Margaret's Quilt

In the spring last year a dear friend died, she was a quilter like me and she had a quilt on 'the go' when she passed.  This quilt was a commission for another friend who wanted it as a  Wedding pressie for her Grandson and his new Bride - she would give it to them when they came home from Afghanistan at Christmas.  I volunteered to finish this hand quilted whole cloth quilt.  Margaret had started in the center (as you do) and had done two of the motifs. I had the quilt by June and quilting every day for about 3 hours a day I finished the quilt  at the begining of December. 

Begining again!

I showed you the beggining of this challenge quilt last year - here it is finished - well almost - I have added double circles of brown applique to the corners of the quilt to try and balance it out a bit .  Better get it out of the cupboard and take another photo of it I suppose.  Each of the borders were dictated to us by the Thameside Quilt group,  one border every two months.First the width of the border then what style of patchwork then a 'special' requirement.  The last border was to be 13" wide with curves and the special requirement was lof cabin! they are in the corners..........

I have promised friends that I will restart this blog, they keep coming to look (they say!) and I haven't put anything in it! So here we go:- to start with there will be just a record of the quilts I have made since I last posted and then maybe more about me and the family and what we get up to!
Ok I've made a start - more tomorrow I hope!

Finished at last!

I thought that, those of you who look at my blog sometimes, would like to see that I have finished the quilt I started last summer (2010).  It will go to my yougest daughter Sarah at the begining of March, for her birthday.  This is Sarah and her Husband Gary at a party we all went to in Swanley Kent at the begining of this month, to celebrate a neice's  60th birthday.

Progress

Remember the quilt I am making? Well I have finished the applique and have now added the borders to the center.  I have sourced the white 80/20 Hobbs heirloom wadding I wanted, in the size I wanted - a whole piece just the size I need , so I don't have to piece it - great! .  I bought the backing fabric - a white on white small flower design - at the Quilt Show at Sandown in June and that now needs to be pieced - quite a mammoth job and I have to feel like doing it.......! BUT the fun starts here! how do I quilt it? what designs shall I do - feathers? straight lines? in the ditch? cross hatching?  - I think I will spread the top on the spare bed and leave it there for a couple of days and wait till it tells me what it wants me to do!

Thamesiders challenge 'Add a Border' quilt.

In the mean time I have gone back to the Thamesiders challenge 'Add a Border' quilt........this next border must be 13" wide, be curved or woven in style and have a special requirement of log cabin! Help............!
I thought perhaps twisted log cabin for the corners - a block of four in each, but I can't make my mind up what to do for the sides of the border - I think log cabin all round would be too heavy a pattern, besides being an awful lot of work...... I have thought of Celtic trails, or swags, or large and small clamshells  in three colours - what do you think? 13" is such a wide inner border and I don't want to make it too fussy.........I will show you what I have done at a later date - when the brain has got it's self into gear and told me what to do.  I have just realized that this picture does not have all the borders on it that I have made - just added an updated piccie.  The Suffolk puffs (yo yo's) are only pinned in place  in case the next border was a complicated one and the top was begining to look too busy.

Third border in place - with pinned on Suffolk puffs.

A horrid day - so far!

This morning I have had to go to the dentist - I hate the dentist!  Himself  had to come with me to hold my hand - you would never believe that I am a grown up great grandmother by the way I have quaked today at just the thoughts of this visit!  I hate impressions and that is what today has been all about...........I'm such a whimp!
Thank goodness the rest of the day is a fun day - sewing with friends this afternoon and lace making with others this evening.  To morrow I will be exhausted - but at least I will not be having nightmares about a dentist chair tonight! and I can sleep in -  if Himself doesn't wake me while getting up to go Earlybird swimming at the local pool.

SewingGranny sews........

Sarah's first quilt

I have been asked to show a friend what I have been sewing lately, so here are a few photo's - sorry if they are wobbly but it is breezy today.   This is the beginnings of a quilt for my youngest daughter, she and her DH have moved at last into the new bedroom they had built onto their house last year and she wants to change her colour scheme from blue to pink.  This is going to be a big quilt to fit their king sized bed. The borders are still to be finished - as you can see there are only three here  - one more to go.......then I have to attach them to the main part and applique the corners.  Then the next lot of fun starts with the sandwiching and the quilting -I shall quilt on my Bernina of course - my hands can't cope with hand quilting any longer....and although I would love to have a frame to put my machine on to it is never going to happen - htey cost too much! so the diningroom will be taken over while I have the machine downstaires on my table in my dining room  and with the help of the ironing board I will manage to support this monster!

Photos of our holiday in Cornwall in May this year.

St Ive's on a lovely sunny day - May day               celebrations made the town very full - lots going on - a parade along the harbour wall by the scouts and girlguides and other groups all marching to a brass band.   

A trip to Mousehole is always a must for us, we find it a facinating village. Himself always like to walk over the cliffs to Lamorna and back again but this year he and only walked to Lamorna with our son-in-law and then was driven back to Moushole as he has been so very ill this last winter.

                                                                

    The gardens a Cothele are always a delight and this year was no exception, the flowers all seemed to be making it up for our hard winter and gve us a spectacular display.  The daffodils under the trees in the orchards were amazing - so many different tyoes and colours.

                                                                                     St Micheals Mount is another must for us - we have been going there for so many years that we almost know every stone up to the castle - even knowing under which one the Giant's heart is buried!          

                                                                                                    

The gardens at Trevarno were a delight this year - the flowers amazing! and the bluebell woods ! well I don't think I have ever seen so many flowers there. This peacock was displaying to anyone who would stop and watch him, be you a peahen or not

Bluebells at Trevano gardens