Has spring sprung?

Friday was the first day this year so far that has felt like spring. The sun was shining, and as I was pottering about the garden, getting despondent about just how much work needs to be done, it was heartening to see some shoots starting to come through. The sky was blue (although yesterday was a return to rain - but blue again today - hurrah!!) and there is an almost tangible sense of a new start.

Jenny is having a giveaway on her blog, about what the first signs of spring mean to you. It's hard to quantify - yesterday there was 'something in the air' and for the first time in a long while I wanted to get on with things / get weeding / get rid of the winter clutter / fling open the windows and let in the sun.

A day's sewing yesterday, then, and two quilt tops completed. To be fair, both had already been started, but they needed spring in the air to make me get the last few bits put into place - otherwise I knew that they would just sit about for an inordinate amount of time and that I would fall out of love with them.

I got the blocks done Sunday, whilst visiting my sister (who oversaw all block placements decisions),

to this, yesterday.

It's for Grannie's 95th birthday next month, and I've tried to incorporate as many photos of family as I can, but I've been thwarted by the inactivity of too many people. Suffice to say, my sister and I, and two (female) cousins have rustled up everything between us, and unfortunately a number of key players are missing - I just couldn't hang on any more waiting for digital pictures to get to me.

And this is the second top completed:

It's for a friend's daughter, and the colours are really lovely for this time of year. It's made from the Jelly Roll that I bought cheaply a few months ago, and to a pattern in Nicky Lintoft's book. It is truely much bigger that I thought it would be (I MUST learn to look at dimensions properly) - and the pattern calls for 3" borders as well. I fear that this quilt will actually be too big and heavy for a 4 year old - but then again, it should last her a LONG time.... I will probably leave this to one side for a short while, and speak to my friend to see what she thinks.

I also bought these fabrics:

to start making this quilt:

The range is Midnight, by Fabric Freedon, and the pattern, by Sally Ablett can be downloaded from their website.

This isn't my progress - I'm still cutting out - but I thought that it was nice to see a black and white quilt that is actually in grey instead - it's much softer on the eye.

Jo made this for her sister-in-law:

Today I had to go to a branch of a well known chain, to buy 1/4 metre of a fabric to bind a quilt, as I'm trying to finish off a number of UFOs, and after completing the transaction, I was asked whether I'd be interested in some remnants of fabric. Of course I said 'yes', dreading what they would produce, and how much it would be. To my amazement, an enormous plastic bag was pulled out, and after a bit of umming and ahhing - they suggested £10.

When I got home, I sorted it all out on the garden table, and this is what was in it:

Some of this is felt, and some is nylon - but the vast bulk of it is cotton - with the manufacturer's name on the selvedge - it's all Makower and Moda..... The smallest piece is about 1/4m, and the biggest is about 1/2m.

Included in the bag were several panels as well:

....maybe not my taste, but will make up into something useful - a bag? a cushion?,

two of these stocking panels, so I could either make 2 stockings, or 4, if I use a plain fabric for the back of each one,

and finally, an Advent Calendar panel!!

I recovered from the shock of this bargain by doing some pruning. Unfortunately, I was a little too enthusiatic in cutting back the honeysuckle - and now this archway has collapsed.....

Be thankful for the small things

The hecticness is threatening to come back - but hurrah, it's staying under control.

Above is a timely reminder of the need to slow down a little, and take some time to appreciate what is going on. As part of the fundraising for Haiti, one could order and have delivered (anonymously) a cupcake to anyone else in school on Friday. The one above was delivered to me at about 10.00am, with no guidance as to from whom it had come.

To be honest, I thought it was a wind-up.

It turned out to have to come from a colleague - who thought that the whole team needed a big cupcake shaped hug. A reminder that it's people who make life fun - not meeting statistical targets ......


On Saturday I went to a quilting workshop with Connie Cole, in Nottingham, to mae a small trip around the world. I've admired these for some time, but never managed to make one - it's all those small pieces, I'm afraid!!


I was very pleased to find out that it was put together with strip pieces, so after the initial cutting (and pressing - am I the only peson who loathes pressing?), it was relatively straightfoward, as long as you took it step by step.

These are my fabrics - not my usual choice at all ...

and these are Lyn's.

By 4pm I'd completed 2 blocks - they're on the left in this picture. The plan is to now make 2 more and produce a small wall hanging.

Lyn had also brought along her latest completed project. It's a BOM from Antique Angel, with stitchery as well as patchwork. Unfortunately, this particular BOM is no longer available.

I've been trying to upload a picture, but blogger appears to be a real go-slow at present - hopefully I can get one up later....

I've never tried stitchery, but I'm assured that it's very easy, so I'm going to have a go with one of the little kits that I picked up last weekend.

Remembrance Sunday

I took a photo of this quilt at the Festival of Quilts in 2008 - but omitted to record who made it, so if anyone knows, I'll be more than happy to add the details here.

Each of the white poppies is made by photocopying some letters sent back from the front.

I'd planned to put a picture of the war memorial in Kirkby-cum-Osgodby, where I travelled to last week, putting together pieces of the family history. Harry, my great-grandfather, is recorded on here, having been killed on July 1st 1916 in the Somme, aged 26.

But alas - no picture, as my camera is still with my mother.

Today at 11am Mr Z&Z and I were in the supermarket, where the minute silence was solemnly observed by everyone except a family close to where we were.

To be fair, I don't think they heard the tannoy announcement - but you'd think they would have realised that the entire shop had stopped - tills/shopping/conversations - the lot.

This year's commemorations were really brought home to me when I saw my home town (near York) on the news, where local residents were remembering a local boy killed just last week on a tour of duty.

On a more cheerful (but still related) note, I really like this idea - knitting a poppy to wear, instead of (or maybe as well as???) the plastic ones. The pattern can be found here, but is only available until the end of Thursday.

My knitting skills are poor, but I'm still pondering on whether to download the instructions and bribe a friend to knit one up for me???