Its Spring AGAIN !!!!

Hiya AllWhen it's spring again I'll bring again, Tra la la la la la la!!!!!
That's how I'm feeling this week all fired up and ready to go! The BIG HUGE tidy up worked and I'm sewing again, here are the pictures to prove it...

What a difference!

It's been a busy month so far, this is what I have been up to; I attended the W.W.D Prayer service with my Mum, went to a sewing afternoon and a sewing day both with SVQ, Attended a Family History meeting, (I'm researching our 'trees'), attended 2 committee meetings, went to Clock Tower, Severn Valley & Westbury Park Quilters Meetings, taught the last Q.A.Y.G. session, and took my Mum to an appointment. Pheww!!! Oh! and the whole family came over for the day last Sunday.

I really enjoyed the Regional day on 5th organized by Region 5 of the Quilters Guild. Judi Mendelssohn is a brilliant speaker and had us all in stitches with her talk on why she is not a championship quilter, then after lunch she took a workshop making 3D flowers, no mean feat with around 80+ ladies in the room (don't think I've ever seen that many at our Region day before!) I chose to make a tulip and it's now in pride of place on the dresser downstairs. If I can get the florist's tape I need to cover the canes I plan to make some more.

The region 5 quilts made for the Aldwark Gallery,York were also on display and were superb. The one I worked on was made by 5 members of  Westbury Park Quilters, one of the groups I belong to.

Left side

Right Side

This is ours with my piece at the bottom.

Don't they look great? The theme was stitching through time and I volunteered to make a Crazy Victorian sample which you can see at the bottom. I didn't take much notice during the making of it, but apparently I managed to use 27 different fabrics before embellishing it with hand embroidery and bits & pieces found in my stash. I  used several traditional methods such as Celtic Knot, Shadow Patchwork and Boutis as the centre of each square, (there were 3) I kept a photo log of the process I used and will post these on my next blog.

If I had known in the beginning that it was to go on display in the Gallery I'm not sure I would have agreed so quickly but all in all I enjoyed the challenge and this could be my 15 minutes of fame!:-) LOL



At Severn Valley this month we had a great speaker namely Anne Rippin, she is a senior lecturer in the Department of Management at the University of Bristol (www.annjrippin.wordpress.com) She talks about how she uses her quilting skills to illustrate lectures regarding business corporations and the methods used for marketing, a fascinating subject, check out her blog to see some of her work and also a page about her visit to us (fame at last!!)

The start of this blog was a celebration of spring and our garden is in full bloom, with tulips, Primroses and Polyanthus. Earlier this week DH had to take out a tree which has been growing on the rockery/waterfall above the pond for probably 20 years, it was well and truly past it's sell by date, quite rotten and had to go. I thought the Rockery/ pond would look bare without it but I am warming to it as we can now see a very pretty shrub that was hidden behind it. Its going to be an ongoing project as the waterfall is leaking water somewhere and the water levels will drop, but, by the summer it should look fine, there are other plants such as a huge fern to come up which will cover some of it. Here are some spring flowers to cheer you up.

 Then today I was moochin' about (as you do) in the garden and I found this sweet little Fritillaria (hope that's spelt right?) don't have a clue where it came from as we had not planted it there, the birds can't have dropped a seed as they grow from bulbs (I think!) but anyway we'll continue to enjoy it while it lasts.

Anyway! after the tidy up I am sewing again,:-)))) did I mention a workshop at Severn Valley quilters last year No? well it was the launch of our Group Charity project, making lap quilts for an Elderly Person's Home. We used a 'round robin' method making Crazy Log Cabin blocks which was great fun, then the ladies went on making blocks at home. I decided we needed a few more and set too, in just under a week I made about 80 61/2" blocks. Now they just need putting together which the members will help to do at the next Saturday sewing day.

String pieced centre squares

Piles of blocks (20 in each pile)

 Well that's about the longest blog ever, so as it's tea time I'll go and have my tea. Don't know what I'm having yet but something will 'occur' when I get to the kitchen. Before I go I must thank the people who have left comments on my blog. I knew about my followers but I have only just found the comments and was sooo happy to know you are out there reading what I write. Isn't it great to be part of 'Bloggland'? :-))))))
Byeeee for now!
Lorraine                     

Earthquake in Japan

I'm sure you have all seen the terrible images of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan today, such a huge disaster, and so close on the heels of the New Zealand quake.
 I just wanted to stop by to say that I am thinking about those people who have lost everything including family and friends, and of those who wait in fear of the time that the wave will reach the shores of their own countries. I know just a tiny fraction of how people in those Japan and worldwide must feel as they wait anxiously for news of family and friends who live and work in the devastated areas, as I wait to hear from a long time pen friend and her family who live in Christchurch N.Z.
Makes me realise how lucky we are in the western world not to live in fear of  this type of  disaster happening near to us.
I pray for them all.
Lorraine.

The big Clean Up!

Well my friends another month has gone by and not much sewing done!:-((   My fault, just haven't been in the mood lately! So today I decided that it was probably 'cause my sewing room is a tip, and has become a 'dumping ground' for all those bits and pieces I didn't know what to do with (plus a few other things as well), here's some pictures.

The sewing table

and the cutting table

the ironing board

See what I mean? Anyway today was the BIG HUGE clean up and what a difference it's made, now I can get in here to sew!!!
I've been working on the Rennie Mackintosh Rose Trapunto cushion, I finished stitching all the 'tramlines' about 2 weeks ago at a sewing afternoon with Severn Valley, and this evening I assembled the 'sandwhich' and started the quilting, it's looking quite good and hopefully I will get some more done tomorrow.

Yesterday was spent at my DD's, we spent time going through the baby equipment she has plus some cot bedding bought on Ebay. Ive given her the baby blanket I made, but forgot to take a picture! and I've almost finished a little cardigan, just the neck ribbing to do. I hope to make a few more before the little one arrives.

It's been a busy couple of weeks, it was Clock Tower Quilters on 19th Feb, then on 26th I was teaching all day, the girls on my course are doing fine and are now quite able to work on their own with only a little help from me. This end of the week, I'm taking Mum to the 'Women's World Day of Prayer' on Friday evening,  Saturday will see me off to the Region 5 Regional day which I am looking forward to. It's advertised as 'A Day with Judi Mendelssohn' with the morning talk is entitled 'Not being a Championship Quilter' then after lunch Judi is running a mini workshop making 3D Flowers which sounds intriguing. There will be 2 traders and the home made cakes are not too be missed plus the chance to meet up with friends old and new.
    
Had a surprise last weekend when Kevin, Sarah & Harriet popped in with the news that Harriet has been given a place at a private girl's school in Bristol, after an interview and an entrance exam they were delighted for her to be offered a scholarship. H started on Monday and telephoned last night, to tell me all about her first 2 days which she seems to have enjoyed no end, she has already made two new friends and been invited to a birthday party. I have promised her that I will take her to some quilt meetings this year, she is quite ready to try a few workshops plus I'm taking her to a Young Quilter's day in April.

I'm reading a great book at the mo and can't put it down, written by Archibald Stansfield Belaney it tells of his life in the Canadian backwoods during the last century.

Well that about brings you up to date with things here so I'd better sign out and go to bed. Night night all!