Shoes and Handbags

It is a very rare occasion when I buy shoes as I have small feet (UK size 4 or European size 37) and in Wakefield yesterday morning managed to get not 1 but 3 pairs! I was in desperate need of shoes for work, they're the ones I have on as my current ones had split (they were comfortable) and also new trainers. I also thought the gathered sling backs looked good too so bought them.
My BQL Calendar Quilt Challenge piece was completed yesterday. It may need a little more embellishing but I think they'll pass as finished for the moment. The little bag blocks were fiddly, but after joining together, quilting done and binding put on yesterday afternoon it was just the finishing off in the evening. They look rather cute.

One of the followers on my side bar is Janet, who's currently on holiday in the US. I've followed her journey along Route 66 and yesterday posted some pics of her time at Paducah's quilt show. Here's the link to her blog here

I should say welcome to 2 recent followers to my blog. I know that there are more than one or two people out in blogland who read it ;o)) ! Hello to Shell and Little Missoakden.

Stitchery Stuff to Show

As promised yesterday I'm showing some stitching that I'm currently doing and some postcards that I've received recently.Above are some handbag blocks in progress for the BQL Calendar Challenge for this month. I've used a favourite fabric for the background, which is called Confetti and I have had this for a few years and is a nice contrast to the bright fabrics used for the bags. Each block is 4.5" square to make a quilt of 12.5". I'm at the point of tidying the blocks up before joining.

Another project that I'm doing is making a couple of cushions from a kit that I bought from The Bramble Patch recently(I've tried to put a link to Bramble Patch, but it's not co-operating). The kit (called Hanamoyo Cushion) had fabric to make one cushion but I found that I had enough of the blue fabric to make another cushion top but not enough of the cream to make the outside strips and cushion back so ordered more. That came on Friday so one evening next week I'll crack on and get the second cushion done.

And this pic above shows a couple of postcards I received on the theme of Folded Wonders (see the ones that I made in the post of 4th April). The top one of a folded flower tree came from Toni and the bottom one made from batiks with red inserts and beads came from Sarah. I'm waiting on a third card to come from Canada, which I guess will come soon.

Tourists for a week

As David and I had visitors we spent this week as tourists. My brother in law Peter and his partner Diane came to stay so we were out and about in Yorkshire. Easter Sunday afternoon was spent in York and whilst David and Peter were at a model railway exhibition at York Racecourse Diane and I went into the city centre. Some places were open so able to explore and the afternoon was spent walking along the north side of the city walls.

The Wrinkled Stocking Cafe with the Summer Wine Museum underneath

Monday saw us going to Holmfirth and the “Last of the Summer Wine” exhibition based on the famous TV series. The museum is below the “Wrinkled Stocking café”. We were going to the Colne Valley Museum towards Huddersfield but never got there. Instead going to the Standedge Tunnel on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, they aren’t kidding it is narrow, just enough room for the boat trip in and reverse out again.
(above) the Cow and Calf rocks on Ilkley Moor and (below) Betty's Tea Room at Ilkley

Tuesday was an at home day for David and me as we thought we’d catch up on odd bits and pieces, but Wednesday off out to Ilkley to try Betty’s Tea Rooms (which has always been busy when we’ve been to York or Harrogate). It is an experience that has to be tried, with old fashioned service that just isn’t seen any where else. From there we went to Howath village and the Bronte Parsonage. Amazing bit of history and the story about the Bronte family, not just the 3 sisters, Emily, Charlotte and Ann but their siblings 2 other girls who died aged 11 and 12 and Branwell. Their father outlived his wife and all 6 children. The village graveyard was jam packed with gravestones as the village suffered from high mortality due to bad sanitation in Victorian times.(above) the sign outside the Bronte Parsonage)

Thursday we went off to York again this time by train so our first port of call was the National Railway Museum, almost next to the station. Walking across the town we then went to the Castle Museum. York as ever was busy with tourists.

Friday we took things a little easier and went to Brodsworth House near Doncaster in the afternoon, spent longer than we thought and left just before the house closed for the day! It has lovely gardens and is close enough to us to go back there and enjoy another day.The front of Brodsworth House(above) the rear of the house and (below) the Italian style fountain

After our visitors left David and I decided to go to Bradford Model Railway exhibition today. I bought some tombola tickets and won a prize! I got a cuddly lion and an Easter egg. After deciding where we should go we went onto Salts Mill at Saltaire, near Shipley. The mill building is now mainly art gallery and shops and the village is now a United Nations heritage site.

My prize (pictured sideways!)

Tomorrow will see David and I getting the house sorted and thinking about returning to work. It was quite a busy week and it just flew by!

As for sewing - I hope I can post what I’ve been up to very soon.

Mellow Yellow

After a weekend in Dorset last week, the first time we've visited the area since we moved to Yorkshire 5 months ago (where did the time go?), we've returned to work and had to catch up with things all week. So it was lovely to receive a quilt in the post, a lovely sunshiny yellow one, isn't it super? DH was working at home on Thursday, so he was able to pick up the package from the Post Office. The quilt was from Lucy, of My Byrd House, who's taken part in the Four Seasons Quilt Swap in which I'd made a quilt that I'd sent to Vanessa earlier in March (here's the link to my post about that quilt)

Inside the package was also this lovely batik fabric. This is called Solo by Timeless Treasures, which can be cut up and arranged to make different patterns. Seems a shame to cut it up!

By coincidence, on a yellow theme, I met up with Quarterjack Quilters, the group I used to belong to in Wimborne. Pat , the chairman of the group, demonstrated making this little bag, from one on Kumiko Sudo's patterns, on a spring theme with green and yellow, isn't it sweet. The little bit of blue shining inside the bag is a foil wrapped mini egg.This last photo shows the resulting postcards that were in progress from my last post. Suddenly realising that the last posting date for these were tomorrow (though no post on Sundays) I had to get them sent today. I did make 4 but only 3 were needed for this swap, so one extra will be kept as a sample.