Gathering Nuts in .... Edinburgh

Well we got there, we are not sure how, but we got there. And oh wow, wasn't it well worth all the effort. The first (and lets hope it it becomes an annual event) Stitch Gathering took place in the beautiful Morningside area of Edinburgh on Sunday, thanks to the very clever and organised Jo of Avery Homestore.

Unfortunately I was having what I like to call a "technical hitch" so was not firing on all cylinders so despite carrying my camera with me and snapping away, I discovered yesterday that I had forgotten to put the SD card in before hand so I have no photos of the event to show you.  But if you pop over to the SG website you will see the pictures taken by the lovely Jonathan Avery, or alternatively Sheila from Bluepatch quilting has today written a lovely post too which is here. I can however show you the contents of the stonking Goody bag we were all given. I have listed as many contributors that I could see at the bottom of this blog so you can see how generous they have all been.

As you can see it was full to the brim with amazingness, from fat quarters, to a whole box of thread, and from buttons to badges. But the "piece de resistance" was the Frixion Erasable Pen. Oh my goodness. This thing is genius. If you haven't got one you need to head right off right now and order yourself one and your life will never be the same. The idea of being able to erase any markings made on fabric simply by ironing over it seemed too good to be true and a few of us were doubting Thomas' until we actually tried it. It really is like a little bit of magic right in front of your eyes. I fear I am a little too excited by this pen, but you just try it and you will see. 

The lovely Mrs P, who joined me for the day at the Gathering, thinks we should write an episode of "Midsommer Murders" based on this pen, once we found out that the marks come back again once exposed to the extreme cold! how clever is that too. How about some deadly deeds occurring down in that fateful village's local quilt group, with the victim leaving a secret message written in Frixion pen on her favourite piece of stitching. The big reveal could be when she is laid out in front of the autopsy doctor. "It was the Swap Mama who did it!" ha ha ha...

Anyway, I cannot thank Jo and her team enough for a great day, which ran so seamlessly. ( See what I did there?) It was great to put some faces to names from blog and flickr land first of all and then we moved on to the classes. We took the cathedral window pinnie course in the morning with Jo herself, which I loved and will now be itching to have another go at. Then after a sumptuous lunch it was Fiona's Jelly roll class in the afternoon. Truth be told, I have used jelly rolls quite a lot, but thought that Mrs P would enjoy this one so wanted to join her too. Fiona's suggested quilt is lovely and features in the special edition of Creative Patchwork this month. A really lovely quilt. I have gone for a grey and orange theme using some fabric from the Lucy's Crabshack range which I bought in Cannon Beach this summer, plus some others from the stash and am not sure how big it will turn out yet, but will of course report back. What do you think?

I think it will be a good souvenir of our trip and its so nice and fresh on the white background. I have even gone for the trickier piecing of the points, as explained by Fiona, but so far I am in luck with it matching. Thanks Fiona for your inspiration.

Anyway, still a bit to do though as you can see so do pop by to see the final top. In the meantime I have a date with a box of steroids and a week of watching "Homes Under the Hammer". See you soon.

Thank you to all the wonderful sponsors for the Goody Bag contents:   Avery Homestore , Frixion pen, by Pilot, Frister & Rossman thread box from sewingmachines.co.uk, assorted buttons and thread from buttoncompany.co.uk ,Coats Crafts UK,  Rainbow scrap pack from Veryberry Fabrics,  Hexagon Flower Block by webfabrics.net, Liberty Art fabrics, Nairn Oatcakes, Milward needles and pen, Beechwood Quilting, Groves, Robert Kaufman fabrics, Aurifil

Off to buckle my swash and other festival fun

It is festival time here in Edinburgh and whilst this can make day to day life a bit more tricky if you are a resident, we really should count ourselves lucky to live in an area with probably one of the best arts festivals on the planet.

This year the lovely Jo, over at Bearpaw has worked her little socks off and pulled together the first ever "Scottish Modern Quilt Exhibition". The show, housed in Avery Homestore in the Morningside area of Edinburgh is a fantastic mix of over 60 examples of work from the modern  quilt movement. Jo, as lots of us know, is a brilliant flag waver for the modern quilter and I think she  is doing a cracking job of helping us all along and now also publicising what is going on in the quilting world. I am very very honoured to have a couple of quilts and a cushion included in this great exhibition and am also delighted to share a couple of items I have received through  flickr swaps and bees.

