{quilt} while you're ahead

19//2012 {{ giveaway }}

Have you ever come across Janet's blog?

No???? Geeshhh.  Run, go there now.  And then come back and keep reading this post, there's a give away at the end.

If you have, then you'll know what I'm talking about when I say that she's a lady of immense talent.  In this huge quilting/craft world we live in it's not often that some one comes up with a distinct and unique creative vision and aesthetic.

Janet has.

Everything she does is 'Janet', do you know what I mean?  She quilts, she knits, she draws, she embroiders, she teaches, she sews... have you seen her gorgeous 'dressing gown'?

AND she has a book out:

It is a wonderful book full of wonderful quilts and other sewing projects, ideas and templates all with Janet's wonderful illustrations.

And because Janet is incredibly nice too (you should meet her) she sent me a couple of copy of her books; one for me (hurray) and one to give away to a lucky lucky reader.

If you'd like a chance to win it, just leave me your name and a way to contact you and I'll draw a name out of a hat early next week.

How's that for a Wednesday post? eh?

163/2011

Finish quilt top in record time

tick.

Play cards with No 3 whilst working on long abandoned ufo

tick.

Dinner out with friends

tick.

New karate belt

tick

Bicycle ride in the forest

tick.

Phew.

And that was only the weekend.

 

155/2011

Today I met a friend and had coffee and cake and wondered through antique shops and charity shops (I must show you the treasures I found soon) and lots of time in here

I believe very few things smell more reassuringly than an antique books store

there are so many crazy and wonderful books out there... and so little time to read enough of them

I found a couple of more of these gorgeous things for my collection:

They're Penguin Poetry books from the 60's and they have the most divine covers.

Maybe I should start reading them too?

(who said don't judge a book by it's cover...)

131/2011

Half term is moving along nicely.

We've been baking

and eating the fruits of our efforts

and then eating lots of greens to compensate

A little bit of crafting has taken place too

to match the colour explosion of the little maple tree (mutilated by a wayward rugby ball, let's not dwell on that) outside my kitchen window

And yesterday we had the most fabulous day with friends.  

We went for a walk, had a wonderful pub lunch

and walked back home to homemade cakes and steaming hot tea

Today the weather couldn't have been more different.  Grey and cold.  And the rain!! oh my the rain.  All three boys had a hockey day and were outside for 6 hours.

They were completely soaked when I got to them.

80/2011

Typepad has gone mad.

I've just published a post and it's disappeared into thin air.

Weird. Annoying too.

Also, it's started raining exactly 8 minutes after I changed from jeans into a skirt. C'mon, it's June!!  I want to be able to wear skirts and dresses!!

Anyway, I apologise in advance if the post re-appers and confuses the heck out of you... all I said was that yesterday I managed to finish another item on the list:

This is for my friend SSK.  It's her design too; she sent me all the ribbons and the order she wanted them in and asked my to make her a small cushion.

Last year.

Yup, last hear.  And given that in about 6 weeks time we'll invade her house (she lives in San Diego, Ca) I thought I'd better do it pronto.  Time is relative, right?

And of course as soon as I finish something I feel the need to start something else... I've got a box full of ribbons... perhaps I should make a small pillow for myself? a pin cushion?

NO.  I must be strong.  MUST.

Two down.

Till tomorrow.

 

43/2011

A gaggle of bloggers

   

and a bead master

 

got together on Saturday....

 

We made pendants and necklaces and earrings and broaches. (more pictures when the sun shines...)

The world was straightened up, gorgeous cakes and coffee were consumed in abundance.

We talked (a lot), we laughed (even more), we ate

 

and drank tea

and wandered

through Petersham Nurseries 

 

admiring the styling,

 

and the plants and flowers

It was a wonderful day.  Thank you ladies... till the next one eh?

25/2011

The weather wasn't great

(crooked signs are really irritating... aren't they?)

The sweater I took on the train with me required the frogging of two very loooooong rows and the smell coming from the seats in front wasn't helping the mood.  (Who in their right mind has skittles and fizzy Vimto for breakfast?)

I felt slightly guilty too as of the five boys I left at home one had a stomach bug (Mr M), one a bad back (my dad) and three were totally hyper excited on their first day of half-term... an interesting combination.

But then I got a text from a friend on a train too and the day straightened itself.

We hadn't seen each other since before Christmas and we had a lot to talk about, you know... the world doesn't put itself to right.  That at least is my excuse for when we got on the Tube we were so busy talking that we forgot to get off at the right stop and had to totally retrace our steps!!!

We visited the 'Threads of feeling' exhibition and the Foundling museum

(oops, busted... we had scones and cream too.  Well I had.  Ali the virtuous, opted out of the cream...)

The exhibition is very moving and left me wanting to see more and know more.  I strongly recommend going to see it if you haven't done so already.

The day got a bit more mundane after that... we popped into the Persephone store - which I had never seen before - and then hit the shop for a healthy dose of retail theraphy.

Yup.

A good day.

 

 

1/2011

We started our year with pancakes*, and we all agreed it was a very good way to begin.

Hope it's all good where you are.

* recipe courtesy of my friend Sandra, circa 1986.  The year of thick fluorescent yellow socks (me) and t-shirts longer at the back than front (her), of an impressively failed permed hair attempt (me) and Duran Duran hair with added long tail at the back (her).

* 134 * ** Julie Arkell workshop - part 2 **

The rest of the time was spent in a blurr of handsewing, coffee drinking and amazing food.  Just as well I was only there for a few days because the amount of calories that went in was certainly more than the calories spent hand sewing all day... it could have gotten ugly.  The memory of a particularly delicious apricot and chocolate pudding drowned in chocolate sauce is still very vivid...

But about the sewing...

I mainly made broches, we followed Julie's instructions and we couldn't really go wrong!

This one took ages but it's my favourite... 15 parts.  15 fiddly parts, but I've been wearing it ever since I got back.  On everything.

This one could have been a brooch too, but it's a bit big for me, so I framed it...

I also made a little creature... could have a pin in the back... don't know yet...

It's about 4" tall... and No 3 wants it.  But it's mine.

I know it doesn't seem like I've done much but every single stitch was done by hand and it was very relaxing doing things ... slowly... very slowly in my case.

Coming home and trying to get back to the routing felt a bit like trying to jump onto a fast moving train... not without bumps and bruises.

All I want to do is sewing.  (But I have to wait for my fingers to heal first...)

 

* 79 * ** Relax **

In return for 'Tranquil' my friend K knitted this for me

 

Same yarn, Rowan Summer Tweed but in this beautiful indigo/sugar paper blue colour

 

It's gorgeous. K is a very good knitter.

 

And what are you all knitting out there?