More catch up

In my last post I forgot to include this quilt from the KF workshop which was also finished October last. Even had my first go at a little hand quilting.......... the hexagons in the centre of each tumbling block, but don't look too closely!The colours for this one were chosen with my son in mind using more graphic than floral prints, which was easy with the great choice in the Westminster range by Kaffe Fassett & Brandon Mably.

I enjoyed working with these warmer colours so much that this inspired the start of the red 'Hot Wheel' quilt shown in the previous post ( I was so tempted to keep this one for me!)

This Goes with That/Variahex

Remember seeing these pop up in blogland? Ages ago (late 2010 or early 2011) I read some of Sue Daley's This Goes with That posts, showing how to make up hexagons with various shapes. This link is a recent post as I'm struggling to find the original tutorials she posted. Anyway, cut a long story short, I got stuck into this EPP during the Christmas break as a treat for finishing 'Hot Wheel'

Struggled a bit with the initial layout due to 'you know who' above joining in, so resorted to the wall where she couldn't lay on them.

Once I had a few made I started joining them together and they have gradually grown into a fair size quilt but I still need to do quite a few more.......

It's been great fun trying to come up with different variations....knew my geometry lessons at school would come in handy one day!

Helen's Quilt

& finally for today here is the top that was strip pieced out of Civil war repros very quickly for my friends 50th birthday. (It's ok to post here as she doesn't read my blog) The last time she poped round for a visit she was eye balling my thimble quilt, so that gave me the idea for this one using the same fabrics in 3" squares making it quicker to put together.....it has since been quilted & bound but I didn't get round to taking a picture.

So, that all for today folks, next post will update you with more 2012 projects. See you soon, enjoy your week :)

Something new.....

Lucy joined me in the garden last weekend as we made the most of the fine weather to prepare quite a few of these.......I had ordered the templates & papers form here quite a long time ago but just hadn't got round to using them. My mother, knowing I have a weakness for tins & containers gave me this lovely old one below she no longer needed which is just the right size for keeping all the bits & pieces together.
Stitched together these slices make lovely pies (calorie free of course!) for the Pies & Tarts quilt designed by Sue Daley of Patchwork with Busyfingers. I know it's another EPP project, but this time instead of basting with needle & thread I'm glueing the fabric to the templates using a fabric glue pen by Sewline, which saves alot of prep time. See Sue's mini tutorial here.

I'm blaming the lovely Shirley of Stitcherydo for enticing me into starting this by showing her gorgeous pies here so we are now both working on this project & finding it as addictive as the Klosjes, Clamshells & Hexagons. I've been gradually building a little stash of red, blue & shirtings fabrics this last year which are perfect for this design as I've wanted to make a quilt using these colours for some time now. This pattern is also ideal for using up lots of different fabrics helping to reduce those piles of scraps we all collect.

The Quilt Room in the UK have started this as a BOM from the 1st September, so we reckon there are going to be quite a few out there stitching pies & were wondering if there's anyone else working on this design who would be interested in a Pies & Tarts club? Drop us an email or comment if you're interested.
Have a great weekend :)

Lucy's settling in.....

Having spent her first 2.5 years in a cattery, Lucy is adjusting to home life very well. All the usual household noises were very strange & alarming to her at first. She soon became quite mesmerised by the television & even watched a bit of the world cup final.

It didn't take her long to find a comfy spot on my Klosjes quilt top either!

She also enjoys spending time on the windowsill watching the birds when she's not busy playing with her toy mice or catching flies.

.....and soon discovered the comfort of a nice soft sofa for a little snooze!
All in all, I think she's settling in really well, don't you?

Guess who's coming to Jersey?

Can you believe it? Kaffe Fasset is actually coming to our little Island to run some workshops next weekend. Am I attending some you ask? You bet I am!

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On a totally different note, we have a new addition to our family.........meet Lucy. She's a 3 year old British Shorthair Silver Spottie and is a real sweetie.

She only came home yesterday & it's going to take a while for her to settle in & feel confident in her new home as she's been used to living in a cattery with her breeder.......... this is where she decided she felt safe today, on the DVD shelf behind the television!

The house has been so empty since our dear 14 year old labrador, Max left us 18 months ago, so I felt it was time to welcome a new pet into the home. We still miss him loads.

A Walk in the Country......

We had glorious autumnal weather here this last weekend, that Max & I decided to have a little walk in the country for a change. He's still doing really well on his medication & plods along at his own pace...well, after all he is 13 years old now, which I've been told is pretty good going for a Labrador.

Of course he's loves to have a good old sniff as dogs do......most of the time I'm left there standing & waiting while he checks out all the different smells!

His days are numbered.....

Does this babe look ill to you?

At the beginning of May after having had an Xray & ultrasound we were told that Max had a vast liver tumour & basically would be travelling to pastures new before the year was out, as a few of you know, I've been quite devasted by this news for the past few weeks & have found it tough concentrating on anything.

He is such a faithful & loving friend to me that I'm finding it really difficult to take in that he won't be around for as long as I'd hoped. As you can see by these photos which were taken this last week, he doesn't look ill at all and is showing no signs of discomfort or pain......he still enjoys his walks on the beach & meeting up with his other doggy friends & loves fooling around with a tennis ball....looking at him you just wouldn't believe this was happening as many people who know Max have said.So, for now we are making the most of the time we have left with him, trying to ensure the remainder of his life is as pleasant as possible and taking each day as it comes. I was unsure whether I should post about this or not, but then thought it would help to explain my lack of participation in my groups of late. Will keep you posted of any further developments.

Edit : Warm heartfelt hugs go out to all of you for your kind messages & support .......they are so appreciated, thank you : )

Where I live

Quite a few people in the international mixed media community are unfamiliar with Jersey, Channel Islands (not surprising) as we are a small group of tiny Islands in the English Channel just about 8 miles off the coast of Normandy, France.
Jersey is the largest of these Islands at approx. 9 x 5 miles, with a population of 85,000 at the last count & far too much traffic! All that said, there are still many beautiful natural sites to see here & an amazing amount of history, dating back from pre-history right through the French Napoleonic Invasions and Occupation of the 2nd World War with beautiful architecture recording these times.
So, here are a few shots of my little Island to help put it on your map, will add more as I take them when I'm out & about.

La Corbiere Lighthouse

South western most point of the Island

Footpath leading down to Le Scez Harbour

Not a harbour at all but a lovely secluded rocky cove where you can collect periwinkle shells, especially the yellow ones, by the dozen....see below. One of my favourite places to walk with my dog.

This is the coast line looking NE from Le Scez towards Rozel

Here we've moved down to the south coast, this is Elizabeth Castle, SE side of St Aubin's bay across the road from where I live, on the opposite side of the bay is St Aubin's Fort below. This is the beach where I walk with Max each morning & evening & pick up seaglass & all sorts of bits & bobs that have a potential artistic use!

Well I had to finish off for today with a photo of Max having fun on the beach as he always accompanies me wherever I go, he's a real beach babe!

Hope you enjoyed this first visit to my Island :)

My Babe!

I thought it was about time I introduced you to my babe Max, soon to be 13......this is one of the 1st Atc's I made just over a year ago(looking back at it now, it's pretty basic) and below is the original photo of him sitting in my old garden.....I do miss that garden so :(
Bless him, he's now fast asleep, snoring away in his basket after a long day at work with me!