these are more my thing....I ordered these to make a quilt for eldest for  her new flat in London. 

Not quite sure what to do with them though. Maybe I should be a little more ambitious in my choice of pattern this time.

Did I ever show you these? really cute little panels to be made into a quilt.....I got them at the nec last year.....what shall I do with these?.....Don't say it says Herb I'm not ready yet!....me neither, back in the cupboard.

Avoiding all coverage of Wednesday's events in London.....

I knew if we didn't distract ourselves Herb would be inexplicably drawn to the coverage and that was more than my poor ears could stand . So prompted by this post by Celia about something in Cambridge we had yet to see, we jumped in the car.

We parked and partook of refreshment at the Grantchester tea room...see these pics from another visit...it really is a special place to go and relax when the sun is shining however we were on a mission.

The Grantchester to Cambridge walk is one of our favourites, all along the river..it really felt like spring at last. Then to the Museum of Classical Archaeology and wow....you open the doors to a very unassuming building to discover statues....hundreds of them.

A beautiful light room with casts of some fantastic Greek and Roman statues and friezes .....amazing. We whiled away an hour, reading about the statues. We had the place to ourselves. We will return , go if you are in Cambridge.

Then along the backs, this is Kings, to our favourite cafe for lunch....in a church that still has a chapel in use (sometimes the choir are practicing while you eat) the food is brilliant, really reasonable and it has a great atmosphere.

Finally a quick visit to the Fitz museum for the Quentin Blake exhibition......a tiny bit disappointing as it was small but we loved seeing the original sketches and water colours.... then a little more refreshment in the Fitz excellent cafe then back along the river again. You know who wasn't even mentioned! 

Have decided to make this liberty quilt larger to use as a summer throw...(am of a certain age where duvets are causing me a heat prob) and the sun is really shining..... that's today sorted....happy weekend!

Finished and gone-the court house steps quilt

The quilt is finally finished and given to my sister for her special birthday.

A label was sewn at the very last minute

It was a difficult one to quilt because of the colour of the threads and fabric....I didn't want pale pink thread crossing over the middle of the red section and my machine cannot cope with anything clever or fancy (cant cope with much actually).....so I machined lines, then did my first bit of hand quilting in circles on the colours. I wish I'd had time to do it all by hand....although the stitches aren't great I like the effect and I guess that my stitches will get better with practice......need to find a better thimble though.

I used Aurifil thread for the first time and I'm completely won over. Really good in the machine and  using for the hand stitching. No knots or breaking.

and a cake! well a double pavlova as requested by Sis.

what shall I start on now......Kaffe inspired me thinks.

Kaffe Fassett exhibition-opening night

Kaffe Fassett exhibition at the Fashion and Textile museum in London .....I was in heaven, child in a sweet shop stuff. Opened by Kirsty Allsopp, it was a real feast for the eyes.....I do happen to be a long time admirer of his work (have I mentioned that before?) but you really don't need to be a fan to enjoy this show. It was a mixture of quilts, tapestry and knitting, with a smattering of original paintings for the fabric and mosaic. 

I managed a sneak peek before the opening night when the exhibition was being put together. A mountain of tapestry (do I exaggerate?) were on the floor waiting to be displayed....many I have made from kits. I was soooo tempted to stuff a few in my bag, but these were all from the home of Mr Fassett and I couldn't do that.( his house must be a little on the bare side now)

I met eldest for a meal first as she works round the corner now and then she came with me. Two treats in one night.

I know the pictures aren't great....but this is a treat, so if you can.... go.

I've been rumbled

My own fault. Perhaps in the back of my mind it was a bit of a test.   Never mind. Eldest daughter owned up that she has been reading my blog and I think I have spoilt the surprise putting the picture up. But nothing has been said only implied. My fault.... lesson learnt. Too late to start afresh now !

Morning peeps!

Another week in the small town.....at least the mornings are getting lighter, in a week or so I wont be getting up in the dark...hurrah.

Seriously if my job was around the corner instead of 40 miles away in London, I'm sure I could carry on for ages.....but the journey gets to me more and more. I even found myself calculating my severance package on Monday after a particularly horrible M11 journey......that's if I could persuade them to let me go....ITS NOT MUCH even after 23 years. Still have to get youngest through uni and out into the big wide world yet.

