Crocheting

Oh look at this - I have never done any crochet at all and
yesterday I had a go - Angela who has done some crochet before is teaching herself via You Tube - how good is that but of course cack-handed anna here couldn't be left out!!

Well i wasn't doing too well then a visitor to our shop, the lovely Eileen who had come with one of our tutors for the day came to my rescue - she was calm and so nice - she managed to get me to get my fingers in roughly the right place (I have to confess to a near wobbly and I am not doing this anymore moment!) - any way look at my little piece of crochet so now I have to learn some more.

Angela who has mastered this skill amazingly made me this lovely brooch last night so I am really pleased with it.

Now I have started another baby quilt using the Go Cutter in the brushed cottons oh it is so lovely and soft it will be gorgeous - Angela now wants a quilt made from brush cotton for herself!

Well I have started a baby quilt - my friend has asked for a baby quilt for September and so I thought I would use the Go Cutter. I had this Die Cutter for my birthday and have not used it yet so here it is.

I love the colours and thought they would go together - I adore batiks and this new one into

Art and Stitch just called out for me to buy it!!

Oh it is so precise putting the blocks together - I cut this and got stitched all in an afternoon - so not bad at all!

Then I decided I had not made any cakes for absolutely ages - so I decided to do so last night - there is a fruit cake at home ready for Rob to take in for him and Kirk. I have to say it was nice to be proactive this week and getting lots of things done.

Well we went to the Festival of Quilts on Sunday and it was a fabulous day - met lots of friends there and caught up - how good is that. We took Rob's Mum who is 82 and met my Sister Maggie there - so we were quite a group with Angela, Margaret, Helen, Rob & I. Angela Maggie and Helen did a workshop and the rest of us wandered the stalls.



Here are just a few quilts - there have been lots of photos on blogs - but these were a few that caught my eye for one reason or another!

I just loved this funky lady she was so fun.



The next two were Rob's favorites - he thoroughly enjoyed the show and bought lots of bits and pieces which he will be able to use in his woodworking - how bizzare is that!

This was Rob's real favorite he loved the colours and unfortunately this picture is not doing justice to it.

Well I decided to try my hand at sketchbooking with Gina Ferrarri - I was giving up as I bought the wrong type of sketchbook to start with but Angela was adamant that I was not giving up - on Gina's blog who is miles ahead and there are some lovely samples of work - but I guess I had to try - I do not draw!!!! You can see that - I have done some further pages since these photos but I am still not convinced that I am any good at it!!!!

Well on my return from Debden last Thursday evening - Rob went all lovely and went down on his knees and proposed - oh wow!!! I managed to mumble a yes amongst the tears!! Well we went shopping for a ring yesterday and was lucky that the one I liked fitted perfectly so here it is.

We told the family last night and some of them had put two and two together and Ericha came armed with a congratultions card made for us - talk about being open books eh!!

We had a wonderful evening they were all so pleased for us and looking forward to helping to plan the wedding. We think that will be September 2012. So I am on cloud nine.

Oh Ericha suggested I should make a patchwork dress - not so sure about that though!!!

So I had to share this - promise not to be too boring about it - though I cannot actually promise to keep that one!!!

Debden

Wow well I have just spent a fabulous four days at Debden Houses in Epping Forest with some lovely ladies and Anne Stacey as our mentor - it was superb - the food was good - the company was great and Anne was soo so patient and helpful - well here are some of the things I tried:

I will apologise for the slight out of focus photos as I used my phone and obviously need to master keeping it steady!!

Well I took some projects one that I thought would take me alot longer than it did - so with Anne's guidance I went into really random with wacky stars - oh it was such such fun I loved it and somewhat out of my comfort zone but here is the piece I got done so now I have to put borders on and I cannot wait.

Well the project I had in mind to do was a Radient Star I have never been brave enough to do it and so I went armed with my fabrics my book and here is the finished results. I loved it it was such great fun

The first sections going together

Then the finished article just needs backing and turning into a fully fledged wall hanging.

It is better in the flesh.

Then Anne showed me how to put drunken path together and again I turned random and bright

this time.

Debden was wonderful it is soo lovely to be able to sit and sew and not have to worry about cooking or anything. The foods as always was out of this world and now I need to diet!!

Right some random items below - I bought Rob a trip to Vinopolis in London for his birthday so I was lucky enough to be able to go to!! We had a great day a fabulous sunday roast then we went around tasting lots and lots of different wines - some were absolutely gorgeous - then we had a Bombay Shapphire Cocktail - for which I was in my element as I adore those

Now I am soo pleased with our water lily - we had to move the fish pond when we moved house in February and they all five fish and the lily went into a holding tank and are still there until we plan exactly where we want to put it - but the fish are thriving and here is the first flower there is a second bud coming so I am very happy. I adore lilies they are such pretty flowers.

Now I am chuffed about this - I had sat and hand quilted and beaded this wallhanging ages ago and it was hanging in the shop - well a very discerning lady came in and bought it so that is my first thing I have sold yeh!!! It was lovely and I actually hesitated whether to let her have it - I felt very protective of it!!!

So now I have to do another one which will be fun.

Right well I have to go and do some more to my wacky stars and then when it is finished I will let you all see it.