Another finish .................

.................. but not all my work

 

I have a dear friend who also quilts - we met around 10 years ago as she was Louise's class teacher.  Somehow one day Louise let slip that I quilted.  She was a total beginner at that time and shyly approached me one day to ask for help when she was stuck.  Our friendship grew from there and her two young boys both have one of my quilts which I gave them when they were born.

 

She has had several health issues and with two young children and a part time teaching job has plenty on her hands which leaves little time for quilting.

 

Earlier in the summer she told me about a project she'd been working on for some time.  Her sister in law had asked for a quilt and had selected the fabric.  Leigh had made up all the blocks and assembled them into a quilt top - the fabric choices weren't hers and she found working with someone else's choice quite a challenge at times.  In sheer desperation of ever getting the project finished she tentatively asked me if I could possibly machine quilt it for her.

 

I happily agreed and we met up at the seaside for the afternoon half way between our homes so she could hand it over.

 

This is the end result

 

I have to say the fabric selection wouldn't have been my choice either and it felt very odd working on someone else's project. 

 

 
However complete it I did with a large all over meander in a lovely old gold coloured rayon thread which really shines.  I then carried blithely on and using the only piece of spare fabric large enough for the job I went right ahead and bound it too.  It was only after I'd completed the binding I did wonder if I'd been a bit presumptuous doing that part as she might have wanted to do the binding herself.  But thankfully she was just jolly glad to get it back completed to be able to give it to her sister in law albeit probably a couple of years too late for the intended special birthday.  Everyone happy all round.

Unlike a lot of you who quilt commercially, I don't usually quilt other people's work.  Does anyone else find it difficult to work on something in fabric they either wouldn't have chosen or they're not fond of I wonder?

Other than this I've been doing a lot of hand stitching hexagons - I know I've shown you this before but it is getting larger by the day.  I think I've got it about to the width I'd like so once I've finished the right hand row down I shall square if off to match the other side and then work on getting it to the desired length.

 

I've so enjoyed working on these tiny (1inch point to point) hexagons in this lovely Liberty Tana Lawn that I will be sad to complete this.  It is well travelled having accompanied me on at least two holidays to the Netherlands for starters.  I still have lots of the different florals left so I'm planning it's sister quilt to follow on but have bought yardage of plain lawn to act as contrast on my next project in black.  Now to look out a different layout but I'm being very strong and not letting myself get side tracked by that until this one is done and finished so it will be a wee while before that black fabric comes out of the package.

It's been a busy old summer......................................

and I can't believe how long it is since I posted

 

A bit of stitching going on in and amongst work and family things

 

 

a baby quilt for some friends and their new daughter is an old one I finished up for her

Then my cousin had her little girl Poppy -  she received two quilts, why give one when you can give two

 

a big one which will eventually sit on a single bed if she wants

 

and a smaller one which she's already using as a floor mat

 

Other than stitching we've had a busy summer.......

 

 

My parents celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary and as Dad's condition means he probably won't realise what's happening if he lives to their 60th we decided to get some family together and take them on a trip on a horse drawn barge along a local canal.  This is my sister and I enjoying a good old laugh about something

 

 

And the very same weekend, told you it was busy,  Louise had her school prom - here she is with Harry her prom date

 

All three kids have made us very proud, even more so than usual, this summer.  Nick received his AS results and gained an A in Economics and a B in Law - considering how ill he was at the start of the year these are nothing short of miraculous.  We're not counting our chickens but he does seem much more stable now and the health professionals are delighted with his progress, long may it continue. 

 

Louise received her GCSE results only this week and gained 3 As, 5 Bs a C and an E.  Considering the knock on effect of everything with Nick she has coped so well and these are a real credit to her - one of the As was in Art so all that late night stitching was obviously worth it.  September will see her joining her brother at the local sixth form college to study A levels in English Literature, Government and Politics, Law and Geography.

 

Sarah completed her university course and attained a First Class Honours degree in Physiotherapy.  We heard at the end of last week that, in an incredibly competitive job market she has taken up the offer of a permanent job as a Band 5 Physiotherapist at Basildon and Thurrock NHS Trust in Essex not too far from where she studied at uni.  This was the first and only interview she attended.

 

Nigel has been on his travels again with work and spent a fortnight in the Far East visiting Tokyo and Shanghai

 

And he and I took the two younger ones on holiday to the Netherlands - here we are standing on the spot where the Dutch, Belgian and German borders meet

Finally last weekend Sarah and I met up for the weekend in London where she treated me to tickets to see Top Hat at the Aldwych Theatre as a belated birthday present - the show was superb and we had such a lovely weekend together, just the two of us.  Here she is at the Rainforest Café where we enjoyed Sunday lunch - all the other babies were under the age of ten and considerably younger than mine who turned 21 in July but I know we had just as much fun as the little ones

And now it must be............

