Quilting Bebbs

There's been a little bit of stitching going on.....

2012-02-20T19:57:00.006Z

........ both hand and machine

Plus some knitting ......

The youngest was very partial to her friend's snood/continuous scarf loop thingie the other day

So a large ball of aran yarn, some large needles, a long car journey, 35 stitches and about 220 rows of K1,P1 rib

Et voila!!!

Meanwhile back at the coalface the machine has been busy stitching leaders and enders, joining 2" squares to make four-patches in alternative scraps and neutrals

The design I've dreamed up needs 216 - I think I'm up to 170 now

As for hand stitching - we have a family wedding in June which deserves a quilt

The batik jewel-box I've blogged about before will fit the bill nicely so is now being appliqued along the border to within an inch of its life. In hindsight I wish I'd used a darker green for the stems and leaves but I didn't have enough dark fabric so this is how it's staying - the green isn't quite as washed out as this in proper light thank goodness

Only three quarters of the 80+ butterflies to go for a finish!

It's beginning to feel a bit like...........

2011-12-14T20:02:00.003Z

............ Christmas

Well there is less than two weeks to go

We do finish school at the end of this week - well Louise and I do, Nick goes on 'til next Tuesday but he did have two weeks for his October half term.

Sarah will be home from university a week tomorrow

The tree and the decorations are all up

And I've been working on secret squirrel stuff I can't show you just yet

However the one thing (or rather two things) I can show you are a couple of Christmas stockings that a colleague commissioned for her two little boys aged 18 months and almost 3 years

Of course the real puzzle is how will Father Missmuss (Luke's words not mine) fill them without those bells waking up their owners?

Not much blogging..................

2011-11-20T10:55:00.003Z

............... but plenty of sewing and also a bit of joinery construction but in this case not by me

You caught a glimpse of some celtic knotwork I've been working on a post or two ago - using a bright orange bias on a dark blue background

In order to do this type of work this I have to mark the initial pattern onto the background fabric which is all fine and dandy if I'm using a light coloured fabric - I just tape it to the window and use the daylight as a light box for tracing the pattern.

However this isn't quite so easy on a dark background - you need a very sunny day - something we're not always blessed with in this part of the world

So I thought I'd improvise and use a glass topped coffee table with an old lamp underneath it

This worked okay for the first of the four sections but was nowhere near ideal - I just couldn't seem to get the lamp in the right place to get a clear image through the dark fabric so it took a fair bit of faffing about to just trace the one and rather put me off doing the other three

I was chatting to my wonderful handy husband about it later in the day. He looked thoughtful and wandered off out into the garage for a while

He returned with a set of spotlights we'd bought at very little cost a while ago thinking they might come in handy for an unspecified future project - we have a garage full of this sort of 'it'll come in handy sometime' stuff

I agreed that they'd be ideal mounted in a board that I could put under the glass table

So off he went back to the garage and a wee while later after lots of sawing and banging .........

Voila!!! My wonderful new light box. It shines so brightly we have to make sure the curtains are closed or we might have incoming aircraft landing on the roof.

It should make very short work of tracing the other three motifs on that deep blue fabric.............

and I can feel an idea for a design on a black background germinating in the back of my mind

On another note is it only me or do other quilters procrastinate when it comes to adding borders to their work?

I really dislike this job and often work will sit in the cupboard stalling while waiting for this especially on big quilts. I hate manhandling and cutting large lengths of fabric

However the other day I took myself firmly by the hand and made myself do some border cutting and adding

This little cot quilt already had two of the sides added and was only waiting for me to make two more to finish it off - I've no idea whatever there was to stall on for so long - now it's in the completed tops pile ready for sandwiching

This batik jewel box was a much bigger fish to fry and I find cutting and adding the long and wide borders to this size of quilt a real pain and very easy to procrastinate about - but it's done now and is sitting waiting for inspiration to strike with an applique design to finish it off

Of course having cleared these borders from the 'to-do' list it seems only right that I should create something else that will need borders

and these scrappy 'log cabin/courthouse steps' style blocks are going together a treat - I've made more progress since I took this photo and the centre is completed at 4 by 6 x 8" blocks with 3" sashing giving a nice single sized quilt once I only..............

...................... add on those dratted borders of course!!!

Now I know my A B C...............

2011-10-09T07:10:00.004+01:00

............... won't you come and play with me?

with the words of the childhood song echoing round my head having seen this around on a blog or two so thought I'd share

A Age: 51 years young - can't quite get my head around being over 50 - all of the tv adverts that show insurance products and holidays for the over 50s can't possibly mean me

B Bed Size: Super King Size - we have a 6ft bed made up of two single beds 'zip and linked' together - a bit of a mare to get bedding for but lots of room for us and the kids to pile in on a weekend morning - well we did when they were little anyway

C Chores you hate: Anything that takes me away from quilting time really

D Dogs: None since my parents had them when I was a child much to the disgust of the kids

E Essential start to your day: A cup of weak black tea made by my lovely man and cooled to perfection on the kitchen side ready for me when I come downstairs - what a hero!

F Favourite Colour: That stunning peacock blue/teal green rich jewel shade - sets off my auburn hair a treat

G Gold or Silver: No preference I like them both and will happily accept either

H Height: 5 ft 3.5ins and with the way my youngest is shooting up at the moment it won't be long before I have the dubious honour of being the shrimp of the house

I Interests: Patchwork and Quilting, Travel (particularly to new places) - any way to combine the two is even nicer

J Job Title: Finance Officer for a local primary school - the hours and (unpaid) holidays fit in well with the kids - once the two youngest head off to university in a few short years I will probably have to go back to something full time just for us to be able to afford to keep them there - sighhhhhhhh

K Kids: Three beautiful, wonderful kids that I am so lucky to be able to have given birth to - Sarah 19, a rugby playing trainee physiotherapist at uni near London, Nick almost 16, a football crazy mathematician who is Head Boy of his school and Louise 14, my arty, eloquent, violin toting blonde bombshell who is almost as tall as me

L Live: in Taunton, Somerset in the sunny south west of England, a very long way from the beloved Yorkshire Dales of my youth - but home is with your family and it's a beautiful part of the world down here

M Mother's Name: Monica and I love her to bits - having her and Dad living close by is a pleasure and a privilege

N Nickname: With my red hair it was always something associated with that when I was younger - now I tend to get Mrs B or Mrs Bebbs

O Overnight Hospital Stays: A few too many, cartilage in left knee, wisdom teeth, appendix, sterilisation, sterilisation reversal, three caesarean sections (the last with a second sterilisation), pancreatitis fortunately cured by a gall bladder removal, and finally a night in with my youngest when she managed to swallow a magnet!!! - thank heavens for the NHS, warts and all

P Pet Peeves: Slyness particularly in children - can't you tell I work in a school

Q Quotes from Films: I can't think of a single one - I obviously either don't pay attention or I have a shocking memory - probably both

R Right or Left Handed: Most definitely right - I'm totally useless with my left

S Siblings: As the eldest of three I have a sister 3.5 years younger and a brother 9 years my junior

T Time You Wake Up: Whenever the alarm wakes me or if left to sleep probably about 8.30am

U Underwear: Yes of course!

V Vegetables You Hate: Peppers (Capsicums) - in any shape or form, cooked or raw, even the smell makes me heave

W What Makes You Run Late: Usually the kids

X X-rays You've Had: Copious quantities - see 'O' and draw your own conclusions

Y Yummy Food That You Make: I do a mean Cinnamon and Whisky Cake and can turn my hand to most other fare, hence my generous waistline

Z Zoo Animals: Conservation purposes only please

So there you have it - an alphabetical snapshot of me - quilting content will be resumed shortly

I've been getting..................

2011-09-26T14:30:00.003+01:00

........ somewhat tied up in knots this week

It must be easily seven or eight years ago we spent a week's holiday staying in a holiday cottage in Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales. As I hale from that neck of the woods we took the opportunity to visit and catch up with old friends

One of my friends hinted that she would love one of my quilts and when asked what her preferred colour scheme would be she said how much she loves coastal colours; sands, creams and blues

In my usual fashion, on our return home I delved into my stash and started work on one of my medallion quilts - you know the theme, start in the middle with no particular plan and just keep adding what you fancy round the outside

At that time I'd never done a dresden plate - so that was my starting point with a big hand appliqued butterfly to match

Then a few hand appliqued flowers
And some delectable mountains with grandmother's fans in the corners as I'd not had a go at these either. Which left me with some blank sand areas between the blue and white hearts in the corners of the previous round Which is where the knot tying came in with a little celtic knotwork - I haven't done any of this in a while so I thought why not?

