Summer quilt

It all started with a giveaway on Cyndi's blog about a year ago. I was lucky to win 4 packs of fabric, 2.5 x 2.5in from the "Lovely" range by Moda, 42 squares in each pack. What to do with them? Can I get any more of this lovely fabric?
Eventually I found on line Pelenna Patchworks, who at the time stocked the full range, and later in a shop I came across "Rose Parade" by Moda, which compliments "Lovely" very well.

 After some searching I found a picture of a quilt in a magazine and based my quilt on this, with some changes. I used the small squares for the centres of the stars. The quilt has taken a long time to make, partly due to a fact that I decided to hand quilt it. I am glad I did, I am pleased with the result. I enjoy hand quilting. It is not perfect, but it is not a quilt for a show, it will live with me and it is unlikely it will ever be inspected by a "stitch police".

I wanted to display my new quilt in our garden, but the weather is not on my side.

But I think it looks just as good inside.

Thank you, Cyndi, for the inspiration to make this quilt!

Summer Quilt

Fabric: Lovely and Rose Parade by Moda

Hand quilted: using Aurifil - shade 2420, pretty light peach, on the white fabric

                                Presencia Finca Perle 16 - shade 1247 on the rest

unexpected bonus - day at the seaside

I needed a new part for my car. The dealer for the make of my car is in Weymouth, on the south Dorset coast. Yes, of course we could had asked them to post it! But we never miss an opportunity for a day out, and with a bit of luck, a walk on a beach, a blustery one by expectations.

So, after all that rain and cold, with the weather forecast very iffy, with warm jumpers and raincoats, we drove to Weymouth.

The last part of our journey was on a recently completed new road, ready for this summer's Olympics.

Weymouth is going to be the centre for sailing competitions.

The old road to Weymouth used to be bumper to bumper during summer months.

The day turned out to be better then we thought it would, dry with lots of sunshine.

There are improvements in progress along the front.

As the day went on, the sunshine was getting warmer and warmer.

What better then sit in the sunshine, enjoying our cup of coffee, with the view of the sea and watching the world go by.....

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

another craft fair

I have not been feeling very inspired recently, I don't seem to be able to get into any stitching, may be because I am feeling little tired.

It has probably a lot to do with the kind of the weather we are having at the moment. After the fantastic start to our spring it all went backwards, cold and frost, which now is being followed by torrential rain and high winds, enough to make you feel miserable.
When the invitation to the Creative Craft Show at Bath & West Showground arrived, I did not think I would go. This is an annual show, close to where I live. It has been going down the hill for the past few years, being taken over by card making and anything paper (which is great if you like cardmaking). But I always went, in a hope of some improvement, and because it is only some 10 miles up the road, but returning home disappointed again.
Last minute decision to go was mostly due to the fact that today I was driving past anyway, so I stopped by. I am glad I did! At last the organisers listened to complains from textile crafts people!
This year there is so much more for quiltmakers and embroiderers.

So, after thinking that I would be in and out in no time, with very little in my bag, the opposite was happening, as my bag was filling up quite quickly.

fabric and Lynette Anderson's pattern from Cross Patch

 

threads from Polstitches ( I could spend a lot more money there)

and more fabric from Sew Enchanting, this time a background for stitcheries, for Lynette Anderson's BOM "Fernhill" (first part arrived this month), and a pretty fat quarter.

some buttons from Fantastic Ribbons and Stitch Witch

there was also a stand with MDF blanks, not of any immediate interest, but worth knowing about

 

It was time to go, just a quick look upstairs to take a picture. Usually there isn't so much up here, some half a dozen stalls of various guilds. But there in the corner I found Margaret Beal with her soldering iron. Some of you might know her book:

But I had to leave, no time to join her workshop. May be next time...

Today was a good day for inspirations...........

are you afraid of witches?

We all know stories of "wicket witches" from our childhood. And they are just that, fairy tales.
But there were times, a long ago, when witches were the "real thing", or at least that is what people used to think, and they were afraid of them and many of them were executed.
Later this year it will be 400 years since the famous trial of Pendle Witches in Lancaster, and their execution which followed. You can read more about the Pendle Witches here and here .
This part of history of course helps the local tourism industry today.
Interestingly, there was a petition presented to UK Home Secretary in 1998 asking for witches to be pardoned, but it was decided that their convictions should stand!

I like to think of witches as wise women, with powers which the knowledge of herbs and healing gave them.

 This witch has been flying on her broomstick in my house for many years now.
Not an easy picture to take, as she gets some speed up!

I like to think that she puts a spell on anyone wishing us harm, but she probably doesn't ;-). There is an old horseshoe somewhere around here, just in case she is not as good as I think she is :-)

All through the history the man was destroying anything he was afraid of, due to ignorance and lack of understanding (or political reasons).

We have come a long way since then. Or......have we?

April Sunday

The weather has settled to a typical April one, still chilly, with sunshine and showers.

This morning's walk took us across the sunny fields, with definite signs of spring. We know that spring has arrived when blackthorn is in full flower.

This is an owl nesting box. Due to the decline of the traditional farming and many farm barns being converted to homes or holiday cottages, the barn owl's natural nesting places have disappeared.

Now the country people are being encouraged to put up owl nesting boxes, where possible.

If we are lucky, sometimes we can see this beautiful bird after dark, caught in the car headlights, as it glides gracefully across the fields.

The first flowers of the cuckoo flower or lady's smock; or as my grandmother called it - Tears of Virgin Mary.

You can also see more of this pretty spring flower here.

Our walk took us to the "secret pond", as I call it, as not many people know it is there.

The rather ugly spikes of the field horsetail are everywhere.

The garden is also waking up, although a long way to go yet to looking full.

A crab apple tree, planted in the autumn, is now in full bloom.

And inside, this beautiful fuchsia blossom.

Have a wonderful week!

Happy Easter

The wonderful sunny and warm early spring weather has been followed all this week by very cold days and frosty nights, with some rain (enough to spoil the the day, but not enough to make any difference to farmers or our garden), which came as a bit of a shock, say the least. Easter turnout  to be cold and dull, but the scheme inside is bright and sunny,

with the smell of freshly baked Easter bread.

I wish you all a very Happy Easter!