Where Do I Begin?

Since I've last posted on the blog life has been busy. Besides work, we have been doing the last of Sarah's move and she left her flat a couple of weeks ago. She's started her new job and came home with lots of equipment and has been going through a lot of training.  She's finding it a bit tough going with all this, but it's early days and I hope she will soon settle into it.

Then last Saturday we had a visit to the Isle of Wight, which was a fab day out, but my phone refused to share them with my iPad, so no pics to show here.  The occasion was my youngest son, Jamie's 30th birthday and we were joining him and his family for the last day of their holiday there.  We had a lovely time seeing small aeroplanes in the nearby airfield and later a nice meal at a pub with a play area, which kept younger ones amused.

 

Yesterday I went with my Mum to the annual Brockenhurst Needlework Fiesta. It has a lot of varied traders, from embroidery suppliers, quilting shops, knitting supplies on the ground floor and demonstrations by local groups and teachers on the upper floor of the community centre.  I also took the opportunity to take my main sewing machine to New Milton for servicing en route to the Fiesta.  I had to buy fabric, from The Dye Bag and from Cherry Tree Fabrics

I also bought a knitting pattern book

Yep, it's Christmassy, but it will take me a while to knit, so starting early!!

But I have also been sewing.  Now the evenings are lighter I don't need so much artificial light, so I have been hand quilting a couple of Dolly Dress Up blocks that seemed to have been hanging around for ages. I've still got to get more of the water erasable pen removed in spite of spraying copious amounts of water the other morning.

I've also sewn together backing fabric for my deconstructed quilt from last year, piecing the remaining blocks to two halves of backing fabric to extend the width of the backing.

As a reminder, this is the quilt top

Next job will be to iron this and sandwich together the quilt ready for when my machine comes back from its service.

So I'm still fitting things in when I can.

Coming Home

Last weekend we spent Good Friday taking a van to Bristol to load up most of Sarah's belongings to bring back to Poole to a storage unit near us. With the help of her friends who came up from Dorset furniture was taken apart, boxes were filled and packed which all went inside the van easily. 

Sarah came with David and I back to Poole in the evening to unpack the van on Saturday, together with our son, Alex and more of Sarah's friends to help.  Sarah returned to Bristol on Sunday to finish her last shifts at hospital, moreorless camping in what remains in her flat until tomorrow.  I'm taking the trip back to Bristol to collect her and the rest of her belongings, leaving the flat she's lived in for almost 10 years.

She starts her new job on Monday and which will be such a change from working in the NHS and in a hospital. She will be out and about in the community, so see how things go.

Meanwhile, the journey in the van last Friday and travelling through Somerset gave me the opportunity to stop at a quilt shop, Midsomer Quilting, just a bit north of Shepton Mallet. A lovely quilt shop and a handy break in the journey, I hadn't been there for a few years and noticed how much the shop has expanded to include a workroom and long arm machine and more space for fabric.

So it would have been rude not to buy some fabric

I like these Aboriginal inspired fabrics by Makower

A couple of pieces from the bargain shelf.

Some seaside inspired fabrics too.

Now its April

A review of what's happened in March.  Last month has seen a trip to Duxford quilt show and a visit to Cambridge, my 500th blog post and International Quilting Day at a Dorset quilt group.

Here are some bits and pieces this month

From top left, clockwise, a couple of Bee Blessed blocks (although I sent 3); more blocks to go to the Sibling's Together block drive; some bunting at Tarrant Valley Quilt group on International Quilting Day and two pencil case pouches for my granddaughters. The elephants in the background fabric are upside down, and iPhoto has decided they should stay that way.

Here's a photo of some bits from IQD

Also March saw some purchases, what with visiting a quilt show and lastly at Hobbycraft.

From top left, again, from Duxford show at the top row and bottom left pic.  Fabrics, thread, a ruler for free machining and some English Paper Piecing papers.  Bottom right was the stash that I bought from the charity table at my local Hobbycraft.

For a few months now I have been sending some blocks for Bee Blessed, but I've read that Judith and Sarah they will no longer be collecting blocks and making them into quilts.  I've enjoyed making blocks and and there is more about that on Judith's blog here.

As you've seen above I've been making blocks towards some Siblings Together quilts as mentioned on Lily's Quilts. These Home Sweet Home blocks have really sewn up quick, especially when time has been limited.

Another quick make has been the pencil cases that I have made for my granddaughters, I made the grandsons' a little while back and being fair I had to make girls ones too.  The handy pattern was from a free Crafty class called "Bag Making Basics - Reversible Tote and Zipper Pouch".  I've never made the bag, but I really love making the pouches.

As for next month..Changes.  I'm not sure I will get much sewing done as our daughter, Sarah, will be moving back to Poole after 13 years of living in Bristol.  She is starting a new job and will be staying with us for a while until she finds somewhere of her own to live.  It may cause some disruption until things settle, but at least I'm not losing my sewing room. We will just have to see how things go, but I'm not planning anything just yet.

