NEXT ON THE BATIK

Some of the strips joined together.....ready for the next stage.....

Hang on though....
What's this?

Aha!!!!

AHHHH THIS IS BETTER

On the Popular Patchwork Forum, we had a Batik swap way way back.....I have just got round to starting mine, Everyone else has either finished or very nearly finished theirs. Sod's law with me, something else kept cropping up. BUT, today I have made a start. WooHoo....

These 3 pictures are just to show you the difference that a background will make to your fabric. I know which one I am going to use, not saying for now though.

Amazing isn't it?

The fabric we received were 12"squares, first I chopped them into strips...

Then, as almost every bloke I know will tell you, I did a really silly thing....
I started to stitch the strips back together again!!!!!!

This is as far as I got this evening. Had to stop, hubby on early start, so had to pack away. Bother!
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Today it was so cold, I didn't know how to get my hands warm, I could have cried with the pain in my right hand, due to it being so cold. When Annette came this afternoon I had my gloves on AND my lovely wrist warmers from Maggie. They made it much more comfortable. Unable to sew this afternoon, which put me behind my planned schedule. Oh well, tomorrow is another day!! They say!!!

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We, Suzanne, Hubby and myself have re-started our Weight loss [!!!!] programme.
Oh dear, am I really that BIG? :-(((
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NOW IT'S DON'T LAUGH

Hmmm! In the Popular Patchwork magazine, they are running a Journal challenge. They set the challenge of what to use, and we, poor fools!!!! have to do it. I decided I would have a go at this as I have wanted to do a year of Journals since Di bought me the fabulous Journal book.
So, January was to use Bondaweb. No problem.
February was to use Lutradur!!! Erm.....help!!!
AND THEN
March is to do Mono Printing.
Rang my friend Di who put me straight on all of these things.
I bought the Lutradur....and looked at it.
I read and read again about the Mono printing lark. Not getting into my head at all.
I went out though and bought all the gubbins I thought I would need for it...from the jolly old £ shop. (Hooray for that). Had a go at the painting on the Lutradur and the Mono printing... These are my results.
I will say it.
What a blooming 'orrible mess!

Acrylic paint on fabric using bubble wrap
MESS 1

Water colour paints on fabric - yuk!
MESS 2

Cant remember what paints I used, but its on Lutradur - Hm mm!
[when it dried there was glitter all over it!!!]
I actually quite like this!!!

More paint, more Lutradur...???
[no glitter]
Mess 3

Well, I had a go.
I discovered what I did wrong on the day of my group.
I watered down the paint AND I wet the fabric too much apparently.
hahahahaha
No wonder it looks like mud....
I will have another go,
another day.

GO ON.....LAUGH

I received this card from
Brenda in Australia
for the
SCIENCE THEME
swap on Popular Patchwork Forum,

You gotta laugh...



Made my day.
Thanks Brenda

WOO HOO

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
I had a truly wonderful post this morning, the fabric I won from Tracey's Blog arrived.

http://flowerpebble.blogspot.com/

It is just gorgeous. I love it to bits Tracey, thank you so much.

I have already been searching my mind for a pattern for it.

It reminds me of the Summer and Ice Cream.

AHA!!

GONE

All that post
has been posted this morning,
so hopefully
a lot of folk
are going to have a surprise
on their doorstep
before too long.

I can now start on the next lot!!!!

Or maybe a UFO
I have plenty of those!

Lots to do,
best get cracking.

MY AMARYLLIS

My Amaryllis has finally flowered. It has rested for the past two years, but this year....well, just look at it....I do only have one plant but just took a lot of pictures of it, I think they are stunning.

Two flower heads...one stem...

back of flower...



side...

front and centre..twice...

and again...

WOW

then I played...this is same flower but black and white...

antique...

WOWEE... Negative...

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This is my back garden, what a mess, these are finally, GOING...Hooray...

couldn't resist a negative picture...

Pretty...

MAIL

In the mail bag

For Rebecca



For Annette

For Connie and Michael - next door

for Katy - new swap squares for Popular Patchwork Forum

for Tessa, a QTC

for Ros, a surprise - hope it's OK Ros

various swaps at Fabricards, including this one

and some QTC's for Fabricards

PLUS
the three Give away quilts.