First is the charity quilt from the Together at Do.Good Stitches Charity bee, which I finished off in a mad dash after coming home from holiday. The block I chose for my month of June was the Rocky Mountain block which I think we have all fallen in love with. I also wanted a red white and blue theme and my lovelies in the bee did me proud.

My other quilt exhibit is the low volume quilt, which was based on a fat quarterly pattern. Its not so typically "modern" in its choice of fabrics but Jo has focused the exhibition on not only the more modern style of quilts we are all making and fabrics being used, but also the influence of the Internet and in particular flickr swaps and bees and the like. So i sneaked in by the back door on this category. Pop over to an earlier post and have a peep.

Jo really has done a great job so if your not north of the border pop over here and see the great array.

As for me I am off to see a couple of shows on Saturday with the beloved and then we have a great afternoon out with little Zoe planned. We are off to see "Captain Flynn and the Pirate Dinosaur". Now this could be highlight of my month. What more could you want than both dinosaurs and pirates all in one little show?

 I will report back on who won.

Peek-a-boo quilt

Had a great great day on Sunday. It was quilt class day over at Avery Homestore  (also known as Bearpaw classes )which I had been looking forward to all week.  I packed up my pins, strapped down my faithful machine and headed my little old car off to sunny Morningside nice and early in keen anticipation and I am glad to say I wasn't to be disappointed.



Claire deep in concentration on her blocks

The class of the day was the "Peek-a-boo" quilt which makes me chuckle whenever I say it (sorry I know, pathetic isn't it) and is a based on a technique which was shown at a tutorial at last year's Fat Quarterly Retreat in London, rather than some odd fetish for dodgy lingerie.

Jo (there are a lot of us in this piece- just warning you now), our lovely host, has put her own twist on the quilt and so we had a choice to make either the original or her own more grown up petal version. Jo blogged about her quilt last year which you can read all about here, and of course see her great shots of the finished thing. 

 

I went for the original version, which is more for little people as I wanted to use a cracking piece of Japanese fabric which I had picked up in the most amazing shop in France last summer. Three of my new quilting buddies for the day Sasha, Ann and yet another Jo went for the grown up versions and these are a couple of the blocks they made, which as you can see are in stunning colour combos. Really looking forward to seeing how they turn out (apologies for the rubbish quality of the pictures though, but I struggled with the light in our room)

 

I managed just 2 whole blocks and two thirds of another and am itching to get the others finished,  but you know me, too many projects on the go all at once. I will try very hard to come back with the completed quilt really soon - swaps, bee blocks and oh perhaps work allowing.

ps the bottom one is squinty as its not trimmed yet- just in case you think my cutting is really rubbish

Jo does a great job with her classes and you can see more of her stunning work on her blog. And of course don't forget she is organising the exciting Stitch Gathering in August, which is now SOLD OUT!!! Can't wait and hope to see some of you there. 

 

see you soon

 

February round up

 

All in all a bit of a strange month for me really. After near on three weeks away from work with an ailing body I am back in the saddle again and raring to go. My blog has been a bit neglected as you probably noticed so this is by way of a quick catch up on swaps and bees.

 

The February Modern Stash blocks have winged their way off to Linda in Texas care of her daughter so I hope she  likes them and that they fit in well with everyone else's. We also finished the Pretty Little Pouch Swap, which was terrific. Hadley came up trumps with my beautiful wee bag filled with all sorts of goodies and I was really chuffed with the comments I received from everyone for the pouch I made for Indianna Dreams. She tells me she is off sailing again soon and it will be going on its travels with her so the pirate theme was spot on. I have signed up for two more swaps starting in March , but haven't been able to down load the buttons yet so will write all about them next time once I have my techy brain in gear. Of course I also started the low volume quilt I wrote about last time but that too is work in progress, still to be shared once I have made it look a bit more interesting. Not bad really then ,in a shortened poorly month. I am quite surprised now I have recapped.

