On-Line Again :-)

Well the sewing stuff has been moved to the box room, and the computer is moved and working again too, so I am back in business. A productive day, I have finished an order of 45 polo shirt and fleeces, and have nearly finished an embroidery on a baby blanket, and I sold another embroidery design on ETSY - this applique lighthouse - another $1:50 into the savings - very exciting!!!







This is the sewing room from left to right, it never quite got to tidy before I started pulling out all the projects that had a specific deadline, maybe I'll get there one day :-)



I especially like the kitchen utensil hooks on the front of the shelves - fab for scissors etc.








And I love the 45 degree pipes Husband has stuck onto wood for me, ideal for pens, glues, stitch rippers etc

(Thank you to Patrick for the idea, and to Tindra for letting me copy. Patrick we miss you RIP)













I even remembered to put books on the sunny side, and fabrics on the shady side!!!



And I've finished this fleece blanket for a baby called Tyler

On The Move

I've now moved most of what will fit into the new sewing room, but all the stuff that was in there now has to be moved to the shed and stored - in a reasonably organised fashion!. Niki finished her exams yesterday and so she and I will start moving stuff down here and sort it out. Husband's been away since Tuesday morning so when he gets back today I can ask him to start moving the computer and the other bits that need muscle or technical know how (or brute force & ignorance!) and then I can get sewing - yippee!

Phew it's hot today - and I've been carting loads of stuff across the garden and up the stairs! Cant see how it's all going to fit back into the box room - oops, must have done some buying since it was last in there!

On the move

I used to have my sewing room in the house, then last autumn I moved to the shed (log cabin type shed, not lawn mower storage type shed)

However, the daughter who also uses the shed was worried that her friends may push buttons or pick up fragile things, or - horror - use fabric scissors for paper, or toe nails (it happened to a friend of mine, it was her mother in law!!) and also the insulation isn't great under the floor, so I have now decided to move back to the house. I love the arrangement that I had, so I am moving things back to the house and hoping to make the best use of what must be a contender for the world's smallest sewing room! The problem is, it now leaves no time for sewing (twitch, twitch!)

Well I've now discovered that I'm a bit late for this year's On Line Quilt festival, so I thought I'd have a go at blogging and get ready for the next one! Instead I went to a REAL quilt festival... with my fab fabric friend, Jackie.

We met last year when she needed a lift from the airport to Sandown for the International Quilt exhibition, and ended up cadging a bed for the night too, then we arranged to share a hotel room at NEC last year and we've spent the last two days in quilting heaven - yesterday at the V&A, and today at Sandown again. We have so much in common I suspect we were born as twins and separated at birth.

We had a great two days but I've now taken her back to the airport, so I'm gloating over all my purchases and wondering what to do first!!!

The orange and yellows are to go with a 20 inch panel that I've done, from a small jelly roll from Sandown last year!




The bright dotty fabrics shouted to me across the hall, so I had to buy them,










and the car fabrics are evidence of the dangers of taking daughters anywhere that money can be spent! We bought these for a quilt for the boyfriend, Sam, and also got an inspirational book on journal quilts for her.

She wants to take a sewing machine to Uni in September, but is realistic enough to know that she needs to aim for something small and finishable, hence journal quilts. I'm looking forward to preparing a sewing basket to take with her!

Technology problems!!

I'm trying to link to Amy's site - here is the url, but still haven't worked out how to add the logo!

http://www.amyscreativeside.com/2010/05/bloggers-quilt-festival-spring-2010.html

There are hundreds of fab quilts which can be visited through Amy's site, so make sure you are sitting comfortably, the phone's off the hook, and you have a nice drink in your hand - now go and surf!!!

Nesodden Beach Cottage, Oslo, Norway

This is the first landscape quilt I have made, and although I have done machine embroidery (and design) for nearly 4 years, the free motion quilting took me right out of my comfort zone! I love this quilt partly for the image itself, and the memories of childhood summer visits to the cottage, but also for the random phone calls I get from the Great Aunt who calls to tell me that she has seen something new, and how much she loves it :-)

Beach Cottage in Norway

This is the quilt that finally prompted me to join Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival. I made it for my Great Aunt's 90th birthday - and I think it took me that many hours to make. It was in the planning (and buying fabric :-) stage for ages, and was finished in January in time for mum and I to go to Norway to give it to her on her birthday.

It is a mixture of free motion quilting and machine embroidery and applique on a variety of picture fabrics, and represents the family's cottage in Oslo, just opposite the harbour. It has been in the family for a number of generations, and the two red beach huts are very iconic. We all love the cottage, and we all love the wonderful (if *slightly* eccentric) great aunt

Here I go trying something new...again!

For three years I have been following Amy's on line quilt exhibition, and this year I really want to join, but I need to have a blog. So I've put to one side all the other skills I haven't mastered and am having a go at blogging:-)

First I discover that I can't find any of the photos I saved on my I pad, another skill I haven't mastered, so back to the pc to see if I can get started!