Work in progress again!

Can't believe how long since I blogged!

I suppose I tend to make a note when I start being creative again.

September has just flown by and we seem to have been out and about and sorting stuff out before the cooler weather arrives. I have done some sewing but just mundane clothing type of stuff to try and reduce the stash somewhat.

IAll the time I have been doing that I have been mulling over the next project . Now I have the germ of an idea the fabrics have been chosen and the threads. A lot of brighter threads and metallics have been added now too. These colours are mainly silks both shot and plain. I am hoping that the shot fabric will cast some interesting shadows when it is quilted.


All those tiny scraps are the bits left over after lots of pieces have been backed with fusible web and cut out.

How small do your fabric scraps have to get before they get thrown away? I used to throw if I couldn't cut a postage stamp out of it but there is an embellisher here now and even half or quarter postage stamp pieces can be punched in!!!

Sunday

These are the awards and prizes (a Husqvarna Emerald sewing machine and 15 half metres of lovely Hoffman fabrics!)that I brought home.



This was the very first quilt show I have ever been to and I drifted around open mouthed at the display of quilts I saw. There were so many different styles, techniques and colours. I was totally gobsmacked by the whole experience! I returned home inspired and with my head buzzing with ideas for future projects.

There were signs saying that photographs could be taken for personal use only so I don't think I can put them on my blog much as I would love to share them!
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One of the nice things about going away is the journey home.

The show was in Harrogate and to get home we have to go over the backbone of England (the Pennines) and then down the other side until we see the hills of home appearing. Even on a grey day the colours are lovely. At the end of a sunny clear day the setting sun shows the hills off in a spectacular way.

This road often gets blocked in bad winter weather so it has snow poles on the sides of the road to show where the road is and how deep the snow drifts are.
If the weather gets really bad there are gates that get shut and no traffic is allowed at all.
I was once on a bus going over this road when the weather closed in and the bus followed a snow plough through. The snow was halfway up the bus windows and we ended up being stuck for about eight hours.
Great adventures :o)

I really did hear correctly!

This weekend was the Great Northern Quilt Show in Harrogate which was on for three days starting on Friday. On Thursday I had a phonecall and even though I wrote down what was said I didn't take it in until we went to the show on Sunday. It felt as if I sent emails about it or told anyone that it would prick the bubble---- but it really was all real!!!!

The theme competition for the show was "Butterflies and Blooms" and I entered this quilt with coneflowers and butterflies seen in the garden.

It won the competition!

As if that wasn't enough it won the Machine Quilting award too and the Overall Champion award and prize.

On top of that my entry into the Hoffman Challenge won Second Prize.

I am still pinching myself!