Talking of youngest she told us she was off to the lakes last weekend with a whole bunch of girls to celebrate 21st birthdays. When she got back I asked her what she thought of the lakes....magnificent eh? no lakes said she, it was the peak district! oh said I that's not far from the uni.....yes it was said she....had to change at Leeds.....sure it was the peak district?....oh mother she said. We looked it up, it was the Yorkshire Dales!....isn't it worrying that she knew not where she was going north south east or west....how did I let her travel to the other side of the world?

We had friends over for supper last week and she brought this pressie for me. I love hyacinths. such a thoughtful thing to do.....I should be more thoughtful with the little touches. I know how much pleasure they give me. I made food courtesy of Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes, after watching his series on middle eastern cooking. It was surprisingly easy and impressive in equal measures.....mezze of salads Kofta and dips (baba ganoush -aubergine easy and delicious) and lamb tagine. It went down a treat. He writes a column in the Guardian as well and if you haven't come across him and like that kind of food, look him up

Another new quilt start this week. its my sisters 50th birthday in April and I wanted to make her a quilt. She doesn't read this so i know the surprise won't be spoilt. When I mentioned 18 months ago that I would like to make her a quilt, she wanted something in beige/cream and showed me something from dunhelm mill! I promptly told her I don't do beige and that she should buy one instead.....that's how we talk to each other!

So I'm making her something I like.....selfish I know, it is her birthday after all but hey, I think it will go down well.

the pattern is courthouse steps and the plain is actually off white not pink as it appears.......bit worried about the washing and really hope the colours don't bleed.....

 

Am very excited about the Kaffe Fassett exhibition coming to the fashion and textile museum in Bermondsey in March.....I think it will be really special and if you are an admirer try and get there.  I'm going to the  opening so will report back. 

this was the first tapestry kit i did donkeys years ago....(loads more of his since) and now i am a massive fan of his fabrics. Love or hate his work i think it will be something worth seeing. x

We made it......

we can all breathe a sigh of relief because youngest has been reunited with her heels and  bobby brown paraphernalia, hair products and a shedload of clothes......is this really university I hear you say?.  A place to suck up all that knowledge, wear baggy jumpers, go bare faced  and drink pints in the student bar....is it heck.

We battled through the snow up the A1 to Sheffield and boy was there a lot of it there, albeit turning to slush in the midday sun....ruined my new suede boots...what a chuff for wearing them.

Unpacked, had a delicious brunch in a great restaurant called relish  and then back in the car for 3 hours. (animal farm dramatised on radio 4 provided the entertainment...excellent.)

Today finished this top and messed about with fabric and machine....perfect Sunday.

On Friday I went to the V & A in London to see the Hollywood costume exhibition.Boy was it packed and that was with timed tickets....I wasn't impressed with the layout of the exhibition....the first room was a bottleneck so it wasn't really possible to read all the blurb about the costumes without feeling you were holding everyone else up...I did witness one very unseemly argument and shove.....whats wrong with people!

The Monroe dress was there ..several Elizabeth I dresses, my favourite being the Bette Davis...as I am a huge fan. Audrey  Hepburn's black number (seeing that made a woman cry!).... Kate Winslets opening striped number from Titanic.... Marlene Dietrich's falling in love outfit and a ton  more.

 the 'curtain dress from gone with the wind....love that bit

 

 and my fave was the waitress outfit from Mildred Pierce....the  Joan Crawford version.

I adore that film.(the Winslett  mini series doesnt  touch it) ....anyhow I cant suggest you go cos it finishes today. Would have been fabulous with a handful of people there though. 

Have a great week everyone.....and hey....no snow yeah!

Damn the white stuff.....

Stopped us taking youngest back up north to uni. Instead we've just dropped her at the station with just enough stuff to get her through the week until hopefully we can drive up with the rest next weekend.
It's snowed solidly now for 12 hours and it's more than a bit slippy on the lanes to the station, goodness knows how icy it might be tomorrow. Work dilemma again.
Gave some poor guy a lift from the station to town because the taxis wouldn't turn out. It's a three mile walk with a case! How mean! . He wanted to give us the cab fare but we said to pass the favour on sometime. Good deed done for the day. Glass of wine for me!
Ps not sure about the white round the blocks