Show & Tell (grab a coffee... it's long)

WARNING..... THIS POST IS PHOTO HEAVY!

Ok.... that statement exempts me from all responsibility if your computer happens to blow a gasket from excessive downloading.... do you think?

Here we go then.....

first off a fat quarter bundle of Lizzie by Anna Griffin.   I saw it on Simply Solids stand and was smitten.  It's so bright and cheerful.   I've talked about making some quilts for Project Linus for a while now and I reckon this fabric would be perfect to start with.

I didn't actually buy the Tilda book at the show.  I'd pre-ordered it on Amazon weeks ago and it just happened to be waiting for me when I got home.  It's gorgeous!    Actually it's still at a great price on Amazon so if you haven't bought your copy yet......<wink>

How about this for a show deal.....

Sign up for a years subscription to Patchwork & Quilting mag and get a free Pom Pom de Paris jelly roll!  Well... I 'd have been a fool to pass on that one wouldn't I.   Chris got in on this one too so we can compare Pom Pom quilts somewhere (way) down the line.

If you like owls.....

 

you can't help but fall for this cushion pattern I found at Daisy Chain Designs.   The lovely little bundle of fat quarters came from there too.   Sunflower Fabrics is where I found the Blueberry bundle of fat eighths.  You can always find really pretty bundles on their stand.

How long have I wanted this book...... ages!

I'm sure when I've ogled looked at it in the past it was only available in French.  Not any more.  This copy has instructions in both French and English.  Eureka!  A Japanese quilt book I can actually read.  Click here to go to Quilt Mania then click on the book cover to see some inside pages.  If you're a cat lover there's a crazy pussy wall hanging in there that's a real laugh.

The fat eighth bundles came from Patchwork Cabin.  I'm hoping I can use them in Guute's Antique Quilt if I can ever figure out the Dutch instructions.  I bought the pattern from Quilt it and Dotty a while back.  I will have to put my thinking cap on and get to grips with it soon.

As an aside.....   I was married to a man of Dutch decent once and I did make every effort to learn the language.  I can order a cheese sandwich and a coffee so I'll never starve in the Netherlands.  I did wander into a bakers shop in Aalsmeer once and tried to buy some sliced bread.  The shop assistants fell about laughing.   I was totally bewildered until my husbands aunt told me I'd asked for a circumscised loaf!!    Figure that one out.

Back to the show... and it wouldn't be a show without Kaffe!

There isn't anything I can say about this book that hasn't been said a million times on a million blogs.... so I'll just say it's gorgeous!    His fabrics are gorgeous too.   I've promised myself I'm going to be brave and select a pattern to try.  Might have to put on some sunglasses and take an extra tranquilizer first though.

Now a bit of something Irish.....

Check out The Fennel Shed who produce Irish Quilt and Craft Magazine.  I picked up these back issues at the show.   How great to find a perfect handbag sized magazine.   It's got enough lovely quilt patterns and yummy recipes to make it well worth the subscription price of £4 per issue.

What about those gorgeous strip rolls!   Found them on the Antique Angel stand.  I can't resist Japanese florals so I ended up throwing caution to the wind and buying two.    They are an investment in my future sanity.   Mac is still determined that the world as we know it will end in 2012 so I'm making sure I have plenty of fabric on hand to make quilts to keep us warm when central heating is a thing of the past.

Mac thought he'd foiled my cunning plan when he said there'd be no electricity either so no power for my sewing machine.  Ha!!   I can sew by hand.  With my feet.  And I'm sure I could do it with my teeth if I had too.  Armageddon...... bring it on!  

I did do my bit to save the planet by buying these.....

two gorgeous bundles of Worn and Washed fabrics.   Do you want to know what went through my mind when I first saw these.... you do.... thank goodness coz I'm going to tell you anyway. 

I could see myself plain as day sitting in an Adirondack chair on the deck of a perfect blue and white Cape Cod cottage.    I sat gazing dreamily out over the ocean snuggled in a cozy well worn quilt.  The cool sea breeze tried but couldn't  force me indoors as the sun began to set.  Life was perfect... just like in the movies.

Hummmm.... do you think that's a lot to ask of a bundle of recycled fabric.    Oh well... I can dream.

Time for another book......

I reckon buying this book was a smart move.   I'd been smitten by the kit for this sampler on Jane's stand and was procrastinating over if I'd ever get time to make it when I spotted the book.   Lo and behold I discovered the pattern for the sampler was featured in the book.   There were lots of other projects in there I liked too so putting the kit back and buying the book was a no brainer.   I'm still wondering if I'll ever have time to stitch any of the samplers but I live in hope.

