More flowers

A small one,just nine by twelve inches, to hang alongside "Northern Spring".

Postie called yesterday----

He delivered a large box full of all sorts of goodies won by "Northern Spring" at Uttoxeter last weekend. It was so exciting opening everything up and discovering what was there! Not showing too well are the large lengths of wide Moda backing and PFD fabric at the bottom of the hamper. Also missed off are two quilt border stencils and the engraved silver platter, certificate and red rosette!
Can you tell that I am one happy bunny? :o)

Quilt and Stitch Village have pictures and info on Facebook and also a video of the show on YouTube.   (Just click on the links to see them)
Next year's theme is "Lest We Forget"------ a theme that should evoke a lot of wonderful quilts. Start thinking of what you can do now.

Exciting news yesterday :o)

I received a phonecall to say that "Northern Spring" has won First Prize in the theme quilt competition at British Quilt & Stitch Village, in Uttoxeter, this weekend!
Happy dancing :o)

Done !

Excuse the fingers peeping over the top :o)
It looks a bit squinty but it is just 'cos it moved a little at the bottom when the door was opened. It is straight when hung on a wall!

This is a painted wholecloth quilt that has been in my head for years! I always thought that a dry stone wall would make a brilliant quilting project!
I took photos and looked at walls but in the end drew this one with imaginary stones starting at the bottom as a proper waller would begin. Initially the colours were very pale but I intensified them and added shadows as I went on. The wall, fields and sky are mainly coloured with Derwent Inktense pencils but Pentel Watercolor Dyes and Fabrico dual point have also been used and all the stitching was done with Bernina 830.

The dandelion from the previous posting is on the bottom right hand side. All the flowers at the bottom are the early spring flowers. Above the wall the early orange tip butterflies are dancing watched by a nest building Robin. Sheep and lambs are on the slopes where the tree has not yet come into leaf. Bottom left a little bank vole is looking for a crevice in the wall for its nest.

In view of the very late spring /long winter we have had this year perhaps I should have included a little snow in the background!
I think I might eventually make a summer and autumn version  of this.

Back at the machine :o)

I am alternating my time at the moment between the garden and the sewing machine.

 Nothing much got done in the garden after I started being unwell in July ,last year,so there are vast tracts of brambles and sycamore seedlings to clear . I can nearly see all the daffodils now! Their position will be taken by a carpet of bluebells will be here in a few weeks so I need to keep at it.

The current quilt has a few flowers too.
They were painted and coloured with Derwent Inktense pencils and Pentel water colour dyes before sewing was involved..:o)
My Bernina 830 was updated recently and is still a bit tetchy with a couple of functions but it is humming away happily stitching on this which is just free motion work with the feed dogs down.

If you ever wondered how to make a corset----read on!

This is an e-book that I read recently , written by Julia Brimble, the owner of the Sew Curvy site and downloaded from Vivebooks. I used to do machine embroidery for the panels of bridal corset bodices but never thought that I could attempt to make a corset from scratch. This book gives me hope!
What is unique about it is that as well as the text and lots of pictures, there are also several little videos in the book that show you exactly what to do! A brilliant idea!
The book can be read on your tablet or Kindle but you might need an app to allow the videos to play.
I also liked that the book can be downloaded and paid for via Paypal (as well as usual cards) from Vivebooks.

First finish for 2013

Happy New Year!
The days are getting longer and the snowdrops are out and I have just finished this which I started in the holidays.

He is a present -----hope she likes him! :o)
Total size is 50 x 31 inches and he is some sparkle in the form of metallic thread, foils, and crystals. You can just see them on the closeup of his head. The metallic thread is Madeira FS and my Bernina 830 did all those free motion feathery bits effortlessly.

It is good to be back into sewing and to start the year off with a "finish"----that sounds weird doesn't it?
:o)

Sunny day, cold feet and Happy Villages.

We have had so many dull and damp days of late that today was very welcome. I love the view of the sun through the branches of these trees in the park.

Down at the river Mr Heron is standing in his usual place ,watching intently for lunch to appear. Even in summer he always looks so cold with his shoulders all hunched up. :o(
I did take some pictures of the red squirrels too but they were bouncing from tree to tree, in mad pursuit, so none were very clear.

Lastly a "Happy Villages"picture made with paper and glue, by our youngest GD after she had seen a little of the Quilt Show featuring Karen Eckmeier's work. It filled a wet afternoon and now she knows what to do she can have a go on her sewing machine.

 

It has been a long three years!

Before the 2009 floods this was an unsurfaced lane with a blackthorn hedge along the riverside. There was a an abundance of wild flowers along the banks and always some wildlife to spot from herons to dragonflies and occasionally the kingfishers or an otter.

Then came the floods and washed away the hedge and peeled away the river wall.This picture was taken after the water had dropped a couple of metres.

This was the mess that we were left with that prevented any vehicular access for 14 months. We had a long drawn out hassle with insurers and engineers till at last the river wall was rebuilt with the final top row only going on this summer.

Because the lane is a public footpath we got up a petition to get a proper surface put on and this week the tarmac arrived! Funny to think that there has probably been a track along here for a thousand years to the mill and the mill beyond and yet this is the first time there has been a surface on it. It looks a little manicured at present but hopefully we will be able to encourage something to grow along the riverbank pretty quickly.

At the end of the lane where those stones are there was a clump of Sweet Cicely with its heady aniseed smell to the crushed leaves. I can remember it being there when I was small so it must have been very well established. It, of course, was washed away in the flood so you can imagine my delight when I found a seedling just at the corner of our field garden. Once we get some better weather it will be transplanted to the bare patch. :o)

So that is our three year session over. My heart goes out to all the people who were flooded recently as they are just started on the journey. Only can hope that lessons have been learned from floods that have gone before.

Now to think about getting ready for Christmas! :o)

I have missed a month!

What a long time it has been since I blogged!


I have had nearly three months of being quite unwell (to say the least) but hopefully I am on the mend now. :o)
Nothing very creative has been done for a while!

This morning we went into the park as usual and were enjoying the wonderful colours and the dry leaves underfoot when Rosie spotted some friends------all at once! Usually we bump into bigger dogs like spaniels and labradors but this morning they were more her size.




At one point they all stood/sat to enjoy the sunshine whilst their owners chatted.


Two Schnautzers joined in at this point but I didn't manage a picture of them.

 

Then a new friend to meet-- a Maltese terrier pup who was keen to play .

 

Think Rosie felt left out here 'cos she didn't have her coat on.


 

Three years on the 19th of this month since the Cockermouth floods and the finishing touches and clear up on our road is just about complete.   Who could ever have imagined it would have taken so long?