Working on this over the past week made me remember why I enjoyed it so much; from the design drafting through the interweaving of the bias tubing to the leisurely hand stitching along each edge
Here we are so far - it still needs probably a couple more rounds to make it up to the size of a useable bed sized quilt - but for now it's neatly back in the cupboard in its correct place until inspiration strikes me for the next stage. It's a good job the friend has never been told I'm working on it - she would probably have given up hope of ever catching sight of it
Other than a bit of mindless string piecing some scraps together because I had the desire to stitch something simple on the machine I've stayed in the same knotty mode

A certain blogging friend entrusted me with a quilt top she had worked on so I could add some knotwork - well Kate, your wait may be soon over - it's underway

I have come to the conclusion that I have........

2011-09-18T10:59:00.003+01:00

................the attention span of a butterfly

A couple of years ago - or maybe more - I set the ladies in my Monday morning quilting group a challenge.

We were all to make an 'Ostrich Quilt' - in essence a bit like a Round Robin but flightless, ie it stays at home with you and you only work on your own

I have a history of enjoying making medallion style quilts with a centre and lots of rounds working out from the middle - I love the style but they do have one drawback.....

they tend to grow to gargantuan proportions.

So this time I took the conscious decision to work through the stages of my own Ostrich in a row style fashion

Each time I set a criteria for a stage I would make a row to add to the bottom of my quilt - that way it would stay at a set width and hopefully not get too big

The stages I set were: Stars, Circles, Squares/Nine Patch, Biased Tubing Applique, Flowers, Opposites and finally Triangles. I deliberately made the criteria fairly general and vague so people could work it to their strengths or challenge their weaknesses if they wished.

As you can see from the photo here I managed to get the first six rows done and stitched together with separating strips between them and then I lost impetus

Hence this WIP has been buried in the detritus of my sewing room waiting for its final Triangle row - I ran out of steam and couldn't think what to do at the time so it languished unloved until I resurrected it during The Grand Sewing Room Clearup

I looked at it a few times and then decided that flying geese are triangles so I would use four in each 6" block as my way of interpreting the criteria

Here's the first of the seven required blocks

I have to admit that I completed the row and added it. I then put on the final sand coloured bar below it and finished off the heart and leaf applique on each bar. Finally I added sand side bars ready to add borders to complete the top

And that's where my butterfly attention span stalled so I parcelled it up back into its labelled bag and returned it to the cupboard - before remembering to take a picture!

When it eventually comes out to play sometime in the future I shall take a picture to show you

So what did the butterfly attention span rest on next?

A very old UFO which has to be more than 6 years old as I can only remember working on it at our previous house in Gloucester and we moved to this house 6 years ago last Friday

I've never shown this on my blog before - its a medallion style quilt in mid blue, sand and cream

But here's a little taster of the area I'm working on at present - lots of bias tubing to form some celtic knotwork.

I haven't done any of this for a long while but I now remember how much I love it - look out Kate - you never know there may be some progress on that quilt top of yours I have yet

Feeling rather...................

2011-09-16T19:46:00.002+01:00

............ like this

My sewing isn't suffering, I'm still stitching up a storm

Working my way through different ufos and being sufficiently disciplined to put them back in their correct home when I get bored with them

But........

I must admit to missing Sarah

We took her back to her uni house about five and a half weeks ago and she's just finished a tough five week placement staying over an hour from there in Chelmsford in Essex

As it was far too far to travel on public transport daily she managed to find lodgings with a lovely young couple who are friends of a rugby friend

They have been so kind to her, feeding her dinner most days, giving her lifts to a part-time job at weekends as they don't live on an easy bus route and generally giving her a home from home which is far preferable to a B&B or a budget hotel

But as she's not had anyone she knows well nearby for the duration of her placement we'd fallen into a routine of me ringing her early evening each working day so she could download her thoughts and emotions from her day

Obviously this wasn't anything like as good as having her at home to chat to face to face but it didn't make a bad second

Today Nigel called in on his way back from a business trip and collected her and took her back to her uni house and her uni mates

Those phone calls will be far less frequent in occurence and lengthy in content

This is all in the natural order of things as she continues her studies and makes a life for herself and I really wouldn't have it any other way

But I can't help feeling a bit like that soggy old balloon - deflated

However just to lighten the mood I'll leave you with a picture taken in Antwerp where the whole family stayed for a couple of nights on our way back from a week in Holland this summer
It rather sums her up :)

Sometimes you have to...........

2011-09-10T13:24:00.004+01:00

......... admit when it's time to stop working on something and come back afresh

When I looked at Sarah's DofE quilt I realised that there were two blocks with only three of the four fabrics included so I decided to add a little applique to bring in that elusive fourth fabric

With this in mind I remembered that one of the blocks had originally been destined to be a honeybee block and Sarah's reluctance to learn hand applique was the stumbling block preventing completion at the time
Well to an old applique addict like me the addition of the four bees was a five minute (okay half an hour) job

This left the final block................
and what could be sweeter to break up that centre yellow diamond than the 'Mary Quant' style flower I'd used on Quilts 4 Leukaemia blocks previously sent to Clare

I then proceeded to the borders.........
and the narrow green one went on quietly.

But my enthusiasm waned with the outer flowery pink border and the work sat on the cutting table for several days

My attention wandered and I sneaked back into my neat and tidy, labelled to within an inch of its life cupboard where my gaze settled on........

an assortment of fabric I'd selected for a baby quilt for a dear friend who is due to have a caesarean in a couple of weeks

That was it - the DofE quilt had been usurped

Usually I would leave it and all its accompanying fabrics out, shove it to the corner of my sewing area and make a start on the new project - as you can imagine several projects later the detritus mountain will have reformed

But you would have been very proud of me. I packed the DofE quilt and its assorted fabrics back up into its labelled bag and returned it to the correct labelled ufo box in the cupboard.

That's my new philosophy, if it isn't the current project put it back in its correct home - it will eventually surface again as the favourite of the moment to be worked on at another time

So I changed allegiance to the baby quilt and settled for nice and simple friendship stars at 9" finished

Some toning 3"spotty sashing and striped cornerstones to pick out the green of the crocodiles
and voila! The top is complete!!! Sadly I don't have enough of the block centre animal fabric to do an outer border so I think I shall leave it at this - it's 39" square and probably just a nice size for a baby so borderless it shall be

Mind you it wasn't without the odd hiccup - last night, after an extremely emotional day including a family funeral and a lengthy drive there and back, when stitching all the blocks together I managed to transpose the two left hand blocks on the middle row - obviously time to admit defeat and head off to bed.

A good night's sleep left me refreshed, and delighted by the England win in their initial Rugby World Cup game, to do a bit of unpicking and restitch the blocks in their correct places this morning

......... and now the top is back in the cupboard with all my other completed tops in their neatly labelled box as I'm not quite in the mood for sandwiching yet so I'm hunting another ufo to come out and play with me for a while

Isn't it amazing.................

2011-09-02T13:39:00.007+01:00

........... how having a neat, tidy, well organised and labelled to within an inch of its life sewing area can revitalise the old creative juices

After rediscovering them in amongst the melee I pulled out the blocks that Sarah made some years ago for her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award

It's one of my personal idiosyncracies but I struggle with sampler blocks where some of the edge of the block is of the same fabric as the sashings - I just don't like blocks to melt into sashings

So the nine different blocks gained a 3/4" border of the green fabric just to rationalise them all

Then I decided maybe sawtooth stars round the cornerstones would be just the ticket - not done these before but how hard can it be?

2.5" sashings need 1.5" squares to take off the corners right?

So lots of stitching, cutting and pressing later - still not comfortable with triangles and I know some of you quilters out there will quite rightly think what a wuss I am for that :)

Each sashing has little yellow corners at each end There we go - stars on the cornerstones

And here's the top so far - a 3/4" or 1" border in green to follow and then a flowered wider border for the finish - I hadn't realised until I downloaded this just how dappled the light is out in the garden today

Can't, for the life of me, think why these blocks have been hanging around for so long...........

.......... unless it's because they, and the accompanying fabric, have been awol in a room full of detritus all this time of course

(By the way Blogger is driving me crazy putting in all these carriage returns when I've taken them all out - apologies for anyone reading this having to scroll down repeatedly to get to the next bit of my spiel - anyone with any hints how to avoid this please let me know)

Now where did the past five months go?

2011-09-01T10:14:00.004+01:00

I just can't believe it is over five months since I last posted

I haven't been totally idle in that time

I've done precious little machine sewing - the twins' baby quilts are still to be quilted (and the babes arrived ages ago)

But I have been industrious with a trusty needle and thread

A friend of a friend promised me an assortment of Liberty Tana Lawn fabrics when we were away together on a weekend in Budapest almost six years ago

It transpires she used to work for them in the dim and distant past and had bought loads of their remnants for little money

I thought she'd forgotten all about it as they never materialised

However we were at a party for a mutual friend back in May and from the boot of her car she produced two bin liners of crammed full of the promised fabric

What treasure!!!