Joining up with Lily's Quilts Fresh Sewing Day

Fitting it in where I can...

I have spent an evening of two doing some cutting and sewing and managed a few more Siblings Together Boy blocks.  I've made 4 this time, which I hope I can send off later this week. 

I've also made a couple of pencil cases for my granddaughters who visited yesterday.  A while ago I made some for the grandsons. Here are the girly ones

They seemed to go down well and some small items went in them, so the cases have come in useful already.

I quite like making small bits and bobs at the moment as it fits in well with limited time. I feel as though I've got something done.  

International Quilting Day

I'm The third Saturday of March each year is International Quilting Day and this Saturday was spent at Tarrant Valley Quilters in the village hall in the middle of the Dorset countryside.  A lively bunch of ladies who are really well organised and bought lots of fun to the day.

There were 3 mini workshops

I did all but make a chicken (I bought that on the sales table) and the pink bag - more about that later. I made 2 Faux Cathedral Window blocks, a felt flower brooch, later a lavender bag from a vintage hankie and a bookmark, phew!  I bought some hand sewing with me but it didn't get much of a look in.

There was a lovely lunch, a show and tell and some handy sewing tips too. All too soon the day was over, but it was a lovely day. We were even given a "party bag" to take home.

That's the pink bag.  Along with that was this poem here explaining the bits and pieces in the bag.

So that was a brilliant International Quilting Day over for another year.  Thanks to Tarrant Valley Quilters.

The Big 5-0-0!

This is the 500th post on my blog ("only 500?" I hear you say?).  I am slow and steady and it has taken me over 8 years to get there so I'm not a really prolific blogger, unlike Bonny Hunter's Quiltville blog which posts everyday, sometime more that once a day! But I do have a job, which while it does earn me money to sew, does have a habit of eating into valuable sewing time, which is why I'm not so prolific in making and blogging.  That's life.

Okay, I won't do a giveaway (shame!) but will do one in the not too distant future, and will use this post to reflect over the past 499 posts.  When I started in January 2007 it was about quilting and embroidery, I was taking part in fabric postcard swaps through one, then two Yahoo email groups.  I was using Flickr to upload photos from my camera to keep track of the challenges and swaps and blogging was a learning curve for me then.   Here's a link to my first post here.  Have a look at my postcard swaps I've recorded on Flickr here.  Over the years some family pics and events have crept in and I also enjoy sharing photos of where David and I have been away on short breaks or holiday, but the mainstay of the blog remains quilting.

When I started blog there was a "blogring" group of quilting blogs, but then I found Quilting Bloggers a few years ago and have found that useful to visit other quilt bloggers for them to visit me. I am now on Bloglovin' (what's a matter with me I still can't put the link on my blog!) and have lately started using Instagram (@suewilduk) for quick upload of photos (more often that not, I use my i-phone than the camera).  You can also see from my sidebar I also have a Facebook page too, and joined a UK quilt group on that.  I've also pinned some ideas on Pinterest too The world has become more "social" and find I am changing to go along with that. I've got curious, finding out about what all these sites are about and got sucked in.

I've made a several online friends as well a real friends with the aid of the blog and enjoy the community when I hope will continue to enjoy in the future.  

Since starting the blog  I no longer make postcards, though one or two postcard sized pieces will no doubt make an appearance. I make a lot of small things that I can easily make in my valuable sewing time and maybe I might catch up with some UFO quilts that continue to haunt me until I get some batting and backings on them! I enjoy the pleasure of sewing and continue to share that with you just as I enjoy seeing other peoples sewing too.

Anyway I hope you've enjoyed my little reflection and if this is all to much, here's a photo of a wall hanging quilt that brightens my sewing room and makes me smile as its so cheerful......

........Ahhhh, that's much better.

Pop by and say hello.

Cambridge

Following on from last week's post (the time is just flying, don't you think?) we visited Cambridge. It was easy from our hotel to travel to the nearest park and ride to get into the city centre.  Like it's counterpart Oxford the University of Cambridge is made of several colleges, tried to keep track of the places we were visited but gave up!!  We were able to go into the grounds of two colleges, St Johns and Clare.  The architecture of the buildings were fascinating and it was such a lovely spring day it was just nice to have a meander around the city to see the sites.

Me, in front of the Bridge of Sighs in the grounds of St Johns college

 See if you can spot a couple of swallows nests in this crevices of this archway

 The college building are so ornate I really liked this Norman archway

 A tactile map of the city with Braille

 The ceiling of the entrance to the Fitzwilliam Museum

 And part of the floor inside the museum, just loved the mosaics.

The Round Church, one of just 4 in the Country.  We were interested in the roof to this church as the slate used came from Collyweston in Northamptonshire.  David has done some family history research and found one of his ancestors lived in the area of Collyweston and this slate is peculiar to the area, but is no longer mined.
 

