Monday 30 March 2009

Next Question

Here's Liquorice Lane as far as it's got. Not a very good photo I'm afraid as the light was not good.
I've now reached an impasse. I'm not too sure what to do with the border. I was thinking more sweet names (Allsorts, Fruit Gums, Smarties, etc) and The Old One thinks it should be quilted in black. What do you think?
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Saturday 21 March 2009

A Start

I've made a start on the family quilt. Not too keen on that house. I must have been half asleep when I made it. I forgot to sew on the background strips on either side before putting the roof on so the roof doesn't overlap, and also "forgot" to put the roof fabric on the background fabric before cutting it out so had to wing it! Not too sure about that top R either. Quite like the slanted words though - unusual. Things always look different in the cold light of day don't they. I might not show this again until I've done the centre as I'm busy hand qulting Liquorice Lane and I think we are nearing the finishing line! Have a great weekend and if you are in Western Europe isn't this weekend the clocks go forward?

Thursday 19 March 2009

What's in a Name?

I was supposed to be making my name for Tonya, but decided that I liked it too much. I might do her another one or just send her some letters and orphan blocks if she still wants them. I suddenly realised that I have never done a family quilt for us! Did one for my Mum here and one for my Aunt's 80th birthday here. Never one for us. So I'm going to start one. I love Lynne's alphabet sampler and her Semonile patchwork bands. I've got a thing about white backgrounds at the moment. Perhaps it's because Spring has arrived with a bang! Ohhhh - hot news. I won a prize last week. More on that soon when it arrives. Is it me, or is everything in the right hand column all squashed up? Wondering if I should change the template again, or leave it? Perhaps go back to Minima White? Off into the sunshine I go - skippity skippity hop hop hop!

Friday 13 March 2009

Printemps peut-être?

Remember this from last year?
Violets
Timid Mademoiselle Violet
I've been looking back through the archives in the Wordpress blog and found this entry. It was 22 February and the sun was out. On 21 March I was bemoaning the fact that it was grey, miserable and HORRID! The violets have been out for about a week, which goes to show that either we are about 2 weeks behind schedule, or on time! The forecast for the next 5 days is sun sun sun. Who mentioned paint brushes?

Thursday 12 March 2009

Chaos

Bored stiff and couldn't work outside as the weather was c**p, I decided to tackle a task that has been staring me in the face for the last ten years (I don't hang about!!!!!!!!!). Yup! I'm finally repainting the kitchen!
Out came the sugar soap bought especially for this 8 years ago. Out came the lovely Dulux White Vinyl Silk Emulsion imported from the UK at the same time for the same purpose and we're off! As I type I've done all the walls, apart from the back wall you can see in the photo - the one where the paper was pulled off by my friend Joy some years ago now. I'm tackling that wall this afternoon. Being the lazy person that I am, I decided not to strip the horrific Laura Ashley Sweet Pea wallpaper (I ask you! Who on earth would put THAT in a kitchen!), but instead washed off 10 years of cooking fat and grime with the sugar soap solution, rinsed and painted. 2 coats later the sweet peas are barely visible. Why, do you ask, am I using English paint and not French? Have you seen the price of French paint? Horrendous! A 5 litre tub of watery paint costs about 25 Euro, if not more. It is like painting with white water. Ok it is supposed to dry well and look good, but in this day and age we have to use what we've got (that's a quilter's mind for you!) and I think I'd prefer to try to get paint on the walls and not on me, the floor and everything else. Even more chaos!
Sorting out the scrap bins into colour and type of fabric - polka dots, plaids, solids, etc. Plastic bags everywhere and trying my hardest NOT to start piecing crumbs. Oh so difficult, but the paint brush is more important at the moment. We had a whoops! Apparently the photos weren't showing up (Picasa's fault not mine). Hope they are now.

Monday 2 March 2009

Fooling about with Blackcurrant Fool

You must be getting fed up with this (and I promise this is the last post on this subject until I have quilted it). Doesn't this look better?
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