SOMETHING OLD SOMETHING NEW

OK this is very old as you will see later by the date, it is not one of my best pieces, although at the time I made it, I thought it was the bees knees. I really ought to make another as I feel sure I could do way way better now. Plus I would probably quilt it this time round.

I was asked by my friend Di for pictures of it, so thought I may as well whack them on here for you all to see how I have improve!!!!!  At least  I hope I have!!!!!

It is called a Friendship Window...

 just diamonds held down with bias binding...

 I made the butterflies with wires in their wings so they could be 'posed'...

 base...

 showing one of the flowers and round each of them

I stitched the name of the person who gave that fabric...

 title plaque...

 oh me oh my, you have to laugh at this... this was in the days I didn't have a computer, I wound a piece of fabric into my little portable typewriter I had at that time and just typed my label onto it - look at the date - 1990 oh my gosh and it is STILL NOT SEWN ON, held there with safety pins... ROFLMSO

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This is old too - just a bit of fun...

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This though is NEW

I am just soooooo lucky, My friend Marian sent this

wonderful satchel to me today, she made it especially for me,

I am thrilled with it, perfect colours, perfect size, me to a tee...

 Marian you are a star, I just love my new bag to bits,

I cannot wait to show it off at the FoQ.....

Thank you so much

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A BIT OF THIS AND A BIT OF THAT

I have been quilting a quilt for a lady at my group and have now finished it, I am hoping she will allow me to put pictures of it on here. Once she has seen it and agreed to that I will put some up, it is a huge quilt and really clever. There is actually already a picture on this blog of it which I took at my group.

Once I had finished that I could get back to my bits and bobs. So here not in any special order are the things I have been playing with of late. The first item is the April FMQ Challenge. I wasn't really keen on doing this as you had to trace/cut/re-trace, make a stencil etc etc it seemed like a real performance to me and I prefer to go at things totally freely, no lines to follow, I find I get on much better that way.  The girls on the Face book page encouraged me to have a go, so, here is my Journal page for this method, although I do have to say I missed out half the stuff we were told to do, I printed a picture off the web which was free copyrighted, then traced it onto the fabric, wadded up my journal page and below is the result...now I have to tell you this is supposed to be two leaves at the bottom, then a jug thing with some stylised flowers in it. When it is on the screen it looks like a scary face - which hubby says is me!! oh hahahaha - anyway this is it....

Front...

 Back...

 and here it is after I had done some thread painting and miniature quilting on it...

 close up of it being pinned out to stretch it -

thread painting does tend to distort your work, so you must block it...

 close up so you hopefully can see the quilting, which yes Di

I have done to death, hahahaha...

 Finished April FMQ Challenge and whatdyaknow?

I love it...fickle me!!!!!

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This is what I spent my Mother's Day voucher on which Annette gave me,

some light and heavy tear away vilene,

a fabric marker pen

and

some of those little magical Genie bobbin washers -

which I have given a good test today and found them to be FANTASTIC,

thank you Annette for my extra gift...

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I also prepped up several Postcards as is my want...

Dragonflies for a change...

 and my beloved Ginkgo Leaves...

These are what I gave the Genie washers a test on,

I used sparkly threads and that weird stuff and thread painted

all these cards in one sitting, machine was hot hot hot,

as soon as they are completely finished I will put piks here..

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Oh pretty sequins lots of them,

bargain, this lot £1 from pound shop,

I have a plan for these....

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OK, What is this then?

I was given this the other day to see if I could make use of it,

I most certainly will, but meantime,

Can you guess what it is yet???????

BACK...

FRONT...

 IN THE MIDDLE...

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 My Canadian friend Tessa bought this quilt from me a while back and has made perfect use of it,

well I should say Abbie has, bless her, doesn't she look like comfy,

thanks for sharing Tessa, love it.

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FMQ CHALLENGE CONTINUES - AND MORE

March was FMQ'ing with Ann Fahl. Here are the samples I have made using her instructions of what to do...........

First attempt on a piece of fabric I had dyed way back

which was not too good, but not to worry, all the elements

Ann Fahl showed are on here somewhere...

and this is the back of it - I have not finished this piece

cos I shall chop it up for Postcards...

 Sample 2...

 and it's back...

 Sample 3 which is way too puffy cos I used a double

thickness of wadding - to see what happened -

shan't do that again...

 and the back...

 Decided to leave the Palm Tree which is the Open Feather

from February alone...

