Blog of the Week

French Patchworker Pascale has a great blog. She writes about her craft projects and family.  Pascale has some great links to other blogs. I love to jump to and read the french blogs links.

Pascale is an active member of the British Quilt List yahoo group.  Please stop by Pascale's blog and say hello.

If you click on the links, it will take you to the websites.

Cast Offs Gifts

These are the token Christmas gifts that I made for the Cast Offs girls. 

I made each pair of fabric box and pencil case in matching fabric.  I chose fabric that I thought the recipient would like and colours that they would use in their own projects. 

I filled each fabric box with a note book and small towel and the pencil case had a selection of ribbons inside them.  Now I have eleven months until I have to think about making new token gifts for Christmas.    

Hand Made Christmas Decorations

Each year I like to add to my growing collections of Christmas decorations.  All the decorations on our family tree remind us of some special places we have visited, very special family memories of years gone by, and some are given to us by dear friends.
  

I made the bells decorations for the Quay Quilters Christmas tree at the Methodist Church in Kingsbridge, Devon several years ago.

Gifts

My dear friends and I planned to exchanged a token gift as Christmas presents.  So I decided to make a small gift for each member of our quilting group.

I gave this gift set to Sue. I filled the boxed pencil case with ribbons and the fabric box with a notebook and smellies.

I will post pictures of the other token gifts when I have upload the pictures from my camera.  



Floral Bull's Eye

Several years ago I wrote about my floral bull's eye top.  I took part in a bull's eye block swap with some friends within a yahoo group called  Fab Lovers Swap. 

I also wrote a few days ago about how long it took me to complete my log cabin quilt that I started in 2007.  Since I swap the floral bull's eye blocks in 2006 and pieced the top in 2008, I feel it is time to layer and finish the project this year.  

Now I better sign off so I can spend time on the sewing machine quilting this quilt top.          

Chopsticks

I cannot remember when I made this quilt.  I used twelve six inch batik squares and a metre of black batik fabric and half metre for the stashing. I called this quilt 'Chopsticks'.

The blocks are six inch squares.  I quilted 'Chopsticks' with black rayon thread in a cross chopstick pattern on the black fabric only.

I am planning to make another version of 'Chopsticks' in the next few weeks.  I will photograph the process of making the blocks to demonstrate to those readers that would like to make their own 'Chopsticks' quilt.   Please leave a comment if you would like me to e-mail you when I have written up the instructions.

Dolly Bag

I made this Dolly Bag for my new niece, Jessica last year.  It has six pockets on the outside.  I quilted the bag with Rayon thread in a random straight line pattern.   

I have two patterns for this bag written by two different quilters.  The first pattern is written by an English quilter and sad to say is very poorly written.  The other pattern is written by an Australian quilter and has much clearer instructions.
I would make this bag again but I would change the construction of the bag.  I always try and follow the pattern the first time I make the item then adapt it to my experience of sewing on additional makes if I feel there is a better way of making an item.  

Log Cabin Workshop

This quilt was started at a workshop in 2005.  The tutor requested that the students cut all the strip for the quilt before the workshop day.  The original plan was to complete all the quilt-as-you-go blocks on the day and take home to join the blocks into a quilt in our own time.     

I completed three blocks and decided that I did not like the method taught at the workshop.  As the strips were already cut and I love the Log Cabin quilts, I continue making the quilt with the traditional piecing.   I finished piecing the top very quickly. I layered the top and started to quilt it with rayon threads in a wavy design.  It remained unfinished for the next seven years.  Not unloved as it was thrown over the sofa and in constant use. Last year, the Cast Off Girls thought I should finish it so I could enter the quilt into the local quilt group show. 

There were other quilts in the local quilt show that have taken much longer to complete than my Log Cabin quilt.  I encourage you all to get out that long overdue project and complete it this year.

  

Knot Bag

I am going to make a huge effect to be more organise this year.  So I have spent time tidying up my computer files when I came across photos that I took last year as I finished quilts and bags but forgot to upload into my OPAM page.

Better late than not at all.

This is a knot bag.  It was not that easy to make due to it being a very tiny bag. It is only about six inches in height.  Next time I make this bag I will increase the size of the pattern.   

OPAM 2013

I have be playing with a new design of pencil case or small bag.  I cut out extra make up bags in December just in case I needed to make quickly some extra Christmas gifts.  

As I did not need the extra gifts I thought I would play around with the a new design for squaring the ends of a pencil case. 

This is my first finished item for the 'One Project a Month' for 2013! Check out Kris and Peg websites to find out more about OPAM. It is a great way to inspire you to get projects finished. Plus you meet some wonderful talented stitchers.

Weather Statistics

I live in a village in the South Hams of Devon.  About six miles from the edge of the city of Plymouth.

At the beginning of 2012 the meteorological office warned that we were going to experience a drought. We have a few months of sunshine then the heavens open and it rained and rained.
December 2012 was the wettest on record for Plymouth with 289cm of rain.  The previous record was 246cm.
South West England had the wettest year on record since 1910. Our reservoirs are 100% full.  That is alot to rain.
Provisional statistics from the Met Office show 2012 was the second wettest year in the UK national record dating back to 1910, and just a few millimetres short of the record set in 2000.

The Met Office has a very informative website. I am hoping for a drier and sunny 2013!

Bags

I made this Rose Make Up bag and Pencil Case last November as samples for inserting a zip into a bag teaching session for a local quilt group.  These samples sparked an idea for Christmas presents for my family and friends.

I filled the bags with a white flannel and sponge, soap, bath bombe, shower gel and all sorts of smellies. Now I have less that twelve moths to whip an idea for next Christmas gifts. A few quilting friends and I are going to try and make several gifts a month.  Our Christmas sew along will start this week.  Anyone wishing to join us, please leave a comment and I will send you an invite.    

Christmas Gift

I love heart ornaments. I had a small collection of embroidery and patchwork hearts in my studio.

I received this hand made heart as a Christmas gift from Baby Girl on Boxing Day.

Blog of the Week

I love to visit and read many blogs on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis.  I am going to try this year to recommend one blog for my readers to visit each week.

The first blog to visit is Miche'le called By Hoki Quilts.  Please stop by Hoki Quilts and say hello to Miche'le.
If you take time to read some of Miche'le posts, especially in October 2011, she explains why her shop and blog is called By Hoki Quilts.  Mr D and I were very fortunate to visit the area in 2010, South Island of New Zealand.
Please let me know if you enjoy visiting with Miche'le.  See you next week with another blog to visit.

My Word for 2013

Welcome to 2013 and a new start again.  My word for this year is 'Peace'. 

Peacefully work forwards a quiet family and quilting life.
Be at peace by reducing my commitments and saying no to any new ones. 
Be peaceful about my huge number of UFOs.  It is not going to harm me or anyone else if they remain unfinished.  Just enjoy working on the UFOs when time allows.
Be at peace about my very large fabric stash. Be at peace about using every piece of special fabric in my stash. Just use the special fabric to help turn it into a beautiful item.
Be peaceful when life throws me some curved balls.  A peaceful soul can deal with curved balls.

My word for 2010 was 'Clutter' or rather de-clutter.
My word for 2011 was 'Frugal'.
No word for 2012.

I will be a peace about my cluttered life and needing to be more frugal again in 2013.

May the Peace be with you too.