..................... time for some borders

This is the jewel box centre of my wall quilt hot off the press or should that read sewing machine

The whole thing measures 18.5" square unfinished

I'm thinking a half inch skinny border in turquoise and then an outer thicker cream border say about 2.5 to 3" wide just ripe for some toning applique

But it will have some competition this weekend

The 6Nations Rugby Internationals start tomorrow so I may be a 

little distracted ..............

Surely it must be .........

.................... almost time for bed now

It's about 11pm on a Thursday night here in Taunton, I returned home from my Choir practice about an hour ago.  Nigel is away overnight for work and the two youngest have been left to fend for themselves.  Unbeknown to me Louise's GCSE Art project needs to be handed in tomorrow

Most worrying is that as I walked in the door she is still sitting free machine embroidering at the sewing machine

These are samples she needs to complete and then I think embellish with beads and couching before they go into the project book to be handed in tomorrow morning

This is the final piece - a tree design based on a trunk drawn around her hand - I'm guessing this also needs to be handed in tomorrow morning - who knows if it is actually complete or needs further work

This is the 'Last Minute Lulu' with her 'practice Prom Hair Up-do' (just a mess about at home the other evening - we haven't ventured into the hairdressers to open discussions quite yet) ........

from the front........

and from the back.............

At this rate she may still be working to complete this art project by the time of her prom in July!!!!

In the words of Monty Python ...............

......................... And now for something completely different

My brother is nine years younger than me and hence his two children are much younger than mine 

When they called in to see my parents over the Christmas period we had a little time to catch up with my nephew Spencer who is almost six and my niece Darcy who will be three soon

Although Spencer has been the recipient of a couple of my quilts - his Christening quilt 'Spencer's Stars' and his I-Spy quilt - I realised I'd never got round to making Darcy one of her own

She takes after me for her striking red hair but this doesn't stop her loving, and I mean LOVING, to almost exclusivity, the colour PINK.  When she started pre-school last autumn her mother's biggest worry was how to persuade her to wear the lovely smart uniform which is grey and bright blue - I'm just glad I didn't have the task, I thought my three were strong-willed but she beats them all combined hands down - Mum eventually managed but we do have to have PINK hair accessories each day just to make a point

So the obvious choice for a quilt for Darcy just had to be PINK!!!

I was in the mood for something quick and easy - always a girl who loves instant gratification

So big blocks were the order of the day 

I had picked up some 'Cath Kidstonesque' type fabric from IKEA when passing a little while ago - the roses are large enough to hold their own in an 8" centre square.  The toning fabric I bought with it in pink with red dots was just the ticket for the outer churn dash design against a white background and with 16" blocks you only need a few to make something quickly of a decent size.  I then fussy cut some roses for the cornerstones and white sashing, the same as I used in the blocks, gives them the floating impression

Now all I need to finish the top is an outer white border and we're away

Just the job for a little girl who LOVES PINK!!!

It's been a little bit...............

........................ wintry around here

Last Friday we had the snow the Met Office warned us about.

My boss rang me early to tell me he'd decided to close the school for the day as although the children, who virtually all live within easy walking distance of the school, could get there relatively easily, he was concerned for the staff who drive in from further away.

Nick's college lessons were cancelled so he went off sledging with his friends

But Louise's school was open - much to her disappointment and my dismay as it meant I had to get the car out onto the slithery roads to get her there

Our usual morning routine means I drive her part of the way across town to a certain point.  From there she can walk safely and comfortably to school in plenty of time for registration at 8.40 but I can also make my way back across town to my own school in time for an  8.30 start.  This means taking a journey through the rat runs and back streets.  Because the streets were pretty snow-ridden I took her along the main roads right to the school door as that gave me a safe area to turn and retrace my steps

I then enjoyed a quiet day at home stitching in the warm

Yesterday evening the Met Office had promised us sleet

By the time I was collecting Nick from college at 4.30 the sleet had had an identity crisis and was coming down as very wet snow which was settling rapidly

An evening of hand stitching on the sofa whilst occasionally glancing out of the window and we had a good 2 to 3 inches of wet snow which hadn't changed by the time the alarm went off this morning

Louise had a History GCSE exam this morning so had to go into school for that even if the rest of the school had been closed

