This is an unusual call for quilters. For a minimum donation of £15 to the charity Friends of the Elderly Bernina will send you a fabric square, plus one to practice on, to create a birthday design for the Queen’s 90th birthday next year. Sew, embroider or decorate with your own design for an online virtual quilt. In addition, 60 will be chosen to be made into a quilt to be presented to the Queen
This is an excellent article about the madness that seems to descend on normal people at the mention of the word sale. It has got out of hand so please pledge NOT to buy on black Friday. Spend time, not money, with friends, family, nature, or your cat!
When did Black Friday even become a Thing?! Yuck. The UK Buy Nothing Day website describes it this way:
The anarchy that ensues on Black Friday has now become an absurd dystopian phenomenon. The big retailers use the event to spin out highly competitive one day offers, which often creates a rabid free for all. Black Friday is creating a brand of shoppers who will trample and fight each other to get their hands on next years landfill.
Why not escape the shopocalypse and buy nothing this Friday?
The Story of Stuff Project has a pledge you can sign here. This is the pledge:
“This year I pledge to join people around the world in celebrating “Buy Nothing Day” on November 27th. I will say no to more Stuff and yes to loved ones, yes to sharing, yes to life!”
If you’re really committed, you might even consider going…
A lovely parcel in the post from the Netherlands with welcome letter in Dutch but surprised to be able to understand quite a bit of it, considering I don’t speak it!
Also included are two lovely fabrics from the Wordsmith range designed by Janet Clare for Moda, templates and a picture of the finished article – in my case block B12 or Star Flower
Janet Clare has made three blocks herself bottom row, third row on the left. This and many other completed blocks have already been posted on the Share Jane Facebook page which you can see here
At first I thought the B12 block was ‘normal’ applique, but it seems it is reverse applique as I found out when I checked out the instructions which are found on That Quilt by Anina.
Anina has posted instructions for all the blocks, with tutorials if you are struggling to make your own Dear Jane. I better get practicing as I have not reversed appliqued before! Just as well that I have had a lot of needle turn practice recently as I have nearly completed the mini fans for ‘Fanfare’ in quilting From Little Things.
Work will have to start this Sunday as it is work tomorrow – I know what I would rather be doing!
Today we remember those who perished in the Great War and the wars that came after. In my family they are;
John Tilley, Private 13th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers
Died in France circa September 1915 aged 24
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Martin Kelly, Sergeant, Durham Light Infantry
Killed in Action in France 20th April 1917 aged 29
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Michael Mallon, Sergeant 207th Machine Gun Corp
Killed in Action in Flanders Fields 26th September 1917 aged 30
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In Flanders Fields
John McCrae, May 1915
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
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Not all died, some made it home to their families
Thomas Nixon, Sgt Major Royal Engineers returned from the war aged 50
Joseph Kelly, Royal Navy, died of sleeping sickness in 1930
We went to Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire today which was used as a location for some of the Harry Potter films. A beautiful place, formerly an abbey until it was dissolved by Henry the VIII and turned into a family home. In Victorian times it was the home of Fox Talbot who invented the first photographic negatives so the more than one copy of a photo could be produced
This was after completing a couple more fans for the Fanfare pattern. We also visited Newark Park yesterday and visited Dursley village (a name familiar to Potter fans!) where I found a charity bookshop with patchwork and quilting books – usually rare to find. I behaved myself and only bought two!
I will be linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching, pop over and see what everyone else is up to.
Please read this post from Sally Gould Wright about quilts going missing from Mancuso Quiltfest Oasis. Quilts for a total of eight shows were delivered and signed for at Mancuso. They were put on a pallet to be sent to Palm Springs convention Centre for a show opening on the 18th October 2015 but they never arrived!
Over 100 – yes 100+ – quilts are missing and a reward of $5,000 has been offered by Mancuso and while this is nowhere near their monetary value, it is in the emotional investment in each piece that the real value lies and this can never be compensated for.
The title of Sally’s post ‘Mourning My Lost Quilts’ says it all; I hope for her sake and all the other quilters they are found. Please share her post especially if you live in America
This is a beautiful story of a quilt that was sent over from America in a box as part of a Care package when families were still struggling after the war. It has been treasured for 70 years and the owner would like to find the ladies who made it and return it to them
I am very honoured to accept this award – don’t worry no long speeches!
I was recently kindly nominated for a Leibster Blog Award by Eleonora from Coastal Crochet. It’s a lovely idea to nominate blogs you enjoy that have a small readership as they may have only been blogging a short time (me!) or have a niche topic.
The idea is to answer between 5 and 10 questions about yourself so others can get to know you and to nominate 5 or more other blogs that you enjoy
My questions
1 What is you favourite crafting tool?
I was tempted to say my brain ha ha but I think it is my sewing machine although I do love to sew by hand too. I have two machines; a Pfaff Ambition 1.0 and a Britannia Instyle16
2 What is your favourite craft book?
Difficult to answer but Quilting From Little Things by Sarah Fielke inspired me to challenge myself to make a quilt or a dolly quilt from each chapter in her book, which is why this blog started – to chart my progress and keep a record. It’s a lovely book and teaches a different technique each chapter. I only have three left to make
3 Do you have a project you have made time and time again?
No as I have too many ideas in my head to repeat things, although lap quilts are probably the size I make most. I like to crochet which I learnt about a year ago; knit which I learnt from my Mum about 40+ years ago, she also taught me embroidery. Plus I paint and draw too. In the past I have made jewellery and I would like to learn etching or lino print making but not in this room as they are too messy!