 

This week I started a lovely little modern techniques course over at Jo Avery's Homestore in Edinburgh which was fun ( but freezing!). It will be 6 sessions of new ideas to have fun with and this week she showed us a great way of making a Dresden Plate. Her examples were stunning but as I packed my bag in a bit of a hurry at 6 am in the morning, before leaving for work, my fabric mix was a little stressful, but by placing the circle on the red fabric I have pulled it back  a bit and I have a plan for the middle which I will show you once its finished. I had hoped to finish it this weekend and take it along next week for a bit of show and tell but today has disappeared too quickly and tomorrow we are off to the family for lunch and stuff, so it may have to wait till next week. If you are interested Jo is selling kits to make these great cushions which you can find by clicking here. They really are beautiful.

 

 

This afternoon I have knocked up a batch of chilli jam to take with me tomorrow as a little thank you and given the look on the beloved JB's face after tasting it, I think the heat factor will hit the spot for the chilli loving Greg and co. It was featured on saturday Kitchen this morning and I couldn't resist.

That's my lot really for reporting today I think. We're off to the theatre in Edinburgh tonight to see Mike Leigh's "Abigail's party", so it'll be cheese and pineapple on sticks and listening to Demis Roussos all round. Cracking play- can't wait.

 

Keep well everyone and and pop by again soon.

 

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun

I cannot believe it is over a month since my last post. It is not for want of trying. Its just that every day that I have planned to sit down to write an update life has conspired against me and I have crumbled and failed. To prove my point I am writing this blog whilst sitting in the departure lounge at Bristol Airport, after  a weekend with Ma and Pa in sunny Wiltshire. As I knew this was going to be  a quiet affair I had great plans to a) update my blog b) post lots of pictures of makes and swaps and c) draw up my Christmas menus in advance of the arrival of the hungry hordes. I think I will get a B+ for effort but a C- for achievement as all I managed was half a menu for Christmas Eve, no photos of swaps and am now only just starting to write this because I got the airport 2 hours too early. Pretty poor all round I am sure you will agree.

 

Anyway for fear of boring you with the too much detail of the past month, plus I can confirm that

1. two swaps were completed
2. one Country Living Fair was attended and a prize was one ( Hurrah and well done Emily)
3. we rocked to 3 gigs
4. Santa arrived in Edinburgh and last but not least

On point number 1, I wish I could post some pictures but I have had a few IT issues with cameras and the like so am going to have to rely on picture links from Flickr. First of all I made an ipad case as part of the Scrappy Swap, which was great great fun and I posted this off to my name sake Jo, from "Dont drink and Sew"  down in lovely Sussex and I think she has enjoyed it. I managed to sneak in a little piece of the Japanese "Laboratory" fabric which I had been dying to use since buying. I thought was an ideal opportunity, given the loosely scientific nature of an ipad (tenuous I know).

Chemistry lab - Pushpin by kokka

Jo managed to post a picture of it with some of the fabrics which made up the swap but the accompanying Tunnocks Teacakes (we had to add a small local gift so I couldn't resist) didn't make it to the photo shoot as I understand her Mum got to them first!!! In return Jo made me a brilliant little pouch and two lavender bags which I adore. The pouch has been really handy and I used it this weekend to transport a pin cussion, scissors and thread so that I could do a wee bit of EPP whilst at Ma and Pa's. It was the perfect size for my bag but due to good old airport security it had to go in the suitcase other wise I would be hexxy-ing at this moment in time and not writing this drivel. Jo took a great couple of pictures before posting to me with my gift of a Simon Drew Coaster. A great choice as I am fan of thei clever clever man. So thanks again Jo, a really lovely swap. The other completed swap was the Addicted to Text Swap, in which I managed to not be able to count. The poor old  swap mama had to chase me for 4 extra squares when she started counting them out so this is probably not the time to confess to being an accountant is it?

On the Country Living Show front, Emily and I had a great but exhausting time there. The clever girl won Most festive Stand so we will be definitely be back next year.

It was also lovely to meet some of my blog friends and have to give special mention to Jo from the Avery Homestore in Edinburgh. She very bravely put together a Craft demonstration making little fat felt robins which was very well attended and proved to be very popular by the look on the participants faces. So much so that I watched her cleverly do her stuff whilst my ample bottom was precariously balanced on the edge of a planter bearing a particularly prickly Christmas tree. Well done Jo ( this seems to be the Jo tribute blog today doesn't it-  we must stick together eh girls) and I hope to get through to the shop very soon.