So I have been very busy since then playing with little teeny hexagons

They measure 1" from point to point

The cerise fabric was the only solid in the bags so I used it for the diamond centres and found some lovely ivory on line to use for the background (that was my birthday money well and truly spent!)

Here is the progress so far - Louise is 5'2" and is stretching to hold it fully extended so that gives you an idea of scale

I must credit Libby for the design layout as I pinched the idea from her blog but can't find the relevant post to show you her picture

Another reason for little non-hexagon production was the state of my sewing room - it was so messy I couldn't bear to sew in there so the alternative was handwork elsewhere in the house - hence the hexagons

I am naturally a messy worker and tend to push the clutter to the sides of the work surface and create in the little oasis of calm centred round the sewing machine

Unfortunately two or three years of detritus were doing a great job of overwhelming the oasis - I know it has been that long because Nigel has been nagging me to clear it each school holiday for easily that length of time and I've always been 'getting around to it'

We're currently hamster-sitting for 'Tiger-Lily' who belongs to a friend - thank goodness she didn't escape - if she'd ventured into the sewing room who knows when we'd have found her again!

So the onslaught to clear the mess started with Nigel rummaging through and putting away the countless bobbins of thread that were intermingled - how ever did I think I had no blue thread - I now have a small drawer full. I guess he thought if he made a start it would encourage me to continue - he knows me so well it was just the catalyst I needed

This was enough to spur me on and it took me a full three days to methodically go through everything and put it into its relevant home - none of this 'shove it into a container full on indiscriminate contents and stuff it away out of sight' Every one of those containers, and there were many, many of them were gone through and all contents distilled into their correct locations

These are the before photos - and this was after Nigel's initial trawl through

And - proud quilter moment - here are the afters

I've even prepared a basket of 2 1/2" squares to use as 'Bonnie' style 'Leaders and Enders' to keep the production line flowing (the picture was taken in very poor light so apologies for the yellowing)

My UFOs are all bagged, labelled and placed in labelled containers so now I know where everything is and can choose to work on whichever takes my fancy

From the UFO's stored neatly away the set of blocks Sarah made for her Duke of Edinburgh Award have shouted loudest to me from their tidy home in the cupboard so that's what I'm working on at present

Along with those teeny hexagons of course

And yesterday Louise and I spent a little crafty time together making a birthday present for her friend - amazing what you can make with a little leftover curtaining, some wadding, some heavy duty string and a few pearl buttons

My blog may have been quiet...........

2011-03-21T10:12:00.005Z

............... but the sewing machine certainly hasn't

So much so I've worn it out - or at least rendered it unuseable and had to resort to my back up machine perched on the end of the dining room table. Fortunately my extension table and machine feet fit both machines - however my replacement doesn't have the luxury of 'needle down' mode and boy am I missing that :(

I've been very busy piecing which as many of you may know is most unusual for me

I'm generally much more comfortable with hand applique

There's been precious little of that going on - just a few blocks using the same motif I used for Clare's Q4L blocks - I intend to alternate them with bright batik blocks with the flowers in the deep purple

Another set of twins are on the way - the couple who introduced Nigel and I await twin grandsons in June so as I've always loved Bonnie's Star Struck pattern I decided to make complimentary quilts with red and green accents

Funny how thay can look so different using the same basic fabrics

Unusually for me I've yet to become bored with this pattern so I thought I'd give it a go with pinks and turquoises with white and stripy black accents - young and funky!

Louise's green and cream top is completed and ready for sandwiching

I had thought about a little applique around the border and then decided that it's absolutely fine as it is so, once quilted, a green binding will be just the ticket to finish the job

A batik jewel box was sitting almost done for a while in my sewing room and the last few blocks completed this centre which is now waiting for deep beige borders - this one probably will get the applique treatment once those borders are on - my quilt holder needs to grow a little and this caused much hilarity during the photo session :)

And finally a purple and pale grey wip has gained a few more blocks - unsure how big this will become - depends on how far the fabric lasts but as it's fiddly I keep adding a bit as I feel like it so it may be a while before it gets to full size

Last but not least my ALQS5 quilt arrived safe and sound and has already been claimed by Louise who fell in love with it on sight - there has to be some reward for all that stretching

Off work today and housebound as my car is in for its annual MOT and service so in between surfing and blogging I'm adding more to the pink and turquoise quilt - back to the machine it is then :)

Something finished.............

2011-02-01T08:43:00.002Z

but don't get excited it's only a small piece

Kate North has been hosting round 5 of her 'Another Little Quilt Swap

The remit was a quilt the size of a piece of photocopy paper, A4 or the equivalent

No other specifications except it had to be ready and photos sent to her by 31st January

You could sign up without totally committing yourself - just an expression of intent and if you didn't finish your quilt no worries

This suited me - a year or two ago I used to make lots of things for swaps and manage completions by deadlines with very little trouble

Then I bit off more than I could chew and the stress of completing things on time switched me off the entire process

This time I had a get-out clause - no finish, no entry - simple!

And with this I managed to finish my piece

Ta-dah................

A hand appliqued little quilt all in batiks

It's all machine quilted in corresponding colours to within an inch of its life

Finishes are always a nice kind of feeling aren't they? :o)

Now onto something different...........

Blocks for Claire for her Quilts 4 Leukaemia quilts - I've long promised a supply of these - now is the time for action and once I've finished them all they'll be winging their way to France - (Sorry Claire, I know I've been promising these for ages but I'm on the case now - honest!)

Back to the sewing machine then..................

And the winners are.............

2011-01-17T09:13:00.002Z

Gill, who was first out of the hat and will receive the top hanging

and

Black Bear Cabin, who was second and will receive the other

Ladies - if you could send me your snail mail addresses to my email address I will get them in the post to you asap

Sorry everyone else - I wish I had one for everyone

All scarved out............

2011-01-12T15:26:00.003Z

.............. and onto stitchy things

I've exhausted my supply of scarf wool - knitted the lot - seven in total

I shan't knit any more for now as the local shop has no other colour alternatives and I can't be bothered to hike 30+minutes to another town to pick up more from the Saturday afternoon market

So as Kate is organising another round of her quilt swap, and as I tentatively signed up for it, plus the deadline is looming at the end of this month, I decided to give it a go

Applique it is then

And life does have it's way of throwing surprises in your path

I bought this teeny bunch of daffs for £1.50 from a local supermarket on Sunday morning expecting them to all be yellow with orange trumpets

Obviously not - what a delight to watch and see how each one turns out :)

It was nineteen years ago today..............

2011-01-11T16:38:00.004Z

............ since Nigel and I stood in the Registry Office in Skipton and promised that, in sickness and in health, for better for worse, for richer for poorer til death do us part, we would be there for each other always

We then moved onto the beautiful priory church at Bolton Abbey to have our marriage blessed in front of as many of our family and friends as could make it on that chilly grey January day

Sadly those times were pre-digital cameras, at least in our house anyway, so I have no photos to hand - our wedding album and any framed photos are still in boxes since our move here five plus years ago so I can't even scan anything to show you - maybe I'll dig them out and scan them in for our twentieth next year

You will have to make do with a much more recent photo of us with wrinkles and extra pounds a plenty

We've gone through lean and more affluent times, had our ups and downs, supported each other through serious illness and redundancies but somehow I feel that our love has grown and deepened with each passing year

To my darling Nigel I'll give you the cue for a song

You're the best thing that ever happened to me.......................

Scarves abound.........

2011-01-08T10:51:00.003Z

............. where patchwork fabric fears to rear its head

I am a bit of a scarfaholic on the quiet - I own dozens in different colours and styles and use them to accessorise my outfit each day, particularly when the weather is chilly

These two took, at most, two or three hours each to knit up with only 7 stitches on the needle - a slightly awkward knitting style but the quick growth is very rewarding - the colours are a little bleached, the plain one is a much richer juniper green - photography obviously isn't my strong point!

