CQJP 2014

I'm afraid I'm still struggling with this. Whilst I liked the hexagon I made for January I stiil wasn't satisfied. I really want to make a simpler hanging with those fabrics, so that they look more like a stained glass window.

Soooo ... back to the drawing board :S

One of my main problems is that I always want to run before I can walk :(  I've decided to take a more sensible course of action, learn from the experts :)
Having gone back to my stash and chosen the fabrics I wanted to use including a remnant of Moda's Oasis (don't you love remnant baskets?) I then went to SharonB's blog and used a couple of the templates for piecing blocks that she very kindly shared with us.

This is where I hit a blank wall. I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do ... but no idea how to exectute it :(

Then suddenly Mary Ann provided the solution! Kathy at Shawkl is offering a free beginners class in Crazy Quilting..... YAY!

The sign up for this closes on the 6th March so if you want to join I'm afraid you'll have to hurry.

This does mean that I'm behind on my CQJP2014 ... but I haven't given up, I may just have to submit two blocks in March! (looks guiltily at Kathy).

IHSW February

Finally as promised I have a picture of the cross stitch project I am doing, as you can see, I have a long way to go yet!

I'm So Excited !

I'm so excited! It's my birthday .... and guess what ....Mary Ann's blog give away arrived! I chose this Embellishing with anything . It's a lovely book and so inspirational, thank you so much Mary Ann :)

Also my  lovely son (don't tell him I said that lol) gave me a Kindle Fire so that I can keep up with everything whilst I am in my sewing room and I am actually using it to post this!
If this weren't enough .... Mr PL gave me a new camera so I could take pictures of my work to share with you.

I always know I'm blessed to have such people in my life, but there are some days when the knowing is overwhelming.

IHSW

Hi All,

Every third weekend of the month Joysze over at http://joysze.blogspot.co.uk/ organises this https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=948974279935405861#editor/target=post;postID=7878110030600306536.  The rules are, to say the least, extremely flexible :) I've signed up for this month and hope to do so regularly. I've fished out this       




Well ... obviously this isn't actually mine lol ... but I should be able to take a picture of mine tomorrow :)
I'd like to call mine a WIP but in all honesty I have to say it's an UFO as I've had it a couple of years :S
I'm hoping by dedicating one weekend a month to it I will have made significant progress by the end of the year.
The kit is part of the Dimensions Gold Collection and is designed by Lesley Ann Ivory. I love the Arts and Crafts influence of this one but she does alot of different cat designs, all lovely. You can find many of them here
http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=160_350&sort=20a&page=1

If you like Cross stitched cats you'll drool over these :)

Watch this space for progress!

February Update

Hi Everyone,

Sorry not to have updated my blog for so long. I have been blog hopping and leaving comments, just didn't feel up to doing my own blog. I had what I thought was the winter blues where all I wanted to do was sleep,Mr PL insisted I went to the doctor (I'm not very good at doing this) , turns out it wasn't so much the blues as a virus :S Anyway I slept most of the weekend and now feel much better. 

Anyway, firstly, Hi to those who have joined my site recently, nice to meet you :) Thank you also for all the nice comments you've all left :)

Also a big thank you to Mary Ann over at http://mytategallery.blogspot.co.uk/I won her my blog giveaway. ! I'm looking forward to trying out some of the things in the book. More to come on that at a later date I hope :)

I've not been entirely uncrafty although I didn't feel up to embroidering. I worked out a pattern for a tea cosy, I just need to decorate it now :)

On the minus side, I broke one of my dinner service bowls :( I have the Johnson Bros. Eternal Beau collection. Yes I know it's a bit .... twee .... but I've loved it since it came out in the 80s but couldn't afford it then). I mentioned this in passing to Mr PL and he found that there's lots of it on ebay now, so he got me the set! I've always loved what the Scots call 'High Tea' where you have sandwiches and cakes with a pot of tea. Being half English I add in scones, jam and clotted cream. :D I love laying out all the china and making it all pretty :)

So that's been me for the past few weeks, I'm so glad I joined theGrow Your Own Blog at http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.co.uk/ it's allowed me to meet so many nice new people, thank you so much Vicki for organising it :)

CQJP 2014 January Block

Well I managed to get my January block finished and in to Kathy on the 31st January ! Talk about skin of my teeth :)
Here's a picture of the finished block apologies for the picture quality but it's difficult taking them due to the lack of light these days.

 

On the whole I'm quite pleased with this, it doesn't show up very well but the herringbone stitching on the seams is in gold, and the light blue and straw colour on the flower have Kenicks gold filament added. All those together with the blue beads really catch the light.

One down ... 11 to go!

I meant to add, please go to the CQJP 2014 blog ( link at the side), there are so many wonderful blocks there.

Grow Your Own Blog

Hi Everybody!
Firstly, a big thank you to Vicki over at http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.co.uk/ for arranging this get together, and her 'elves' for helping with the admin :)
I'd also like to thank all of you who visited my site and left such lovely comments :) (Oh no ... this is beginning to sound like an Oscar speech! any minute now I'll start crying lol) Seriously though I really mean these thank yous.
I'd like to say 'Welcome@ to my new followers, pleased to meet you and I hope you find things here to interest you in the future:)
 So 'Hello' to

Renee at http://monkeyandmutt.blogspot.co.uk/ (who was here before but was also part of GYOB)
Gilli over at http://tastytextiles.blogspot.co.uk/
Joluise at http://jo-stophaveachat.blogspot.co.uk/
Donna at http://dirtymartiniqueensmusings.blogspot.co.uk/
Christina at http://pennywiseblog.blogspot.co.uk/
Marther at http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
Ronda at http://mountaindelights.blogspot.co.uk/
EvalinaMarie at http://evalinamaria.blogspot.co.uk/
Susan I'm sorry I can't find a link for you :(
Buttongal Sorry your link doesn't seem to work :(
Cathy at http://cathyscrazybydesign.blogspot.co.uk/ ( who was here before but I thiught I'd say hi anyway :)

Finally a big 'Hello' to
Margaret at http://margaret-margiestitcher.blogspot.co.uk/
and
Mary Ann at http://mytategallery.blogspot.co.uk/
Both have been with me since the beginning .. thank you *hugs*

I've also been working my way through the list of blogs on Vicki's site, my goodness ... so many talanted people! It's taking me quite awhile because I find I have to keep stopping to read all the interesting things :)

I apologise for the delay in posting but I've been rushing to finish my January CQJP 2014 block.

Lesley xxx