Third on my list there you will have seen mention of 3 gigs this month. Well do you know it may even be 4? Last weekend the beloved JB and I ventured to Manchester and the MEN to see the stunningly brilliant Elbow. We have been fans for many a year, but after we first saw them live at T in the Park 3 years ago, (much to the amusement of my work colleagues I might add), I  became even more hooked. "The Seldom Seen Kid" is a brilliant piece of writing and I have to state that the line " You are the only thing in any room that you are in " as being the greatest Love song lyric ever written. If you are not familiar with these guys you must check them out. Our other little soiree's were Keane, at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, again excellent, a very amusing evening with Adrian Edmonson in Glasgow with his chums the Idiot Bastard Band (aka Roland Rivron, Phil Jupitus and Neil Innes) and finally and most bizarrely a night in Bury watching a very odd little ensemble called IQ, care of the beloved JB's taste for Prog rock, God bless 'im . You may have deduced this to be my least favourite, and I should add that I spent most of the evening on a comfy couch in the bar but hey ho, that's married bliss for you.

Well this was supposed to be quite brief post but the descriptive juices started flowing and my flight has been delayed so I have droned on a a bit. I have not talked about the fun of the make for Emily's stand, nor the brilliant time we had at the Christmas Market with Zoe and all the gang but you may have deduced that from the photo on the Carousel. I am dreading the year she thinks she is grown up enough to go on there on her own and poor old Nan gets left standing watching with everyone else. How else will I get to have a ride without looking a complete numpty? Anyone got a small person I could borrow as a spare perhaps, or can someone else in the family muster one up for me in due course....  Only joking by the way if any of you get to reading this. 

Anyway , I am off to berate the EasyJet desk to get an update, but in the meantime I hope your Christmas preparations are going well and I look forward to  you popping by again soon.

Sunday swaps and stripey bindings

Well before I start to waffle on today I must impart to you the current musical accompaniment here in QD land. Rather surprisingly for a Sunday afternoon, I am presently blogging to the tones of the Sex Pistols and Anarchy. Now I am sure this is not what you would expect, but Sounds of the Seventies with Johnny Walker is my favourite part of the week and this week "Never mind the Dangly Bits " turns out to be his album of the week and even though I was not, this time rather unsurprisingly, a punk, it takes me back to my student days and to be honest I love the track a lot more now than I did then. If you get the chance though you need to listen to a band called The Bad Shepherds, featuring Adrian Edmondson as they cover Anarchy in a style you would never ever have expected. I will not ruin the surprise but just urge you to You Tube it or something. It is pure genius and me and the beloved JB had a wonderful night in chilly Morecombe last year watching the guys which was one of our favourite gigs for many a year- and that is saying something!

Anyway as ever I have digressed again - probably too early on in this blog to have kept your attention, but if I haven't lost you yet let me update you on events. As you may recall I signed up to Mouthy Stitches 2, a  bag swap with a heap of very talented ladies and now the moment has come for me to actually have to make something. Aagh was the cry. The rest of the gang have been busily uploading their beginning ideas to Flickr and I have happily been commenting, although I don't think I have spotted my secret partner that is making for me yet. However all this viewing has done is increase my fear.  The partner I am making for has a very varied mosaic for me to use as a guide to her taste and the more I read the more I can see that she is a bit like me ( so well chosen) in that she has a broad taste in styles. Whilst this is a great trait it has not helped me one little bit. I have poured over my stash, rifled through the stores and googled until the cows come home and still am not totally convinced if my idea is the right one. But go for it I must as we have a deadline to meet  and I have a weeks holiday in Ireland in the middle of the remaining time so need to pull my finger out. I have today uploaded my mix of fabrics and invited comments and now will sit back and see if she has any for me.  I had a sneaky and really cool idea for the lining but I will keep that to myself for the mo as a) its complicated and may fail and b) I may change my mind.... 

discarded idea 1- I thought the stripe would make a good lining for the swap bag, and the print is the lovely Amy Butler

Anyway on the way to deciding on the final group of fabrics to put into the group for comment I went through quite a few alternatives, so you might like to give me your comments on the rejected ones. Who knows, my secret partner might see one here they prefer and I might get to change my plans yet again.

discarded idea 2

discarded idea 3 - Appleville by Robert Kaufman , bought from Avery Homestore in Edinburgh

I also had to get a crack on and finish yet another baby quilt ( yes I know I said no more for a while but this was a request from elsewhere) so I got a chance to use the great zig zag I had been hanging on to for a binding  and I love it. The feature fabric was very bright and busy, featuring zoo animals and so the black and white I thought was a good contrast. Anyway hope it goes down well with its new owner. 