Long time readers of my blog may remember back in October 2009 that I showed you the quilt I made for me dear friend Sue, a breast cancer patient, who was about to have a mastectomy - if you click on the word 'quilt' above and scroll down the first picture is the quilt I made for her

She had a very successful operation followed by radiotherapy and has made a wonderful recovery throughout this past year

As she started her journey with pretty large breasts she decided that when she had the combined mastectomy and breast reconstruction operation she would go for a smaller end result

Of course this meant that, immediately post-op, she was sporting a somewhat lopsided look with the unaffected breast about an F cup size and its reconstructed neighbour a neat and manageable C cup - so the diagonal look has been de rigeur for about 12 months

Early in December the time came to go in to have the untouched breast reduced to match

The op went well and she was so proud of her new boob

That is until she returned just before Christmas for her post-op check

Obviously because of her history the hospital tested the tissue they removed at the reduction

To her shock and great disappointment she was told they had found another tumour in this tissue and the long and short of it is she will go back into hospital on Tuesday for a full mastectomy on the second breast

Of course the good thing about all this is that this tumour is a third the size of the original and wouldn't have been visible on a mammogram for probably another two or three years but she did say in hindsight she wished she hadn't let them talk her out of a double mastectomy in the first place

However it would seem someone's hand was on her shoulder when she originally plumped for a smaller reconstruction at the first op

In her usual inimitable fashion she also found one other positive out of all this - at least she won't have to ever have another mammogram

What's that saying about clouds and silver linings? :)

So, as her favourite colour is cerise, I whipped up this little number to cheer her up as she heads down this next portion of her journey

It was a very teary breakfast...........

2011-01-06T16:17:00.003Z

.......... this morning as I said goodbye to Sarah before I left for work

I knew her dad would come home from work after his morning meeting to take her back to uni

But someone was smiling on them today as they negotiated the often congested journey with minimal delays and only one shrewd diversion getting her back there in plenty of time to hit the supermarket for perishables while she still had dad's wheels and wallet at her disposal and then to get to Saracens rugby training this evening

I shall miss her terribly - Hatfield is at best 3 to 3.5 hours from here but it feels like the other side of the world

She will no doubt miss us all too but a little freudian slip to her grandparents when she saw them yesterday saying 'I'm going home tomorrow' means that psychologically she feels at home there which is a jolly good job as she still has another two and a half years of her course to work through.

Realistically I know that at the end of that course there's a very good chance that she'll eventually probably gain employment in one of the hospitals she's done placement in - and as none of them are remotely near to Taunton she'll probably settle on the other side of the country - but we'll cross that bridge as we come to it

I resorted to more scarf making last night as we spent the last evening of her stay companionably sofa loafing and watching the tv together

Here is the beige/grey number's brighter sister

And a start on a deeper juniper green coloured one in a slightly different but equally speedy yarn - think I'm hooked, or that would be accurate if it were crochet instead of knitting :o)

Mind you Nigel is away tonight, the kids are on 'easy tea' which is not so easy to get away with when Dad's at home as he's a bit of a meat and two veg kind of guy, so I think I may hit the sewing again - there's a bag full of assorted green fabric I've wheedled out from my stash - so Lou's little green and cream number may just get some additional work on it

Don't forget my 500th post giveaway in yesterday's post - I'm leaving the draw open to comments until next Wednesday at 6pm GMT - so if you'd like the chance of one of those two wallhangings drop me a line

Other things creative............

2011-01-05T15:47:00.004Z

............ than stitching that is

Flower arranging these beautiful spring tulips brought by one of our New Years Eve Guests - okay flower arranging is pushing it a bit - bunging them into water in a tall glass is nearer the mark but they are so colourful on these dark dismal wintry post-Christmas days

I've also been playing with yarn over the Christmas break

Crocheting and a bit of knitting

I used to knit a lot but nowadays I find my arthritic fingers prevent me from creating with the two needles to any great extent

Oddly enough I can cope with crochet with no ill effects though

In the words of a certain Australian gentleman 'Can you guess what it is yet?'

A friend had knitted herself a scarf in a matter of a couple of days

I thought 'I could do that'

On the way back from our shopping trip yesterday we popped into a local garden centre which has a small craft department

One ball of yarn, two very thick needles and around three hours later.........

A lacy scarf! - excuse the colour combination with the cardigan I only slipped the scarf on for the photo opportunity - I have another one already on the needles in various shades of peacock blue - and guess what, that one won't go with the cardigan either :o)

Not the easiest yarn to manoeuvre but boy does it grow quickly - such fun!

Tanya is having fun with another medium at the moment - stamping on fabric

I was lucky enough in the summer to win Joe Tulip's giveaway

She is the master of these particular stamps

Lovely to take your crafting in new directions

And speaking of giveaways I promised one for this, my 500th post

So if you'd like a chance to receive either of these two little embroidered wall hangings

leave a comment stating your favourite of the two and make sure that I can email you for details if you're one of the two people picked - I'm happy to post globally so comment away

Last day of freedom............

2011-01-04T10:48:00.004Z

........... before the start of a new term

Nick has returned to school today

Nigel has gone back to work after a lovely long Christmas break

The girls and I have a day of relative freedom before Louise and I head back into our respective schools tomorrow - today is a Teacher Training Day at both establishments

Sarah will be taken back to uni by her dad on Thursday ready for going on her first hospital placement next Monday - nerves are bubbling to the surface already

The Christmas hiatus is over and its almost all stations go

I've been busy cooking this morning with my new toy

Nigel had a small slow cooker before we even met and used it regularly

When there were just two of us both out at work all day it saw plenty of use then

But as the family has grown and I mastered the pre-set timing on the oven it fell out of favour and sat unused and unloved in the garage

At the start of the Christmas break we had a lightbulb moment and realised that Sarah could undoubtedly make use of it when she heads back to uni - the pain of having to hang around using up precious spare time in the flat waiting for things to cook could be circumvented by putting it on in the morning and letting it look after itself all day

Once I gave her a quick lesson on how to use it I realised how much we'd missed those lovely tender casseroles

A quick trawl on the net brought up its big brother - a much meatier beast at 6.2litres capacity

The princely sum of £11.99 brought home our new baby - a veritable bargain!

This morning there's a large dose of Pork with Honey and Mustard bubbling quietly away in here - some for dinner tonight, some to freeze for us and a handful of individual portions to go to uni with Sarah

I had the delight of meeting another two new babies yesterday - of the human kind

Here are the quilt recipients - Libby on the left who seems to have arrived with a New Zealand time clock built into her (awake between 12 midnight and 3am) and her elder sister, by 2 minutes, Amy on the right who is working on the more convenient and parental sleep conducive UK time.

They were both just under 6lbs born and seem so tiny - I'd forgotten just how tiny newborns can be - although mine were never that small all weighing in between 7lb 9.5 and 8lb 12 - almost half as big again. Delectable recipients for the quilts.

I've been doing a little more stitching too

Clare needs more blocks for Quilts 4 Leukaemia and asked me before Christmas for some mainly red blocks - - here are the first two - more to come :o)

On another note completely this is my 499th post - it must be time for a giveaway or two, I haven't done one for an age - last year saw me post only 18 times - this is my 4th post this year already - any comments on my next posting will go into the hat for something homemade from Chez Bebbs so call back in again soon to be included in the draw

Time to say a few goodbyes.............

2011-01-03T11:53:00.006Z

........... to some old friends we shan't see for another year

Here in the UK it's traditional to remove all your Christmas decorations by Twelfth Night which is the 6th January or the Feast of Epiphany

To be honest most years I could happily get rid of the lot well before New Year

But this year, for some unknown reason, I'm sad to bid all the fripperies farewell

Our tree ornaments have been collected over the past 25 years or so from destinations both near and far

A painted pewter Father Christmas from the Mosel valley in Germany

A wooden angel from Schwerin in the old East Germany not too many years after the Wall came down

A dainty little nativity scene bought on a holiday in Lubeck in northern Germany - bit of a German theme going on here

Another nativity, this time in a poppy seed pod bought on a city break to Budapest

A lace bell brought back for me by my sister from a visit to Vienna

A beaded Santa from Berlin

A pine cone made specially for me by one of the ladies at my Monday morning quilting group

Louise's favourite decoration - a Santa with the softest beard you can imagine that I bought near my old home town in Yorkshire

A nutcracker - one of Sarah's favourites - he has several similar friends that she always insists on putting on the tree

A china bear with a heart bought from Harrods in London

The angel on the top - so similar to the one Mrs M bought the same year as ours from the same shop - Harrods again - ours has, somewhere along the line, gained a little bling put there by the children which I'm loathe to remove

A star bought from the Traidcraft stall at the church we used to attend when we lived in Gloucester - this always sits directly beneath the angel

A little blue and white horn from a trip to Amsterdam - it has several other blue and white cousins bought at the same time on other branches - well it would have been rude to resist I say

A die cut wooden ornament from the same Austrian trip by my sister

And my all time favourite tree ornament - an acrobatic Santa from a wonderful trip to Venice whose detailing is so fine and whose price seemed so breathtaking - he has a special red box to live in when off the tree - I'd be devastated to break him - but he is very naughty as he just wouldn't stay still long enough for you to see his face properly

All back safely in their boxes, to be joined by two new friends bought this year who are too big to go on the tree

A metal jingling Father Christmas I bought locally just because I fell in love with him

And last but by no means least my new much larger Nutcracker bought for me as my Christmas present from Louise - I've always wanted one of these, but could never justify the frivolity of the purchase - he has a spot just made for him on our hearth and will be welcomed each year from now on

Finally, now all the boxes are back in the loft and the furniture returned to its usual places I did promise to show you the twins' completed quilts.........

