Camelot teaser

A little teaser for block 3 of Camelot.I am loving every minute spent on making this quilt. Let me tell you though that I think the hardest part is choosing fabrics and it took me most of the afternoon to put together and search for colour combinations. I may yet take out the centre circle and redo it as it is not my best work but I am pleased with the colours. I have prepped the templates now for 6 blocks so that I can get going.



Having decided on my colour scheme I had to do a bit more shopping and a little stop at Dotty Dollies and online at Sunflowerfabrics.com. A rummage in a huge bag of scraps from Pat that is supposed to be destined for the doggie pillows unearthed a few little pieces of treasure. No matter how large the stash there never seems to be the right colours. This was supposed to be an exercise in using what I had. I am digging deep though and finding all sorts of things in my stash that I had forgotten about.


My friend Janet has made the most beautiful quilt for her friend. As it is a gift and not yet given I will just show you one of the blocks. The whole thing just moved me to tears it was so lovely. Janet has such a good eye for detail and wouldn't you agree that the basket fabric is just perfect.



The stash of hexagon diamonds/lozenges has grown now to 79. This week I bought a bolt of cream fabric so now I can start making a zillion hexagons to start setting them in. Still have quite a few more diamonds and lozenges to make though. I hope this will be my contribution to our quilt exhibition next year which will be on the theme of "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". We did think of the Olympics as it will be 2012 but it is also the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and thought it much more appropriate. The jelly roll hexies are on hold at present till I find the right shade for the background. Having bought fabric for them and deciding against it I want to go back to my original plan. Have plans for the ones I have already prepped though. My mind is working overtime on ideas.



Happy stitching

Love Shirley.

Camelot - block 2

Block 2 of Camelot was a little more tricky having to set in those circles. I also changed the middle cross a little to take advantage of the fabric and match the stripe which I used in block 1. It did lie flat though without the help of spray starch and I am pleased. Having discovered that I have more than one or two bits of black fabric with pink in them I now have a plan - sort of! I am enjoying the challenge. Hand piecing allows you to be so much more accurate.



Pat has recently returned from a family wedding in New Zealand and came back with this quilt kit. It is all lovely fabrics with a New Zealand theme and it is looking good.



Kate is indulging in a little play with a fabric panel and attic windows. One of her guests at her quilting retreat was making something similar and she was quite taken with it. It looks very effective.



This next photo is of a reflection of the ceiling in water in Salisbury Cathedral. Now you know I am no photographer and those of you who know how to use your cameras properly will do a much better job. It was quite fascinating. The vessel holding all that water is a font installed in 2008. If you wish to see more fabulous photographs of the Cathedral then click on the link above.



Happy stitching.

Love Shirley.

Camelot - Block 1

Here is the first completed block of the beautiful quilt Camelot by Trish Harper. I have hand pieced the block and loved the challenge of all those parts coming together. The only bit I did think may be a bit tricky was the setting in to the circle but it went in very smooth and I wondered why I delayed doing it. I also used a little bit of spray starch to prevent the circle from stretching as it was being sewn. One thing that I am quite often unsure about is which way to press seams and which way they should lie. Sometimes you want a shape to stand out and with a lot of seams coming together it can be quite bulky and so I went with what lay the flattest hoping that it would still work. We shall see.



This week I have been indulging in a spot of machine piecing. Occasionally even I need to do something that is a bit faster and this had me all excited. I bought a jelly roll last week at the quilt show and got a few pounds off the price because it looked a bit raggedy and it was the last one. It is just so pretty but you will have to wait a bit longer to see what it will make up into.



Valentine's Hearts by Cupcake Cottons. It is the first and probably the last time I shall do a border in this manner. It looks very pretty but fiddly. It needs a bit more quilting but essentially finished. Yeh! My contribution to all the glorious red and white quilts that are being shown around the world. I wished I could have seen them up close and personal. A big thank you to Sue from I Sew Quilts for sending lots of lovely photo's.



Now, I did just mention that I was at the quilt show at Westpoint and, I forgot my camera even after Elyte sent me a message telling me otherwise. Sorry Elyte. Lucky that Wendy took hers and sent me some photo's via e-mail.

The next two photo's are a little bit different for quilts and are by Sandie Lush. Sandie has a whole series of quilts in the shape of sweaters and the textures she creates really do resemble the knitting. When all hung together the quilt names read like a knitting pattern. They even have labels advertising Lush Knits. There are quite a collection but the famous one that she did and you may remember seeing it is the giant cricket sweater. These quilts appeal to me because many moons ago I toyed with the idea of doing a degree in knitwear and yes, Sandie is a knitter.





