Quilt top finish

This has taken me ages.....life just got in the way lately with work and family stuff......and it's only the top done!

I'm not happy about where the new 'beast' is located.....in the main kitchen -living room area. I though it would be good not to tuck myself away upstairs but now I'm not sure. At least then I could just close the door on it instead of putting everything away when we want supper or just because other people living here(husband) don't really want the ironing board in plain sight.

 

Or I should stop making excuses and get on with it! ( posted by new app on ipad so see how this goes)

 

Posted with Blogsy

Quilt top finish

At last this quilt top is done. Life just seems to have got in the way of finishing this or was it the heat......just trying out the blogsy app on ipad so see how it goes

 

Posted with Blogsy

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.

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