My Headteacher then phoned me to tell me he had managed to get to school and he was going to try and open which meant I had to try and get there somehow

Although the snow was wetter than Friday's offering the roads were pretty treacherous and I also had great reservations about parking my car in the cul-de-sac which houses my school in case someone else slid into it while dropping their little darlings at school

So Nigel volunteered to drop Louise off at school in plenty of time for her exam and then offload me at the end of the little road that leads to our school before heading off to his office about 20 miles away

All in all it meant I got to school on time without having any scary driving moments

We gave all our parents the opportunity to decide whether to bring their children to school or not and we had about two thirds of them in - some parents made a huge effort bringing them in from a distance others who lived on the same street decided to keep them at home to play in the snow - interesting!

Our new Head is a lovely guy with a great understanding of kids and putting the fun into education - he gave the teachers carte blanche to take all their charges out into the snow as and when they saw fit.  As a result we had a wonderful crop of snowmen on the school field and lots of squealy happy little people.  Then to make the day extra special he nipped up to the local shop and bought enough hot chocolate powder for them to all have a warming cheery cup when they came back inside to dry out and warm up.  Inspired!  I think those kids who had been kept at home missed out somehow

Although everything feels much lighter here with the reflection of the snow I do think the monochrome surroundings give off a very strange light.  A little bit of cheer from my first daffodil purchase of the year goes a long way to brightening up the snowy view through the window

I haven't done much machine stitching this week so far but I did resurrect a handwork project - Liberty Tana Lawn Hexagons (scroll down a little on he link to find what these diamonds will join onto) - slow and steady gets you there eventually

I'm afraid I have.........

.............. the attention span of a butterfly

Over the years I have made many quilts for so many different people but I have very few in my house

In my living room I have a section of bare wall in the corner

I also have a surplus curtain pole from when we lived in France which is way too short for any of the windows in this house

So I've decided to get my lovely husband to position the pole on the wall in this corner 

I will then make a wall quilt to hang there so I can enjoy one of my own quilts in the living room - something about 36 - 40 inches wide should do the trick

Who knows I might take a leaf from Jeanne's book and eventually have a succession of different quilts to swap around when I get bored

The space is limited so, if I want to make something with repeating blocks, whatever I make to put up there will have to be on a small block scale

Therefore as my attention was drifting from the brown and sand number inspired by Kate I pulled out some creams to go with the sand and started off making some 4 patches in sand and cream - these finish at 1.5" square so the little sections are three quarters of an inch across - quite tiny for me and definitely testing my precision piecing - I find it easier to make two strips and stitch them together first, then I cut them to size once pressed - told you my piecing isn't that accurate - once I'd built up the first quantity of them I use this as my leader/ender a la Bonnie in between stitching everything else together to build up the blocks

I have long been a fan of the Jewel Box pattern - I'm pretty sure it was Nancy who bewitched me with some of hers originally

So to join those dinky little 4 patches I've been making some turquoise and cream HSTs measuring 1.5" across

I've tried to make it scrappy but within a limited colour palette

 











Here are the first four blocks joined together - it never fails to delight me when the triangles come together to make the diamond, the four different fabrics always give it a three dimensional feel - this little ensemble measures 12.5" square so you can see the scale I'm working on - but as the finished article isn't that large then I hope to complete it before I get bored with it and it's just the project to keep me busy whilst ignoring this horrid wintry weather

It's okay................

................ I'm not that speedy























This isn't another finish for 2013

It's one of last year's baby quilts from the two I made for colleagues

You know how it is when you're in a hurry

Up against a deadline, you put in that final stitch late at night and heave a sigh of relief

Then whip some wrapping paper round it and the job's done......

........ but without taking a photo first

Thankfully my colleague Lucy agreed to take a photo and send it to me

So I have evidence of the finished article to show to you - the design is taken from another of Kate's quilts - she always comes up with lovely ideas - this one was fun and quick to sew

Still stitching the brown and sand blocks but have also started another project in colours to match the table runner - lots of little 4 patches and HSTs to show you next time

So here's the first.........

.................... finish of 2013

I've often admired other peoples work when they've combined patchwork cottons and linen

So when I found a pair of  charity shop beige linen trousers I thought I'd have a bit of a play

My 'new to me' ebay bought coffee table was crying out for a new table runner

I'd seen a lovely quilt somewhere on the net using rectangles along the border and I thought the design would look just great in turquoises against the beige linen

 

Once I'd pieced the top I thought I'd really like to do some of the modern trendy parallel line quilting I keep seeing on a lot of these linen/cotton pieces.

