Voila! A Bucket?

I didn't have a plan, I just wanted to see whether I could do it.
I can... and I like it.
This 'fabric bucket' used the 30 metres of cording and a drawer full of 1" strips, though they tell you to use 3/4" strips on t'internet site, that I can no longer find, grrrr!

Coiled Fabric Pot

From the Festival of Quilts I bought some cord, looks like washing line and feels like washing line, I wanted to make a basket.... I was very inspired by....

... Helen Deighan, who assured me that the Coil Pot Cording that she was selling was much better than the average washing line..... it cost £3.00 for 30 metres, not expensive really.....

... this morning I searched a bit on t'internet, because I forgot how to start a fabric coiled pot centre, I didn't buy the book you see.... I really wanted to have a go at getting one started...

I've been doing this for 4 hours, I have almost used up my drawer of 1" strips... fantastic, therapeutic and FUN!!

Ursula's Latest Project

I bought this book from a quilt shop somewhere in Texas. When we lived in Mexico City we drove up to the USA twice, just to go shopping.... he he he.. and shop we did!
I haven't actually made anything from it yet but a few of my friends have.
I showed the book to Ursula during a Quilt Cave day in February, she went home and ordered her own copy. As soon as it arrived she chose this pattern, page 74, and she went to Paula's to buy the strata of fabrics....

Ursula has been working on this project between visitors over the summer and says she has thoroughly enjoyed making it. It has been a good challenge.
It's not finished yet, there will be a border of 9" blocks too.... soon!


So, now I have my book out again..... hmmmmm, I wonder...

I matched the font colour to the photos, did you notice?

Not About Quilting

I received a few emails asking about where I live now so....
this is where I walk our dog, Molly, you can just about make her out, she doesn't waste any running around time posing for photos....

we walk by this huge field too, overlooking the town where I live, it's quite beautiful really... but I still miss Portugal and my quilty ladies..... and it rains an awful lot here!

My Design Wall

This weekend we put up my design wall... today it looks like this. These strips were going to be made into a Scrappy Bargello but as I was only making the quilt to practice my free motion quilting on, I opted for this easier option, a Scrappy Railfence.
This is the last of this fabric collection, considering this particular drawer was all scraps of mostly ugly fabrics, I have managed to make 5 large quilts with it all and I really want this to be the last one.

Using my design wall means that the ironing board has to be just outside my room on the landing, they were using the same space and something had to go, I guess I will be finding thread all down the stairs from time to time.... what's new, he he.

More Photos

Just before I left Portugal, Susan had started cutting out hexagons, so this picture is to help inspire her... these hexagons have been cut to make kaleidoscopes....
Sue loves the "wow factor" and I think this work definitely has "Wow"... I wonder how the lady cut out the pieces? I'm thinking she must have spent ages getting each set of pieces cut exactly the same, hmmmm

I think the colour choices, placement and the quilting in this project bring the very traditional up to the very modern. I bet this spent a long time on the design wall, I once made a small water colour quilt... oh how I suffered... looking through the red plastic only to see I had it all wrong, many times... ha ha ha, never again!
and look how it is quilted... simple and very effective, I hope this helps you Soooooo....

Crazy Quilts, a great way to use all the fancy stitches on my Bernina, I will make one, one day, it says so on my "To Do"list.
I post this picture to inspire Jackie who recently bought an embroidery machine....

This would be a great way to test everything a sewing machine can do, including the pictures... see the butterflies and flowers all embroidered, it's like a very 'posh' I Spy quilt... he he he.
This is another of my favourites, having recently taken the plunge and made a New York Beauty style quilt and I've sort of mastered the curved piecing ... I shall put it on my "maybe some day" list.

