HAPPY CHRISTMAS 2011 EVERYBODY

I have given this to myself as an early Christmas present. I am sharing the pictures with you though. This is a Quilt I have just finished, which was in the Popular Patchwork Magazine a while back, designed by the lovely Babs. 
Click on the blue Babs and it will take you straight to her Original Singing Garden Quilt. Just beautiful.

Truth be told I wasn't madly keen on it at first, but then I realised I didn't have to do it exactly as Babs had designed it, so I changed a few things to suit me and now it is finished. I love it. Thank you Babs for the idea.

Whole Quilt...

 Close up of Log Cabin block to which I added flowers...

 close up of the 'constant' block, nine of these...

 close up of setting triangle and the birds I quilted in the border,

plus the musical note binding

to acknowledge Babs 'SINGING GARDEN' Quilt...

 my stylised flowers and leaves, appliqued in two corners -

just quilted in other two...

 the back - hubby likes this, says it looks like a whole cloth quilt...

 close up of centre blocks and quilting -

you should know me by now,

there is a LOT of quilting on this...

 Quilted Birds and Feathers - Singing...

Thank you again to Babs for the idea, I absolutely love this now

It is a keeper

Hope you enjoyed the photos

Happy Christmas Everyone

**********************************************************

EXCELLENT RAFFLE - GOOD CAUSE

I have, with her permission, directly copied this from

BABS BANTER/QUILTECH

DO PLEASE TRY TO SUPPORT THIS GOOD CAUSE.
Go to the above Blog and you will understand why I am supporting it myself.

CANCER: St. Thomas's Church in Bury & Singing Garden Quilt . . .

It would be wonderful if readers of my Blog could support The St Thomas's Patchwork and Craft group in their fundraising for the Christie Hospital, Manchester - a world famous hospital specialising in all forms of CANCER.

Click on article below for details:

Taken from the Quilters Guild newsletter.

Cheques for raffle tickets can be sent to:

Pat Fernandes, 16 Kirkdale Drive, ROYTON, OL2 5TG.


MANY THANKS

********************************

OOPS.....MISSED IT

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU

to everyone who has been to the site and bought a ticket to win that Quilt, the Children's Society will have a good amount because of you.

Thank you again. Jan :-)

*****************
*********************************

I am getting on well with my version of Babs, Singing Garden Quilt. Today I managed to get the last two borders on, just the flowers in the corner to do, then I can start to quilt it. I'm very pleased with how its looking.

Here is a close up of one corner...



Just one group of flowers to do in top corner, then I can quilt it...



*********************************
*******************************


OOPS


What did I miss?

My 500th Posting.

Best think of a Give Away PDQ

************************

THIS EVENING I SEWED

This evening I sewed and took some photos, I am cracking on with my Singing Garden Quilt, I am really liking this now, see how things change! I also remembered to take some piks of the experimental quilts Annette and I did. I did a mass of other stuff too, too boring to mention.

------------------------------------------------

This is an individual 'Pine Burr' blcok for you to see

Annette and myself took the same fabrics and made a quilt each using this pattern, the only thing different is the background of each quilt, Annette used CREAM, I used BLACK. We made them as an experiment in colour for my group to see what happens to colours using different backgrounds..interesting results.



Annette's Cream... I do not understand why this picture is so small!!! I will redo...

my black...

Interesting huh?

****************************************************************

I am cracking on with the borders now of my Singing Garden Quilt ala Babs of Popular Patchwork Forum

The corner flowers...

The corner vine...

Longer shot of the vine...

it wont be long before I can start to quilt it, hooray.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------

IN AND OUT GOES THE POST

This card winged its way from America to my door, thank you Lori, WEAVING theme from Fabricards, it is great...



OH My! Isn't this wonderful. A proper Snow Globe, unlike my stupid effort!!!
Another Fabricards swap, this one also from America, came in a well padded envelope, Rebecca, great to swap with you again, many many thanks for my super card, I love it...
a picture of the one I sent to Rebecca is a few posts back, I did a square one!!!
Stupid. I know.

In the Popular Patchwork Forum we are doing a swap - as you know by now - these two are in the post going to........not telling......the theme was REGION.

this one is Beckets Park, when I first moved to Northampton I used to walk past this every day on the way to work...

this one, is our town centre Market, well I have to say it doesn't actually look like this, this is the artists licence if you ask me. It looks lovely doesn't it? Hmmm the real thing is a bit naff to be honest. But I did my best.......

