Playing

The weather is just dreadful so no gardening can be done, so its playtime. What fun. I told you about the Rowan-knit-along a few blogs ago, it is week 6 now and so far I have been keeping up to date. 

The patterns each week are free to download, and you knit 6 blocks each week, 3 in two different colours ways.

Aren't they scrumptious, like a box of chocolates. I am on block 32 and I think there are 48 blocks in all, plus the border. We shall see, it is a Mystery Afghan.

Talking of playing, I had some fun on the sewing machine as well with lot of scraps.

These blocks look really complicated, but as you know I don't do complicated, and they really are not. Just two basic 9 patch blocks, stitched together (face to face) and then cut in quarters. I want to do a big pile of them before they are sewn together, as it's scrappy. Watch this space.

Back to knitting by the fire now.

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

Round up at the sewing Bee,

Nothing has been finished and I have not started anything new, so here is a little roundup of what the girls were working on at the Bee this week.

Ann has nearly finished her quilt- as- you- go quilt for her granddaughter. She said it took her a year to collect all the different fabrics. This design is called Fiona, and I think all of us have made it at one time or another. It looks so different each time some one makes it in their own colour combo.

 Jan had just got her quilt back from the long arm quilters and was busy sewing the binding down. The design is by Tula Pink from her book 100 design blocks.

Jean's is another Tula Pink design but in monochrome, and is to be a wedding quilt.

 The lovely Maggie was hand quilting a pinwheel quilt for her grandson, I do like the rogue red block.

These were all the photos I took, too much chatting and cake eating and having fun.

   

Me, well I am still plodding- on hand quilting the Parsley and Time quilt but it is getting there and I am so pleased I decided to hand quilt it. The stitchery blocks are all puffed up really nicely.

I have got to the borders, so not much more to do. It's not a nice day today so I might just get on with it.

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

Knitting 0 - Sewing 2.

Where have I been, you may well ask, all sorts of things have been happening. First it was the FA Cup final and Mr M's team were playing in it and off he went to Wembley to meet our sons, and they had a rare old time.

I usually knit and watch football at the same time, This is the sum total of the knitting I did while watching the cup final, as you can see what I did knit had to be pulled out. 

Oh! it was an exciting game, first we were losing 2-0 but in the and we won 3-2 after extra time.

This week I did work on my appliqué BOM as I was well behind with last month and this was not an easy one to do. As you know I am a great plodder-on and I am now thankful it is finished for this month.

Today I have been working with Susie the co-ordinater of our community quilt, and it is all finished except for the borders which will be finished this afternoon. Then it's off to the long arm quilter.

My, this has been a mammoth task, 24 quilters and embroiderers have been working on this, and it has now somehow all come together. In time for the Southwold Arts Festival.

Other than all that, the weather has been wonderful so all my spare time has been spent in the garden, that stupid bird did build her nest in our Rose arbour where we have our morning coffee, so we are relegated to the couple of chairs outside the back door.

Mr M having coffee.

Now I hope to sort out some hand sewing for the Bee tomorrow.

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

A little Knitting.

I have given my sewing fingers a little rest after the appliqué block for April.

So a little knitting has been attempted. I heard Rowan has a Mystery Afghan Knit-a-long with  free patterns, as I just love a mystery I had to give it a go. 

Here are the blocks so far, (this photo is a lot lot darker than the wool actually is) and I am knitting it in 4ply instead of worsted dk, so my Afghan will come up smaller. I might have to knit more squares.

I spent a lovely day yesterday with Susie Yeats, who is the coordinator of the community quilt/ hanging, we (Saint Felix Frolic Quilting and Sewing Group) are making for the Southwold Festival. We got the first four rows of the quilt sew together, and I got a closer look at peoples blocks. Oh my! some of them are fantastic and all so different.

On the home front I did manage to complete May's Alphabet blocks, still using only my stash and scrap bins. Next month we will be half way through the BOM, where does the time go?

All Mays appliqué BOM pieces are cut out and I hope to start on that after I have made the binding for the community quilt all 400" or so..

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

Busy Busy Week.

Oh my, it has been a busy, busy week, and thankfully the wrist and thumb are holding up.

Firstly I have caught up with April's Appliqué BOM.

This BOM is designed by Deborah Kemball using the lovely Oakshott fabric. When I started this eight months ago it was so very hard, but I have to admit it is getting easer as the months go by, and I am actually looking forward to this months. Oops, not sure I should say that, better cross my fingers.

The May blocks are made for the Siblings Together 2, and just have to be posted off to the Mama of the month Sue, who lives in Jersey. My next job after writing this blog.

The first of the three May blocks for the Alphabet Quilt BOM is almost finished K L M for this month, which makes me laugh as these are my daughters initials.

