It's Nearly Here

Well Christmas is fast approaching and the jobs to be done by Christmas Eve seem to be stacking up.

All teaching is finished to the New Year, but a few worksheets waiting to be typed up ready for workshops next year.  But these can be done at my leisure.

My youngest son arrived home from Hampshire yesterday for 2 weeks, bring with  him a surprise gift for my husband and I.  He had decided to make himself some mince pies, having not ventured into cake making since he was at senior school and did food technology.  I must admit he did a very good job, even adding chopped satsumas and apples to a bought jar of mincemeat to give a different taste.  He informed me he had looked up the Paul Hollywood recipe.  Didn't get a chance to take a picture before they were eaten.  Looks like my job of feeding his freezer with cakes could be on the line!

One of the jobs I can now tick off my list is icing the Christmas cake, this I have done this afternoon after we had been for a walk.  Just got the chocolate brownies to make on Christmas Eve for those of the family who don't like Christmas pudding.  We are spending the day at my sisters house, with the complete family as my Dad hasn't had a good year health wise, so we all decided to make the effort to be together on that day for him and my Mum.  There will be 15 of us, ranging from my sisters son who is 12 up to my Dad who is 86.

On Boxing day we are spending the day at my eldest son's house, as this is the first Christmas that he and his girlfriend  have lived together, and they wanted to 'do' Christmas for us Mum's.

My husband has now been signed off by the consultant after his back op, and is gradually getting better.  His rehab is to walk a little and often,  he aims to walk about 6 miles a day in about 3-4 outings.  I try and go with him at least once a day, which I really look forward to, as from June to November when he had the op, he couldn't really walk at all, as he was in so much pain.  We are both hoping for a healthier New Year for him.  Things are looking promising.

Hope you have all finished those last minute projects, that we try and do in the last few days.  This is my latest one

After I finished this stitchery design, I decided to mount it over an artist canvas, as I found it makes it easier to hang.  I have taken a picture down and hang this up instead.  Hope you like it.

Well time to sign off, hope you all have a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.

Keep Stitchin'

Julie

Time is Running Away

Where is the time going, it will soon be the end of the year.  Have spent the last few weeks busy preparing workshops for the New Year, with ideas provided by my students.

The first one was a cover for an A4 ring binder to hold all the notes from classes, and the second was a Japanese folded bag.

The students have to bring a block for the ring binder that they can incorporate into the front of the folder.  I choose to stitch a butterfly as I was using up a piece of butterfly fabric.  The bag was made using up some fabric I bought in the States a while back.  Now we have to supply our own shopping bags I thought this made a great cheerful bag.  Now to take the drawings for the next idea and produce a project and a worksheet to go with it.

Have spent the last few days sewing in the ends of my grannie squares.  I could never crochet properly, but went on a afternoon class at Jenny Wren's in Ipswich and have mastered it now.  Better late than never.  So from following an idea from Attic 24's blog, I choose myself 20 different colour wool's and have made a number of squares from each one, and am in the process of working out a design to then stitch them all together.  At the moment I have 144 squares waiting to be stitched together.

I have also been stitching a couple of wall hangings ready for Christmas - no pictures yet.  I am normally fairly organised, but this year am totally to pot.  My husband has just had a back op, and prior to this couldn't do much at all, now he is feeling a lot better, but cannot drive for 6-8 weeks and lift anything heavy - not even a kettle of water to make me a cup of tea.  He has to walk little and often.  I went out with him this afternoon, and we walked a reasonable distance and at a fair pace.  Something we haven't done. for months.  It will be great to get back to walking together again.  I bought him a Fit Bit, so he can track his exercise patterns, which he thinks is good, but it does get a bit boring with all the statistics he keeps telling me.  The boys also have one each, so they can keep an eye on him, to make sure he is walking enough.

Hope you are all well, and getting prepared for Christmas.

Happy Stitching

Julie

Sunny Day watching the Runners

Spent the morning in Ipswich town centre watching the runners in the Ipswich Half Marathon.  My oldest son  Chris was completing for the first time, and he was running on behalf of the Blind Veterans.  

He chose this charity as they have helped my Dad (Chris's Grandad) a lot in the last couple of years when he was registered blind.  They have supplied him with different bits of equipment, in order that he can still do many of the everyday things.

Here he is running through the town centre of Ipswich, which is flat, but he then had to run up three hills, twice,  on his circuit of Ipswich to get to the finish line.

And here he is with his medal,  he completed it in 2hrs 8 mins, which is a very good time, considering the amount of hills he had to run up.  I certainly couldn't have done it.

My husband and I are very proud of him and his achievement, and the money he has raised.

No stitching today,  as we are having a family get together this afternoon/evening.  Have just made apple crumble and chocolate brownies for tonight dessert.  My contribution to the get together.

Happy stitching everyone

Julie

Well its nearly here!

As the title says, the quilt show is nearly here. It's tomorrow actually.  The office looks like a bomb has gone off.  Piles of quilts, wall hangings and cushions, all packed in bags ready for transporting to the church. Plus a box of tableclothes, labels and anything else I think we might need. Then you move to the kitchen where there are tins of cakes for the coffee and cake stall.
It has been 3 years since we last had an exhibition, so there will be a lot of work to show.   We aim to create the wow effect when the public walk in th church.  It will have been decorated for harvest festival on Sunday,  so it will make a nice backdrop for the quilts etc.
So if you are free between 11am and 4pm, pop along to Sproughton church, Sproughton, Ipswich, Suffolk for a look at my students work. My husband is maning the door (what would we do without them) and myself and my students will be in the church answering question's etc.
Pictures of the day will follow.  All money raised is going to two local charities - FIND and Headway.


