Bits and Bobs

Not much has been happening sewing wise other than progress on a mini quilt swap making.  I can't share much here (a bit hush hush until next month) but a can show a sneaky peek which I put on Facebook earlier this week

Not wanting to disturb my daughter Sarah, who's on night shifts this week, I tidied up a drawer in my room and found one of those free kit thingies that came with a magazine, in this case Homemaker from some time back. The magazine has long since gone, so this is the item, an owl panel

I ve cut out the pieces and used a small piece of wadding big enough to back the front and hand quilt the features before joining front and back and stuffing.  The hearts are separate items to the owl. It also came with a couple of small buttons and a small amount of which thread, which didn't look very good quality so I've disposed of that. The owl looks cheerful and quite simple so something different to have a go at.

Talking of having a go at things, someone on the UK Quilters Facebook page suggested some 1930s prints to go with the Farmer's Wife 1930's blocks sew along coming up next month, so I've gone and ordered a bundle. Something to look forward to.

Post Holiday

These are my purchases from the Festival of Quilts, quite diverse from arty to traditional

An assorted bundle of fabrics. The zigzag one is a 2 yard (didn't know you could still get yardage as opposed to metre-age), 3 half metre pieces and the rest are fat quarters as Doughty's had a buy 10 get 11th one free.

Other bid and bobs, small gelli plate and book on gelli printing, a Thermofax screen printing kit, a couple of patterns and an English Paper Piecing kit.

There were some freebies too - some wadding and sample pack of double sided fusible from Warm Company. Also a pettern booklet and pack of 2.5 squares from Moda.

On the way home on Saturday we didn't want to get caught up with holiday traffic through the New Forest during the day, so just outside Birmingham we visited Baddesley Clinton NT a Tudor House with lovely flower gardens and veggie patch with odd looking scarecrows.

I did take a couple of photos with my phone, but because I've lost the photos on my camera I can't show anything more than a pic of a lovely dahlia

Then it was on to Weedon in Northampton to Bramble Patch and a look at their summer exhibition of Traditional Quilts, really lovely collection, but no photos to show. So we ended getting home early evening and busy roads but not too heavy traffic.

When at the Festival I was looking for the book of The Farmer's Wife 1930's Quilt, which has featured on several blogs recently.  I couldn't see that so I sent to Amazon for this, which came yesterday.  Along with that I'd ordered a Baltimore Album book too. The Bourne Quilters might be making a few blocks next month.

Another purchase that I've made are two Craftsy classes which were offered at half price.  One is called Linear Landscape Quilts by Gloria Loughman, whose art quilts I'd enjoyed seeing and also zip It up by Joan Hawley. See how they go.

Festival of Quilts

I thought I would blog about this while things were still fresh in my mind.  I enjoy going to the Festival of Quilts each year as I feel that it celebrates the diversity of quilting. From traditional to modern, very small to very large, single person to a group of people, there is something there for everyone.  It is a big international show, being close to Birmingham Airport and other transport links.

First of all, my apologies if you see your work here and that I've not attributed.  I've tried (and David) to take photos of the signs next to the quilts, but in our enthusiasm may have forgotten.

There were the miniatures, such amazing work in small scale.

 By Philippa Naylor

By Kumiko Frydl

I enjoyed quilts made by younger people, there are some talented youngsters out there

The Show Stoppers, I was fascinated by the chess set, but nothing to say who made it (should have bought the catalogue). The details that went into the characters was amazing.

The group that did Meerkats and last year the bus stop with quilters waiting to go the quilt show came up with a Show and Tell

How the ladies come up with inspiration each year, I do not know, but they managed to turn the group quilts section into a taking point.

This was not the best in show, which I did take a photo of with my camera and the photos had been deleted from the memory card (arrgghh!) but this was a winner in a category that I can't remember now.

I also thought this group quilt was quite clever, by Haverwerf Machelen.

There are so many more quilts that could be shown from the Festival, but I thought I would show this one of my photographer taking a well earned rest with a cup of tea.

I will follow with some more pictures soon.

On Holiday - Part 2

After David's diesel train driving experience on the Monday we visited the engine house along the line of the Severn Valley Railway. An interesting mix of engines, plus various artefacts too.

For anyone who remembers Thomas the Tank Engine, this is Gordon.

I liked these London Underground signs and posters.

Back at Kidderminster station there was a museum with some signs, signals and other railway paraphanalia and I took these three pics as reminders of Dorset.

None of these exist any more.  They were from the Somerset and Dorset line, which closed in the 1960's. Broadstone is just a mile from where we live and what was the station has been long gone and is now a leisure centre. Shillingstone is a village near Blandford.

We headed for a day out on Tuesday to Shrewsbury and Ludlow.  Both historic towns and David was busy taking photos, but I took none that day, left it to the professional!!

On Wednesday we headed to Birmingham, which was where we stayed in readiness for going to Festival of Quilts on Thursday and Friday.

Not being able to book the Back to Back houses on a timed ticket for the rest of that week, we decided that we would go to the Museum of the  Jewellery Quarter.  There are makers of jewellery in workshops around this area of Birmingham and also those who will buy old jewellery for cash.  The museum was in a workshop that dated from Victorian times and closed in the 1980's, and was kept just as it had been left. The exhibition near the entrance had stories of the men from the Quarter who joined the army in the First World War.  There was a wall hanging designed by the children of a local school with stories and pictures.

At the station in the Jewellery Quarter we saw an owl and it was further into the city we discovered more.  There are nine here, but I took more pictures than that!  Similar to Shaun in the City in Bristol, posted here, this is The Big Hoot 

Quite a lot were featured around the squares in Birmingham city centre, though there are some on the outskirts of the city.

Fascinating architecture

From looking up at tall buildings and even down to the pavements, there could be plenty to inspire design. Particularly liked the Library, with its overlapping circle cladding.  We only ventured to the ground floor to enjoy a cup of tea, but if you look in the pic (top right on the yellow middle section there are some people looking over the to the square. Something to explore if we head up that way again.

More to come on the Festival of Quilts….

On holiday

Some This week David and I are away in the West Midlands doing a bit of exploring and heading to Birmingham for the Festival of Quilts on Thursday and Friday.  So with me is some holiday sewing and knitting.

And some reading too, currently reading The Poppy Factory by Liz Trenow.

David had a diesel driving experience at Severn Valley Railway,which he really looked forward to.

And today we are going to Birmingham City centre to see the Jewellery Quarter.

Tomorrow and Friday look out for me at Festival of Quilts 

Hopefully not as frazzled as this!