Stay at home Robin - block 4

Finally got Block 4 added to the Stay at Home Robin held by Kate North.  The size is 3" x 9" and is added to the left hand side of the other three blocks. I wanted to move away from the more straight line blocks of 1 and 2 but keep the same fabrics.  I free cut wonky strips and sewed them back to form the block.  I wanted broad and narrow strips.  When I finished for some reason it was just a tad short of the 9" so I cut the striped piece in half and added narrow bands.  Now of course it was too long and had to be shortened but all in all I'm happy with it.

Really got to get on with some of my outstanding pieces for the Contemporary Quilters journal pages.  I still have not done Septembers.  I want to do a piece on Marc and Alix's wedding but need one of their photos. They are coming up at the weekend so hopefully they will bring some with them.  None of mine are quite right for what I have in mind and a wedding isn't something you can go back and retake.

Italian holiday photos

Photo heavy posting but I'll keep my mouth closed and let you look at them.



Bording the boat in Riva for a cruise round Lake Garda

Limone Harbour

Malcesine

Heading across the Lagoon towards /Venice

St Marks, couldn't get inside as there were too many people.

I loved this little balcony down one of the canals.

The Rialto Bridge plus gondola

My own little Canoletto, two view of the /Grand Canal.

Juliette's balcony - Verona,

Loved the striped brickwork on the Regional Offices in Verona

Verona Arena Christians and Lions no longer performing but plenty of opera still.

Promised these earlier but went to the Quilt Museum in York instead.  I missed the last exhibition, kept saying I was going but by the time I found time the exhibition had finished.  This time I went as soon as it started.  Can't for the life of me remember the title, something about stitch but the work there was extrodinary.  Julia Capara, Alice Kettle, Paddy Killer, Jan Beaney to name just a few.  Can't say I was impressed with Michael Brennan-Woods piece though.

back again

Although we've been back from Italy for a few days now the time has just flown by.  I came back to a host of postcards and atcs but not scanned all of them in yet.  Here's a couple that I have scanned in.

Thes are P is for Pink, P is for Passion Flower and O is for Ocean made by Jennifer Morlock and Hetty van Boven of Art4Mail fame.

We had a lovely time in Italy, we went to Lake Garda, Verona and Venice, walked our feet off, sailed on the lake, ate mountains of food and drank gallons of wine.  Now we have to repair the damage ugh....  but it was worth it.  The weather had been forecast as dull, cloudy and wet but it was wrong, we had sun, sun and more sun.  I've got loads of photos but blogger is playing up and won't let me upload any more so I'll call it a day and try again tomorrow.

Off to Italy in the Morning

 So I thought I'd better catch up with my blog,   I'm conscious that I'm not doing very well in blogland so far as keeping things up to date but I promise to try harder in future.   That was always on my school reports, must try harder in future.  The two cards below are from the Arts4Mail group, the pretty Sunbonnet Sue is from Vicky in Canada and the other card is from Charlie in the USA.  Charlie's card is her response to the Challenge card. 

 

I've been busy finishing off all my October swaps and trying to get them into the post before I go to Italy in the morning.   I just managed to catch the last post with my 'Pink' cards for the BQLPC group.

I also managed to finish my P, Q andGold atcs for the Art4Mail group but posted them before I'd remembered to take a photo or scan them.   I do have a spare P for Petal atc but its lost under the mountain of stuff we still have yet to pack so I'll post about that when I get back.

My last October swap was with the BLQPC group ' gateways' and I didn't quite finish them.  Here is where I've got to so far.   

The gateway in question is in Portofino, Italy (where Rod Steward has a villa).  I took the photo last year, the gateway led nowhere.   I think it may have been part of someones grounds at one time but the cliff may have crumbled over time.   It looks out over the harbour where all the lovely yachts are but the photo isn't good enough to see them unfortunately.   I printed the photo onto fabric three times (I needed six so two sheets were printed) then free motion stitched the gateway and part of the crumbly wall.   That's as far as I've got but I now need to put a backing and border on it.  I hope to do that when I get back  so I meet the deadline.

BIG news in our household is - Simon and Julie got engaged yesterday.   They are thinking of September 12 for the wedding to keep up with the Jeavons tradition of September weddings.

