Bloggers Quilt Festival - Fall 2010

No it's not a doll quilt but it verily well could be and my daughter would love to have it for her twins. The hubster chuckled as I wandered round our un-photogenic house with quilt and baby dolls clutched to my heart looking for a place to take photos :)
It's not the quilt I was planning on sharing today but my other one is not finished yet and won't be for a while. I'm embroidering some blocks.
This is one of the few quilts that I have finished this year and it is for The Gracie Jane Project (button in sidebar). Ironically I found out about this new project last year while reading one of the Blogger Quilt Festival entries.

I love the design. It's very simple to put together if you pay proper attention to the instructions :) I forgot to attach the border on my first attempt and did not notice till the whole thing was quilted and ready for it's binding!!!!! Attempt #2 goes out in the mail this week-end and I hope it warms a preemie baby well.
There's already a whooooole lot of people participating in the festival and as usual I plan on visiting everyone over the next few days (better make that weeks since there are so many entries.) Thanks to Amy http://amyscreativeside.com/ for giving us this fun opportunity to interact with each other. Love the mini photos for the entries :)

Colourful Friday - Halloween

Greetings from a halloween baby - my birthday was yesterday. I could do all kinds of fun play on words for this time of year but to be honest I really don't get the point of Halloween. I never grew up with that tradition (or birthday parties) and it took me many years to even feel somewhat comfortable participating as my children grew up, Having said that the one thing I do like is seeing how creative a goodly number of people get with their costumes :) So have a spooktacular time everyone as you greet all the little ghouls, goblins, ninjas, pirates, ghosties etc. We will be at a church carnival having a wickedly good time :)

So hop on over to Daisy Quilts to see what everyone else has submitted for this Halloween theme. My word verification at Robyns blog was .......... MONSTER and my # is ........ 13 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Y'all can howl with laughter now :)

Creative Prompt Challenge

I've decided to take part in the Creative Prompt Project. I want to get back to drawing/painting on a regular basis. I think it will help my design/quilting/embroidery creativity. The prompt is posted at http://artquiltmaker.com/blog/ every Friday but I will probably post my effort on Wednesday's.

I'll put the link in my side bar and if you are interested in participating it will take you to the start page.
The current prompt till this Friday is #90-symbol. I am looking at Celtic symbols since they are part of my life as a Scot that is interested in history. I'll add my drawing as soon as it is finished.

So here's my sketch. Not your typical Celtic Knot :) (I did it in pencil first then went over it in ink.)

Beautiful Britain - Ipswich

A few of the photographs John took while he was walking round Ipswich town center.

Cornhill Town Hall, Market Square

St. Nicholas Street

Cornhill Town Center, Ipswich

St. Nicholas Street

Artist of the week - Bernie Rowell

Bernie Rowell is a painter turned textile artist whose past experience definitely influences her current work.  She lives in the mountains of western North Carolina and acknowledges that as being one of her primary inspirations along with her garden. www.bernierowell.com/

"Tree Life" 46"x43" mixed media painted quilt.

If you look closely at some of her work you will notice that she recycles objects.
This one is called "Moonscape Memories" and is part of a series using a stamp collection she inherited from her great uncle.

 http://wnc-woman.com/1202bernierowell.html An excellent editorial by Melissa Stanz.
http://ladybuglive.com/gallery26.html An on-line interview with one of her friends Dottie Moore.
In "Studio Conversations: Bernie Rowell Spring 2010" Bernie demonstrates how she puts her artwork together. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UZV5WWn9Cw

Colourful Fridays - Orange

It's already Friday on the other side of the world and has been for a while so I am posting early :) Link is now on my sidebar.

One of the silk flower arrangements in my kitchen (early version).

A sunshine stencil one of my girls requested for the back of her bedroom door.

Fabric used for my youngest daughter's PJ's. Bzzzzzzzzilly happy :)

A gorgeous easter 2009 quiltie made by Ann Hudson that I was given in a swap.

I collect snowmen and this is one of the cross-stitch christmas tree snowmen I made. Love his orange hat :)

One of my original autumn design mini samplers used for a swap.

One of our summer lilies. They vary from yellow through orange to red.

Ya never know what will show up in your photo album when your children borrow your camera :)

Many people find orange a hard color to work with yet it is viewed as sunny, vibrant and happy. On a walk or two through my house I found a whoooole lot more than I expected - cereal box, bread packaging, cereal bowl, knife handles, a small amount of fabric, my husband's shirt and tie, an old cushion, book covers, a box full of fall decorations, shampoo and body wash, hand sanitizer.

One of the official colors of Tennessee (pin taken off the web, photographer unknown).

and an award I received recently

Beautiful Britain - Dunstable Downs

Bet y'all were expecting an historic building of some kind :) Not today ....... today we are going to look at some flying "machines".

When you visit Dunstable Downs in the right kind of weather you are likely to see two activities happening ...... kite flying and glider piloting. Both dependent upon others to get them in the air and both dependent on the right kind of wind to function properly when up in the glorious freedom of the sky. Both are beautiful to watch.