She has also asked if she can have the pink and green quilt featured in last months catch up blog which was homeless so it will be nice to see it put to use keeping someone's wee one cosy now the nights are drawing in.  On that note I also popped this little mat together this afternoon as I fell on the Halloween fabrics whilst rummaging and just couldn't resist a play. I know I am a bit early, but at least its ready for the end of the month and as you can see I made good use of the left over binding. 

That's me for now, I am off to try and decide what I need to pack for Ireland. Five days of rain is forecast so probably won't need the shorts this time eh!

Random purchasing

I have been very remiss with my blog recently. I am not sure why as I have been keen to sit down and write nearly every evening but same old excuse I am afraid. Time has just conspired against me. I had a flying visit down to see Emily at the weekend as she is suffering from a horrible chest infection so as well as a hug  to make her feel better I wanted to give her some moral support in her planning for the Country Living Fair, as I mentioned in my last post. We had a fruitful catch up and I feel a plan is coming together. The two of us and the wonderful Jonathan must have looked like a load of chumps though as we paced out the stand size in the back garden, laying out sticks and cushions to mark the spaces for tables and print holders. Improvisation can be such a hoot if you try hard enough! 

My flying visit was preceded by a quick trip to the "Scottish Quilt Championships" at Inglestone near Edinburgh and the title of this quilt fair always makes me chuckle. Not quite the FA or Ryder Cup but some hard work exhibited by some very clever and talented ladies ( and lads perhaps? who knows). I took along my lovely lofty friend Emma, who is a "quilt virgin" and I hope I didn't bore her too much droning on about fat quarters and the like. Emma is a great supportor of QD land and I love keeping her up to date with the latest news. Who knows she may at some point get the urge to join in, but I have had to warn her how very addictive all this stitching can be. 

one of the few linens I found at the show

 

As you can see I did indulge in some retail therapy and I was shocked at the randomness of my purchases when I surveyed them back at home. No real theme or style here at all, but I think that's a good thing as I like the idea that different styles grab me on different days. Having quilted for over 15 years I have made many traditional pieces but have loved watching all the new styles and colours come through and the change in fabrics available has been so refreshing. I have to say that I actually was a little disappointed at the lack of modern fabrics at the show, with the only real nod to modern quilting coming from the girls at the Avery Homestore in Edinburgh. I had fallen on their website a few weeks ago so it was lovely to meet them and I am itching to get through to see the shop itself soon. The girls were selling a lovely mix of contemporary fabrics, from my favourite Amy Butler, through the jolly Brrr Ice with its great polar bears ready for Christmas, to some great Suzy Ultman Critters. I felt quite rotten actually as I rather inappropriately said that I had just bought some of the fabrics that they were selling from Pink Castle Fabrics and how great they were, but did not mean to be so rude. The girls had the best choice of fabrics at the show by far and I will most definitely be a supporter from now on. I love Pink Castle and their service is great but sometimes you just have to shop locally and avoid the tax too.

One of my plans was to look for fabrics for my Mouthy Stitches swap , with our partners being announced that day  but technology failed me and I couldn't get my emails to work on my phone till that night by which time I was tucked up in my trundle bed in the B&B in Newcastle.  Actually as I say, the fabrics on sale at rhe show were mainly run of the mill, with the exception of the very large pile now laying in the middle of my dining table, so I will be looking online for my partner, or alternatively will be "google mapping" to see if I can leg it to Avery Homestore in my lunch break in the next day or so. ( This time I shall go alone rather than inflict agony on any more friends - see " A Challenging shopping trip" ha ha). As this is my first swap I am very nervous that I will not be able to match up to the amazing work of my fellow Swappers but I will keep you posted- without revealing too much. However I will say , I do have  plan .... wink wink nudge nudge