WE HAVE A NEW ...

... friend here at the Cheshire Quilter xx A big warm welcome goes to Evelyn xx She was the recipient of the Dream-Of-Spring swap small quilt xx

I made my Simply-Solids block...

I am glad I did the practice blocks first xx It will be winging its way to Devon next week xx

Keep smiling

Diane xx

WE HAD THE BLOCK ...

... for the Simply Solids Swap for May.... so the practice blocks are done...

why is it the "simple" blocks are the ones you use the seam ripper the most on? !!

I extended the block a little ... and this month they have been made into ...

Place mats xx AND if they get fed-up with the pieced side...

they can turn them over ...

NOW ... all I have to do is make the "proper" block.. and get it in the post to Devon xx I am back at work ... so it maybe a couple of days before it gets done xx

Keep smiling

Diane xx

A VERY HAPPY...

... St Georges Day to all in England today xx

Hope you don't have too many dragons to fight today xx

Keep smiling

Diane xx

YESTERDAY I WENT OFF TO....

.... sew a bag... while I was looking at fabric I found some that I just KNEW was right for the latest round of the Mystery-Round-Robin .... so I sewed that instead xx OK plans can change at any time ... particularly in this sewing room!

CANNOT show you of course... so will show you what that LOVELY  postman brought this morning...FIRST is this months fabric from the simply solids fabric club..

they are lovely soft colours x ......SECOND is a little bit of reading to keep me quiet ..

Keep smiling

Diane xx

I AM ....

.... sometimes awake early, and when the sun is out and it is a lovely morning , the boys get dragged from their beds and taken for a walk!! ... they don't mind really!! lol x

These are the views we saw at 07.00 this morning..

 

this is our local park.. (the flower looks HUGE and Gus looks SMALL ... honestly it is on a slope !! He-He x)

 

just about 5 mins from my front door...

 

I would say that spring is ...at last ... here...

 

you may notice that there is only me and the boys..and a few ducks!

 

Wonder where every one else was? ...  in bed? Eating breakfast? Nursing a bad head? Who knows ... I do know they missed a beautiful morning xx

I am going to do some sewing before going to Adams for my dinner... don't you just LOVE it when some-one else cooks? I DO xx lol xx

I have had a request for 2 of the big bags ... for MONEY!! wow! I have made 1..

 

Off to make another x

Keep smiling

Diane  xx

YESTERDAY...

... Blogger told me I was NOT following ANY blogs... but I could add as many as I wanted! TO-DAY ... they are all back xx Yaaaay!

YESTERDAY... I composed a wonderfully witty and award winning post... and Blogger told me... there was an error and it could NOT be posted ,or saved!! TO-DAY... I have everything crossed and am HOPING you will get to read it!! ... Here goes...

I have been asked to take a session and teach 20 ladies........ and I quote...  "a little something about Celtic work"............................ OK! as the PANIC subsided and I realised that really I CAN DO THIS! I said... oh! go on then!!.. as you knew I would!!

THEN I went home and had the PANIC ATTACK for real! xx

NOW.. big girl pants pulled up I have some samples..

an idea HOW to teach it ..

 

and ... come on this is ME! A finished item to show what you can do with class samples ..

It is for the 7th May .. so, I have time to change my mind!!!!

Keep smiling

Diane xx

I HAVE NOW...

... finished my rota of nights x This means I can TRY and catch up with Blog reading... wow! there are a lot! AND get back to some sewing xx

 The latest round of my Mini-Mystery-Round-Robin came to-day x ... Can not show you what it looks like of course.... AND at the moment I have NO idea what I am going to add to it!! This one is going to take some thinking about .

WHAT I can show you is the sewing I did to-day.... remember this little bag...

I decided to change it a little bit...

I added a flap..

and made the handle go around the whole bag .. rather than having 2 handles..

Good fun x

Hope you where able to sew something fun today x

Keep smiling

Diane xx

WHEN YOU HAVE...

.... just a small amount of (cat) fabric left what do you do with it?

Well... a suggestion came that you make a small bag. xx

So, today... I did just that...

I reduced all the measurements by half....

and it worked, this last panel was the very LAST piece I had...

Keep smiling

Diane xx

LAST NIGHT ....

... was quilt group in Sandbach, it started as a bit of a disaster when NO-ONE turned up at the library to let us in!! MANY frantic phone calls later we were rescued and allowed into the Methodist Hall.. nice and warm and dry!! YES we were left out in the cold and rain!

The speaker was good, the tea was HOT and so was the gossip! Show-and-tell was fun ....