Off to finish packing and find some embroidery to do while travelling.

Challenge cards

I enjoy making postcards but admit that I really enjoy the design challenge most of all.   One challenge that has made me think about what I'm doing is the Art4Mail 'Challenge' card where you pick five numbers and are later sent the technique relating to that number to incorporate into your postcard.  My five numbers this time were 5, 7, 13, 27 and 44 and the techniques relating to these numbers were, add a pocket, origami fold, different fabric type, something organic and something that sparkles.

This is the result.

Jeanette's number challenge card

 This is Jeanettes to me, not sure what her numbers were but she had to 1 piece something, 2 add an ethnic element, add 3 more colours, unusual texture and 5 add a character button.

Today I also received a 'Pink' card from Carole as part of the BQLPC Pink swap.

Rosemarie's Autumn Quiltie arrived yesterday, it's the first one she had made and I think she has made it very well.  Each middle section has a tiny embellishment relating to Autumn.  I'm really pleased with it.

Not a lot going on at home at the moment just going from day to day doing the normal things.  It's lovely after a hectic few weeks.   We go to Italy a week Sunday and I'm looking forward to that but for now I'm enjoying a bit of peace and quiet just doodling along.

Stay at Home Round Robin

At last I've managed to catch up with Kate North's "Stay at Home Round Robin" challenge  This is one you keep for yourself and make up the blocks as you want them to be.  Kate specifies the size of the block and its position, the first one was a 6" x 6" square, the send a 6" x 4" rectangle and it had to be attached to the 6" block.  September's block was 10" x 3" attached to the top of the other two.   You wouldn't believe how long it took me to decided what I wanted to do.

It would appear that Blogger has changed the way you upload photos again.  Not sure what I've done but it looks like its lost all the photos except the one above that I downloaded.  Ah well, next time maybe I'll get it right.  Just a short blog tonight as I've got company coming.

Catch up

The last month seems to have been one round of parties and I've come to a full stop hence the quiet time.  But.... I'mback in action and have made a couple of postcards for various swaps.

Block of the month for August was an open round my postcard is a sort of strange Drunkards Path,   My S for September BOM postcard was Seminole work which I sent off without photographing.  Visualise it, it was vivid purple, lime green and orange - hows that for needing sunglasses.

My 'Bridges' postcards gave me more problems than I thought they would.  First I needed to choose a bridge.  I had them in abundance but which one would it be and how would I depict it, hmm.

The lefthand side one was a modern bridge over the Manchester Ship canal and yes there are people absailing down it.  The right had one an old bridge, one to be found in Leeds Castle, Kent.  I thought I'd play with photoshop so:

Both were made using adjustment layers and gradient layers.  I've been spending a lot of time playing recently just to remind myself what they all do.  A few years back I was reasonably proficient with layers, masks etc but I haven't kept it up and I found I'd forgotten a lot.  There are loads of free tutorials out there on the web if anyone is interested.
I liked the old bridge treatment but thought it would require more time to do six cards than I had on hand so I stuck to the new bridge.   By reversing the colours it made the bridge look as though it was lit up at night.  I wanted to emphasize the bridge structure.   I stitched out the the design outline then using a thick glitzy thread in the bobbin couched it down sewing on the wrong side of the cards.   Naturally I ran out of thick thread halfway through the last card but as that was going to be mine it didn't really matter.

So far I've received these three bridges from the BQLPC monthly postcard challenge.  The single one is from Pauline and the two together are from Janet and Avril.  Avril's is a 'wobbly' bridge over a Welsh stream and Janet's of the Ironbridge.  All very different.

This Autumn Quiltie, which I've posted upside down!! is from Maryke Op den Camp of the Netherlands, sorry Maryke I hadn't noticed until I'd uploaded it.  I promise the blood won't run to the squirrel's head.

My dear old 1630 needs a light change, its getting dimmer and dimmer so its off to Edinburgh tomorrow for an MOT since it must be about 5 or 6 years since it had one.   At least I think the light is getting dimmer not sure whether its not because the light on the 830 is so good.  Anyway it has given us an excuse for a couple of days away and a visit to the Edinburgh Playhouse to see Chess the Musical.  So will post again in a few days.   In the meantime I need to add something to my Autumn quiltie, it was finished but you know how it is, you look at it and think .... it needs something ... so until I decide what it stays here.

