Archive for February, 2015

Spring Inspiration

Monday, February 23rd, 2015

Took my mother to the Spring quilt show at Ingleston on Friday. Given that she has had a recurring virus over the winter, we decided not to battle with the morning rush. We got there late lunchtime and found a place in the canteen to leave the chauffuer, otherwise known as my husband. Bought him an overpriced cup of tea and left him in the company of some quilters with his book and newspaper.

Didn’t find the exhibited quilts terribly inspiring this time. It happens, we can’t all like every technique. I did find some seaside fabric which can be hard to come by. There is no firm project in mind but I get an urge every so often to do something So couple of fat quarters added to stash.

Thought I was being rather frugal, even when I found the bookshop. Then, right up on the top shelf was a book I just had to have. SO many projects that I wanted to do. That led to purchsing needles and some hand dyed embroidery threads.

First project has been chosen. I find paper piecing frustrating at times but the category I am entering in the local craft competition calls for patchwork and/or quilting. This project fits the bill. Scraps of fabric looked out. Diagrams drawn and numbered. Just got to get started now.

 

 

 

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Did get some creating done

Monday, February 16th, 2015

Finished Daisy tie quilt 003This quilt featured in the Fabrications Quilting For You magazine that I picked up at one of the quilting exhibitions in Ingleston. Can’t remember if this was the reason for buying this issue but it eventually shouted to me. After one of my mothers recent fabric destashes I decided to have a go at it. I took it along to the craft group I go to in Buckie and one of the girls loved it so much she asked if I would scale it up to fit her king sized bed. I am still working on that one!

 

 

 

 

dolphins at play

dolphins at play

This quilt has been on the go for a very long time. It was on of those projects that I would get a block on and forget to go back to it for long spells. Eventually I got to the point where lot’s of hand quilting was what I needed  to sooth me and this was the perfect piece for that. The waves in the water print provided plenty of scope for free quilting. I have never done so much quilting on one piece before. It was worth it though as it really makes the water stand out. This now hangs in my bathroom which has one long window in the corner. This quilt provides another window for the room.

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Wow. How did I lose a whole year?

Sunday, February 15th, 2015

Well, it’s simple I suppose. 9 hour round trips to take parents for hospital treatments and basically checking up on them meant lot’s of things here were being shelved. We laughingly thought that once they were no longer with us that we would easily catch up on all the things we had half done or let lapse. Hah! we had underestimated how long it would take to dismantle what had been a very much lived in family home.

outside family home

outside family home

My mother-in-law was a talented craft lady with many skills. Father-in-law was a collector of many items. Add to that that they belonged to an era where everything had a second and third use and you can imagine how much was in a two story family house with fully floored and furbished attic. Some 18 months later, with the help of the next generation we eventually discovered all there was to discover. The social history found in that house was amazing. It also provided us with more tasks and more agonies. What to do with it all. Who would want it? Our house was full enough with our own gathered posessions but theirs held so many memories.  So we now find ourselves more and more in our own home. Emptying boxes, finding places for the cross stitch and decoupage framed works to hang. Catching up on all the jobs left undone for so long. Discovering I now have time to sit and go to all the wonderful places I used to go online. Time to finally get around to updating this site. I have made a new post, so that’s a start. Hopefully I will get some more things added in the coming weeks and see if I can make some more changes.

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