Garen, for sure, will be interested to see this quilt, I know she has a few of these bowls in her UFO pile

One day at Paula's, Irene came in to buy fabrics to make a Dear Jane quilt, I thought this picture would inspire her? I put it on my 'maybe one day' list.... I have several lists, tee hee
No wonder this quilt was a winner, it's not really my 'cup o tea' but it had the most fabulous quilting, it looked like lace! This picture is worth clicking on to see closer detail


... Birte... I know you have some of these fabrics... did you enter this quilt??

Festival Of Quilts

I don't know, it seemed to me that there were way more stalls at the show this year, maybe the currency exchange rates had something to do with it as there were quite a few stalls from other lands, maybe it was my imagination? but for sure they took up a bigger chunk of the room. Most stalls had signs up asking us not to take pictures... shame as I love looking back at them all, it's impossible to remember what I saw.
Never the less, I did take almost 200 photographs of the actual quilt exhibition. It was really difficult to decide which ones to post here...I don't really know any details about them as I didn't buy a programme and there wasn't any information posted by most of the quilts.... just a number.
This is a small section of my favourite scrappy quilt.... I have put it on my ever growing "to do" list, he he he

This was one of my favourite "different" ones, it's very cool how they had the tree roots continuing off the bottom of the quilt...
... this reminded me of those string pictures, you know the ones? lots of nails with coloured string stretched across them, my mum made a few of them in the 70's...
and this was lovely, the design and the quilting were very simple and very effective, the dresses were sacking like fabric... it was different and I liked it A LOT...
Lots of people seem to be using shirt fabrics at the moment.... well, maybe they always did but I mean, we are hearing lots more about them these days, I think this butterfly quilt is quite brilliant....
and this one brought a smile to lots of faces, great recycling eh! what else could we do with the cuffs?
and look at this.... Jenny Bowker was there and she remembered me!! She told some other ladies that we had been friends for ages!!!! that made me feel special, ha ha ha... how cheap am I?
She has to spend the full 4 days of the festival quilting on the new Bernina 830... what a life!!!

I'll choose some more photos later and try to post them tomorrow.....

Ready For Production....

There are still things needing to be sorted out, things that need a place to be, there's still boxes of fabric in the bedroom... tee hee, but the main surfaces are clear... kind of ... and I have started stitching.

I cut lots of 2 1/2" strips just before the packers arrived in Portugal in June. I knew I would have difficulty trying to decide what to make once I was sorted out here, so I opted to take the decision making out of the process.... how intelligent am I??? Spot on, I will make yet another Scrappy Bargello. I love these quilts, they are very easy and quick to put together so I should soon be able to quilt this one with some of the Uriarte feathers.... (spell checking.... Uriarte? says urinate!! ha ha ha)

Dining & Designing

When I left Mexico in 2004, some lovely quilty friends (Nadine, Annette, Barbara, Juliette & Lisa) bought me this Uriarte tea set as a leaving gift, I love it. Unfortunately, because I love it, I've kept it very safe, packed carefully in a box, away from the world, which is a little silly... I know. I unpacked it!!!! I have given it pride of place on my Birte cabinet in our dining room, and whilst we dine, I look at it..... remembering the projects we made and all the fun we had....

... and following the feather shapes with my eyes, secretly practicing the rhythmic movements as I quilt them on my next project... 

A Little Bit Of Progress..

I confess, it is now quite obvious that "I've Got Too Much Stuff!!" I thought that this metal cupboard, my new slimline cutting table storage and the cupboard behind the door would be enough to hold my lovely fabric stash and books... it would, if I didn't actually want to look at any of it.
Oh well.... still nowhere to put my folders and bits and bobs but a few grabbed minutes most days is getting me there.... I still have an awful lot to do with the house, like painting, so the stitchery will have to wait....
As I started to fill the cupboard yesterday... I caught Molly digging madly in the corner, making very excited noises, obviously happy with her new biscuit hiding place...
this morning I passed and took a sideways glance into my room, and saw where she has been digging again, turfing out my fabrics whilst looking for her treasure!! I will have to keep the door shut in future... bless her.