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BOTHER BOTHER BOTHER

Or words to that effect!!

I have just spent all afternoon getting my post ready for the post office, I didn't realise the time, or that I had so much ready. PO will be shut now. Oh well, it is all ready for tomorrow morning. Annoyed though. Just look at this little lot.........

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SATURDAY CLASS

Saturday 21st February was the date for my 'November Christmas meeting' for my Group. We were unable to have it in November as the Hall had been double booked, [as it was for a wedding I didn't like to cause a fuss - I was a bit cross though.] So at that time, I decided we would just have that meeting in February. So we did, Mince Pies - courtesy of Annette - and all. Naturally it seemed odd, but the Ladies and Gent entered into the spirit of the thing. We were making a small Angel hanging plus a Tree hanging, they had two choices of the tree to do, sadly, I don't seem to have a picture of the the second choice tree here, only one lady had a go at it, and she made a grand job of it too.

Needs list...


1 - 2 - 3 Angels...



4 - 5 - 6 Angels...

7 - 8 - 9 Angels...



10 - 11 Angels + Nigel...



Mixed batch now...

Trees....

A very pretty Dresden Plate, not everyone wishes to make what is on offer for the day, so I encourage them to bring along their own work, as long as it it P Q or A...

Here comes our

SHOWTIME...

All the following photo's were taken by Rebecca,
I think she has done a superb job and will have it now
as a permanent thing...

I love this hanging, Linda who made this has loaned us the pattern, hopefully, one day, I will get around to making it, everyone at the group thinks it is me!!!!

These were quite small blocks, but beautifully quilted by hand, by Sharon...

Super bag, made by Annette for Rebecca...

Front............................................Back

Door curtain, made by Annette for her sister Suzanne...

.................................close up

These are Christmas Ornaments made at the OCTOBER meeting
from a workshop at the group by Betty -
try to ignore the quilt, that comes later...

This beautiful quilt was made by Michelle, she has quilted it on the machine,
after a class with me on Free Machine Quilting,
it was HUGE and very heavy!!! There are 4 of us holding up behind...

.......................................................Close up...

Another BIGGIE, this beauty was made by Sylvia, it is
Quilt as you go, she took a class at Bramble Patch for this...

......................................................Close up...............................Closer

Slightly smaller quilt by Dee, again Machine quilted
after taking a class with me,
I am so pleased to see the ladies are using what
I teach them, I do worry bout that!!
This was the 'T' block we did last year...

Annette's paper foundation village, her first attempt at PF...

These two made by Annette, she has made them for a friend's
two small children, Archie and Ruby...

Advent calender by Annette for Rebecca...

Fanfare of trumpets here,
this we did a while back...Joyce has finally finished hers,
well done Joyce...

Not sure if you can see the two Garden kneelers on top the radiator!!
Made by Rita for comfort in the garden, great idea, the carrot top ihas been
thread painted after a class with me, great stuff Rita, very realistic...



Admiring the Quilts on the table...

This is how we set the class up, 3 rows of tables, so they face sideways on
to me, which means no chair scraping when they need to see me,
I cannot bear that sound...

Quilted by Sylvia, this is a panel she bought as she liked it,
I don't blame her, it is lovely...

The End

So there we are, that is how I spent Saturday. A lovely day, well I thought it was, I do hope the ladies enjoyed it as much as me. We had a great sales table too, Betty had brought along loads of magazines she didn't want anymore which she sold for 50p each. We also had what I call the UGLIES sale. They bring along fabric which they don't want anymore, I auction it off for them, I do my best to get a good fair price, we had loads on Saturday and I sold every single piece. I am a pretty persuasive sales person I can tell you. As I say to them, here are cheap backings for your quilts, you can see the penny drop sometimes!!!

March will soon be here, so I have to get my thinking cap on for something for them to do.

Today, Sunday, my arms are killing me, my right one is so sore, I think it is probably holding up all the heavy quilts from yesterday. It will sort itself out. I hope!

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