The Parsley and Time quilt is still being hand quilted, no photos as yet, as I want to get the middle finished first, though I am pleased it's "looking good."

The week looks as if it is still going to be busy as I have to make another block for the  Community Quilt by Thursday evening. My mojo is in overdrive Ha Ha..

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

Only a little Sewing..

It was my Birthday this week and it was such a very enjoyable day, my lovely friend at the Bee made a birthday cake and I had lots of lovely presents.

Mr M bought me a Cherry tree, that hopefully will have lots of eatable fruits on it.

When our rescue dog Bramble died, (she was 17) and she had been with us since she was three, we said we would put her ashes under a cherry tree. 

So yesterday, that is what we did. Half are under the tree and the other half we are going to spread in the strawberry patch, as Bramble used to pinch the strawberries. We always thought it was the birds till I caught her red handed (pawed) backing out of the patch with a big strawberry sticking out of her mouth. 

We have planted it quite close to the little cottage next door, which we rent out to holiday makers, so they will be able to share in its beauty.To the right hand corner of this picture is the plum tree and Gandalf's ashes are under that.

I have done a little sewing on the appliqué BOM, but I am having to pace my self as the wrist is still very painful or I should say the thumb is still painful.

The stems are done and I hope to do some of the little blue forget-me -nots today, thumb and fingers crossed.

 I must show you this beautiful yellow rose. It is called Canary Bird and is just looking wonderful at the moment. I did laugh though today as I see there are potatoes growing in that pot with the basket around it through the forget me nots. The earth came from the compost heap so they must have been in there.

And that stupid bird is building a nest again in the rose arbor, where we sit for coffee in the mornings, and making a splendid mess all over the table.

Mr M put this Robin house up outside one of my sewing room windows, so we could watch if it decided to move in. Mr Robin has not but Mrs Blue Tit is very interested in the flat above it, bringing lots of nesting materials.

And last but not least a present from one of my neighbours. Now that is so cute, and a lovely thing to do with an odd cup and saucer .

Now off to see how long the thumb holds up and how much appliqué I can get done.

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

Suggestions please.

The Parsley quilt is all ready to be hand quilted. I still cannot think of a better name for it, so if any of my readers have a better name for it please comment at the end of this blog.

I like to keep hand sewing for when we are at the Bee, so I am already for Wednesday.

The last Post was called Plodding along and I now see I called another post Plodding along in February. That might tell you something about me always plodding, but I do get there in the end..

Some time was spent on the community quilt, and I must admit I had lots of fun making beach hut blocks and little boats.

The wrist is holding up well but I had to wear my splint.

On a completely different vein, I often put up pictures of the view out of our back door, well here is the said back door.

Its called a stable door and splits in half. Well this was early in the year,

this was about about three weeks ago from a slightly different angle.

 And this was yesterday leaning over the door. My pots are completely hidden, and a new crop of plants have come up. The purple/pink is Honesty, I do not plant it, the birds bring it.

Looking at the picture, I must move that pot under the table. A pair of blue tits nested in it last year and Bilbo(our border terrier) rolled it all around the garden. Moved to the safety of the top of the table they reared their young, and it is now empty. I wonder if they will come back this year?

My knitting has been unpicked and I have started all over again, no pictures to see as yet. My next job is the hand appliqué BOM, going to see how the wrist holds up.

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

Plodding On.

My favourite Quilt shop as you know is Sew an So's of Bungay, so off I went on Monday feeling so much better. The order of the day was Wadding/ batting and wide backing fabric and some fabric for the outer borders for the parsley quilt. I must think of a better name for it than that..

The backing fabric was perfect, a very light grey with (would you believe it) cow parsley on it. I am going to hand quilt this quilt so the next job is to make the quilt sandwich.

I finished the Quilt Show BOM for April, E and J, and the whole thing is coming together nicely. I decided on a nice shade of Pink for my lamb, with dark maroon head and legs.

I now need to sort out the lovely Oakshot fabric for my appliqué BOM for April. When I saw the block this month there was no OMG, I just thought Oh I can do that. So I must be getting better at hand turned appliqué, no fear this month.

But more pressing, I have to get some 6in blocks of Beach Huts done for the community quilt. I saw Susie (the co-ordinator) in the hairdressers this morning and she was in Panic Mode, so it's Beach Huts and sea this afternoon...

Yesterday afternoon,I knew the full meaning of being Retired and leave you with these thoughts. Our lovely Deerhound Gladdie is in season and yesterday afternoon she curled up with me with her head on my lap, just looking for comfort. So I sat and rubbed her tummy and empathised with her. She rarely sits with me as Mr M is the love of her life. It was a lovely half hour and one I will treasure, and one I could not have done if I was still working..

