Lost the plot, made a list, lost that too.

I really need to tidy up but having made a start (and more of a mess) then I find things I like the look of and get distracted and start working on something else.

Ahhhh STOP.

Make a list, prioritise, get a grip, breathe, loose my list and give up.

Not called quilting in chaos for no good reason.

I could show the blocks I made from my jelly roll but I pressed them when I did the ironing early Sunday morning and now they have vanished, they will turn up eventually with ... Have just had an idea ..... no not there. Oh well they will turn up eventually.

So what do you do when you are feeling swamped... pick blackberries in the rain. No? Well that is what I did this morning, now I have to decide what to do with them but first I have to clear up in the kitchen.

I need another project like I need a hole in the head but....

This fabric is scrummy

and it was talking to me and demanding my attention. I normally have a really hard time using yellow but no such problem here. It is too cute.

I have just had another delivery of swap blocks, thank you Carole nice to see you if only briefly. I really should be sighning mine but cute fabric is shouting louder.

Liz

Block swap

I have been very busy sewing but not much patchwork, I have made several dresses to take away on holiday but I have made all my blocks for Rocheberie block swap they are not yet signed but here are a couple of possible arrangements I was playing with this morning. This is the most odvious one. It would make a nice wall hanging at 24 x 30 inches or a bit bigger with borders.Or how about making a frame for something else? This is my favourite arrangement of blocks but it will depend on how blocks are signed as to whether this will work or not and how I expect it to be viewed, it may not be a wall hanging at this arrangement. It now measures 36 inches square.Or how about this as a frame, it is square so could take a mariners compass in the center and have lots of borders added.

I will have to wait to see them all before making a decision.

Gaynor wins the prize for getting her blocks to me first and June the first in the post so thank you both. Please remember if you are posting to remove the word "Lower" from my address that you were given I hope I phoned or left messages for you all.

Have a good summer

Liz

Thank you Nic and Lynda your blocks are added to the box. 5 in 16 to go.

Thank you Jacqiue andPauline your blocks were waiting for me when I got back from holiday.

But I still can't decide how to sign mine.

Kathleen Laural Sage

Lutterworth Piecemakers had a visit from Kathleen Laural Sage this month, which was interesting because I had bought a copy of Stitch magazine which I do not normally do, because there had been a project by her. I met her at a show many years ago and loved her work, bought a kit, had a go but my machine hated it (feelings were mutual and I have a better machine now) I did not sew for quite some time.
I have tried and failed to find that piece of work but found some organza and had bought some more, so had plenty to play with.

Kathleen makes a sandwich of soluble stabilizer, organza snippets layered, a top layer of organza and a layer of soluble stabilizer with the design drawn onto.

I found the soluble stabilizer behaves like cling film and wants to stick to the machine bed and the free motion foot. I found this frustrating and pinned an additional layer of organza underneath and found everything moved more easily.

Next time I will also try to put the stabilizer with the design on underneath the top layer of organza and leave out the other bottom layer of stabilizer then the clinging stabilizer will be encased.

On Saturday evening I attended the memorial concert for my Dad which was organised by my Uncle Edward. I was not looking forward to this event as I suspected it would be very emotional and it was, but it was a great night full of fabulous music he would have loved and to a church packed full of people, many of them his friends. A very generous audience gave over £1200 in his memory to be divided between 3 ccancer charities.

On the night I asked if I could say a few words to tell people about the 'boob' project. I stood up infront of a full house including all my family and the Minister and said

"Can I show you my boobs?
"I don't suppose that has been said in Church before"

After that I really don't know what I said I was terrified but I think I said about the blog I came across and getting in touch with Nina Lise, that I was making a boob for the people I loved and what was special about each boob and inviting other people to do the same. I had a couple of people enquire about them which is what it is all about.
Thank you to everyone who took part and to those who attended and gave so generously. There have been several suggestions that this should become an annual event so watch this space.