This quilt is by Dilys Fronks. It was part of a collection of quilts by Dilys who is renowned for her garden gate quilts. One day I am going to have to make one. This I just thought was beautiful.



Having bought the background for the hexagons and buying something that was so totally unexpected I am having doubts. I think I shall just wait and see if I like it any better when I have made a few more flowers. No more pictures now.

Happy Stitching

Love Shirley.

Looking Up

After looking down and seeing hexagons at my feet I looked up and saw this........



I have passed this hotel so many times on route to Sidmouth and have never even glanced at it until the other day and saw the amazing roof tiles. My husbands comment was that the cost of the roof must have been very expensive as the slate is difficult to cut in a square let alone a hexagon. I also had another thought and at 10pm had to go outside and look at the front of my house and... yes, there below my window are hexagon tiles! Doh! Now why did that one not cross my mind sooner.



Take a good look in the box. There are 120 flowers in there, 1 jelly roll's worth. Also completed are 99 centres for the next batch of plain flowers. I may not be showing these again for some time so take a last look. Phew! I have loved every minute of making these and never tire of them. In stitching them they have had my darkest thoughts, tears, memories, good and bad and they have seen me through and out the other side. It is stitching in it's purest and simplest form and sometimes it is the best way to help yourself through a difficult day. I know there are many out there doing the same and it also tides you over until inspiration strikes to move on to other things. I make no apologies for this.



The weather has been so glorious and according to the weather report we are actually warmer than parts of Spain. Woohoo!. Rachel and I went to Sidmouth and sat on the beach. Rachel made herself a little bit of beach art.



Rachel.



Wednesday was all hands to the pump helping Kate to get ready for her first visitors. We also helped Wendy to celebrate her birthday with the usual opening of gifts and eating little pastries called yum yums. Pat was late getting there so we ate hers. Yum, yum. Sorry Pat. We even sat outside and had lunch. How good was that for March.



Last but not least. My friend Sue Lewis (on the right - friend Sue Marsh on the left)
had a lovely birthday gift from her daughter. Sue fell in love with the quilt on display at Cowslip Studio's in Cornwall and her daughter decided to take her back there to buy it. Sue said imagine her disappointment when it said sold on it and then for it to be handed to her as a gift. I hope my girls are reading this. The quilt was much admired by all of us at Apple County Quilters. What a lovely birthday and what a great treat.



Happy Stitching

Love Shirley.x

1-2-3 .....100, Not Out

A few posts back I showed you a photo of a manhole cover in the shape of a hexagon and asked what else was out there in this shape. Valentina from Valentina's Corner sent me a photo of a loaf of bread and I came across this one again literally under my feet. Have you guessed by now what it is? It is the step machine at the gym complete with rubber hexagon mat and the 1-2-3 brings me nicely to the next photo.



I have reached the 100th jelly roll flower and that means 20 left to stitch. Incidentally that also means there are 120 hexies left in the box. I think I have reached a decision on the background fabric and the more I look at it the more I like it.



I thought I would try and show you how I am assembling these flowers as I think this is the quickest way and I have a whole lot more to get through before I am done.

I start with the centre hexagon (green) and then join the first outer hexagon to the green and then I stitch the others to the last one stitched - so only the first hexagon is stitched to the green at this stage. You will see from the photo that when they are all joined it looks like orange peel.



Now you are going to join them to the centre green hexagon. Tiny oversewing, taking the needle just through a few threads and not through the paper.



Stitch the next free side to the green side.



And the next.



Nearly there.



Last one. Fold the flower in half and join the last seam together.



One completed flower. Easy when you know how. Cannot do them any other way now. Try and see how easy it is and it is neat too.



Yesterday I could have cried with sheer delight. If you want to see this chair properly then you will have to go and stay at Kate's Quilting Retreat. Kate made the clamshell pad and revamped this old chair into something so gorgeous. Wendy and I wondered if she would miss it and we would have had to fight it out as to who would get it. It is going to live in one of her bedrooms. Sadly not mine or Wendy's.



Wendy is making this quilt for her daughter Laura. Lucky Laura. It is so pretty. Such loveliness going on yesterday.



Happy stitching

Love Shirley.x

Stitcherydo-dahs

I fear that my blog title sometimes doesn't live up to it's name. Not a lot of stitchery has been achieved of late other than a handful of hexagons and I really do mean a handful. I do however, have a few things to show today. Hurrah!

