Dolly Donations

Let me introduce you to

BETINA

who will soon be heading off to Haiti via the USA

But just now ….. she is sitting around waiting for Alfredo to show up ……

(they have a joint air ticket )……

but he is late in the making.

When he arrives they will wing their happy way to Sarah at

http://dollydonations.blogspot.com/

Betina is made from

on Sarah’s blog ……

Must dash now and look for fabric for Alfredo!

See you soon

PS

Betina and Alfredo are my part of this idea

click on the button on the righthand column for more inspiration :0)

Olympic Quilt 2012

Well now,

silly me,

thinking no-one would know where my new town is!

But as Penny at Violet White pointed out  http://violet-white.blogspot.com/

just hover your mouse over the High Street picture …

and

it

tells

you!

OK!

I am not very savvy when it comes to computers!

So it is!

W I T N E Y!

Most of the boxes have been dealt with and it is looking like  HOME now

so I thought it was about time that I thought about my promise to make

an OLYMPIC QUILT –

not needed until 2011  – but I promised it by this September

(the organizers are wanting to produce a

book so, earlier the better)

I have decided

to make it mainly red, white and blue – our patriotic colours

and use the technique I learned joining in the  “Quilt As You Go” with

Penny at Sew Take a Hike

http://sewtakeahike.typepad.com/

I already have part of a Jelly Roll of American Primer

which  I   L O V E,   LOVE,  LOVE ….

still I  would be happy to share it with an Athlete! :0)

So  tomorrow I will pop in at my new local fabric shop

and choose some complimentary red, white and blue fabrics.

THEN by the weekend I may be able to get in

the starting block and  GO FOR IT!

If you are interested in making a quilt for the London Olympics

check out the web site:

http://www.agiftofquilts.co.uk/

“The “Gift of a Quilt” is open to anyone, any age, any skills,

it can be an individual, a group of friends,

a village project, a school project,

a community project involving care homes,

day centre’s, all you need to be able to do is hold a needle.

We will endeavour to keep the total updated as often as possible.

It is not too late to make a quilt and register it with us.

In fact register before you finish it so we know how many we have got coming in.

The quilt here is a detail of one made by the Clifton Quilters for the Project.

500 is the goal, 271 registered so far”

A Ta-Daa! moment

DO   YOU   REMEMBER ……

THIS ……

AND THIS ……

AND THIS! ……

well,  T A  –  D A A !!

it became……

THIS!

Now, I grant that you may not see the connection …. so let me explain.

I would have chosen Kaffe Fassett fabric …. but I didn’t have any,

but I did have ..

some Recipe for Friendship Jelly Roll left.

The design I wanted was something that was a quick grab and go bag,

( Valentino is Very Fast!)

fun and bright,

with a little extra Italian joy …..

the button is big and black – like a tyre …..

that handles are chequered black and white – like the finish flag …..

and are topped with a button and bow….

and

it makes me  S M I L E !!!!

it’s my sunshine in a bag  :0)

I call it my Mugello Bag

(after the GP circuit!)

Hope you like it!

Mary Poppins travels around

Karen at Selvage has included my bag on her fantastic blog

Thank you Karen!

Check out all the amazing things that are included in Karen’s blog here:

http://www.selvageblog.blogspot.com/

or just click Selvage in my blogroll.  It is really inspiring stuff – I love

the sewing machine cover :0)

have bag will travel!

Well!    Partly for my Mother’s Day gift and partly for my

Birthday present, I was given the train ticket to spend a

week with my lovely family in Oxfordshire.

So …… my Mary Poppins bag and I set off!

The weather was just fantastic, and I had a wonderful time  –

my Bag worked out a treat!

Lots of room for lots of stuff …. and I found the little

handles really nice to hold …….

Next time, I hope to have a few photos of just what me and my bag got up to!

So off we go for a Springtime holiday in Oxfordshire :0)

TaDaa!

Last April I had a short holiday HERE:

GARTMORE HOUSE

“Gartmore House is a magnificent 18th century country mansion

set in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Scotland,

offering all year round day and residential conferences and activity holidays.

