I Must Do Better.

I haven't Blogged for a long time.  Finally the guilt got me.  I really enjoy following and reading many blogs on the www.  There is such a wealth of special gifts and talents on show.  I have been absorbing everything, but not sharing.  Now I am not having a pity party, but I have had cataract on my right eye, and, for the past 10 or 11 months it reached the point of impacting on everyday life.  I couldn't drive, which I missed.  I didn't enjoy going out, even to my local QS, horror of horrors, as I couldn't enjoy the colours and patterns.  The Good News is, I have had my surgery and all is now so much clearer.  I am enjoying the colourful life again.

I did make this quilt during my difficult misty days, with a lot of peering closely at the work.  I am now able to enjoy the colours.  It is finished and longarm quilted by Nicola Doherty of Old Schoolhouse Quilts.  I thought I had a photo on my phone, will double check that. This is just a start.  I plan and hope to have more input into the Blogosphere from here on.

Pets on quilts audition.

We Do have 2 pets in this house. Amber, who is definitely a quilt cat.  She tests everything that looks newly quilted, for comfort. Here she is eyeing up my newly quilted Pond house by lynetteanderson a couple of years ago.  And Penny who is an old lady of 15 and loves the comfort a quilt brings to her bones.

As you can see Amber has curled up in the dog bed and Penny has stretched out on her little quilt. She has a number of them placed around the house, and, though blind, she can find each one without a bother.

Here Amber found a pile of small quilts I have received through taking part in A Little Quilt Swap.  She's a bit like the princess and the pea. The more quilts the better. Sorry to anyone who recognises their work. I did not give my permission for her to sit here. I swiftly removed her after the cute photo.

I do have a favourite photo though, which I am frantically searching for, so I can enter it in Pets on Quilts over at Lilypad Quilting

I'm searching, I'm searching.

 Found these two as more evidence that she is a quilt cat. When the Pondhouse was spread out on the bed, she was the first to try it out.

 This isn't quite a quilt, as it is a commercially produced tree skirt, buuuuut, Amber thought it was good enough to wait for santa on.

This is the one I was looking for. She curled up beside me on this little throw and I flipped the corner up thinking she would go and find somewhere else to sit.........Not likely.  I got the look that says 'I am quite happy here thank you'  Ah well, I cant be cross with her, so I am going to have to continue brushing the cat hair off all her favourite quilty places.

And again

I have invested in a new tablet. Of course I had to make a cover.

This is my first time blogging with her. I think I will call her Tess.  For no other reason than I like the name.

King Size finished. Road Trip and a little Christmas sewing.

I have just finished a king size quilt my D2 requested. She saw the pattern I used for a throw for my sis's 50th and thought she would love it in Japanese prints.  So after a bit of shopping at Harrogate last November, and some online shopping when we changed our minds about the border, the job is done.  In July we took it to Nicola to be longarm quilted, and here is the result.

We are very pleased with it.

Last weekend was a European Culture Weekend here, so we took advantage of the free entry to visit a couple of places we hadn't visited before, and one we just love to return to, because of the views.

The Ulster Aviation Society was our first stop.

Here we saw restored aircraft from the very basic, to world war 2 planes.  My parents were in the RAF and served at the site where the Society now operates from.  Mum was a driver and I am not sure what job dad did.  He wasn't a pilot, but some kind of ground support like mum.  This is where they met.

Next we went to a little church with a very interesting history linked to the forces.  We heard a talk by one of the members of the aviation society about the people from our country who were instrumental in the development of aircraft.  You could say we were flying.  It was all very interesting.

Next day we went to the north coast to Dunluce Castle, now a ruin, but once again a very worthwhile place to visit.

We made our first stop, on a very stormy though warm day, at the West Strand in Portrush.  The beach was much busier than this photo tells.  Lots of walkers with dogs, and young people in wet suits trying out the waves on body boards.  We had a cuppa from our picnic and a walk.  Then drove on to Dunluce.

This is one of the views along the coast at Dunluce.

The ruins, right on the cliffs.

Everything is kept very neat and tidy.

Onward again toward home, and we stopped at another viewpoint where it was nice and quiet, and we broke out the picnic lunch.  Then two large coaches arrived and poured out some very brave tourists who struggled against the wind and went along to the clifftop to look at the view.

We, cowards that we were, sat snugly in the car munching on our sandwiches.

Travelling on along the coast we stopped near Glenarrif where we found this sign to tell folk that Game of Thrones was filmed in the Glens of Antrim..

We noticed this possible fisherman sitting on a rock a good way from shore.  Apparently he changes position and clothes as the seasons come around, and he becomes Santa at Christmas.

For those worried about his safety........he is not a real man.

Altogether we had a lovely day.

And the Christmas sewing.

,

A little x st robin given a new look, and a wall hanging for someone who (Ihope) doesn't read my blog.

Blessings, Bx

Pets on Quilts

Did anyone say carrots

Do you like my hair?

Today I visited my daughter's home to see if any of the pets would co-operate with a bit of quilty photography. Well, I am not sure what they thought. Horses think quilts are big scary things to be avoided at all costs.  Dogs will do anything for a treat. Here are my two favourites. I tried toenterboth but got stuck with the technical stuff.  However, the one I entered is my favourite.
The dogs didn't quite get the point. Posing isn't in their job description.

The only thing is treats.

A couple of other models almost won my favourite choice

This was fun.  Now I have to work out how to enter my choices to the competition. Pets on Quilts

Another little quilt

 

I received this lovely little quilt from Vreni  this morning. As I made two little quilts for the swap I was blessed to receive 2.  I love this very much Vreni, and the little surprise mini squares of Moda Color me happy.

I have been playing with a couple of patterns for small gift bags.  I think I like the blue and white duo best.

My day has started well.  Did the weekly shop, got happy mail.  GD is coming to visit. Mmmh! I am blessed to be able to enjoy good health, family and good friends. Bye for now.

ALQS 10 and more

Summer Days

 

the back

Dancing in the rain

back

For a few years now I have taken part in A Little Quilt Swap.  Its been going 10years this year and is organised very well by Kate North.  This year I made two little quilts, and one of them, Summer Days, went to Mary whose little quilt was the very first one I received in round 4. I was sooo delighted.  The other went to Barbara,who happily received hers a few days ago. Barbara's had machine appliqued umbrellas and raindrops and I called it dancing in the rain.  This morning I received a package from Ramona with this beautiful little quilt. I just love it.

I am really enjoying this round of ALQS.  It is so good to be able to exchange quilts with such talented ladies from around the world. 

D1 had her birthday in mid July. We always take a photo of her and our two grandchildren. I think this is lovely, though GD has cut her hair since, and looks completely different.

I just added this as I think it is a lovely Clematis which grows in D1's garden.  And now for a completely unrelated little joke. The older I get the more I understand it completely. Blessings, Bx