The last two cards were made by printing the pictures off from an old calendar we had of Northampton and I just did some FME on them. Not much happens here in Northampton any more sad to say, Our main street is resembling a ghost town with the closure of Woollies, cos that was a BIG store. Lets hope things get better soon. I am hoping the next theme Katy comes up with is one I like, I really don't like doing Region cards.

*************************************************************************************

COFFEE MORNING

I went to town today and met my friend Di for coffee, cos she is off to Hong Kong at the weekend, and I had my Pilate's ball for her to try, to see if it eased her back pain at all. Anyway, after two coffees and a good long chat we parted, and I was going straight home, but had to walk to the bus stop, cos the escalator in the bus station is STILL BROKEN ---5 weeks now--- and on my way, I passed the pound shop.

Well I have to tell you, this dirty great magnet, pulled me into the shop and made me buy things. It did I tell you. Truly.

I bought, Paint. Why? Because. They may come in handy. Don't you agree?

Poster paints, Pastel paints, glitter paints, water colour paints, acrylic paints, some other paints cant remember what sort they were, but they were paint.

So I think I am covered for every possible aspect of painting that just MAY crop up in the future regarding swaps and journals and the like. £1 each, you couldn't not buy really could you? Well, I couldn't.

Oh, I also bought a sketch pad. For goodness sake, why the heck did I buy a sketch pad? I cant draw.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FLAT

What is?
The Tens machine wasn't working for me today, I turned it up to its full potential and thought, uhu, something wrong here Janet. Guess what?
Flat battery.
Ho hum off to the shops again tomorrow.

****************************
**************************************

THIS EVENING

I sat and cut out all the twirly whirly bits for the borders of my Singing Garden Quilt. Good grief, they took me all evening to do. The things I make myself do. I tell you. I must be crackers or something??? DO NOT ANSWER that!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

PICTURES AND LOTS OF CHAT

A few pictures for you of the things I have been doing of late.

Here is one very smart young lady, modelling her lovely warm jacket she got from her Auntie Suzanne for Christmas, isn't it gorgeous, I wish they made it in a big size so I could have one...

I made this for Annette for Christmas, it was in Popular Patchwork Magazine, the Angels were holding cakes, but as Annette loves chocolate I substituted them for the cakes. The eyes are done with my Hot Fix Crystals, I am no good at embroidery anymore alas...

two close ups of the writing for you.....

Annette gave me this today, a belated present. Isn't it great; sadly, it fell on Rebecca as she was holding it for me, and as it is made of metal and VERY sharp; she now has a nasty cut on her face!! :-(

I have started the Applique on my Singing Garden Quilt - Ala Babs at Popular Patchwork...

close up for you....

This following Quilt is one of my UFOs, I am sending this to Joan, one of the ladies on Popular Patchwork Forum, as she wants to join my ZAPPING UFOs group but doesn't have any of her own UFOs; I am very pleased to be passing her one of mine,
a; it helps my pile go down and makes me feel good, b; she can join the group,
hope she likes it!!!! [the pattern is called Puss in the Corner Joan.]

-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------

There you go then, that is what I have been doing, plus, sorting out the design for the Children's Society Quilt I am making along with Kerstin, Ros and Helen, also from Popular Patchwork Forum. This will be raffled, I do hope it will raise a lot of money for the Society. A worthy cause.

Tomorrow I really must get in my sewing room and give it a real good tidy, it is in a dreadful mess, cant think why, has something just happened???? I have also got to sort out my class for the Thread Painting Class I am giving on 17th January. Gosh that will be soon! I also have a few more Postcards to make, its all go isn't it!

Actually I have forgotten to tell you all, that over Christmas, my Suzanne has been really ill, this Flu thing got her, she has had a really really bad chest infection, but is now on the mend and is insisting she go back to work tomorrow, well today actually! I think she needs another course of anti-biotics, but as I am only her silly old mum, what do I know. I cant stop her anyway. Plus, on top of that she also had a very poorly cat.
NOISY, he is the cat who was abandoned by one of their neighbours which they duly adopted as their own !!!! had a bad eye, so they took him off to the vet and oh dear, he had to have his eye removed. Nasty! He too, is on the mend and has been out, but she is getting him in every night so he doesn't have any more accidents, he is beginning to get used to having the one eye too apparently. Cats are very resilient aren't they? I guess that is probably the reason she is going back to work, the bill for that op???? £400.00 I should have been a Vet.

OMG I STILL haven't done the tagging think Maggie...ARGH!!!!!!

A LITTLE BIT FURTHER

Here we are then. This picture is showing you the PINWHEEL block of the SINGING GARDEN quilt I am doing over at Popular Patchwork. It is set on point.