Photos of 'The' Wedding

Marc and Alix had planned this for months right down to the minutest detail and the planning showed.  the day was excellent with lots of love, laughter and fun.  The setting was idylic in an Arts and Craft style house overlooking Windermere.

View of the lake from our bedroom window and of the house from the garden.

Not sure who was the most nervous as they waited for Alix to arrive.

She didn't keep them waiting long and grinned her way down the aisle.  Her father looked as proud as punch.  Sorry the photos is a bit blurry it was a difficult shot as everyone wanted a photo of her.

Signing the register;

The happy couple relax a little now that the formal part is over.

The bridesmais Joanne and Michelle looked beautiful too.

Didn't they scrub up well, the four men in my life - from left to right, Marc, Keith, Syand Matthew.

Me, Keith and the dratted fascinator.  I am just the right height to poke the feathers into peoples ears and eyes.  I took it off as soon as the formal photos were finished much to the relief of anyone standing next to me.

Simon and Julie, Sy looked much happier now that he'd given his speech he could relax.

Cutting the chocolate wedding cake.  Two friends of Alix made the cake, one tier is the traditional fruit cake the other two are sponge cake, one chocolate and one vanilla.  The photo doesn't do it justice but it tasted delicious and most of it was eaten only a small amount was left to take home.  We've just had a piece with a cuppa.

Marc relaxing  on the terrace with Alix and below with Matty, think the alcohol might have helped a bit.

The day ended as beautifully as it started. 

Where does all the time go?

So what have I been doing to loose all this time - well baking for a party of 80+ guests.  My son's partner Julie turned 30 on the 14th August and she had never had a party so Sy, Julie'smum and myself set off to bake.

This was only part of the days work I ran out of storage space and ended up putting stuff in my sewing room.

But the big smile made it worthwhile.

That was on the Saturday on the Sunday we had a BBQ for the rest of the family that couldn't make the party so it was a non-stop weekend.  

On the following Wednesday we set off for two days at the FOQ.  The show was wonderful, I was of course, far to late to book a workshop but I did get into Maggie Grey's lecture on 3D embroidery.  It was very entertaining and I enjoyed it but wished they'd been less of other peoples work and more of Maggie's.

Now anyone who knows me knows that I don't particularly like rusted fabric.   However, the display of rust work from the Prague Patchwork group was absolutely magnificent.  It was so astonishing that I bought their CD.   This is a sample of their work.

And now for a photo of my new Baby......

 The Accuquilt.  It works a bit like the card makers' Sizzex machine with metal die cutters punching out shapes from fabric.  I hope to do great things with it. Keith says its my birthday, Xmas, Easter and all the Saint days presents rolled into one for the next five years.  We'll see.... but I love it so far. Two days aren't not enough to do justice to the show but my poor suffering dh, feet and pocket had had enough

To day is mine and Keith's birthday, yes its the same day.   I got the Accuquilt as my main present and Jan Messant's new book "Celtic, Viking & Anglo-Saxon Embroidery" for my birthday.  Keith got a bandsaw which doesn't arrive until next week.   The book is lovely, very well written and illustrated, so much so that I sat down and read it from beginning to end in one go, very unusual for me I'm the 'dip into' type.

Tomorrow evening the family (well at least 12 of them) are gathering for  our birthday dinner at an inn in a nearby village.   Keith and I are looking forward to that all I have to do now is finishing the washing, ironing and tidy the house before all the guests arrive.

"The" wedding is also getting close, final suit fitting tomorrow as well as the family dinner.

I trailed all over town looking for suitable headgear to go with my wedding outfit and couldn't find anything suitable.  But within an hour of walking into the FOQ I  found Janie Lashford'smillinery stall, how appropriate was that.  We had a long discussion on styles and tried on several fascinators finally settled on this kit .  Now all I have to do is make it before next Friday when we set off for the Lake District for the wedding on )Saturday.  On the Sunday (the 5th) it will be our RubyWedding but I doubt we'll celebrate as I really need a rest.