A fabulous week of going out for days.

I have been away from blogging for too long - one because Rob and I had a week's annual leave and went out and about for days - which was really nice.

Then this week returning to work has been manic and the computer has been being sooo gay and not uploading my photos - I am blaming the computer not myself!!!

We went out and out the sewing machine is at the
Black Country Living Museum which was so wonderful. I took soo many pictures but will not bore you with all of them - though some may appear on later blogs for various reasons.
We went down a coalmine and am I glad I did not live in those days. The houses were fabulous though once again i would not want to do my washing using these items!!

Grimsthorpe Castle just north of Bourne - look at these super seedheads.

The castle itself was magnificant and we had lovely scones in the restaurant

The exterior of Grimsthorpe - the rooms were wonderful

Blenheim Palace, which was lovely but too geared to the American market I thought - though the grounds were lovely

So not much quilting or creativity been going on but am endeavouring to get back into it.

We also went for retail therapy at Meadow Hall, two pairs of shoes some tops etc. etc. it was a super day!! No material shops though!!!

It has been a very unproductive week - but very very busy in the shop so I guess that is why !!!
Angela and I for some silly reason have joined a Quilt Along on one of the blogs we follow and these are my fabrics, and the cut out strips and squares. The colours are lovely. The next step will be blogged about next week and we will start to make blocks - so watch this space.




















Angela said I had to blog about my change of car - but not that exciting really! My daughter decided she wanted a grown up car as she had been driving a Kia ever since she left University she was on her second one! So off she went with Rob and came back with a beautiful Honda Civic 2.2 Deisel and I bought the Kia off her - now what does that say!!!! It is lovely to drive and I am pleased that I have got it. But apart from that life seems to be jogging along with nothing of particular interest and no finished items sewing wise!!! Oh I am now officially a pensioner and should start getting my oap in the near future - so I guess I can go and sort my bus pass as well - will have to make time for that!!!

I am so pleased with this quilt I fell in love with the colours - they were so warm and autumny (is there such a word I wonder!) Anyway I have quilted it with wavy lines and then done a wavy edge border so I am sort of chuffed with it.













Yeh look at the linus quilt - it is coming along nicely now I have put the borders on - and decided to make smaller than the original pattern - so I now have had enough squares to make four this size and so am going to make into two quilts totally reversable - which should be quite nice. So all in all I am pleased that the original squares did not end up in the bin !! it is a good way of using up lots of oddments of fabrics - and fat quarters that you wonder why you bought!!!

I think I am tempted to quilt with wavy lines again!!

Now all I have to do is finish this and finish the other one - and then get the jelly roll quilt finished - I need more hours in my day!!!

Well wow we are at the start of September, where has this year gone - am I imagining it or as I get older does the time go quicker! I also notice when I started this blog I have done 70 posts so shall have to start the grey matter churning for a giveaway at 100 - or I shall be in big trouble with Angela and Barbara!!!

Bank Holiday weekend was lovely - spent with family which was nice - we went to Sunday roast with Mark (my youngest) and Zoey his fiancee to meet her Mum and yeh the dinner was lovely with swede my favorite - no-one else seems to like but Joyce does and and rather alot of red wine - so all good. I had coffee and muffins with Caroline whilst doing the weekly shop and caught up on her news. Then my eldest came round for tea and cake and told all about their holiday so all good.

Then back to work and trying to finish projects



















I started this quilt made with two jelly rolls at Debden in August, it is finally put together but needs backing and wadding.















Ages ago I decided to make some Linus quilts and cleared out my pile of fat quarters in the stash as I found a pattern using fat quarters called Pot Luck - didn't like the results looked horrid - so having found the dumped pile decided the time had come to do something - chucking was looking like a very good option!!! Anyway I am seperating the blocks with black sashing and now they look better - going to put a bright border on and then they may be saved!!!

Oh thought you might like to see our naughty cat - I was busy on the phone upstairs last night talking to my sister and Poppy decided she was just too exhausted to listen so she found a nice warm spot to rest her head - cheeky madam!!

We actually have two very tiny baby fish in the aquarium at present - but I suspect the big one's will find them very tasty - shame but that is the way these things go.

Well best go and get on and try and finish something - sometimes you just find that everything seems an effort and that appears to be me at present!!

Last Sunday we had an outing to the Festival of Quilts and yes I should have blogged about it earlier but everyday I managed to leave the camera and card reader at home!
Well today Angela text me to remind me but whoopy I had actually remembered it already.

It was a great day out seven of us and we had a good laugh - met lots of other people at the show so a good day was had all round. Roll on next year








I haven't put many pictures up - and in truth I had thought I uploaded more photos - but I obviously didnot press the right buttons!!!

I just loved these pegs - you really felt you could go and take one off the pile!!

Rob and I had a lovely day out yesterday at Blickling Hall in Norfolk - we had not been before and as it is National Trust thought we would have a day together. I do love using our National Trust membership you feel you are getting value for your money!!!
The journey over was nice and we had coffee and home made scones when we arrived then spent a leisurely day looking around the house and grounds. Rob got into trouble as he asked what the significance of 'The Cow' was as they had them at the entrance way on ceilings and a lovely school marm type lady loudly told him that their were NO COWS at Blickling that the Coat of Arms heralded a BULL. He was heard to be muttering I just met one!!!!











The interior of the house was fantastic and the ceilings were majestic and I adored this one they let you take photos without a flash and this was done on the phone so perhaps not as clear as if I had used the better camera






























I loved the celtic knot type panel.

The gardens and grounds were beautiful and I just loved all the trees - I took lots of pictures of the trees.

This is the front entrance - puts my front path to shame!!!

We had lunch in the restaurant which was delicious and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It is nice to have days to do something different together

Well what a lovely way to spend a Sunday - Barbara and Angela gave up their time to come and help me which was so kind of them - this is the biggest quilt I have ever put together. Now it has to be quilted - help!!!




























































Angela and Barbara are pleased that they have laid on the quilt before my Rob!!! We had to move all the workshop around and put tables together it was a mammoth task.