Libby's on the left, and Amy's on the right

On the boil at the moment.............

2011-01-02T20:10:00.003Z

I thought I'd give you a little insight into what I'm working on at present

Those of you who drop in regularly will have noticed that I've not been particularly chatty or productive of late - one of my New Years Resolutions is to try and rectify that - we'll see how long I can keep it up :o)

However the baby quilts for the twins I mentioned a few posts ago have been finished this afternoon - the final stitches for the labels went in today to complete the job

I shall leave photographic evidence of this completion until another day as I want to photograph them in good light tomorrow morning but I can reassure you all that their recipients, Amy and Libby, arrived safely five days before Christmas weighing in at a respectable 5lb 15ozs and 5lb 12ozs and mum and girlies are doing very well indeed

I'd like to think that all the good wishes you sent helped with their safe arrival

We're hoping to try and pop down to deliver the quilts tomorrow

As for current projects, once Sarah's Uni quilt was finished her little sister insisted it was time she got a look in and asked for a little number in green and cream as green is her absolute favourite colour

Initially I thought about doing a Jewel Box but didn't fancy the HSTs at the moment so plumped for 4patches interspersed with other squares using a diagonal layout

This is probably getting towards the top half of the centre of the quilt assembled - I now need to cut more green and cream 2" strips to construct a whole load more 4patches to keep the process rolling - I just keep chipping away at the process when I get a few spare minutes here and there

The pattern is simple but effective - I do love the scrappy effect - once the centre is completed I may well border it in a plain green border and then I think I shall quilt it diagonally - lines of leaves across the green stripes, one leaf per square and then intersect those with big single flowers in each cream box heading at right angles to the leaves - then we'll see what the border throws up for quilting inspiration after that

Louise has recently been bitten by the crafty bug - but she's not into fabric - it's beads for her

The most exciting Christmas present for her this year was a box containing one whole kilogramme (about 2.2lbs) of assorted coloured random glass lampwork beads - she could hardly contain her delight! She spent the best part of an hour on Christmas morning sorting them into her various colour coded boxes

This is one of her latest creations - she picked up the charm bracelet (its made of a large chain threaded onto strong jewellers elastic) at the local chainstore for a few pounds and then personalised it adding all the beads in Sarah's favourite colours for her sister's Christmas present

I'm considering buying a selection of different coloured and sized pearls to give her the raw materials to make one for me soon - after all fair exchange is no robbery

A new start for a new year

2011-01-01T20:58:00.002Z

2011

What does life have in store for us all this year?

At Chez Bebbs 2010 brought change, Sarah headed off to Hertfordshire University to start her training for a career in physiotherapy

The rest of the family carried on regardless but the chemistry of the house seemed to change with Sarah's absence

Nigel had less pressure on his time as he stopped running Sarah's rugby team

Nick and Louise continued to work hard at school as the pressure increased as they edge towards important exams over the next few years.

Nick had his ups and downs continuing to cope with his diabetes but kept up with his football

Louise passed her Grade 1 violin exam

Anne seemed to do a little less taxi driving as it would appear that Sarah was the main client

Finances became a little tighter - it's not cheap supporting kids at uni

Major milestones were reached, Nigel and Anne turned the clock on the Big Five Oh, Sarah was 18 and Anne's father became an octogenarian in the summer

All four grandparents, with the youngest at 71, were fortunate to continue in reasonable health

Anne managed to do less stitching (and blogging - but she intends to try harder this year) than she was happy with

But, all in all, looking back, fortune smiled on us and 2010 was generally a good year

So from Anne and the two gorgeous girlies

And Nigel and the fun loving boy

You are all wished exactly what you'd wish for yourselves -the very, very best for 2011

2010-11-11T07:34:00.002Z

They shall grow not old

As we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them

Nor the years condemn

At the going down of the sun

And in the morning

We will remember them

Laurence Binyon

Twin progress

2010-10-31T12:23:00.003Z

I've been busily beavering away with lots of pink, pale green and white to get two matching quilts ready for a friend who is expecting twin girls in mid January

The twins are coming up to 30 weeks gestation and giving their mum a lot of grief with false alarms and extremely elastic pelvic ligaments

The midwife is keeping her fingers crossed that they get to 32 weeks but obviously the longer they're in there the better and if nothing else happens in the meantime they should be born by caesarean section on 29th December

However they are a good weight for twins and keep on growing so everyone cross everything for mum while she keeps her legs crossed

I've managed to complete the top of the first quilt and this morning's job is to add the white borders to the second ready for the applique

Here's the centre of quilt no 2 - with the larger stars in green

And this is the completed top for quilt no 1 with pink large stars all done and ready for sandwiching

I thought a swap around of colours would keep them similar but easily distinguishable

And which little girl doesn't love butterflies? Or big girl for that matter :o)

Just a little something.............

2010-10-19T14:03:00.002+01:00

........... I ran up before the summer break

I was looking through some of our photos from the summer holidays and lo and behold at the beginning of the photos is something I forgot to show you

During the past four years that I've worked at my school several of the teachers have gone on maternity leave

It seems to have become a tradition that I make them a quilt for the impending arrival

One of our teachers finished to have her daughter at the end of the summer term - junior became Enya who arrived on 10.10.10 - they won't forget her date of birth in a hurry

So here we are..........

............a quilt for her

Must be something in the air - I'm currently constructing a pair of girlie baby quilts for a friend who is booked in to have her twin girls by caesarean section on 29th December - however she doesn't think she'll get that far - so I'd better get a wiggle on with them :o)

Goodbye Taunton................

2010-09-27T09:39:00.005+01:00

............... hello Uni

Well she's there, she's in and the next phase of her life begins

Lots of hard work - these are her flatmates I hasten to add, not just two random blokes off the street :o)

Lots of partying - more flatmates and new found friends

Lots of rugby - the most important job of the day, inflating the ball!

And all being well a useful degree with good career prospects at the end of three years

But for now lets take one step at a time

ps In a room this size how do you store your spare duvet for when friends sleep over?

Why in a great big quilted cushion cover just right for a back rest when lazing on your bed :o) (Please ignore the lazy lout (Dad) skiving on the bed with Ted - the red white and blue cushion is the real subject of the photo!)

The Uni quilt is done.......

2010-09-21T15:37:00.003+01:00

..........well all bar the label that is!

Bulls eye rough edge blocks but rearranged into curvy stripes and surrounded by a thick plain border and the balance of the leftover blocks interspersed with a few appliqued small circles

I then quilted between the rough edge quadrants but it was a little puffy so ended up with wiggly lines of continuous loops along the centre of each of them - quilting over rough edges is a little tricky but I did it

All it needs now is a label on the back and it's ready to take that journey across the UK to Hatfield this Saturday - I hope she can feel all those hugs stitched into it if she gets the odd pang of homesickness - but with a bit of luck she will be so busy they will be few and far between :o)

Oh my - where did three months go?

2010-09-13T16:26:00.003+01:00

Well haven't I been a tardy blogger

The summer has flown by

We managed a couple of weeks away at the end of July in Kent - the kids and Nigel didn't always see eye to eye so it wasn't the most restful fortnight but we managed a break which is more than some people have this year in the financial constraints that are affecting lots of people

Sarah did well in her A levels with an A* and two Bs - this means we drive her across the country in less than two weeks time to start the course of her choice: Physiotherapy at the University of Hertfordshire. She worked extremely hard for these results and we are incredibly proud of her although I shall no doubt feel like I've lost my right arm when she goes

Nick gained an A* in his second maths module to join the one he earned earlier in the year and has now moved to the new Academy to start work on the rest of his GCSEs for the next two years

Louise still has another year until she starts her GCSE subjects so this term is a time for choices - which subjects should she select - I'm sure Art and possibly Music will feature high on the list

As for me I've managed some stitching amongst the large pile of books I've read

These were a couple of little wallhangings I made for Julie at Joe Tulips in exchange for some neutral fabrics

Finally in preparation for Sarah's departure I'm currently quilting her Uni quilt - a bullseye design in various blues - pictures to follow on completion

Hope you're all managing to get a little time to enjoy some stitching too :o)

Off on a tangent

2010-06-14T13:34:00.003+01:00

The good weather is holding - well with some monumental rain showers last night which saves us watering the plants this evening anyway

Last Saturday Nick's football (soccer) coach hosted a barbeque at his house which, combined with a communal viewing of the England v USA match, included the team's presentation evening

Much to Nick's (and our) delight he was awarded the trophy for 'Most Improved Player of the Season'.