Of course.... there has to be a bag pattern

this one is designed by Siposne Cseh Margit of  Foltvilag from Hungary.  The pattern is in English... thank goodness.   My language skills don't stretch to Hungarian I have enough trouble with my mother tongue.
If you'd seen the lovely samples and kits too you'd know why I bought the pattern.   It comes with a cd of step by step instructions too.   Nice touch

OK... you can breathe a sigh of relief now.... the last item is coming up.

Here it is.....

a pretty little kit for a notebook cover that caught my eye while I was waiting to pay for my purchases at the Antique Angel stand.

That's it..... I've ran out of things to show you.    It's way past my bedtime now so I'm going to love you and leave you.   I've been short on beauty sleep recently and it definately shows!

Take care..... till next time

Hugs
Josie X

Guess where I've been....

to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham that's where.   

And guess who got to take a class with the Fat Quarterly crew.  Well... two of them anyway.  Katy Jones on the left and Tacha Bruecher on the right did a really good job of entertaining teaching us all we ever wanted to know... and more... about paper piecing. 



You can  see a photo of our class on Katy's blog.    I'm the one trying to make two lattes levitate by the power of thought.   Sally should have been in the empty seat but she'd gone to buy a glue stick.  That girl does not use thread if she can help it.  Chris .... on the right of the empty chair... might actually be asleep.  She was exhausted poor thing.

I bet you'd be ready for a nap if you'd just spent two days desperate to see everything there was to be seen in here....

I'd have loved to show you lots more happy photos of the three of us (Chris...Sally and me) getting up to high jinks at the Festival but as we are all prone to ducking behind pillars or running for the nearest exit whenever there's a camera about... I'm afraid I can't.    Take it from me though.... lots of laughs were had.  Lots of lovely lattes were consumed. Each day of our trip was rounded off with good food and copious amounts of Vino Calapso.  And each night we went to sleep dreaming of quilts and the goodies we'd buy tomorrow.   That was after we'd taken the indigestion remedy and painkillers that is.... amazing how many body parts ache when you're the wrong side of 50! 

There was a grand total of 1179 quilts entered in the various competition categories.  It's a mammoth task get round them all.  Especially as there's also a couple of hundred traders tempting you with everything you could ever want... and more.  

 

Here's a photo of a special favourite of mine.....

 

 

   

the winner of the Traditional Quilts category  'Hearts Desire' made by Deborah Kemball.   

You won't believe it (alright you would) but I bought her book Beautiful Botanicals a while back.    If you love applique then you really should add it to your library ... you won't regret it.

I did take more photos of other quilts that caught my eye for one reason or another.  In fact I took way too many to include in a post without blowing the gubbins out of my computer.    Because I didn't want you to miss out.... I figured out how to add a Flickr Badge in my sidebar.    Wow... even I'm impressed with me!  So.. take a minute.. grab a cup of tea click on it and take a look.   There's bound to be something there to get your creative juices flowing. 

The trip was lovely and I wouldn't have missed it for the world... but it's still nice to be home.   Especially when I get to do this....

tramp about the garden in the pouring rain rounding up fugitive cows!.  Seems we do have greener grass on our side of the fence after all.

Now!  Right here.... right now... I promise to blog again tomorrow and show you all the goodies that came home with me. 

Till then....

Hugs

Josie X

 

It's raining again....

and I finally got to do some stitching!

I did manage to take procrastination to a whole new level though.  You wouldn't believe how long it too me to choose fabrics for my Boys Story boat block..... hours and hours and hours!

Some pieces are still just pinned up there while I continue to cogitate.

Right now I can't make a decision to save my life.   Maybe I got so hot tending the land last week  my brain liquefied and evaporated along with the sweat on my brow.   Or perhaps I've been infected by Zombie virus.  All I want to do is sleep or think about sleep.  Heck... I even dream about sleeping! 

I did manage a little bit of this.......

I'm back to trying backstitch 'by the book' again.   Hoping it'll help me loosen up my stitches.... seems my thread tugging gets a bit too aggressive when I stab!   

I'm a deviant!!   I have to own up to deviating from the original plan with these......

Yep.... I'm surrounding all my little hexie blooms with white so's each little flower can shine in it's own right!

That's my way of saying I've changed my mind about a 'scrappy' look for my Vignette Hexie Quilt and have decided to start it again with a more co-ordinated colour palette.   Lucky me.... I'll have too hexie quilts to keep me warm in my dotage.   Assuming I'm not still sewing them when I'm old and dotty!

Now then.... remember this

 Well this is how it looked yesterday when the neighbours called round unvited to inspect my handiwork

They showed a clean pair of heels when they spotted me.... wish the same could be said about other parts of their anatomy! 

Till next time..... happy stitching

Josie X