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A late Mother's Day gift from Annette,

thank you it is great...

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Caz from the PP forum sent me some treats to use,

thank you Caz.

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Helen G from the PP Forum also sent me some treats

naughty girl, I shall send you an email...

thank you Helen...

 Helen had a go at a type of sewing I explained to her -

well done Helen, it is Bluebells in a wood, thank you I love it

 hahaha, Helen I got it out...

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Rosemary sent me this bookmark she made,

isn't it clever, can you see the little BAT charm?

I am known as BattyJan on the PP Forum

thank you Rosemary

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Katy on the PP Forum set up a thread which was

WORD ASSOCIATION -

a few of the ladies had a go at this then Katy said

we had to make something with the word or words we had put up OR

we could do something with ALL the words - -

here you go Katy, all the words all the names and a little extra...

cos I am BattyJan

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MOTHERS DAY GIFTS

 Lucky me, look what I got from my two girls.....

 Annette's card which looks as thought it has been sewn...

 You SHALL go to the FoQ Mother...

 Annette also had a Gift Voucher for Barnyarns sent by Email to me, woohoo...

thank you Annette, Fabulous presents again -

Suzanne's card, makes you laugh doesn't it...

 Embellisher wools, yummy colours...

 Three fat quarters which tone with the above wools...

 Perfect, I had just been reading about this...

 Perfect gifts for me again, thank you Suzanne

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I am so very lucky, I know.

GOT BEHIND SO CATCHING UP

Well isn't that the story of my life!! I am always behind, I will NOT tell you what hubby always says when I say that!!! Way too rude.  See I got waylaid by all those Postcards and ATCs and stuff. but here I am determined to get up to speed, right now.

I asked all the ladies on the PP Forum if they would save their stamps from their Christmas Mail, what stars they are, just look how many I am getting...These first ones though are off the cello bags that some of my postcards were in, so I have cut them off and took the cards out of the cello bags, the stamps are needed for a far better cause...

stamps off my postcards...

 I moved the camera before it had taken the photo, but isn't it great!!

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 Di bought me this for Christmas I am enjoying reading it,

it is so funny and so me!!!! Thanks Di...

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 Liz made me this gorgeous scarf for Christmas,

and...

 sent lots of little goodies for Rebecca and me to play with...

thank you Liz...

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 more stamps, some are really pretty,

they will be the foreign ones, ours are boring...

 and more...

 and more...

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 I entered some UFOs in the PP UFO ZAPPING competition

on the Popular Patchwork Forum and I won this prize for being

the Zapper who zapped the most UFOs over the year,

great prize, thank you to the NEW Editor for choosing me...

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 I set a swap for Postcards on the PP Forum - Theme - BLAST OFF,

Jytte sent me these fabulous Fireworks blasting off,

aren't they great, I love it, thanks Jytte...

 this is my BLAST OFF to Jytte,

hope you can read what it says on the background,

 on the nose cone it says JUNK MAIL...

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 OOO I love a parcel and this was huge...

 I had entered a Give Away on Erin's Blog and woohoo

I WON, ALL THIS...

Hubby nicked a chocolate...

 Tissues inside there...

 Will enjoy reading this...

 Wahey I got one of Erin's stylised Bookmarks,

aren't they great...

 and a bundle of fabric...

 great fun, I shall love using this Erin,

thank you so much for the wonderful box of goodies.

I am truly spoilt.

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 I forgot I also got a lovely William Morris card

with the Postcard from Jytte, isn't it pretty...

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Mmm mmm

January with ROBBIE...from Suzanne...

 and ROBERT...treated myself...look at those eyes...

 more stamps thanks Mal...

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Last night, Thursday, there was an amazing Sunset,

I tried to get it but was too slow, but these are not bad for my little camera...

 this is the bungalow opposite with the sun in the top windows,

it looked like it was on fire...

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and Now a Mystery...
I had a small squishy package from CHINA....
I don't know anyone in China!!!
Look closely it says it is from DAVID - the plot thickens,
I do know a David, but know he would not be sending to me as he doesn't
know my address...

Inside was a little voile bag and in that were some CHARMS of

BATS

ha ha ha ha ha

on the PP Forum I am known as BattyJan, I wonder now,is someone

on there having some fun with me????

I am on the case but some help would be great here folks.

Can you see them they are great, so,

THANK YOU DAVID for my gift, I love them,

it is very kind of you but please let me know who you are

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