But then I chickened out and went for allover swirls instead with a turquoise border to finish the job 

A perfect opportunity to bring out the two pieces of 'Leeds Ware' pierced cream pottery I picked up in a charity shop in Leek, Staffordshire last summer on holiday

And here we are the finished object in situ

Mind you I can't say I really enjoyed stitching the linen - it might be a while before I bother with that again

So onto another new project for 2013 - a little brown and sand take on something Kate's been working on lately

Watch this space .............................

Oh dear...........

............. sob sob!!!

I was just merrily stitching away attaching a binding to a new table runner for the coffee table in my lounge when my machine seized.

Further investigations from me and my wonderfully mechanically minded husband came to a sorry conclusion....

..... my walking foot is dead

In the words of Monty Python in the Parrot sketch (pardon any inaccuracies):

Dead

Deceased

No More

Extinct

Pining for the Fjords

Gone to meet its Maker!

Fortunately I was just about at the end of the binding in question and managed to complete it with the standard foot

Unfortunately the aforementioned Walking Foot, which cost me £49 about 15 to 20 years ago will now cost me between £95 and £100 to replace

I thought the original cost a King's Ransom - but this is another level altogether

On further investigation on the wonderful world wide web it would appear that non-Bernina equivalents are available at a fraction of the cost

The one I would need is an Alphasew P60443 to fit my Bernina 1090 and 1005

Do any of you have any experience of one of these and could give me an honest appraisal of it before I jump in with both feet and commit serious money to a replacement

All help in this matter would be very gratefully received

Now I'm off back into my corner to have a quiet cry ..............................

Farewell 2012 - here's to 2013...........

............ being a gentler, kinder year in the Bebbington household please.

I'm not going to bore you with details but the festive period and the lead up to it have been very tricky for the family with Nick's health taking a big hit and our capacity for coping with everything somewhat depleted.  But we have had wonderful support from the professionals and we are now looking forward and hoping for a positive, gentle 2013

On the sewing front I have recently completed three baby quilts for work colleagues and failed miserably to take a completed picture of any of them - never mind, two little girls have arrived safe and sound to make use of their pink themed quilts and a little boy is due to use his blue one in February 

Otherwise I also managed to complete the quilt I gave you a sneak peek of in my last long-ago posting

And here it is in use - the first big quilt I've completed for some time and I'd forgotten just what a challenge manoeuvring a 90" square for quilting on my Bernina is - but it was done in time for the recipient's 21st birthday on Boxing Day (26th December for non-Brits) and she loves it - so that means mission accomplished - all in plaids and neutrals with the centre machine pieced and the border hand appliqued

I now have a PINK!!! single bed quilt on the go for my 3yo niece who is yet to receive one of my creations -  a simple pattern using big blocks means it's going together quickly and should be ready to sandwich before I return to work for the Spring term next week - it is PINK!!! enough to satisfy her obsession with the colour but grown up enough to outlive her pre-school years and last to at least her teens

Just leaves me to wish all of you a very Happy New Year - may your days be filled with lots of stitching and your rotary cutter never go blunt 

As the summer draws to a close..........

..........and the Autumn term began this morning, I'm looking back at the products of my summer break from work  -  I've had a horrid bout of shingles on believe it or not my right foot and having that diagnosed explains why I've felt so very ropy over the summer, the post-herpetic nerve pain in that foot is still giving me some trouble - however I have managed a bit of stitching over the holidays.

Louise's friend Lucy had a birthday and so for her present we did a transformation job on one of those canvas bags they give away at trade fairs.  Lucy loves red,white and blue so a quick trawl through my stash came up with lots of plaids to contrast with a length of pretty cotton lace. 

They say fair exchange is no robbery - I stitched and Louise made me lunch - poached eggs on toast - I've never been able to cook up a decent poached egg -  but obviously she has developed the knack.

 We appear to have a bit of a bulge in the birth rate in the staff at school at present.  I always love the excuse to make a baby quilt and all our 'school offspring' receive one.  The wife of our Year 5 teacher is expecting around Christmas time - at the break for the summer holidays we were unsure what flavour it will be.  So I though I'd make two, one bluish and another pinkish - after all it's never a bad idea to have a spare one in stock.