                        AND

ME... who never wins anything... won a prize in the raffle! OH YES x

My mum loves her new scent bottle , and, it is sat in pride of place on the TV stand where she can see it xx

To-day I looked at the calendar and realised that the boys are due their flea medication! OH JOY! ... SO... a long walk was undertaken....... THEN Sam ...who loves water BUT it has to be cold and dirty ... had his lead left on so that he could be DRAGGED to the bathroom! Gus will follow because he thinks Sam is getting a treat! They are both then shut in ... with ME!!

The result? Sweet smelling boys who can have their Spot-On tomorrow! Mind you Gus has reacted a bit...

And Sam says.... no matter how hard you call...

I AM NOT SPEAKING TO YOU!! ( a biscuit will soon bring him round!)

 Keep smiling

Diane xx

YESTERDAY I MADE ...

...another of my bags x After I made this one..

I had a few pieces of fabric left... I did not want to cut it up for "scraps" so I decided to use some of the pieces in a bag..

I have just a few pieces left...

NOT sure what I will do with them ... thinking cap on I think x

These are not for Christmas ... but will be birthday presents for 2 cat loving ladies x..

Keep smiling

Diane x

THE MYSTERY (CORONATION) MAKE....

... from last nights quilt group will have to remain a mystery to you lot for a little longer, BECAUSE... they ran out of patterns! It was a WELL attended meeting! My pattern is to come in the post! I promise to share it with you when it comes ... and I get a chance to sew it! LOL xx 

To-day I have done some sewing..... I made the April, Stash Hive #4 block for Carol..

it will be going in the post tomorrow x It is a whopping 19.5 inches! Wont take long for THAT quilt to grow!!

 I have my partner information for the Dream-Of_spring quilt challenge ... so, that will be going in the post to .... Canada tomorrow as well. I don't know about keeping small sewing shops going ... I am keeping The Post Office going!!

I am off to start on another bag.

Keep smiling

Diane x

I HAD NO...

... plan of what I wanted to sew to-day. It is quilt group in Congleton to-night ... and I know we have a "coronation mystery make" !! Will of course report back later!... and James (grandson no 2) will be here for tea, so, don't want to start anything that is involved and I will have to leave.... SO... a bag it is!! lol x These bags are starting to be like an old friend... and I am getting SOOOOOO ahead with my Christmas presents x

With this in mind I sort of went off at an angle and made a .....

 

HALLOWEEN bag!

I have LOTS of this sort of fabric... and it has sort of been "looking" at me xx

 

 

It was a fun one to make ... oooh! and look what I found for the lining..

Hope you can have fun to-day x I KNOW I am using up LOTS of fabric... so why am I not seeing even a dent in the piles? Well.... I did buy this small bundle this week...

Maybe I just need to find time to sew more often... surely the answer is NOT to buy less!... naaa!

Keep smiling

Diane x

DO YOU...

... put that all important label on the back of your quilt? I do sometimes .... I mean to lots of times xx I usually write the message out, AND I am always amazed when I read the label and realise ... how long ago I made it, the special message I left for my self, the reminder of the competitions / challenges they were for!!  And so it goes xx I have MANY good intentions! .. and we ALL know what road they are paved with!

Well. the Quilters Gallery To-dream-of-spring Mini Quilt Challenge is to have a label. I was showing Josh (grandson no 1) my quilt and telling him about the label...... a vague memory stirred and he and I went on a dangerous quest.... into my sewing room!! and found this...

I won this in about the year 2000!!! Used it once then never again! Josh said ... lets go for it Grandma!! ... what more motivation did I need?

WE WENT FOR IT ..

AND.... we made some labels ...the ink just ran a little bit! BUT that may have been us getting a BIT excited that it worked!..........AND now they are sewn on ...

 

We are going to prepare some other material ... white is a bit boring! .. but it was a good start x

NOW... what else needs a label!!?

Keep smiling

Diane xx

I WENT TO THE ..

...to-do list and only changed my mind once! I first off made my Australian -Christmas-block-swap ... block for Erin... she gave me free range of ... ANYTHING.. ooh! I do like that...

It went to-gether really well... may well do that one again x

THEN I attacked my Stash #3 block for Adrienne... I have done this block for other swaps ... and I think I HATE it more every time I make it!!...

I don't know if it is the fact the points NEVER match for me... OR .. other peoples colours don't sit well with me! Its done now (phew!) and can go in the post tomorrow x NOW I can look to sewing something I WANT to, and in colours I LIKE xx

Keep smiling

Diane x