His footballing skills have improved quite dramatically this season - maybe it's his age - but combined with the fact that his diabetes was diagnosed two weeks into the season, and he's had to factor in balancing all that too, this award was extra special

I'm always very good at shooting off at a tangent, especially when I'm bored in the middle of something.

Caroline's quilt has reached over exposure with me at present, there's only so much cream and pastel a girl can bear - so I've put it on one side and decided to play elsewhere

In my last post I showed you the pale grey, lilac and purple fabrics that I wanted to make a two colour quilt with

I couldn't think of a design off the top of my head so had a little search around the net

I entered 'two colour quilt designs' into google images and enjoyed a little bit of time browsing - well quite a lot of time actually

Finally I spotted something 'doable' without too many horrid triangles or set in seams

Very remiss of me I didn't take a note of the website from where I discovered it - I think it was a picture from a company that sells old quilts but if it's your quilt I apologise. I also have no idea if this design has an actual name - maybe someone could enlighten me

I liked the design but have more of the purple than the grey so I decided to reverse the colour placement - incidentally the lilac check went back into the melting pot of my fabric stash - this is too much of a purist design to complicate it with a third tone value

So here we are - progress so far..........

I keep chipping away at it - the 9 patches measure in at 3" square finished so it has a long way to go to make anything of a decent useable size but I shall keep constructing until I start to run short of fabric - I probably wouldn't be able to get any further supplies as I think both fabrics are quite old - so this will be the natural limiting factor

Surprisingly for me I'm enjoying all this piecing - must be sickening for something I think :o)

I've also made progress on the little heart wall-hangings to offer up for swapping

Here are a couple of tops ready for quilting, embellishing and binding. So far the yellow one is spoken for and will eventually travel to Julie across the pond

However there are lots of others including the pink in the photo - they finish up about 9" square and each one is similar but unique

So anyone who'd like to receive one don't be shy - they are up for grabs to anyone near or far in exchange for some fabric in neutral shades to bolster up my sadly depleted stocks of creams and pale beiges

Who's up for a swap?

and back to stitching............

2010-06-04T12:13:00.006+01:00

The weather for half term down here in Somerset has been glorious

Hot sunny days are bringing on the garden a treat

A little rain the other day helped too

We've had many feathered visitors in the garden

Our blackbirds have fledged their second batch of chicks

The young goldfinches and bluetits are being taught how to help themselves to the sunflower hearts and niger seeds in our feeders

and for the first time ever we've had a pair of bullfinches in the garden

Louise's strawberries are starting to fruit

And the other day she and I took the opportunity to indulge in a somewhat wet and messy pastime out on the patio in the sunshine

Here's the finished piece of felt - I can feel some free machine embroidery coming on - the idea's bubbling away in the back of my head - no doubt it will come out sometime soon
I've gradually been working on Caroline's soft and gentle quilt - adding the outer borders

I did have a full photo taken hanging from my washing line in the garden - but some helpful soul accidentally deleted it and it's a big job to re-stage the photo without getting the quilt dirty that it will have to wait for another time - however you can see from this picture a section ofthe outer edge and also that there is still much floral applique to work around it's final plain cream border

I've taken the time to sort out some brown and pink fabrics for a friend who's short of these colours in exchange for some neutrals - Caroline's quilt has almost exhausted my stash of creams, pale beiges and tone on tone pale fabrics, so Karol-Ann offered to do a swap

I also found a piece of pale grey which didn't really fit in with the creams of Caroline's quilt and have a mind to make a two colour quilt using it with possibly just the darker or maybe both of these purples - any pattern selections anyone?

As I am so short of creams and pale beiges I thought one or more of you might quite like to do some trading so I've made a start on some small heart wallhangings in various colours to swap if anyone has a mind to, I will complete one to show you in the next day or two - please just comment or drop me an email if you're interested...................

The end of an era

2010-05-16T08:13:00.011+01:00

How can it be?

Where did all those years go?

Can it really be almost six years ago since she started?

(Can you spot her?)

Friday afternoon in extremely wet Wales

Rain falling in that heavy drizzle that feels like little but soaks you through within seconds

Our girls warmed up outside, soggy in minutes

The opposition decided to warm up inside on the indoor astro - appearing at the very last minute - tactics

Old contests running through everyone's heads

This time it's pay-back time

White shirts turning to grimy grey

Grit and determination shining through the dismal drizzle

An almost immediate lead with a run-away try inside the first minute

Red hands in the ruck - Come on Ref!

Slippery wet ball juggling on the run

Communication - the name of the game

Popping the ball back in the tackle

Eighty minutes of grunt and grind

Flashes of breakaway brilliance

Kicking for territory

A win - we actually beat them!

Sheer exhausted delight at the final winning score of 12 -22

Beating their nemesis in their own back yard

What a fitting conclusion to six years of Junior rugby

A quiet weekend

2010-04-25T17:06:00.003+01:00

It's been a quiet weekend here at Chez Bebbs - so far

Nigel and Sarah headed off on Rugby Tour yesterday morning. I waved them off a little wistfully, as I would previously have gone too, but this year Nick's diabetes and my parents' advancing years made it impractical and unfair for both of us to go with her. A bit of a bummer as I'd arranged and booked it all for them - but there you go, and to be honest I still feel a bit delicate after Monday's day surgery so it's probably for the best.

I did smile when Nigel phoned last night as I'd booked them all into a Youth Hostel on the Cornish coast and much to the girls' dismay there was virtually no mobile phone signal for any of the networks. Imagine the consternation of 15 teenage girls aged between 14 and 18 - the end of the world as they know it. Nigel had to accompany them (in his role as Responsible Adult?!?!?) quarter of a mile up the hill behind the hostel so they could get their fix before bedtime. For goodness sake!!! There was no way on this earth they would settle down for the night without!

So that was us down to three instead of five

Then three became two yesterday afternoon as Louise had a birthday party and sleepover to go to. The party was very exciting as it was a Murder Mystery Dinner Party and all the girls were to be a character and go in costume as though it was a 1930s house party

Here she is in her costume - and who would believe it her character of Mademoiselle Cherie Boot turned out to be both a man in woman's clothing and the joint murderer

They had a wonderful time and I was very impressed with the theme of the party - that'll be a hard one to follow

So that meant it just left Nick and I at home - this gave Nick the opportunity to spoil me with an early birthday treat - he took me out to dinner - what a sweetheart - we had a lovely time accompanied by my parents - brilliant!

The rest of the weekend, apart from catching up with the chores before returning to work on Tuesday, I've fitted in quite a bit of sewing

I'm on the final strait of the leaves and berries on Caroline's quilt - about 2/3rds of one side left to go

So my mind turned to what to do next..........

I had thought about Delectable Mountains a la Bonnie but felt they might be a little heavy handed

So whilst browsing through various blogs I came upon a great idea on Gwen's blog - Scrappy Angel Quilts

I've included a copy of the picture here just in case the link doesn't work

The cream lines are very reminiscent of the border arrangement I've used many times before on my little heart quilts - a bit of a faff having to start off with a part seam especially as the centre is relatively small - but very doable - and no dratted triangles - hurray!!!

So I thought I'd give it a go

And here are the first three blocks each measuring up at 8" square finished - three done, 41 more to go for this round

Once they're all completed that will bring the quilt to 96" square - I think a 6" or 8" wide plain cream final border to applique a nice floral vine onto should finish the job nicely

Pottering along................

2010-04-21T15:37:00.004+01:00

............... just spending time resting up post-op (all went well, if a little sore - day surgery is such a production line!) and hand stitching to while away the hours

Yet more leaves and berries

And a reasonably simple applique block I fudged together this morning as the ladies at my quilting group want me to teach them 'freezer paper on top' hand applique

Now of course the boring bit - writing out the 'ingredients list' for them for next Monday's meeting

Quilting I promised you.............

2010-04-16T14:59:00.005+01:00

................and quilting there will be

Well piecing and applique as a pre-cursor to quilting anyway

Before you read any further can I just tell you that Blogger is playing some very silly games with me at the moment - this post should have 5 photographs in it - if you can't see them all chances are you won't be able to read the whole post either - please refresh and try again......... okay back to business!

