In progress!

Not much been happening around here for the last couple of days as I got an early Christmas pressie from the children - a nasty headcold!




Over it now though and desperate to catch up on so many things!




Need to make two girly pressies for teens and have decided to go with bags - always useful for carrying or just containing things I thought!




Only made a start on one so far but should finish it later tonight if my luck is in.  I am using a cute apple print in decorator weight combined with a burgundy corduroy fabric!    Both sides are the same and are lightly quilted round those apples - helps to make it all a bit sturdier...
  

Here is the fabric for the lining and inner pocket - which goes better than it seems from the photo.  The pocket is quilted in chevrons too for a bit more substance and bound with a contrasting red/white stripe!

And just because I cannot show you a finish today here is my constant companion!  Oops woke her up !

Can you tell??

 The third photo is a bit scary - she was only yawning but my she looks fierce!  Seen a lion yawning on a nature programme - like that but a bit smaller!


Are you ready??


Smelling salts to hand??






Here she is then and don't say I didn't warn you!

Good thing I kept this photo small as I wouldn't want you having nightmares!


Sweet dreams!

Sad today!!

My neighbour rang me up last night.


She rang to tell me that she thought my cat had been killed on the road.  It was true - our lovely Emily is no more!


So I am sad today that she had her life cut short.  


Hope you don't mind a few photos of her but I'm not thinking about quilts just now!

I am thinking of how we tell her best buddy Clarissa......her grandpa died this year and it has shaken her little world - people die, and her fear is that I will die....I'm hoping it won't be for a while and so is she....but now her world seems uncertain!

And quite a bit less lovely.....

Well no wonder I was bored....

I think I might just have overdone the cutting out of triangles to make HSTs (half square triangles) for my Friendship's Garden quilt as I seem to have this many left over....

You may think this is the same photo as yesterday but I assure you it is not.  My maths was not correct - I was one HST out for each row!


Do you know how many HSTs are in this quilt?  Nope - nor do I but I am just counting ...1,2,3,...11 ...25....37....46....78....99.....150.....200....280!  That's how many and I have finished them all....joined them up....and stitched the quilt top together.


So far so good as they say but I cannot do the happy dance yet - well ok a little one - as I have an applique border to add on and applique is a scary word at the moment as I haven't done significant amounts of needle turn applique since I was doing this quilt in 2005/2006!


Do you want a photo...?


Well here is a teaser.....

More revealed tomorrow after I edit the countless photos I took while ably assisted by Saffy the cat!  Isn't she adorable!??

Great view I think!  And for Saffy too!

I am quite excited this week as I am going to go to Birmingham on Friday, to the NEC, to the Festival of Quilts (FoQ).  I am hoping to put faces to blog names so if you are there please let me know.  I am a FoQ virgin so any tips for a really big quilt show would be most welcome!

Nicky

Pattern

Friendship's Garden by Alma Allen & Cherie Ralston

Still available at Pickledishstore

Previous posts
http://mrsssewandsow.blogspot.com/2011/05/applique-quilt-post-no1.html
http://mrsssewandsow.blogspot.com/2011/05/applique-quilt-post-no-2.html
http://mrsssewandsow.blogspot.com/2011/05/applique-quilt-post-no-3.html






Measurements
Applique block size 20.5 " finished
HST sashing size 2" finished
Skinny accent sashing 0.5" finished


Number of HSTs
280!!

Trip to China Town!

My friend Eloise and I visited the Cult of Beauty exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London on Sunday but after that our visit to London was not over!  Oh no we like to make a day of it!

We have both been learning Mandarin Chinese for about 15 months and so we visited China Town in Soho behind Leicester Square.  Here you see the gates which mark the entrance and Eloise casually standing in front....

a chinese lion....

a restaurant with lots of Beijing roast duck hanging in the window and Eloise...(no she is not hanging in the window - just the duck - heehee)

a Chinese supermarket

It was a chance for us to explore the wares here and to look for chinese script which we recognised.  I have to tell you that there was a lot more that I didn't!

some lucky cats which spent the whole time waving their upraised paw

and one gorgeous little Chinese miss!

Zai tian!  Goodbye!

Nicky