Choose from our Watercolour Painting, Patchwork & Quilting or guided Walking holidays”

http://www.gartmorehouse.com/

Obviously I chose the patchwork holiday …..

it was fantastic;

from being picked up at the Stirling station……

to the fabulous food and private room (no single supplement!) ……

to the excellent teaching and guidance from Clare Workman

It was worth every penny!

Anyway, I needed something to take my work kit in so I made ……

TaDaa!

my Selvedge Bag.

I so like it!

That was Last April …..

Yesterday

I looked at my big balls of wool for my crochet chocolate and raspberry ripple blanket

all just stuffed in a plastic bag

(a plain plastic bag not even a Tesco or Sainsbury’s bag!)

and I thought “that just will not do!”

So I got out my selvedges again and made a ……

TaDaa!

side one!

TaDaa!

side two!

my new bigger selvedge bag ….

to take my blanket around with me …… or anything else for that matter,

and I really like it!

What do you think?

It has ties at the side so the bag can expand out or just as

it is in the photo …..

it makes me smile!

Go to

http://www.selvageblog.blogspot.com/

for more Selvedge Inspirations!

Inspiration

I am really inspired by this:

luscious lemons by D Sharon Pruitt

by these:

fabulous fabrics by Kaffe Fassett

and these:

helmets by AGV

BUT

B I G  T I M E  by :

Valentino Rossi

to do WHAT??

Perhaps I’ll tell you soon …….!!

Don’t miss the first race of the season MotoGP on 11th April

20 Minuters

I have been busy for a while now, off and on, making paper pieced Dresden Plates.

I really enjoy the experience of hand piecing.

Tacking the fabric shapes over their backing papers and stitching them together to create a new textile ….. yes, it is very absorbing and satisfying.

You can become totally immersed in the process of

choosing the scraps …….

tacking on to the papers …….

then arranging each piece into the desired sequence for your plate ……

Yes, it  is very rewarding and the slower pace than machine patching is quite therapeutic.

When it’s all put together, I think the softer look that the stitches produce lends charm and individuality to the finished piece. Well, I hope so anyway! But  I don’t know what they will end up being – a quilt, a throw, place mats ??? Who knows! I am happy to be making them just now so I will wait until I have enough to decide. :0)

It is thought that the Dresden Plate design originated in America in the 1930’s when it would have been made up using small scale dress prints on a white background.

So here are two of my plates coming along,

bit by bit,

20 Minutes at a time!

What do you think?

Click to enlarge photo

Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt-Along

“Friends are those who nourish the spirit.”

It’s not often that a collection of fabrics makes you all warm and fuzzy inside. This recipe has a spoon full of sugar that melts the heart and soothes the soul. Bright, happy colors and beautifully painted motifs designed by Mary Engelbreit for Moda.

I love this range, my curtain in the kitchen is a patchwork of “Recipe” charms and it just makes me smile  – even on a grey day!

I bought my JR at sale offer price – it doesn’t seem to be around any more – so if you find it I would seriously recommend you push your boat out and buy whatever you can afford … it’s so worth it! And it will make YOU smile on a grey day!  :0)

I have used my Recipe Jelly Roll for the Jelly Roll Quilt Along from http://moosequilts.blogspot.com

The second block has been designed by April Mazzolini who gives quite a frank account of how she designed it! So encouraging to read how she “Made do and mended” her original block. Her blog is at http://april-makingendsmeet.blogspot.com/

Here is my second Jelly Roll Sampler Block …..  the green one ……  hope you like it!

Jelly Roll Quilt Along

As I only had one Jelly Roll and it  seemed too special to use for

no particular reason ….  when I saw this idea from Konda at

http://moosequilts.blogspot.com

I decided to join in this Jelly Roll Quilt Along as I thought it would be a

good use of my Recipe for Friendship JR!

Each block will be designed by a different person.

So here is my first 12″ block

and tomorrow we will get our instructions for the next block design.

It is really inspiring and fun ….. from a Crafty Person’s point of view!