Christmas in Switzerland

We arrived in Switzerland to a snowy landscape which stayed with us right up to when we had to go home.  Our family went to their chalet to do some skiing before the New Year.  I wish you all a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

Reindeer by the Lake

The biggest Christmas Tree I've seen!

Snowman in the garden made by youngest Grandson

Snow when we arrived!!

 'Till the next time........
 

Happy Holiday

Happy Holiday

Christmas Bowls

Our Monday patchwork group, Calico Corner, have been busy making these lovely bowls for Christmas.  The pattern came from  a 2007 Popular Patchwork magazine.

So pretty

Mine filled with Swiss chocolates and wrapped ready to give

 

I'm a Winner!!!

Postie came today with a parcel!  It was from Kerstin - I was a winner of her table runner give away.

This is what I found inside...........

Wooden Christmas trees to hang up

............and there's more..............

Tree ornament and Chocolate - yummy

............and finally the most gorgeous table runner - thank you so much Kerstin

Isn't that just lovely

 ......'til the next time

Yo-Yo Fun

Jo Baddeley from Puddleducks in Sevenoaks came over yesterday to Friendship Quilters to do a workshop on yo-yo making.  Many of of us hadn't made them before, so it was quite a challenge.  Luckily Jo had brought along some plastic yo-yo makers and they were fab - made the making so very easy.  I chose to make Christmas yo-yos and made a Christmas Tree cushion.

Here's the start.........

..............and here it is finished at home today

And here are some yo-yos others had made

Judy's

Maureen's

 I didn't get to photo any others, but they were all fabulous.

............'til the next time

Remembering our Children

Yesterday I had organised a special Candle Remembrance for bereaved parents and their families.  It's the 14th year I've organised this. It's a time that we can light candles in memory of our children and talk with others.

 Our candles are in the front and you can see the sewing and craft that I help the group of ladies with. We call it using grief creatively and we go by the name of Sunray Quilters.

 Here is some more of their work

Memory Quilt made in 2009

They made some lovely Butterfly Wallhangings

Fabric Printing and Applique

.........'til the next time

I've never made a quilt so quickly

Well, I've finished my granddaughter's quilt and it only took 5 days to piece!  I sent it to Marlene who does long arm quilting and it it was back to me within a week.  I'm so pleased with it.

The finished quilt for Christmas

I've been shopping again to my local craft shop to buy PVA and silicone glue to make some printing blocks for my C&G Hand Embroidery course.....which I bought.............. and came out with some more decorative wool!!

Georgi inspecting the gorgeous fibre

When I came home today from Friendship Quilters there was a package waiting on the door mat.  I wonder what that could be?  It wasn't my birthday and I wasn't expecting any Swaps.  It was a bag made by a patchwork friend who I met on the same Great Train Journey to Italy earlier this year.  It folds up and tucks into the pocket at the front.  What a lovely surprise - thank you Angie xx

Til the next time...............

Wonder how this will Knit Up

Went into the local craft shop yesterday and came out with this!!

I wonder how it will knit up?

I'll make a start later today, but I can see myself getting into a muddle as I'm used to straight forward knitting with regular wool.

In Memory

Stephen John Baldock 12 October 1970  -  8 November 1990

Remembering today our son and brother Stephen

May your light always shine

Top is Finished

After much searching in the shops I found a lovely lavender sheet that will fit perfectly to this quilt.  I finished the top of Emily's quilt last night and it looks so nice:)  I'm sending it to a friend to longarm quilt.

Sashing added to squares

Two rows done

............and finally...........

The top completed and ready for layering and then quilting

 

 

Til the next time.............

It's Looking Good!

I've been beavering away since Tuesday making Emily's quilt and it's looking good.  The pattern is a quilter's project from the Australian Patchwork & Quilting magazine, designer Elaine Rose.  It has been a joy to make.

Here I'm doing the Star Points on the Sashings

One sashing done

Star Points on sashings completed

Star Points on side bars for border

Star Point remnants - so many of them!

This is what I did with them - I joined them all up and made loads of HST's

.......and used some them like this...............

....and added a lavender dot border.......to make into..........

.....a fabric postcard for my friend Tessa

I have to go out now to buy a lavender backing for the quilt.  Will put more photos up later.
Til the next time.....

All Pieces Cut

It took most of the evening to cut out all the elements for Emily's black and white quilt.  I'm itching to start it but it's late and I have a 90th birthday celebration to go to tomorrow, so I'm off to bed.

All cut and ready to sew!

......til the next time xx

A Job that had to be Done

We have to sell Mum's house which means that we have to sort out all her things.  I went to her house this morning to sort her wardrobe - incredibly hard thing to do as it felt so wrong deciding what to do with her belongings.  Anyway, I was there a couple of hours and managed to fill 4 black sacks!  I also found some bits of embroidery and weaving that I had done as a child.  I didn't know she had kept it!

My mum in 1946 with Aunt Jess and me as a baby

Africa 1946

 

Spent the afternoon cutting out Emily's black and white fabric.  Very calming...........  til the next time xx

Tiles

Came home from hand embroidery course tonight and went straight to my machine and did the Tiles FMQ.  I had real trouble keeping straight and even!  I actually dropped my feed dogs as I found it easier to control the fabric, but I still couldn't get an even stitch.....I know, practice, practice!  I had to keep turning the fabric as I still couldn't stitch backwards as I couldn't see behind the needle.

Here it is............

Front

 

 

Quite like back!

 

 

..........'til the next time.

Devizes Doggies

Had a lovely, long weekend in Wiltshire with my friends who were celebrating their 30th Wedding Anniversary.  We have known each other for 48 years!!!  There were long walks with their 3 dogs which was super.  We walked along fields and woodlands and I felt very carefree!

Aren't these such cute doggies!

Freddie, Pippa and Georgi

Where's the biscuit then?

 

 

.............and here's the gorgeous cake specially made by a friend - don't the sugar paste primroses look real!

The primroses are gorgeous - made from sugar paste

 

 

Emily's Black & White Quilt

Been shopping today in Tunbridge Wells to buy fabric for my granddaughter's quilt.  Emily would like black and white with lavender. I bought all I wanted at Sewing World - they have loads of fabrics to choose from including dress cottons.  I had a little lavender sample I stapled onto a piece of card and began to choose.......and this is what I bought.

Lovely shades of Lavender

....and some extra black and white for borders and binding

Emily had spotted that I had some 10" black and white squares I had in my stash which I had received from the Popular Patchwork Black & White Swap and fell in love with it..............and this is what it looks like

I love the dress shapes

Can't wait to start it now, but I have to wash all the fabrics I bought today, so maybe I'll start next week.

Bye for now

Free Motion Friday

I've joined in Free Motion Friday with Cindy of Fluffy Sheep Quilting. See Cindy's blog on the right. Each Friday we have a week to piece another, different, free motion.  This week's was Shadow Lines.  I think I used too small a sampler to try it out, but I soldiered on!!  Try as I might to get the lines to curve they still look straight.  I wobbled a bit when I lost sight of the line behind the needle.  I quite like the back of mine.

Front of Shadow Lines

Back

 

 

On the next one which looks interesting and challenging.