Off on a tangent again

Well it's true. I have gone off at a tangent again, though I was good at the Bee yesterday and spent all day hand quilting my UFO. Not a lot more to quilt, then the binding and my first UFO of 2013 will be done!!!

Now this tangent. Well I was blog hopping as one does, and found this lovely tutorial by

Elizabeth Hartman, so I just had to make up a couple of blocks. I have always been fascinated with quilt as you go projects. Wow, these were looking good. I wish I had cut the backing larger to start 

with.This will have to be a rather small project.

Block 1.

Block 2.

                                   This is what I came up with. It's a right dandy little bag,

 not big enough for shopping but fine for carrying small projects to classes and clubs.

Photo taken inside.

Photo taken outside.

The quilt as you go method was quick and easy. The fabric I used was thicker than quilting cotton, so it stands up all on it's own. Well pleased.

Ann's Baby quilt.

Pippa's Blocks.

A lot of fun was had at the Bee yesterday and it was good for me to get out after the bad cold I have had. 

Ann brought her lovely baby quilt she was making to show us, the Jemima Puddelduck border was enchanting, and Pippa's blocks , well what can one say she is so neat and tidy and puts the rest of us to shame.

I do wish this weather would brighten up so I could get out in the garden, good excuse to sew though.

Keep safe and keep stitching .....Doti...

Strange Week End

Not a good weekend. I have one of those really nasty head colds, all notty nose etc. etc. The only thing to benefit this week end was my knitting, as I sat bundled up in a couple of my lovely quilts by the fire, with just my knitting and a very large box of tissues.

This Shetland pattern from the Colours of Shetland I am knitting is very strange. I have knitted up to the armholes on the back and fronts, which were knitted all in one, and now have to knit the two sleeves in the round. I have never knitted a sleeve in the round, it's really odd doing the increasing.

Oh well! we shall see.. Plod on.

Why do they never go down!

The sewing room looks a real tip this morning. The two scrap boxes are still out, defying me to put them away until I have made the other two Bit Bags needed. Maybe I should rummage through them,find the fabric needed and at least I could then put them away. I just can't work in a messy sewing room..

Jenny and I were trying to to design a wall hanging, as a block of the month, for our quilting group at the Bee. We came to the decision on Friday that it is just not going to work as we both draw so differently. The idea now is to use the same format, but to do two different wall hangings, so watch this space.

Now to tidy the sewing room.

Keep safe and keep stitching.....Doti..

Wednesday Club again.

Yes, it was Wednesday Club again yesterday. My how the weeks fly by and it was at Quilters Haven 

again this week. My goodness, it's a week since I wrote my blog too. I have been busy though.

The birthday girls were all pleased with their Bit Bags, and many of the others have asked for similar for their birthdays. So the scrap boxes have been out yet again,(why do they never seem to go down ?)

So I have made seven and just have two to go, then to stuff all the weighted pin cushions, oh joy! not the best bit...

  I have also been working on my Shetland Hoody Cardigan in the evenings. Its very slow going as fronts and back are all knitted in one. Shock horror, I had to cast on 346 stitches at the hem, but I just love the colours so I am plodding on. As my friends will tell you I am indeed a good plodder..

Knitting so far.

   I have to show you this Quilt that Maggie has been working on for her granddaughter. She was trying to decide how to quilt it and has now decided to hand quilt it. Lots of us hand quilt at our other quilting group the Bee, as it's all hand quilting only there.

The girls all admiring Maggie's Quilt

It't Valentines Day to day, Hubby and I are having a very nice meal courtesy of Waitrose this evening. 

Still on the valentines theme, Shabbyfabrics have a lovely BOM pattern to download free, all hearts each month, it's really lovely.

Jenny had also been very productive and showed us her lovely quilt top, which was greeted with Ooos....and...Aaaahs by every one. A lovely day was had with much laughter and cake. We are going to have to give up the cake, or we shall never loose our winter weight !!

Jenny's lovely quilt.

Keep safe and keep stitching.........Doti.

Birthday "Girls"

I thought you might like to see what was in those little packages from my last blog.

Here they are all lined up in my sewing room, how cute is that,

the extra one is mine.

Bit Bags.

We celebrated five of the "girls" birthdays this week at Quilters haven, where we meet for Wednesday Club. Diets went out the window as Maggie had made a huge Malteaser cake and Jenny made lots of individual Victoria sandwich cakes. "Yummy", though she did put creme fresh in the middles instead of cream. Jenny's token to our diets, I think not.

There were lots of Quilty things, and hand made gifts. Ann had made two great pouches for Alison, Fiona some lovely covered hangers for Ann and so it went on. I was very remiss or I was too busy eating cake. I forgot to take photos.

I am not doing very well with this losing weight thing. Last week, I went to our annual Stitch & Sip meal with all my knitting friends at Main's ,where we meet on Thursday evenings to do our knitting. No knitting was done , only eating and what a lovely meal!

Star blocks so far.

Some of the blocks we are making from our scraps, left over from our Friendship Quilts we all made last year, are coming in. We are each making one or two star blocks and when it's put together it will go to the Linus charity,

My WIP.

I am getting on with the quilting on this UFO. I intend to make the binding today, so as soon as the quilting is finished on goes the binding, which is my favourite bit of the whole quilt.

Keep safe and keep stitching...........Doti..

Is Spring Coming ?

I do think Spring is on it's way at last. This little patch of snowdrops appeared in my garden this week end and I have lots popping up everywhere. They were planted to remember my lovely father-in-law who died in January 42 years ago, and the only flowers to be seen in my then garden were snowdrops. So from then on, every house we have lived in I have planted Snowdrops for him.

I have been very busy this week as we had our first guests of the year in Sunny Cottage and we had to give it a good spring clean. So forgive me please, as it's a week since I rambled on in my blog.

Great fun was had at the Bee this week, and as usual every one was working on their own projects.

Annie's Homespun hearts. 

Jenny's finished table runner and mats.

Ann's Linus Quilt.

Alison's yo yo's for her Button Club Quilt

I finished the binding on my Quilt

I think you will laugh as I phoned my son to tell him he had a parcel on the way from me, and his comment was "have you been de-cluttering again"

Well in a way I have as all the fabric for the top came out of my stash. You would think my stash would have gone down, but it does not seem to have. Oh well ! on with the next project..

We are celebrating five of the "girls" birthdays at Wednesday Club this week, thought you might like to see I am all prepared...

Keep safe and keep stitching... Doti