 I pinched this idea from Kate - it still needs borders admittedly - amazing how nice a simple design can look  - however I have discovered today that the little one will be a girl so this top is destined for the 'waiting for a recipient' pile

 The Year 1 teacher is going on maternity leave in three weeks time - she is definitely having a girl - so this friendship star top is ready for sandwiching with a lovely soft piece of flannelette backing - better get a move on - time and tide (and maternity leave) wait for no-one

And finally this morning, on our return to school, I found out the the Year 1's maternity cover teacher has found out she is also expecting at the beginning of February - must be something in the water - so maybe the blue and beige top will come in handy after all - she hasn't found out the flavour of hers yet

But onto other projects too - Sarah's friend will be 21 at Christmas so I dragged out a Bonnie pattern part finished top I made ages ago in plaids and neutrals - a quick scrappy neutral 5" border and we're good to go with some applique to finish the job

But given the fact that the first teacher goes on maternity leave very soon I guess I'd better work out some priorities for which to do first..............

Being super cheeky!

So this is Lou, hehe, Anne's youngest daughter,

Just thought i'd post the fact that I now also have a blog, I've barely put anything in it, and to be honest it's just full of general bits and all the cool stuff that happens! Check it out if you want :*

beinginspirational.blogspot.co.uk

xo

A little break away...................

.......................  was just what the whole family needed

Nick's condition is stabilising nicely with the support of the local medical team and some carefully prescribed medication

Sarah is back home from uni for the summer which is always a lovely interlude

Dad's condition is getting more challenging but we're coping

So the five of us, plus my mum and dad, and my grown up nephew Tim have had a week away in curlew country

Steph recommended lots to do and as always insider information is invaluable

The five of us climbed up onto The Roaches







Along with my nephew Tim

I took mum and dad to Biddulph Grange Gardens while the others went off canoeing













We were so lucky with the weather and a wonderful time was had by all

A few weeks previously Nick was well enough to cope with attending his school prom

He scrubs up nicely when he needs to


















Here he is with his two best friends, twins Zach and Ell who have been an amazing support throughout all of this - incredibly mature for sixteen year olds - he is so fortunate to have such wonderful friends










And by way of a little thank you - a present for their new baby niece Olive

w

Touching base.............

............ with everyone after a long absence

Things have been manic around here - plenty of hand stitching of Liberty hexagons going on but far more time taken up with family things

My lovely dad was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia in the spring so he and mum have needed much more support than before - his condition hasn't deteriorated too badly so far but there are marked changes and he will only go in one direction.  I'm just so glad that we moved them to be near to us - we can support them on a daily practical basis

Then just as we were getting used to all that our beautiful son was diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder about six weeks ago right in the middle of his GCSE exams

As you can imagine life has been pretty tricky, it has hit us like an express train and lots of the things we like to do have gone by the wayside, precious little time for quilting, but we're keeping our heads above water and hanging on in there together drawing strength from each other

Speaking of keeping heads above water one thing I have managed to keep doing during all this is a sponsored swim that I'd started before the diagnosis - swimming the equivalent of the English Channel in 13 weeks, I'm 161 lengths of the total 1073 away from the French coast now - the escape time at the pool has given me the luxury of being able to just veg out as I trawl up and down the lengths.  Nigel has done his chilling on a cycle along the canal towpath near our house - time out together has been pretty rare but we're coping

If anyone would like to sponsor me for my 22 mile swim which I need to complete by 22nd July  - it's in aid of Diabetes UK as Nick also has Type 1 Diabetes - please go to http://www.justgiving.com/Anne-Bebbington and add your contribution -thank you in anticipation if you do

So I'll leave you with a picture of my three great gorgeous kids taken last weekend at my niece's wedding in the soggy and stormy Lake District - after all, along with my parents, they're pretty much what life's all about at the moment and I wouldn't have it any other way.  However it may be a while before proper quilting content is resumed

There's been a little bit of stitching going on.....

........ both hand and machine

Plus some knitting ......

The youngest was very partial to her friend's snood/continuous scarf loop thingie the other day

So a large ball of aran yarn, some large needles, a long car journey, 35 stitches and about 220 rows of K1,P1 rib

Et voila!!!

Meanwhile back at the coalface the machine has been busy stitching leaders and enders, joining 2" squares to make four-patches in alternative scraps and neutrals

The design I've dreamed up needs 216 - I think I'm up to 170 now

As for hand stitching - we have a family wedding in June which deserves a quilt

The batik jewel-box I've blogged about before will fit the bill nicely so is now being appliqued along the border to within an inch of its life. In hindsight I wish I'd used a darker green for the stems and leaves but I didn't have enough dark fabric so this is how it's staying - the green isn't quite as washed out as this in proper light thank goodness

Only three quarters of the 80+ butterflies to go for a finish!