4 Where do you get your best ideas?
Anywhere really, which is why I always try to remember to take a notebook out with me. I should keep one next to the bed as I often wake up at night with ideas – which can be a bit inconvenient to say the least!
5 Where do you sit to do your creating? Is it possible to share a photo?
I have a sewing cupboard room upstairs. It is about a eighth of the size I had in Australia but at least I still have one. I have taken over an Ikea bookcase in the hall to use as a cutting table as there isn’t enough room in here and the light is better too. I am thinking of getting locking castors to make it a bit higher.
The three dolly quilts on the wall are all from Sarah’s book, the cats are a present from my youngest from a school trip to China, the dog and purple pot are from charity shops, the wizard and dragon bookends are a present from my best friend Julie who sadly passed away from a brain tumour last year (I still think about her everyday as she was such a big part of my life for more than thirty years)
I have squeezed in various drawers and little shelves to keep track of the many WIPS I have
Two projects for Quilting From Little Things; Star and Fanfare
On the left; RSC15 and a partially finished purse
I have actually finished the star and the purse – it pays to be organised! That partly answers the next question
6 How do you store your WIPs and what do you take projects out in?
I also have a bigger set of plastic drawers for bigger projects in my (mainly) sewing room and I take EPP projects out in an old iPad cover in zip lock bags. My crochet and knitting live downstairs in a free bag that came with a magazine and an old wicker picnic basket from a bootsale.
Don’t forget to visit Coastal Crochet too! Thank you for nominating me and happy blog hopping to you all.
Questions and instructions for nominees
What is your favourite crafting tool?
What is your favourite craft book
What is your all time favourite yarn, thread or silks.
Do you have a project that you have made time and time again?
Are you hoping to make gifts for Christmas this year and if so approximately how many?
What is your favourite handmade gift that you have received from somebody else?
Where do you get your best ideas?
Where do you sit to do your creating? If possible could you share a photo?
Have your creative hobbies changed over the years or do you stick to the same ones?
How do you store your WIPs and what do you take out projects in?
As an award winner you must:
Acknowledge and accept the Liebster Award by leaving a comment on the blog where you were nominated.
Copy and paste the Liebster Award medal (logo) onto your own blog.
Link back to the blogger who awarded you and give thanks.
Answer the questions put to you by the person who nominated you. This is a great way to get to know the people behind the blogs. The number of questions have vary from 5 to 11 depending on who is asking.
On your blog nominate and link to your 5 favourite blogs(or more) that you enjoy but have a small readership (the rules have varied from less than 200 to less than 3000 readers). It could be that they have only been blogging for a short time or have a niche interest but are worthy of gaining more attention in the wider blogging world. That means the blogs of large, commercial enterprises are not eligible for nomination; nor are blogs that are well publicised in a variety of media and established with tens of thousands of followers.
List your questions for your Liebster Award nominees on your blog.
Inform your nominees by leaving a comment on their blogs.
I made two blocks for my first lotto – purple and mauve tulips that are now on their way to America, I hope that the recipient of my blocks likes them
The mauve block isn’t wonky – I just took the photo at an angle!
The block for October is a monochromatic Twinkle Star. I have seen this block recently as one of the participants in the RSC15 is making them. I thought it was a lovely block and one for the future – didn’t think I would be making one so soon but it seems the future is here now!
This time the blocks are on black which will make for a striking quilt and one I would love to win. So I must get on with making new blocks – got to be in it, to win it
Books, that is, except it isn’t working out that way. The lure of the bootsale proved too strong last Wednesday and the lure of books even stronger. I wasn’t going to buy any but I saw an interesting looking cover (I know, don’t judge a book etc., etc.) that had no writing on it but looked very old. The minute I opened it I had to have it. Beautiful engravings of birds and animals, foxed in places, but mostly in good condition leapt out at me. I love engraving and one day I want learn it myself.
It is a strangely bound copy of Cassel’s Natural History and there are pages missing and it seems to be various volumes bound together, not always in the right order, but I bought it for the illustrations so none of that matters – and it was only £1.00!
This was followed by three more books; two volumes on Wayside and Woodland Blossoms with lovely colour plates and the British Girls Annual; also only £1.00 each.
The British Girl’s Annual is dated 1918 and is full of stories and poems, plays ‘that can be entirely acted by girls’ and hobbies. It is not all girlish; Doron might be ‘frightfully queeny’, but there are dogfights in the air and cowboys too. The chapter called ‘The Girl’s Own Bookshelf’ has suggestions for the books about cookery, and nursing at home but also art, literature, poetry, science – even a primer of evolution.
British Girls Annual 1918
Dogfight 1918
I thought as I haven’t even unpacked all the books from storage I better get rid of some via EBay as I have bought more – four books bought and four listed. Now let’s hope they sell
I also bought a little sewing box destined to be painted and then to hold my EPP projects as I sit downstairs to do those when I am Slow Sunday Stitching
I’m sure that cat is sticking her tongue out at me!
thecraftyyak 