 And this was one photo I could not resist taking, a dinosaur skeleton sculpture outside the Sedgwick Museum, he could make a quick getaway on one of the many bikes parked outside just in front of where it was standing!

Just a few of the photos that we've taken on a lovely Spring Day!

Duxford Spring Quilt Show

Using up holiday as the holiday year at work finishes at the end of March, David and I booked a Travelodge room near Cambridge and a chance to visit Duxford, the Imperial War Museum's aircraft collection at which there happens to be the Spring Quilt Fair.  I'd also offered to look after the trade stall for Nancy, who runs Lina Patchworks selling papers for English Paper Patchwork, while she did a workshop.

Of course I had to buy some fabric there, here is my haul

In the pic above, the blue bag contains a kit with special foot and ruler for free machine quilting.  I hope I can have a go at that during one evening this week.

While David did manage to get to see most of the museums exhibits, I still didn't get the chance to go around at all.  I think another visit may be called for without the distraction of a quilt show.

While on the way to Cambridge we stopped at a supermaket and I bought this magazine

I already have some binding clips which I use quite a bit so this little lot while come in handy.

Just a few of the quilts that I took photos of. I'm sorry I can't credit the makers here. I will have to look at the program and edit this post later.

Books

I've never counted how many books I've got, but I do have quite a few as my bookshelf will show and that's not all.  There are others dotted around the house!   I tend to buy from the shows as there's usually either the Home Workshop or Kaleidoscope books.

As well as books I've bought from new I've also acquired a few books secondhand. One of these books is this one from 1978, which was published by the BBC, called Discovering Patchwork, from a television series about patchwork, so this is about 38 years old. It's in a good state, the pages aren't even yellowed.

So I thought I would take a look through as it's interesting to see the techniques used before rotary cutters, mats and acrylic rulers were used. Templates had to be drafted and the patches were mainly hand pieced, although machine piecing is also featured. English paper piecing, Amish and American block patchwork are the styles of patchwork in this.

There are projects such as an apron, cot quilt and several cushions and this rather fetching waistcoat.

Bags with EPP diamonds.

Very clear instructions about how to draw the templates for patchwork 

I'm pleased I've rediscovered this book and my brief review.

Not A Lot Happening

I had a flu bug last week and struggled as I returned to work this week, though I got better as the week progressed.  Not a lot of sewing has been going on for a couple of weeks now, but should be getting back into full swing.

I'm just doing a catch up of things from earlier this month, which like last month is about pouches, with a Sew Together bag, which I was quite pleased about.  I keep looking at it and opening the large zip as I can't quite believe how it all came together.  I think I have exorcised my fear of zips now.

The top two pics are of the Home Sweet Home blocks that I've made, 7 so far and may make some more next month, see how things go.  I've also made a couple of blocks to send to Bee Blessed. Neither  blocks have been sent to their destinations, but will put that right in the coming week.

In March though, I hope to get some inspiration from the Duxford Quilt Show, near Cambridge, which I'm going to on Friday.  Anyone else going?  David and I will also see the IWM aeroplane museum too while there. We'll also have a visit to Cambridge during that weekend. It'll be nice to have a few days away somewhere different.

It will also be International Quilting Day on 21 March and will be joining the Tarrant Valley Quilters, near Blandford, which is a nice relaxing sewing day out.

 Meanwhile tomorrow we'll be spending time with the grandchildren and seeing Shaun the Sheep the Movie, which was postponed from last Sunday, which I'm really looking forward to. 

Home Sweet Home Blocks

I've had a day's holiday from work today and it was a grim day, so what perfect weather for sewing.  Yesterday I read Lily's Quilts blog written by Mary Emmens about Siblings Together charity and requiring some blocks for making boys quilts. More about it here.

She requested blocks in blue,green, grey and black in a block devised Jera Brandvig of Quilting in the Rain blog.  I decided to have a go.

Excuse the fuzzy pic. I started with a nine patch

The patches were cut diagonally and rejoined. I could now see why it was called Home Sweet Home block- see the house shapes? Yes, it took me a while!

Before I knew it by the afternoon I made 7 blocks.

I was able to pull out all sorts of fabrics, batiks, novelty, mottled fabrics. Made quite a mess of my stash, that'll need a sort out but it was a lot of fun. Shame I have to go back to work tomorrow.

Sew Together Bag

I've spent yesterday and this afternoon making a Sew Together bag, a pattern that I purchased recently from Sew Demented via Craftsy.  I used some fabrics from Hobbycraft. So here I am putting in 4 zips!  At one stage when reading some of the instructions over a few times before getting it I felt a little demented too, but I got there. Quite pleased how it's turned out

I've even managed (by chance) to have this little badger on the zip tab.

On the subject of pouches I received this lovely little one from my friend Benta of Slik Stitches.  

The front is a clear vinyl with the zip. I like the paperclips on the Orange fabric!

And the back, just lovely.

This pouch will be just right for block units. So far this year I've gone  mad on pouches.