Holidays in Switzerland and Catchup

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted on here.  I'm engrossed on a course with Distant Stitch, Creative Sketchbooks that time has simply flown by.  I'm really enjoying messing about with paint and paper.

Another distraction is holidays in Switzerland on the Glacier and Bernina Express.  The temperatures ranged from -2 to +30.  The scenery was stunning......from frozen lakes, to alpine flowers, to majestic mountains.  It was amazing.

Frozen lake just beginning to thaw
 



 

 

 

On the way home we went via Cologne in Germany



 





 

The Lock Bridge in Cologne

 



The bridge in Cologne is amazing.  There are hundreds if not thousands of locks that have been put there by members of the public.  Each one has a sentiment on it.  I've never seen anything like it!

 



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

New Year, New Things to do

Well, I've started this year with some new things that I've made.  The ATC swap with Popular Patchwork started the year with Toys.  I remember when I was a child that it was the simple things that I liked to play with and one of these things was a spinning top...

 

 

.........and I finished Charlie's quilt

 

 

 

 

Here's another challenge quilt that I've finally got back. 

 

 

 

.........til the next time.....keep quilting





 

 

 



Transforming Lives through Music

Yesterday I went to London to visit a charity very close to my heart.  It is called The Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre and they do amazing work transforming the lives of vulnerable children and adults through music.

They provide over 50,000 music therapy sessions a year to thousands of children and adults.  Watch Ed's video to see how music has helped him.

Long time away

It's been ages since I've posted something on here.  Life has been getting in the way as it does for all of us.  I've still been sewing and keeping very busy with deadlines.  Two years ago I entered a challenge with the Quilters' Guild.  We did a swap of a metres worth of our own stash and swapped it with stash from our quilting friends in Germany.  The challenge was to make a skinny wall hanging using the stash given to you and adding some of your own. 60 were to be selected from the 101 submitted.  I was gobsmacked when mine was one of them!  It went to Germany for a while; came back to Birmingham for the Festival of Quilts; went to Italy for another while; then to Bavaria and eventually it came back to the UK this year.  This is what I submitted

 

 







I've been making ATC's for swaps too

 

 

................'till the next time, keep quilting

 



Big and Bright Moon Tonight

The moon is so big and bright tonight

An Inspirational Exhibition

I've been without a computer for two weeks, but now I'm back and a very happy bunny!

I had a lovely day in London yesterday.  I went to the Fashion and Textile Museum to see the Kaffe Fassett Exhibition.

It was amazing! It began with photos of his family and when he was small, going on to his paintings, tapestry, knitting and quilts until the present.  I really enjoyed it.

It's on 'til the 29th June.  Do go and see it if you can.

.....'til the next time, keep quilting

Fibre Postcards & ATC Catchup

Time to catchup with the fibre postcards and ATC's I've been making.  The birthday card and memory ATC for my friends in Austria...............

A little bit of Clarice Cliff for the postcard

...........and an ATC in memory of baby Klausi.


The last Popular Patchwork postcard swap theme was Africa which I had previously mentioned, but I hadn't put up the card I had made for Katy.  So here it is...............

..............and the Popular Patchwork ATC swap theme was the poem The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear.  My inspiration came from the last verse, 'And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon'.

..............'til the next time, happy quilting

Back from my Travels

I'm back from my travels to Austria.  We stayed with our dear friends who live in a village on the Danube.  It was great to meet all the family and old friends.  There were celebrations too.  A 40th birthday and a First Communion.  The weather was kind to us too, so we were able to go for walks in the lovely countryside and see the wonderful meadows full of Magarites and Cornflowers and Poppies.

I made loads of presents to take for the children and those celebrating special occasions.

............'til the next time, happy quilting

Fibre Postcard Time

This month with Popular Patchwork the Fibre Postcard swap is Kenya.  Look what Katy sent me!  Isn't it lovely?  The giraffe is screen printed.

