Saturday ...

... is Lone Star day.  Yippee.  It does make me realise how fast time flies though.  It seems only about a month ago that I had this mad idea about making a Lone Star quilt, then a few other people decided they would join me in this mad venture, so Lo and Behold, we have a Lone Star Quiltalong/Support Group.  My friend Jayne, over here, and I take turns to host this event every month, and this month it is Jayne's turn.  It's not too late to join us, we're all working at our own pace, with Jayne and Liz almost finished, while I am taking up the rear.  It's a great day to join us, I hear that Liz is also having a tea party!

Bloggers’ Quilt Festival

... I couldn't help it, I had to enter a quilt again this time in the Bloggers' Quilt Festival, organised by Amy over at Amy's Creative Side.  You can read all about the Festival here and this is where you will also find the links to all the other entries.  There are almost 500, so there's plenty of eye candy for you.
My entry is Wimbledon Squares, and I apologise to my regular visitors who have seen this quilt recently, as I have shown it on my blog before.  It is a large quilt, so it's not easy to get a good photograph, which is why I am showing several.  I tried hanging it outside, but it was a windy day, so that wasn't one of my brighter ideas, as you can see in these next two photos.

I bet you are now all agog to hear about why this quilt was called Wimbledon Squares, aren’t you?  No?  Well, I’ll tell you anyway.  I had a jelly roll which I had bought some time ago, just because I loved the colours of the fabrics.  Then last year, I was sitting watching the Wimbledon tennis matches, and playing on my computer at the same time, and I decided it was time to use that jelly roll.  This is the design that I came up with.  I finished the top, and loved it so much that I couldn’t wait to get it on the frame and quilt it.  Well, I had to wait!  Unfortunately, after getting it pinned on, and deciding how I wanted to quilt it, my robot decided it had had enough, and refused to start!  This was a disaster.  Mr Fixit poked and prodded with technical things like screwdrivers, test meters, etc, and pronounced it dead!  The board/chip/something-or-other had burnt out.  There then followed some discussion about what to do now, during which time the top was taken off the frame, the frame put away, the robot sworn at, and so on, before I ordered a new robot from the US.  I was actually quite excited about this as I had wanted this one for quite a while.  I had to wait several weeks for it to arrive, then Mr Fixit set it all up in about an hour.  Wimbledon Squares was put back on and off I went. 

There is just one final photo. This is how close I was to running out of fabric for the binding and I did not have more than a couple of inches of any of the jelly roll strips left either!

Thank you for visiting me and reading all my waffle, and thank you Amy for organising the Festival for us.

Cathedral Windows ...

... Yesterday I went to an all day workshop on a supposedly new way of doing cathedral window blocks all by machine. When I heard about it, I thought "aha!  I like the sound of that.  I love Cathedral Windows but they do take a long time to make. This sounds quick and easy." 

Well it was and it wasn't really.  I did learn several things.  One, I do NOT like using a machine to blind hem things, two, there is really nothing new in this world, as they are just folded geese, sewn together, and three, they make for some very bulky seams that poor Baby Brother struggled to sew over. This is what I achieved.  Maybe, if I'd done more sewing, and less chatting I'd have finished it?

Still, it was a fun day. spent with friends including Quilthaze, who has a photo of a very triumphant me, when I finished my first one!  There are also more photos on the Tuesday Quilters blog.  Of course, me, being me, left my camera at home!


As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, last night we went down the road for a little bit of a do.  The hostess is moving in about 10 days, and invited a few of us in for a drink before she went.  I've heard of a house-warming party, so was this a house-chilling I wonder?

Quote of the day ...

... comes from Chatterbox, during a conversation with Mrs Nomad:

Chatterbox:  It's that maths test today Mum.  The one where we can use calculators.
Mrs Nomad: Well,  isn't it good that you can use them?
Chatterbox: Not really.  I don't like using one cos sometimes it gives the wrong answer.

Normal service ...

... can be resumed now.

I spent almost a week down south with my son's family, and came home on Monday afternoon, then, because I am diabetic, I have to have an annual retinal eye check, which was yesterday.  The hospital put drops in my eyes, to enlarge my pupils so they can take photos of the retinas.  The drops also mean that I can't bear the light for a few hours, and nor can I focus on anything, so I spent most of yesterday sitting in my armchair, with the curtains closed, listening to the TV.  The good bit was that Mr Fixit cooked dinner.  My eyes are still a bit sore today, and the vision is not quite right yet, but I reckon that by tomorrow I'll be back to what passes for normal.

Christmas QAL today

Hello everyone.  I am sorry I am not really joining in today, but I am sure you're all having fun with our hostess, Sharon.




Yesterday Sharon posted a yummy looking recipe, which my DDIL and I were going to cook tonight, but we've actually decided to do it tomorrow evening instead.  Also, today Sharon has shown some wonderful photos of the drive up to her house, and a fascinating history of her home.  Did you know, she truly lives in Quilt Lane?

