A little present!

Here is a little present I made as a going away present.


A family we got to know through my son is leaving our shores after three years in this country and they are moving to Frankfurt in Germany.  


I know Debbie misses her home so I made this to remind her that her home is wherever they are together.  I just hope she likes it.




This is my first little house block using Marti Michell's template Set J- so easy!

and here is my label on the back - can you guess where they are from originally?  Not a very tricky one - the stars are a nod to the Australian flag too!

I also used Insul-Bright wadding so it can be used as a mug rug, placemat or some other insulating purpose.  My first time using this wadding too but not my last....




Nicky




measurements
mat size 15" x 13"
finished block size 7.5" x 5.5" 


materials
variety from stash and navy star fabric
Insul-Bright wadding
ribbon to finish edge of label

Rose Dreams - half way - or am I?!

I have finished handsewing all the blocks I cut out when I started on this quilt!  Bit of a slog if I am honest towards the end.   I think the remaining ones might be part machine, part hand sewn to speed things up.


I have set out the 18 blocks to see how they look

and now added a couple more (20 blocks) with some different layout schemes

The original quilt had 36 pastel multicoloured blocks but my interest in these is waning so I am thinking of finishing on 25 blocks in total, which would mean only five more.  I think I could do that especially if I machine sew the straight pieces and hand sew the curves.




My preference is for the navy blue line up the middle - so I need one more of those and some brighter blues for the other diagonal rows.  I need to lift those creams and greyer blue tones a touch.


Do I then add a border?  Perhaps a plain white solid border.  Do I add another border after that?  Mmmmm more moments of musing coming up.  Feel free to chip in with advice - I really want to finish this top!


Then I really need to think of a name - rose dream for a blue and white quilt doesn't sound quite right!  Perhaps Delft Dreams would be better, unless you have another suggestion...?






Nicky

Vintage Market 2!

Here we are again at the vintage market...




A pretty chair newly upholstered

The back is as good as the front don't you think!?  I did try it out and it was very comfortable.

The lady who runs this stall has a shop in Arundel called Vintage Maison..

I love that little pink scooter...

This stall was asking if people were ready for Goodwood - our local racing circuit!

My friend has a thing about vintage aprons and her daughter went away with a different one... but we both liked this one!

Can you see us all in the mirror?

My friend's mother, my friend, her two daughters and me!

Even here we couldn't quite get away from weddings...as just around the corner we saw this young lady in her beautiful dress - picture's not great I know but I only have a little snappy camera!

Are you wondering if I bought anything?  Well maybe I did...

The green glass plate at the bottom with a star on it, to join my others ....

 

A bit of vintage fabric...

enough to make a dress perhaps but certainly a skirt...

Most of an Indian shawl...sadly a bit had been cut off perhaps damaged

And that quilt top I showed you yesterday - just couldn't walk away from that one....

Another UFO but not mine this time....well it is now!

Nicky

Vintage Market!

My friend facebooked me this time!  Did I want to go to a Vintage Market?  What do you think?  Yes indeed!  It was held in the little village of Cuckfield in the old school house - itself a vintage location!   At first sight I thought this was going to be a tiny market but as we ventured in we saw one room followed by another with more upstairs and outside.  Here are some of the special things we saw....

This lady was kind enough to pose for a photo - she had some lovely pieces on her stall - pity her chair was at odds with the vintage look.

This lady didn't have a shop - she was off-loading a lot of her personal buys.  The dress she was wearing was an original she had bought from a car boot sale and I loved it too!  Doesn't she look fabulous?  

Some pretty brooches - not everything was of the period but they did have a vintage look

Cute doll and cot at this stall - some stall owners didn't want to be in the photos.....

Fancy a knitted acorn?  A doorstop I think!

Tea anyone?  Cute little fair isle jumpers for these little pots!

This stall was crowded with vintage toys

A beautiful vintage vignette ....

This looks like a scene from Country Living.....

A beautiful hand stitched quilt top made from shirting fabric and pink sashing....

These things caught my eye at the vintage market .....there will be more tomorrow!


Hope you enjoyed this little walk down memory lane at the Vintage Market!




Which one would you have taken home?







Nicky

Castle Wall!

Thank you for all your comments on the wedding dresses and your stories about your wedding days.  I think the best bits are when things go slightly wrong - it's awful at the time but makes you laugh hopefully thereafter.

Well I will share one tale from my wedding....

During the ceremony, we had got to the bit where we had to kneel down for a blessing I think and everyone started giggling - not that we noticed at the time - the bestman had tippexed on my hubby's shoes HE on the left one and LP on the right....it was too late by that time and we only found out about it at the reception.  It did make us laugh....HELP!

But back to sewing...

I saw this beautiful quilt for sale on ebay and realised I had seen this block before.

I had noticed it in the second hand book Patching Things Up by Jan Halgrimson and I thought it was ok on the page but this beauty sold it to me.

Is it the pink sashing that appeals?  Perhaps it is the blue castle walls?  Or even the different way the blocks look depending on the value of the various pieces?  Or maybe all of these things, but if I cannot buy it, then I want to make it!

Here is my first attempt at the block, y-seams included, lots of them!  I have not yet squared it up by adding the corner triangles but the little seam ripper was in use quite a lot. 

I have ideas about this block but I am waiting on some fabric to arrive ....

oops another new project....and I was doing so well up to this point, nearly!

Nicky   

Ding, dong again!

This is the second part of the photos on the wedding dress exhibition....




Are you sitting comfortably....then I'll begin

Look at the train on this one!

Another of the earlier ones!

Do you see the hooded one - for a winter wedding!

A beautiful beaded detail of a fragment of an old dress in this photo...

Now that's what I call a wedding photo!

Another early specimen

A detail of those gorgeous buttons

Well we cannot all have a sunny day!  Mine wasn't!

  Last shot - what was special about this one?  It was very pale blue!  

50's I'd say, wouldn't you?

And that's the end unless you all send me a photo of your own wedding dress/day!  But in the meantime I hope you enjoyed that!

Nicky

Ding, dong!

My friend rang recently to ask if I wanted to go with her to the local church where they were displaying a collection of wedding dresses through the ages - including her own!

Of course I was up for that and here are some photos


First up a few flowers to set the scene.....

Next my friend and her daughter are waiting - is it for me or for the bride?

Must have been me as the brides are already inside.  This is the first dress we saw and it was a stunning one..

I am sorry to post so many photos of this one dress but there was so much detail to see...don't you think!?

This next dress is a special one too - it belongs to my friend!  She sewed all those buttons on herself....

And she dressed up her shoes herself!  Always was a clever arty girl or so it seems but I hadn't had the pleasure of knowing her at this point!

I will keep posting about these gorgeous dresses through the ages... wouldn't want you to miss out.  


Maybe you could tell me about your dress, your wedding day or send me a photo and maybe we could have a virtual wedding exhibition.  I may even get my own dress out ...now I wonder if I could still fit in it???  Maybe my daughter will have to model instead...






Nicky