Paragliders and hang gliders also use the downs but they were already on the ground during the time John was taking photographs.
So why all this flying type activity? It's all about height and elevation. The Downs stand at 797 ft. which is the highest point in the county of Bedfordshire. The London Gliding Club is based there.
If you like to walk there is a 61/2 mile circular path and due to the terrain (it can get muddy) you are advised to wear sturdy shoes or hiking boots.

Birthday month giveaway 2010 - and the winner is ........

Aren't these just the most gorgeous looking water features? There's a number of them in the formal reflecting pool on the upper terrace at Cheekwood. The Dale Chihuly exhibition runs through the end of this month (extended through the first week of November). We have one more visit planned to see some of the sculptures lit up at night.

So the winner of 10 fat quarters of the color of your choice (blue) is ............ Marga from the Netherlands. Congratulations. She has a lovely blog so I hope you all take some time to visit her at http://www.marpie.web-log.nl/. Give her some cyber hugs her mother-in-law died unexpectedly last Friday.
(Himself is heading off to the Netherlands tomorrow for a few days. How ironic is that.)

Thanks to those of you who did some fun guessing and descriptions. They all made me smile greatly :)

Birthday month give-away 2010

It's my birthday this month and this time round I'm doing a giveaway of a different kind.
All you have to do is guess what this "up close" view is of and you might win 10 fat quarters in a color-way of your choosing. You have till Wednesday 20th, morning, to guess. (Addendum - It is now Wednesday, just after midday. The giveaway is now closed. The winner will be announces later today.)

So have some fun with this but remember to leave a comment with a way to contact you. The winner will be drawn from those that participate, and announced on Wednesday afternoon.

On to a totally different subject. I happen to like green and wear it a lot. My friends might be surprised to learn that it is not my favorite color :)

The ever delightful Robyn at http://daisyquilts.blogspot.com/ is doing Colorful Friday. This week it's GREEN so I am joining in. Woohoo :) I hope you enjoy my choice of photographs and have a splendiforous week-end. If you are on fall break like us ...... party on people ... do something fun and creative with your children whatever their ages :)

An exchange gift (last year) from Jean Boyd at http://jeanboyduppercanadaquiltworks.blogspot.com/

A gift I sent for Christmas last year. I really like stitching mini alphabets.

Some beautiful overhang greenery near the main house at Cheekwood. We went there today.

At the visitors center in Historic Kirtland, Ohio. We went there this summer.

Darling son creating a mini snowman this past winter. Yeah we got decent snow :)

A donation block for a cancer research fundraiser sponsored by the amazing Donna at http://stitchingforacure.blogspot.com/

A christmas gift for last year.

Walking through the trees to the Kirtland Temple. (It has a green door but the photograph was not good.)

I am learning to crochet. This blanket is going into our green/pink/white guest room.

Well lookie here we have a surprise visitor .....

"Who are you looking for?" Cousin Kermit you say? "I'm sorry he has not arrived yet. Maybe you should rest here for a while or if you are in a hurry pop on over to some of the other GREEN blogs. He has been visiting some of them :)"

Beautiful Britain - Waddesdon Manor

View of Waddesdon Terrace from the North Fountain

Part of the Sevres Rooms

large 3 dimensional bird near the Aviary. 

The original was first created in the late 1890's

"Perceval" by Sarah Lucas 

(no they are not giant peanuts they are giant marrows)

Welcome to Waddesdon Manor and Gardens originally one of the estates belonging to Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. It took a wee while to build the house - 1874-89 and was done specifically to exhibit his art collections and to entertain. It was designed in the neo-Renaissance style i.e French chateau so expect a romantic type feel. When Queen Victoria invited herself for a visit what do you think was her favorite part? ...... The electric lights ..... she supposedly played with one of the light switches for quite a while :)
'Tis a gorgeous place to visit and the gardens are fabulous. The estate was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1957 but is administered by a Rothschild charitable trust.
John brought home "The Waddesdon Companion Guide". It is gorgeous and I am looking forward to reading it properly. (He also filmed some mini movies but I have not worked out yet how to add them to bloggie posts.)
www.waddesdon.org.uk/
In 2006 the property was used as the double for Buckingham Palace to film "The Queen". Personally I think it looks a lot prettier than the London "pile":)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waddesdon_Manor
There is an absolutely stunning Youtube site with romantic music added in that y'all have got to visit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f4lOtnNwc8

Volunteer Project - Quilts to Comfort Christchurch's Kids

I have a soft spot in my heart for New Zealand. It's one of those places I have wanted to visit since I was little. At one point I seriously thought about living there but ended up in the USA instead.
Recently the area around Christchurch has been experiencing earthquakes starting with a magnitude 7.1. Yesterday I happened across a lovely blog called Catalina's Cottage. Cat has organized a quilt project that is already proving to be successful. http://catalinanz.blogspot.com/2010/09/quilts-to-cheer-and-comfort.html

All you have to do is send her some of your orphan blocks and they will be made into quilts for children in the Christchurch area.
Some people have sent quilt tops already pieced together, finished quilts, and fabric. She has a big push on at the moment to get a number of quilts ready for Christmas.
I have a stack of orphan blocks pulled from my drawer (along with some fabric) waiting to go out in the mail.