Sharon also has the 4th instalment of our our mystery quilt, so hurry on over to see her. Sharon has also promised us a tutorial for a small project we can make.

I have seen someone (who shall be nameless, but is also known as Ms Sand and Sunshine!) wondering if anyone knows yet what the finished quilt is going to look like.  Well yes, there is someone - ME!  You never know, perhaps I can be bribed? It's worth a try isn't it?

I think I left my brain ....

.... in the north, when I traveled south earlier in the week.  Tomorrow is the 2nd Saturday of the month, and we all know what that means, don't we?  Yes it's time for the next
Until Lesley from the Cuddle Quilter, gently reminded me yesterday, it had completely gone out of my mind.  I apologise to you all for not giving you a reminder earlier in the week.  
This month our lovely hostess is Sharon who is waiting over at her home, Vroomans Quilts to welcome us all.   I notice that she has posted a lovely recipe on her blog today for a recipe which could be cooked in a crock-pot for a few hours and would make a lovely evening meal.  I also know, that this very generous and talented lady has a tutorial to share with us for a special little project.
Now, I am in the south, as I said earlier, helping my DDIL with Little Person, while my DS is in Germany pretending to be a racing driver for a few days.  This means that I won't actually be sewing tomorrow, but I will still be calling in to see what you're all getting up to, so I'll see you there.

It worked!

... and just to prove it, here it is

The original pattern didn't have borders, but I thought I'd add one, so I decided to try a scalloped one.  This quilt is just so not me.  Bright colours? Curves? Scrappy?  Nope, not me at all, but you know what?  I love it!

Lone Star QAL - post 3

Well it's now almost 8pm for me. I've had dinner, and am now round at the Nomads' house babysitting Chatterbox and The Professor. Mind you, The Prof is a bit grumpy - he reckons that at almost 14 he doesn't need a baby sitter.

Anyway, I am really looking forward to getting on with my Lone Star quilt, now I know where I'm going with it. Perhaps I should have brought it all with me? Instead I have brought a quilt with me to sew down the binding, so I'll get on with that soon.

Ms Sand and Sunshine has decided to sew some of her quilt centre together today. It's going to look fabulous I think. I had to laugh when she said that she has something complicated planned for her borders. Whaat? Does she not think the star is complicated? Or the paper pieced Radiant Glow blocks she has made for her setting squares?

My co-host, Jayne, has turned up at last.  She's trying to say that she was busy helping out on a charity run this morning.  Hmm, what are you trying to do Jayne, put me on a guilt trip?  Now that she is all present and correct, she has some more gorgeous Lone Star quilt pictures for us to look at, so I think we'll excuse her lateness.

Don't forget, if you are working along with us, the Linky to sign in is on Post 1, here.

Lone Star QAL - post 2

Well, it's very quiet today, and I'm feeling a bit lonely.

Since there's no-one for me to talk to, I've been playing on EQ7, and I think I may have come up with the answer.  I can't work out how to draw my diagonal lines out into the borders, but imagine them reaching into the white borders.

Yessss!  This is it.  You know how you just know when something's right?  Now let's just hope I've got enough of all the fabrics!

What do you think?

Lone Star Quiltalong Day - post 1

Regular readers might think this photo looks familiar.

This is where I got to last month, and, I'm ashamed to say, this is where I am today.  In other words, I have done nothing to it in the last month.  That's because I am still trying to decide what to do with the setting squares and triangles.  I have allowed sanity to rule, and have discarded my not-very-bright idea of doing some applique on them.  I did think of adding rays like Ms Sand and Sunshine is, and you can see how stunning hers are here.  Then I thought of changing the design a bit and making it into a Broken Star quilt as Jayne is doing, here.  I even, briefly, thought of doing it as the pattern in the book shows,

Then I thought of adding some arcs, like this

I just don't know!!! All comments/suggestions will be gratefully received and considered.

Meanwhile, here is the Linky if you are joining us today:

Edited to add that Jayne has been showing pictures of some lovely Lone Star quilts on her blog, here, over the last couple of days, and has promised us some more today.

Oops ....

... it's nearly tomorrow and I almost forgot to tell you it's Lone Star Quiltalong day.

Some people are far better organised than I am, even though I am the host this month.  Over the last couple of days, Jayne has posted some photos of beautiful Lone Star quilts and is promising us some more. I also know that Ms Sand and Sunshine has been a busy little bee this month and is showing us pictures of some gorgeous blocks that she plans to include in her Lone Star quilt.  They are both managing to make me feel very guilty.

Will you be here tomorrow?  I hope so.  

3, 23, 11 ...

... or to put it another way, 37, 73, 51

 What do you think these numbers are?  

They are the temperatures in our back garden at midday on Sunday, Monday and today. 

 I know that the UK is liable to have changeable weather, but really ...