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

Where, oh where have 10 days gone.

Well, it is 10 days since I posted on my blog. Mr M and I have been quite poorly. We went down with some bug, we think while we were away or soon after. My goodness, it did lay us low. In fact other than sleep I am not sure what we did.

We are however fighting fit again(nearly). No sewing or knitting has been done, other than to unpick the alphabet blocks I did on the day we went down with the lergy, and I see my knitting will have to be  unpicked also. I went wrong on the first line of pattern above the rib. Oh well, a fresh start.

The garden however is looking good. So here is a little round up of what is flowering at the moment. We feed the birds so find lots of things self- seeded, if they want to grow there then we let them.

Not sure about these violets, they are in the crook of the down pipe and the water butt, and do not seem to be in any soil at all. "MY" they are pretty.. And the pear tree in the one above has lots of blossom this year. Though we lose most of the pears to scrumping, do we mind? Not really, both Mr M and I did it as children and it has far too many pears for us to eat.

Now to get back to some sewing, before the withdrawal symptom set in.

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

Good to be sewing again..

Yes indeed, I am back, though not managing any hand sewing as yet. Who would have thought a sprained wrist and thumb could be so painful. I have given the hand a complete rest, in fact I took it on holiday up to London for a long weekend and did no sewing at all.. Well it was our lovely son and daughter-in-law who took us up to London for a Mother's day weekend..

This is what greeted us on our return. Our young Plum tree full of blossoms so it looks like we shall have a good crop this year, the tree is only three years old.

My friend Jan was turning out and discarding fabric scraps, and you know me  and scraps. Well we have four more slab blocks to send to little island quilting for her wonderful project for Mexican Street children. I think she is on quilt 15 now.

I have also done this months Siblings Together 2  charity blocks. They were quite fun to make  although the first one went wrong.

No problem, I shall wad it and back it and quilt it and then send it with the others to little island quilting.

Now today, to get on with the The Quilt Show Alphabet BOM for this month, though as I am doing it in Red and Beige should my sheep in this months be Red or Beige? Watch this space, a nice fetching Pink may be the order of the day.

It feels good to be sewing again though I have not ventured anything other than straight stitching, and then only with my brace on.

I did design some nice cushions from the little drawing I put up last time, but they can wait for another day.

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

A Bit of a Pain...

We all do it, try to make our blade in the rotary cutter last just a bit longer. This however is a little different. It was a new blade and the first day I used it I went over a pin and took a chunk out of it. I was so cross but I kept trying to use it (it was new for goodness sake),and yes you have guessed it I pressed so hard I have sprained my wrist. The pain down my thumb and up my arm is indescribable. 

Horrid to say the least, and now there is no sewing for me.. This is a selfie of sprained hand.

Really difficult to take a picture with left hand when you are right handed.

I was getting on so well with the Parsley quilt, two borders were on and and the third is to be decided.

Now I get withdrawal symptoms when I do not sew, I did however do a little knitting, but it's not the same and my hand ached after a little while.

So I have been sorting out my sketch book.These drawings are from 2011 and seem to combine my love of pots and stitchery. Though no stitchery for me at the moment, they would possibly be used on table mats. or a table runner, on linen maybe.

So this is one miserable unfulfilled sewer, saying "do change your blade when it gets blunt or damaged"

stay safe and keep stitching............. Doti...

Spring has sprung.

Another week has gone by since I wrote my blog. We have been so busy in the garden with all this lovely weather we are having. Spring has definitely sprung.

 This is looking out of my back door, in a couple of weeks it should be full of colour.

This little wall planter still sits under a plaque that tells you it is the Pottery,"that was another life" which I gave up in the year 2000. when my hobby took over from my work and I retired.

Mr M has made two new raised veggie beds, though only one will be for veg, and the other for more fruit bushes.We are cutting down on the rest, though I shall still grow tomatoes in the green house along with chilli peppers and cucumbers, hopefully.

 Now my hobby. You will be pleased to know the stitchery on the Parsley Quilt is finished  (all 49 blocks). Am I pleased? You may well ask, well you know me it's OK. Now to get on with the borders.

I did not do much in the way of drawings for the cow parsley sprigs. I drew them straight on to the fabric as I went along, some singles and some doubles. Not a good photo of the quilt top will try again later.

Now I was asked for a link to the Casco Bay Canisters. The pattern is by AuntiesTwo Patterns and the pattern number is AT218. Hopes this helps..

Now I am off to cut out the first border for the quilt top, and try to work out what I am going to do next..There are lots of things buzzing around in my head as usual, we shall see.

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