Happy sewing

Julie

First Christmas Project Made

Well my first Christmas project is just finished.  I had won a set of charm squares from the British Patchwork and Quilting magazine at the end of last year, but as they were all Christmas fabrics, I waited for inspiration.

This is what I made with them, my tilting squares lap quilt.

As the quilt would only be used about 2 weeks of the year, when the decorations are up, I bought fleece for the backing.  This was something I hadn't done for a long while, but was really pleased with the result.

I have also just finished my item for the quilt show that my group is having.  We are using the church in the village where I live and teach, and we are having certain areas with a theme.  We chose a colour for one area.  The colour that came out of the draw was black, with one additional colour.  I decided to do a silhouette wallhanging with a piece of batik for my additional colour.

I had bought the pattern on one of my visits to the Florida, but hadn't got round to using it.  I adapted the design to fit in with the room it is going to be used in.

Am off to Cornwall via Hampshire tomorrow for a weeks holiday. Breaking the journey by stopping to see my youngest son for the weekend, and continuing to Cornwall on Monday.  Hope the weather stays fine, as we plan to visit the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan.  It was supposed to have been a walking holiday, but my husband has a trapped nerve in his lower back, and cannot walk great distances, and that which he manages is quite slow.  So it will be gentle walking and sitting down a lot I think.  Have prepared some stitchery to take with me, in case we become housebound.  One of my students is an artist, and painted a picture of the mill in the village, and gave me a line drawing of it, so I have transferred the drawing to fabric ready for some stitching.

If any of my followers live near Suffolk, the details of the quilt show are as follows:

Quilt Exhibition
In aid of Families in Need (Ipswich) and Headway

Sproughton Church
Church Lane, Sproughton, Ipswich IP8 3BD

12th September 2015
From 11am to 4pm

Display of Quilts and Crafts by Sproughton Quilters

Craft Stall Plus Coffee and Cake available

Admission £2

Everyone is more than welcome.

Happy Sewing

Julie

Relaxing holiday

The view from our house in Naples, Florida. A nice relaxing week before we head back to Bradenton for another 10 days before going home. Weather here is a hot 94, with a few lively storms in the late afternoon. Haven't been able to get to the beach in the evening as it has been too wet.  So went in the morning and watched the dolphins swimming off Naples pier. Have also been to the botanical gardens, plants were fantastic.  Here's a picture of thw water lillies.

Haven't done any stitching, did bring some with me, have done plenty of reading. Now about to start my book about the Singer girls, which got a good review in the patchwork mag. On our journey to our next house, we will stop at the fabric shops on the way, to kill some time, before we can get into the house. I think it was a very good idea of mine!

Its a quiet holiday as the boys are back at their own homes, but we get the odd email from them, as we all have a team in the tennis for fun fantasy league, and its the french open now.

Hope the weather has been kind to you all, wherever you are, have seen some terrible pictures of the weather in Houston. Dread to think what our garden will look like after 3 weeks away.

Hope to do some stitching before we return.

Happy stitching everyone.

First Quarter of the Year Gone

 First Quarter of the Year Gone - where has it gone.

Have been quiet for the last month or so, as have had a new kitchen and have had builders/decorators and tilers in the house for 4 weeks.  Kitchen looks great, am very pleased with it.

As I knew I wouldn't have to do housework as too much dust around, I spent most of that time, in my office, busy constructing projects and dreaming up new ideas.  I also finished the king size quilt for our bed.  Just got the label to make.

One of the first projects finished was a Japanese Crane Stitchery wall hanging.  Fell in love with this fabric at the Quilt show at Duxford last year, and found some stitchery designs that could be incorporated into the design.  

I also had a play with some clam shells made using freezer paper, makes it so much easier, and created this cushion as a project for my students.

Also had a great day two weeks ago, teaching a twin needle workshop at Quilters Haven in Wickham Market.  Six students went home with a sampler of different cables that can be created using a twin needle, that they can then incorporate into their projects, and lots of ideas of where they can use a twin needle in their work.

Have to clear away Easter now, as its my younger son's birthday tomorrow.  We have to have a separate cake for his birthday, so we tend to have cake coming out of our ears, with Easter and birthday. Cannot believe my baby is 23 tomorrow.  He has been home since last Wednesday till next Sunday, when he will depart with his cake tins full and supplies for the freezer until we see him again.  He cooks great meals and the the occasional fruit crumble  but has not attempted cake yet!  It has been great to have both boys come home for Easter.

Hope you have all had a good Easter and great weather to inspire all those new projects.

Happy stitching and stay safe and well.

Julie

Start of a New Month

Just had a lovely morning with my students, who were all doing something different.  Some starting new projects, some finishing up some UFO's.

I have been busy planning my Saturday classes for the summer term, and this is one of the items we will be making.
It is an easy way of tracing a sashiko design, where you work from the back to complete the design.  

This stops the need for carbon paper or light boxes.  I am very pleased with the finished design, hope my students will like it.

Looking at planning a class on English Paper Piecing, which uses templates other than hexagons.  Surprising what you can create with some paper templates and scraps of fabric.

They are all busy making items for the craft table at our quilt show in September, so we have decided to have a workshop on making items for the table, and pooling all our ideas.  It is surprising how one small idea, snowballs into a whole day of crafting.

Hope the weather has been kind to you all, we have just had a small flurry of snow here last weekend, but nothing to stop us going outdoors.

Stay safe and warm, happy stitching.

Julie