Before I show you the progress I've made on Caroline's quilt I thought I'd show you a different view of Sarah from this one you usually see

The girls in the squad for last weekend had to travel and dine the first evening dressed as SuperHeros

Sarah chose a Thundercat

Makes you wonder how she manages to get all this hair into that rugby-playing bun

Enough of rugby speak - especially as we have another weekend of it travelling to Loughborough tonight to watch her play for South-West in the National Student Games

Here is Caroline's Quilt complete with its latest round of Sawtooth Stars

I am extending my Easter break from school by a week for medical reasons - I have to have day surgery on Monday to check out the interior of my bladder - yeuch - but I shall be resting and recuperating at home for the rest of the week.

So I have prepared lots more leaves and berries (lavender instead of red this time) to while away the hours until I go back to work, on my 50th birthday of all days, on Tuesday 27th - nice birthday present eh?

Please indulge me.............

2010-04-14T09:08:00.004+01:00

...........this is a totally non quilty post - rugby instead I'm afraid

Last weekend Sarah and I travelled to Lichfield for this year's Regional Festival (the UK girls' national championships)

I've posted about this important date in the rugby calendar both last year and the year before

This year our girls were again knocked out in the semi finals by East, the same team as last year

They were ferocious opponents and went on to draw the competition with a nil-nil score after half time in the final against South (Sorry reading that back it should say 'nil-nil score after extra time')

My girl captained her region - a huge responsibility but a great honour she was delighted to receive

After they were 12 - nil down near the end of the semi final she showed her true colours and scored our only try of the match after a storming run from the halfway line with three opposition players (two of whom are England U20 players) in hot pursuit

Luckily one of the other parents managed to capture it on camera - no mean feat - not the most elegant of poses I have to say, the girl in pink nearly knocked her head off with a high tackle as Sarah went down to place the ball

The girls eventually came fourth overall after the 3rd/4th place play off game had to be stopped for safety with two of our girls heading off for medical treatment in ambulances (fortunately not my daughter) - Yes Jeanne it is a very rough game :o)

We are so proud of her efforts - this is her last major junior RFUW competition before she moves up to the big bad world of university/ladies rugby next season

Thanks for indulging me - back to the quilty stuff next time as the sawtooth star border is on Caroline's quilt - watch this space!

Bitten by the bug

2010-04-08T15:19:00.004+01:00

Louise and I have a lot in common - probably much more than I have with my other two children

As much as I take great delight in watching Sarah and Nick play sport and support their endeavours to the hilt I've never liked participating myself.

I was always the last kid to be picked when the class had to split into two in PE lessons - usually to the cries of 'Oh no Miss! Do we have to have her???????????' Although hurtful this was usually perfectly understandable as I always ended up being a complete liability

Indeed when playing the obligatory hockey at school I was usually put out at Left Wing in a desperate attempt at damage limitation as that was where I would be least likely to scupper the teams chances of success!

Louise is not totally like me in this way as she is reasonably competent at sport and generally comes in around the middle of the field in a race for example. However like me she participates under sufferance as she really doesn't enjoy the experience and if given the choice could always find something better to do with her time

Usually a better option would be something art or craft based and for this she definitely follows me

For her brother, the worst option for homework would be a colouring-in exercise or some drawing - so much so he usually cons his little sister into doing it for him - but Lou will happily create for hours on end, often working on something related to her given task way and beyond the work she has been set.

Of late she's baked chocolate cakes, chelsea buns and a chocolate citrus drizzle cake - unfortunately eaten so no photographic evidence

And she has now turned her hand to gardening

Strawberry plants

Newly planted pots to go near the front door

And the promise of a plentiful supply of salads for the summer

Here she is modelling her creation for her French homework - an outfit for a fashion show to be described in French - emphasis on recycling and animal conservation (hence the tree frog beanie on her shoulder) - the school is obviously adopting an eco-friendly theme

She's always a happy little bunny when being creative - now we just have to train her to clearing up her mess after her and we will have a real result! (If the truth be known she follows me on this trait too)

Unusually for British Springtime the weather is being very kind indeed at present - mild and sunny - we even managed a family trip out on Easter Sunday

A local spinning mill was open and had the boilers and engines in full steam - much to his Lordship's delight

It is set in the small Devon village of Uffculme, about 25 minutes from us and the gardens were a picture with spring flowers in abundance in the sunshine

The cafe had cake on offer in pieces the size of an average family bungalow, and very nice it was too

The gift shop stocked a beautiful array of snuggly soft alpaca mix sock wools in a glorious selection of colours - all spun on the premises

Unfortunately Himself was in charge of the camera so the best I can offer you...........

is the Lancashire Boiler in full puff! Look closely and you can tell the chap in the blue overalls has been scratching his bald pate!

As for me - I've been bitten by the applique bug again - all those berries on 'Berry Baskets' set me off in the right mould

So here we are - a bunch of centres for Sawtooth Stars to start the next round of Caroline's Quilt - guess I'd better do some piecing now to complete them

Where did March go?

2010-04-03T17:01:00.006+01:00

Away with the berry baskets I think...........

But more of that later

March has been a busy month

The long awaited and much dreaded financial inspection at work arrived and was over in a day

Much to my delight (and not really that much of a surprise considering the work I'd put in) we passed on the day with flying colours with one small recommendation to make sure I bank weekly (Well they have to pick up on something to justify their existence I suppose)

Phew!!!

Don't have to worry about that again for three years and we have a fancy logo to add to our letterhead - not sure that it's worth all the grief and graft but sometimes you just have to go with the flow

My big girl played another match for England Colleges

I love this shot of all the shirts lining up on the boundary fence before battle commenced

Here's one rather special spectator - Finley - a rugby virgin attending his very first rugby game at only 9 weeks old

Our girls hosted the Welsh Colleges on the main pitch at Bath University - no small honour

Because of travel difficulties we only managed to pull together a bare 15 for the side which meant playing with no subs

It was a tough game against a dirty opposition - two yellow cards to the Welsh was generous - they could easily have been given several reds - repeated dirty tactics and foul play pushed the ref's hand into his pocket for his cards - not a thing that happens often in girls' rugby

The final whistle blew as play stopped for a supposed knock-on on our try line after a good five minutes of our girls desperately picking and driving to level the score to 10 all - had we managed that elusive try under the posts a conversion to give us a two point lead and a well-deserved victory should have been a formality

It wasn't to be - our girls were beaten by 5 points to 10

So near but so far - but no shame in that as in both last year's games the Welsh had a 12 point gap on us and the year before's matches were cricket scores

So who knows - the return fixture across the bridge in early May might just see us beating them for a change.

As for non work and sport related things - March has been the month for Spring like things and Hand Applique

Our bird feeders are very popular, not least amongst the Goldfinch population

They queue up to get onto their favourite feeder

Some of them wait in the tree over our fence

Others line up on my washing line, but I haven't managed to get a shot of the full queue yet

The sunflower hearts are very popular

As for applique.................

I'm ready to start the next round on Caroline's quilt - the corner flowers on this round are finished - not sure what was tickling my quilt holder

But an even better and bigger finish than that.................

'Berry Baskets' is a completed top!!!!

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is too large to manage a complete photo in the conservatory - it had been raining outside and I wasn't chancing getting it muddy - so here we have it in 4 parts:

One of these days I might just count up all those berries :o) I wouldn't mind a pound for each of them

I feel quite sad now it's finished - it's been just the thing to get me back into the swing of things

Farewell February - March, you're so welcome!

2010-03-02T20:07:00.004Z

I've long disliked February

It's the shortest month of the year but never fails to feel like the longest

It has the highest death rate of all the months of the year despite its brevity

February weather is usually dreary in the South West, but as a child growing up in Yorkshire it was always the month when the snow appeared - you know snow, that horrid white stuff that causes life to grind down to slow motion and all manner of accidents to happen - can't you tell I'm not a fan?

In our family February is usually the month where if it can go wrong it will do

Among other things, I've been made redundant (as has Nigel), had a car accident, found out we would have to return from France despite having moved there only two months previously, and the saddest of all been widowed all in February in years gone by.

So strong is my superstition about this month that when we were trying to conceive our youngest Louise I was desperate not to have a baby due in February

As is often the case with best laid plans we conceived her the month before we were scheduled to start trying - hence the 14.5 month gap between her and her elder brother

She sneaked in under the wire and arrived two weeks early on the 10th February, thirteen years ago

So I guess you could say that February doesn't only bring bad things

However I'm still very uptight each year as 31st of January clicks over into February and equally relieved when it hops over into March at the other end of the month

This year I've felt no different

I'm particularly uncomfortable with the concept of any of us having to do a lot of driving in February

But life keeps throwing curved balls at us and several long distance expeditions had to take place this last month - longer even than our usual trecks to places like Bristol and Plymouth for rugby training

Sarah hopes to go to Uni in the autumn to train to become a physiotherapist

Competition for places for this course is always stiff but this year even more so - 700 applicants for the 71 places on the UWE course in Bristol for example

Checking out her UCAS tracking was becoming ever more disheartening as no-one seemed to want to make her an offer

Until the University of Hertfordshire called her for interview - in February!