Till next time

Liz

Do you want to see my boobs? I have 5 so far!

What were you expecting?
Did you miss this post? http://makeaboob.blogspot.com/
Nina Lise in Norway is making a collection of textile pieces the size of a CD she is hoping to collect 1000 for an exhibition to raise awareness of breast cancer. I thought at the very least I should make one for everyone I have loved whose life has been touched by this cancer.
So far I have made 5 boobs.
The one in the center is for my Dad, it is made from his shirt fabric and is folded fabric, sort of origami, which he enjoyed. Dad was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 so if a man you are close to has any changes in the nipple area please get him to the doctor. At that time 300 men a year were being diagnosed. Intersting fact is that a man has the same number of cells in that area just not the hormones to make them grow. Well I thought it was interesting.
The funky one with bra fabric is for my cousin who was daignosed in her early 20's, she went to the doctor with a lump and was told not to be silly, girls of her age don't get breast cancer and was sent away without being examined. Today she is fit and well and although I see her rarely I think of her with great affection.
The paisly one above is for her Mother, my Dads cousin and my Godmother. She was diagnosed at about the same time as my Dad but her treatment was not a long term success and she too is loved and missed.
The pink silk one is for the wife of a friend who passed away earlier this year, she was a well known potter and artist so I hope she would have liked the texture.
The brown silk one was the one I made first but now I don't like it as much as I did and the women remaining I wish to honour deserve something I am happy with and is my best work.
I will be posting these and more to Nina Lise before the end of July I think, so if you would like to add to my collection I would be happy to post together or her address can be found on her blog.
till next time
Liz

A catch up on last week

Here is the photo I took of the Union Jack quilt that I took to the park on National Quilting Day You can see the band stand in the distance and my bike propped up on the bench. I had a lovely time sewing in threads in the sunshine and I will do it again next year.

Here it is a bit closer up but perspective or camera angle or something makes it look a bit shorter and fatter somehow, I don't understand. I quilted vermichelli in the blue and red areas and left the white without quilting. I would probably do straight line quilting down the stripes if I could load it again. It will go on a table at the back of church for concert thet my uncle is organising next weekend and then my son can have it.

If anyone is in Rugby on 18th June and would like to support local cancer charities the Geoff Old memorial concert is at St Andrews Church at 7.30

On Tuesday I drove to the other side of Basingstoke to meet up with other longarm quilters. I had a lovely day and came home with some new tools to play with. A longer stitch in the ditch ruler, a couple of clamshell rulers and some sashiko rulers, I have a quilt on the frame at the moment and several more to do but I am looking forward to having time to play with these.

On Thursday I met up with some friends at the Bramble Patch for their exhibition. We enjoyed looking at the quilts very much.

The first quilt I saw I said"Ooh that is striking I like that."

"Good."said Mo "Thats mine." well Mo, you got my vote.

We enjoyed the coffee, scone with cream and jam, lots of chatting and laughing and the sandwich bag competition. There were lots of entries, hand bag style ones, foodie ones and a clever one made from food wrappers. I wish I had taken my camera out of my bag and taken a photo but I forgot. They spent ages trying to guess which one was mine and I am rubbish at lying, I would be totally pants at poker.

Then Mo came back to Rugby to play with my Millie I think she was quite smitten and would like one if she had the room but as I reminded her, her son cooks her tea for her sometimes but the millie sadly won't.

Ladies, I had a really nice day, thank you for your company.

Till next time

Liz

DON'T GO THERE....

unless you have made a cup of coffee and have plenty of time to kill
http://www.quiltershomemag.com/content_downloads/WEBposse.pdf
You have been warned!

I found this link on the website of Leah Day and was pleased at how many I already followed but perhaps even more pleased to find new sites to explore.

I shall be visiting the Bramble Patch exhibition with Jane, Rebecca and meeting Mo there today so I have another quilty day this week.
Back later
Liz