My love of beads equals my fabric stash but thank goodness it is on a much smaller scale or there would be no room for me to live here. This is my latest offering, a gorgeous bracelet using cubes, seed beads and drops. It was a quickie and I love the colours, plus it was very simple.



Valentine Hearts now has its borders and is ready to be layered and quilted.



My sister chose this yarn for her socks. I was surprised as I wouldn't have chosen it for her and would have chosen it for myself so there may be a bit of sisterly rivalry going on here as to whether she gets them or not. The yarn is Wendy - Happy Feet and it is my favourite to use. It knits up well, washes well and, more to the point, feels good on your feet.



Because of the lack of sewing I thought I would show you an oldie. This little crazy patchwork heart was made in a workshop with Anne Baxter many moons ago and it is one of my favourite things. I beaded the edge and also added a few beady bits that were lying around after practising.



Finally, my cactus plant has been in a sorry state. I repotted it last year and it suddenly bushed out. It hadn't flowered for a long time but this is a bit spooky but co-incidence I know. My sister in law gave me a lovely poem and photo of my mum and I put it next to the plant. My mum loved gardening and do you know ever since the photo has been there it has produced a flower a week. As one dies off the next one comes out. I talk to mum and the plant every day and tell her well done for making the flowers come out.



Happy Stitching.

Love Shirley.

Out and About

It is a while since I last posted something here but fret ye not. I have been out and about. Last week was my sister's 50th birthday and so I went and spent a few days up in Stoke. One thing I didn't do was take my camera and so have no photographic evidence to mark the occasion. My niece Megan (Megan papier on my sidebar - I need to learn how to do a link) has a blog and if you have the time perhaps you would pop over and leave her a word or two of encouragement. She is 17 years old and a great girl. I am biased of course because I love her. Meg has posted a little about her Mum's birthday. I took my sister to the theatre to see Jason Donovan as Captain von Trapp in the Sound of Music. He was great and we had to keep snatching the spy glasses off each other to ogle Jason each time he came on stage. We also enjoyed a delicious meal beforehand plus a little drop of vino.( Well, a bottle to be exact but we won't mention it!!!). Maria was played by Verity Rushworth better known as Donna Dingle in Emmerdale. She was a real sensation and in my humble opinion better than Connie Fisher.

I also had the great privilege of visiting Barbara Chainey for a delicious lunch of the local delicacy of cheese and bacon oatcakes. I also had a private viewing of a selection of her antique quilt collection housed in her tardis - sorry, cupboard. Some absolute beauties and I came away with a few ideas I can tell you. Thank you Barbara for a lovely day. This blogging medium is a fantastic thing, putting like minded souls together. Again, you can check out Barbara's blog.

On Saturday we met Sarah and Olly down at Lyme Regis in Dorset. It was one of those gorgeous days when you feel that spring is here, when the sun comes out and you think Oh Thank you, thank you, thank you for the bit of warmth on your face and it makes you feel so good. I would like a bit more of that please.



Mick and Olly on The Cobb Harbour. Golden Cap in the background. Lyme Regis is famous for being immortalised in the film The French Lieutenant's Woman. When you see Meryl Streep staring out to sea, well, this is it.



It is also famous for it's fossils.



Today at Kate's we celebrated Pat's birthday with the usual exchange of presents and tea and cake. Pat has just returned from New Zealand and brought with her lots of goodies to show and tell. Sorry, didn't take any photo's in the excitement.



This is a section of Kate's quilt hanging in her studio. It is amazing and is hand painted and appliqued with shells and you may just see some of the wording on it. It is just so soothing and beautiful.



Wendy has been working on these little beauties for some time now and were from an inklingo swap. I think she has now hatched a plan for them and it was a treat to see them again. Those diamonds are 1" and therefore 2" hexagons.



Just a little burst of colour from Kate's threads hanging on the wall.



Finally, are you still with me? not fallen asleep? This is a bit of my offering. Work in progress. It needs its borders adding and scalloping. This little project is from Cupcake Cottons. I walked past their stand last year at Malvern so many times that eventually I gave in and bought this kit and may have to buy another one this year. They are a great new business venture and have such great fabrics and kits.



I need to be making decisions now on that background fabric as I am 2/3rds of the way through the hexagons and before I know it they will all be done. Decisions, decisions.

Happy Stitching.

Love Shirley.x