...........mine will be winging its way to Katy soon.  Until the next time.........keep quilting

Doughty's Road Show is coming

Spring Journals

A Spring Journal fun challenge was set by the Popular Patchwork Forum - I joined in of course! And this is what I made for Tessa......

.............and this is what Tessa made for me......

......isn't it just lovely.  It looks just as tho' the leaves are waving and saying 'hello'.

At the moment I'm busy with an Ugly Fabric Challenge also set by the Popular Patchwork Forum.  I only have two days to finish what I'm making.........so it's back to the sewing room right now!

...........'til the next time, keep quilting.

A Morning in Wetherby

I went for a walk last Friday morning just down to the River Wharfe in Wetherby and took photos of birds.  Some of my favourites....

A gorgeous Jackdaw standing on the bridge surveying the area.

.........and this group of pigeons having a bath in the river!

.....and this Mallard Duck

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

Spring at Sissinghurst

Yesterday was such a lovely day that we decided to go to Sissinghurst to see if Spring had arrived, and this is what we saw...........

........probably in about another 2 or 3 weeks the Spring flower walk will be in full flower.  

My favourite part of these gardens is the White Garden - it's spectacular!

............'til the next time, keep quilting

Fibre Art Postcard

The Popular Patchwork fabric postcard swap theme for March was Brazil.  I had to send mine to Australia and here it is................

The colours I used represented the river, Amazon, the Rain Forest, colours of the flag/football, carnival, Bosa Nova, coffee, Rio etc., 

My swap partner must have been on the same wave length as me as this is what I received from Sandy.................

.....would you believe it?  We both thought of Christ the Redeemer and Rio!!!

.......'til the next time, keep quilting

Day in Greenwich

Last Thursday we took our youngest grandson to the Greenwich Observatory
.

He wanted to go to the Planetarium Show to see We are Aliens.  It was a very good show!  The day was very, very cold tho' and snowy - it was freezing!  Afterwards we went to the Maritime Museum to get some information about the Ansel Adams Exhibition - amazing photography!

On our walk, there were these amazing Hellebores.......

......'til the next time, keep quilting

Early Morning

Georgi cat still hasn't got used to the British Summer Time hour forward and wakes me up so early!  So after several attempts of Georgi pulling my hair, I had to get up.  I plodded down the stairs and opened the blinds and there was the moon shining through the dark, empty branches of the tall cherry tree - it was an ahhh moment.  Has that ever happened to you?  When nature produces such stunning moments? So out came the camera............

I've never taken such a close-up of the moon and had so much detail.


Georgi......isn't he just gorgeous?

............I have a lot of sewing to be getting on with, so it's back to my patchwork and quilting....'til the next time..........keep quilting

Easter Baking

Today is Good Friday and I thought that I would make some hot cross buns.  Now my track record for making bread is not good - things never turn out how they look in the books!  

However, I was watching the Easter Bake-off  Master-class on the television where there were some wonderful recipes being demonstrated by Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry.  The hot cross buns looked gorgeous, so I decided to have a go this morning.  After three hours (perhaps a bit more) and with much trepidation, this is what came out of the oven.....

.......my very first success with making bread.  They were gorgeous!  I did one or two things differently, such as I brushed the tops of the buns with an egg and milk wash before putting them into the oven.  When they came out I brushed the tops with a caster sugar and water glaze.  There's nothing like eating a warm bun straight from the oven with butter on it....

...........'til the next time, keep baking and quilting x

Love this Pincushion

I recently made a very versatile pincushion from a design by Maureen Cracknell.  She makes wonderful things with modern fabrics.

..........'til the next time, keep quilting

La Musicienne

I went to London this week  to visit a friend who is the retiring CEO of Nordoff Robbins.  I made her this wall hanging as a present.  It was from a Swiss magazine, Passion du Patchwork, which featured bags and this was on the front of one of them.

........'til the next time, keep quilting

Canada

My Canada postcard arrived safely with my friend Carol.  I sent it as one would normally send a postcard and not in an envelope.  I'm loving this swap with Popular Patchwork.  Here it is....

.........'til the next time, keep quilting