The Lighthouse has Landed

The on-going saga of the Lighthouse quilt has now ended - it has been delivered to its owner who was very happy with it!

The aunts were delighted with their washing line bowls (although there is clearly a translation problem!)

 

And our host loved his shirt quilts

 

We had a fab long weekend in Norway and even less crafting than usual has occurred!

(I did hand sew bunting on the plane for the party - thank you Amo!!!)

Laying out the Lighthouse

We had Crafty Church this afternoon. I didn't get many pics, but I pinned the next borders onto the lighthouse quilt (just need a bit more cream fabric) and managed to (standing on tiptoes, on a door balanced on the pews) get a pic of most of the quilt

 

There is beginning to be hope that it will be finished in time to be handed over next month!

There were ten of us at Crafty Church, but I only got pics of Lynne's creations ...

 

Aren't they fab! Such personalities!!!!

 

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Finished with Flags

If you're a regular visitor to this blog you may know about my Lighthouse Quilt (if you want a reminder you can click on the list of labels on the left)

This is a real procrastination quilt - I'd rather do anything than work on it (OK, *almost* anything, I haven't resorted to cleaning bathrooms yet). However, it's been in the making for two years and needs to be ready for an 80th birthday next month, so I really had to get on with it.

The centre was completed about a year ago:

(21st century problems: getting a photo from the blog when you are using an iPad, bah!)

Since then I have added a border of embroidered rope, but nothing more. However with a completely free Saturday I have now managed to create 26 marine alphabet flags

 

And with a mostly free Sunday I have started joining them so I can add them as a border:

 

AND I have converted the flags into embroidery designs so the 4 corners will have the birthday message spelt out in flags

 

So this might actually be finished before the big day!

 

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La Passacaglia Progress and Pretty Post

I have tacked and joined some of the La Passacaglia templates, and a shape is beginning to emerge.  The question is do I take it with me as a travel project?  I'm worried all the shapes will fall off and I'll get confused again

I might try some fussy cutting later, but for now I'm happy using solid scraps from the HST quilt a few months ago

Some fab post arrived from the lovely Reene in Oregon, USA.  She is making a Bow Tie quilt - she's making 700 (yes SEVEN HUNDRED) of these blocks, and is trying to make them all out of different fabrics

I sent her some charm squares and scraps that I had got fed up with trying to use,  and she sent me these to add to my sweet sixteen blocks - I was delighted - ALL of them are new fabrics tome

She also sent me a barrette (translates to hair slide this side of the pond!) that her husband had made.  It's really beautiful - made of modern dicroic glass (developed by NASA). 

I had several attempts at photographing the slide in my hair, using mirrors . . .

 But finally managed to get this

I did decide to have a go at quilting the Light House Quilt.  Its been a very long time since I tried FMQ, so I had a practice, and was happy with it

And then had a go on the real thing - not so good :-(   This isn't brown bobbin thread pulling through, its fluff from the brown fleece I have backed it with.  I think I'm going to have to hand quit this one

Off to mum's for the night tonight, then back to teach advent calendars and marbling onto fabric tomorrow . . . and off to Jackie's for FOUR days on Saturday, 

YIPPEE!!!!

And I'll have hours and hours to wait at the airport so I'll catch up with reading other blogs!

Bits and Pieces

I embroidered a shawl for a Christening for a customer

I had a go at designing a rope embroidery for the borders on the lighthouse:

 not sure about these

And I finally stitched the remaining Jenny Bayer charms into a top.  The while pack was a gift just over a year ago

and the dark ones were used in this project

leaving the medium and light ones.

 I chopped up the last on my Kona white and had just enough for this

 

I'll get some more white for the outside and will eventually chop this up again to make a square dance / lil' twister top like this one

Finally, at the village fair yesterday there were a few vintage cars and other vehicles - including a Burrell traction engine. Having designed this one a while ago

I was thrilled to see this one in real life

Seaside and a Swap and a Soporific Subject

The Lighthouse quilt is progressing.  It may not look any different than in previous photos, but its now all attached rather than just laid in place

I used Katy's suggestion, and  stitched the applique down with a machine blanket stitch - it's all lovely and crisp.

I'm now thinking about borders and the possibility of getting this long arm quilted.  I can see in my mind how the rocks and the grass and the sea and the clouds should be quilted, but I know I don't have the skills.

Postie brought me a super squishie this morning - Sue had decided to make some too, and by swapping we all get more variety of fabric - thanks Sue, I'll get yours to the post office early next week

This weekend sees the 800th anniversary of the signing sealing of the Magna Carta - a charter agreed by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. (taken from Wiki). 

Legend has it that it was sealed on an island in the Thames, near Runnymede.  Since then the Thames has moved south west, towards Runnymede. . .

. . . and therefore the island must now be part of Wraysbury. . . so claim those in Wraysbury who are interested.  Runnymede has its own claim, and so does Old Windsor and a lot of other local villages.

They all seem to be ignoring the fact that the charter was good for the rich but not so good for us common folk, and the one sealed 800 years ago was so rubbish it was replaced a year later and in 1217 AND 1225 and 1297.  There are probably hundreds of event celebrating this anniversary - in Wraysbury we have had a flower show and are having tea parties, theme village fairs, concerts etc.  Runnymede has a big event which needs this enormous construction

There are flotillas on the Thames, a visit from the Queen, all sorts of riverside gardens being opened to the public, serving cream teas, and at least two fabric related creations.

The Magna Carta Quilters have created a huge collection measuring 30 foot by 7 foot.  I'm sure it is beautifully made, but I have to say I prefer our Wraysbury Wall hanging which is now hanging in St Andrew's Church.  I haven't seen it framed and up myself, but was sent this photo

Hope you have a good weekend!  Apart from the village fair I'm hoping to avoid anything that has the MC words associated with it!

Success and a Crafty Consequence

I'm delighted to report that the lighthouse embroidery went exactly as planned

It stitched well

Lined up perfectly with the horizon

And fits the top of the tower just so

Phew!

Yesterday I popped round to Lynn's with the bags for her sister Ann.

She had emailed me as to how much she owed me, but I took a deep breath and asked for a swap, or even a partial swap . . . Lynn works mostly with clay, and makes the most amazing things.  she had an Open Studio event a few years ago and I fell in love with (actually lusted after) a, um, *building* with a bright blue and a bright green glaze made from glass from a sherry bottle and a wine bottle!

She spent ages this afternoon telling me what she saw as faults in all sorts of creations (her 20+ inch lighthouses are fabulous) then offered me *the* building I remembered from two years ago

Plus a beautiful potted plant (just look at that one red and white flower!)

And tried to give me money as well!

I am so in love with this!!  Brian and Niki think it's wonderful too, and have decided it cant just go on the grass - it needs to be on the table where it can be seen.

Niki says "I'm not dissing your bags mum, but that really wasn't a fair swap, you'll have to make her loads more bags to make it a fair swap"  I think she's right!