This one is the LOG CABIN, I absolutely love Log Cabin. This block is not in the magazine until February next year, SO, me being impatient drafted it myself, as I did the Pinwheel block too.

And here is the whole thing, well, so far, this is it before I have trimmed the edges and attached the borders and done the applique. So you see, still a way to go yet. But I can tell you this pattern has grown on me, I love it now.

Christmas is very s-l-o-w-l-y coming to our house. I managed to get the Christmas quilt onto our bed today. This is a close up.

The Full Monty!

Christmas has definitely arrived at Annette and Rebecca's. Enjoy these pictures.

made by Reb

Snow globes

Through the windows

Annette made this it is paper pieced

Her tree, it is gorgeous as always, shame I cant get a good picture of it.

NOW YOU SEE IT

I actually posted this message on Sunday, but when I re-read it I wasn't happy about it so I saved it to Drafts - cos I can - then here I am today, making it better. I hope! So you weren't dreaming when you thought you had seen this before!! hohoho

These are the two blocks I am using for my version of Babs Singing Garden Quilt in POPULAR PATCHWORK. I really love the way they have turned out, I cant wait to get to the quilting part. A little bit of applique to do first though.

This is a small hanging for Christmas, Annette had already made her and she was in dark checks, so I wanted to play and see what I could come up with. I quite like the lace wings, although they don't show up very well. Ho hum.

Suzanne designed this mini quilt, it is actually A4 size, so it could be classed as a Journal page. I love the black fabric for the sky, she bought that for me this year at The Festival of Quilts. Oh and the green of the tree. The 'snow' is a piece of white fleece, covered with a piece of sparkly voile. I think it works.

OMG, this is not at all the right colour, where this is blue, mine is really black. where it is orange??? mine is red. I cant seem to get the colours to photograph right on this one. It is velvet and cord fabrics, just playing really.

Oh, this is very nearly right...........

These last little items, are things I am playing around with when I am not in the right frame of mind for my 'special' work. I do like to keep something by me that I can just doodle with.


Here is the card I sent to Angela for the FOOD swap, it was based on a film - Shirley Valentine.
The part where she slings her hubby's dinner at him and says; "Chips and egg" I don't know why but it always makes me laugh that bit. Why does she say Chips first, isn't it egg and chips to everyone else. Oh Shirley, you are funny. I do hope Angela 'gets' the idea. I can post the picture now because I know she has received it.

TODAY

Bit of a funny day today really, didn't seem to get much done at all, had big ideas I would do loads, but, ho hum, couldn't get motivated, until, this evening after my dinner, I went into my sewing room and cut out the side triangles for my Singing Garden version, attached them, and the corners and hey presto, it is now sitting on the chair waiting for a press over with the iron before I put the borders on. This has been all guess work cos I couldn't find the instructions for the two blocks I wanted to do in the magazines, I checked and checked, I do appear to have lost one magazine somewhere along the line, but I know that wasn't one of the blocks.

The new POPULAR PATCHWORK magazine came today, and I realise the block I wanted is to be in February's magazine! Hey ho. Good job I guessed it. Mine is probably totally different to Babs Original plan, as will the rest of my quilt be I have no doubt. Hubby likes it, he said, "and where is that going?" Hopefully on our wall after Crimbo. I will need to buy some backing for it as I know I don't have enough white fabric to do it with. Blow! I thought this was going to be all from my stash. No worries, EBay here I come!!!!!

I shall cut out the borders tomorrow and hopefully get them on, then do the small amount of applique that it needs, then, onto the quilting. Yippee!

Today, as I say was a bit strange, but also lovely as I had Rebecca here whilst her mum and Aunt went over to Bramble Patch at Weedon. Suz wanted a pattern, but when they got there Annette realised she had the one Suz wanted, money saved!! Annette bought some lovely fabrics over there, she also got the batiks I wanted for my Batik swap Quilt at PP.

This for the background..........this one is to be a border.....

This one I don't like....WHY?

I don't like this one because...see that picture; it looks gorgeous doesn't it! But when you get it, it is actually in a striped arrangement, which didn't do a thing for me, I thought it was an all-over design, you know mish-mash. So that one will not be on my quilt. I love the blue one above though with the gold flecky bits on it. Must get more of that one.

Oh and just for a laugh. Here is a picture of the dough that came out of the new Bread Maker Annette had for her birthday... yuk or what! Apparently it just kept on rising and rising until it hit the lid and started to 'pop'. Rebecca ran to her room, but her mum, brave soul!!! lifted the lid and got this out...

Do you, like me, remember the film...Quatermass and the Pit....I say no more.

Last bit, I did this for a bit of fun, I quite like it.



This is from www.wordle.net