Keeping Records

Some time ago I was given a lovely little folder as a gift from the secret santa at my sewing group. It is a thimbleberries book and inside it has pages in which you can record the details of the quilts you make with a space on the opposite page for a photograph. I know with digital technology it is easy to store these things on computers but this is just such a lovely idea. There are pictures of quilts throughout the pages and at the back there are plastic pockets for storing bits of fabric etc.



In this photo you can see Sarah holding a little baby quilt. All the details are recorded on the page and is a great reminder of something made and given away as a gift. It is easy to forget dates gone by and as you can see this one was made in June 2003. It is also a visual reminder of what you have made and how your work has progressed over time.



My secret sister Nicky (we have so many quilty things in common that I think we must be related) asked me about quilt labels this week and I thought I would show you this lovely book that I have. It is by Barbara Baatz and is an American School of Needlework publication. It is full of lovely iron on transfers suitable for a variety of quilts. The transfers can be cut out and are meant to be ironed on to polyester or poly/cotton mix fabrics to make them colourfast and washable. What I tend to do is iron them lightly onto cotton fabric and then go over the outline with a permanent pigma pen and even do a bit of colouring in. You could of course embroider over the lines or add applique. There is plenty of space to record the essential details that are a must for future posterity. Think of how we long to know more details of who made those antique quilts and your ancestors or future custodians will be very glad that you gave them that information. You can of course make labels lots of other ways and keep it all very simple, after all, it is the information that is the important bit. All that work on the front surely warrants something interesting on the back too.



Camelot Block 10. The perfect piece of fabric for some lovely fussy cutting. The template was a perfect fit for this fabric and pattern.



Block 11. It looks very pale but isn't as pale as the photo. This means that there are 5 left to go.



My mum gave us two lovely rose bushes called Silver Wedding 5 years ago and they were duly planted. One flourished and the other became quite sad looking. My husband lifted it and replanted it and we thought that it wouldn't survive but the other day I suddenly realised that this lovely flower had appeared. I am so pleased. The other bush is much bigger and has produced a huge amount of fabulous, delicate scented flowers.



This beautiful chaffinch has been nesting in the hedge by the window and it has been a pleasure watching it flit in and out with tasty morsels for the baby. One evening I heard a thud against the window and stealed myself to look expecting to see a dead baby bird but no, it was just sitting on the window ledge looking at me as if to say "what happened". By the time I grabbed my camera it had recovered and flown off.



Happy Stitching

Love Shirley.