As Nigel had taken her for the Open Day it made sense for me to accompany her on the interview so we'd both seen something of the campus

A 380 mile round trip in a single day is not an experience I'd like to repeat often - before I had the children I'd think nothing of driving that often several times a week - now I'm more of a potterer and this sort of long distance driving doesn't feature in my resume too often

But I got her there and back in one piece - despite it being February - and more to the point she really loved the place, better than anywhere else she'd put in an application for

Thankfully since her visit they've made her a very achievable offer so God willing, with a following wind that's where she should be studying from September

I guess I shall have to get used to that drive!

This last weekend it was Nigel's turn for a mammoth taxi role

Sarah was selected to play for England Colleges Ladies Rugby squad once again and this year was old enough to travel north of the border to Edinburgh for a fixture against the Scotland Ladies U21s

My 380 mile trip paled into insignificance in the light of the 900 mile trip they took from Thursday evening to late Saturday night

But again it was most definitely worth the trip as our girls beat the Scots nil-5 at the hallowed Murrayfield ground, the home of Scottish rugby - even if they did play on the rubber crumb because snow made all the neighbouring pitches unplayable.

She's back row, dead centre with her usual stupid grin - she obviously thought it was worth the journey too

But yesterday March arrived with a strange yellow orb hanging in a beautiful blue sky - the sun had arrived accompanied by a little warmth. It may not last, we're forecast lower temperatures again later this week

But for now - hello March - you're most welcome

baby steps....................

2010-02-27T11:11:00.003Z

Okay before that startles anyone thinking we might be expecting the patter of tiny feet - stop right now

As a woman teetering on the brink of her 50th birthday at the end of April I'm not referring to human babies but to my re-entry into the world of stitching

I've barely picked up a needle since before Christmas when it was under duress to complete Christmassy things that I felt obliged to bring to fruition like this wallhanging for the Secret Santa at work

The most inspiring thing I've stitched since Christmas has been Cashes Name Tapes on the kids clothes - not particularly creative, just on of those jobs we have to do

But in the same way that Mother Nature is starting to waken with crocuses on the roundabouts in town and buds are just starting to appear on the dormant shrubs I have started to feel the slightest twinge of a desire to sew

My sewing room is shoulder deep in detritus - when you're not working somewhere regularly it's amazing how easily those items of mine from around the house that the other family members see fit to dump on my table can mount up.

So a new project wasn't even coming close to dream status never mind reality

But tucked away amongst the piles and PILES of jumbled up sewing stuff - fabric, threads, baskets of half assembled block components, clothes that need mending/altering, haberdashery, sewing notions, etc, etc, - are you getting a handle on the size and magnitude of this mess here? - I found something I could just pick up and add to........... (scroll down to the first picture)

As luck would have it I'd already cut out a large quantity of red circles ready for gathering stitches around the edge in preparation for pressing over a metal washer to set the shape for appliqueing onto the vines

So off we go......................................

I wouldn't say I'm up to my usual productivity rate - not by a long way, but at least I now feel like picking up a needle and doing something stitchy

As I said at the beginning..................

baby steps............................

Bumbling along

2010-01-17T07:47:00.002Z

Over the last day or two I've had a couple of lovely emails from fellow bloggers checking why I've been so quiet and if all is well here at Chez Bebbs

The short answer is Yes, things are fine

The long answer is Yes, things are fine, but only just.............

As a family we are okay:

Nick is managing his diabetes quite well - struggling with the psychological side of it, but this might also be the usual 14yo 'Ugg' factor which most teenage boys go through whilst dragging their knuckles along the floor as they grow into their adult bodies. However on the plus side he had the result from his first modular exam towards his Maths GCSE (taken in November and which he was convinced he'd totally fluffed) and he got an A* much to his, his teacher's, and our delight

Sarah is snowed under with work for the January A2 exams in Chemistry and Biology - the Chemistry is hard and she also puts her own pressure on as she's her own hardest task-master. She has an interview at Hertfordshire Uni on 10th Feb and we are still waiting to hear from her other two choices. Rugby has been quiet over the past month because of the weather but we heard this last week that she has been selected for England Colleges again this year

Lou is loving life at the moment - she has settled into her new school so well, works hard, has started to collect a lovely group of friends and enjoyed her first out of school social thing with them yesterday going into town shopping together - we are so glad we moved her

Nigel is well, busy at work (which he loves) and should be heading off to Athens for work for a few days at the end of this month (Jammy Toad!)

My parents are both very well - aging and becoming more frail each time I see them but still doing very well and it is so lovely to have them near - they are nothing like the work I anticipated before they moved down so the plusses are winning in this particular equation

As for me - I feel in a kind of hiatus at the moment - I'm coping well with the day to day marshalling of the troops but I haven't picked up a needle since before Christmas which is most unlike me - my hands are incredibly sore at the moment (along with the rest of my joints) possibly exacerbated by the weather which doesn't help but to be honest I feel very lethargic about life in general - maybe it's winter getting to me - I keep thinking, as everyone else in my care is fine, why don't I feel more energised and positive

Work is as mad as ever - we have a big financial inspection due in March and whilst I know everything is in order the hoops we have to jump through to provide documentary evidence of governor competency and good practice is adding to my already full schedule just as a paperwork exercise - as is usually the case with these things there is no extra recompense and the day to day business all has to be handled at the same time - all adding pressure where there's no need. What I would give for a lottery win!

My sewing room is an absolute tip - so much stuff has been piled round everywhere that I'm struggling to find the machine in the midst of it - maybe this is contributing to why I feel less inclined to stitch - coupled with lack of creative inspiration too. I'd love the Fabric Fairy to come along and magic it all back into order but hey! that's not going to happen is it :o)

As for blogging - I've been quiet for various reasons - computer wise we are a PC down in the house - plus downloading photos is less easy on the one that's working - I'm resorting to using Nigel's laptop for anything I need as the kids all need to be on the house computer for coursework etc. However I also feel there's less to tell - sewing is at a halt etc. But to be honest even the little things I would usually share are seeming to whizz by and we're onto something else before I've had chance to catch my breath, much less write anything down. Annoyingly my list of favourite blogs is also on the out of order computer which makes checking up on all of you and gleaning inspiration from your work more of a pain

I think psychologically I'm ready for Spring but I suspect we have a good amount of winter to endure before it arrives

So there you have it - the world continues to revolve - albeit with me constantly running to keep up with it - I didn't mean for this to turn into a whinge list but it seems to have done so - sorry!

Keep smiling :o)

Wishing you all..................

2009-12-24T17:34:00.003Z

............ a peaceful and happy Christmas and a healthy, prosperous and love-filled 2010

I promise I shall show my secret santa gifts from Chooky Blue and the two BQL ladies once I've opened them and taken some photos. Who knows on the same picture download you may even get a proper look at the few Christmassy things I've managed to stitch during the last few weeks

Best wishes for the holiday season to all my blogging friends near and far

Time for smiles again

2009-11-17T09:47:00.006Z

Thankfully the communications with Louise's school seem to have done the trick

The girls in question have backed off and whilst I don't think they will ever be bosom buddies at least they're leaving her alone to get on with settling into the school and making a good circle of friends

I don't know what the school said to them, I'm only grateful that things have improved dramatically

Long may it continue for my smiley little one here in the new school uniform - thank you to everyone for your massive support - most appreciated

Nick is bumbling along quietly - some days I think he's tiring of the implications of the diabetes as he seems to kick back about some of the rules and limitations - other days I think that maybe he's just being a normal teenager - they seem to kick back about something most of the time. He will be 14 on Friday - where did that little boy disappear to?

Sarah is studying hard and playing hard - nothing new there then

The other week she had the opportunity with the rest of her County squad mates to participate in a training session with two of the current England Ladies squad

She's the one with the huge grin in the centre of the picture - the ladies in red on the outside are England player Kim Oliver (right) and the England captain Catherine Spencer (left). Nigel will get to watch these two ladies in action as he's going to Twickenham on Saturday for the England v New Zealand match and the Ladies play directly after the Men's game. The way the guys are playing at the moment perhaps the girls can show them the way to go!

This is two days later after she had the honour of captaining the Somerset U18 squad against Hertfordshire and Gloucestershire - the attractive mud packs at either side of her face are a result of playing #8 and pushing her head between the muddy shorted derrieres of the two second row players in the scrum - the mud was very sandy and boy was her face sore once she cleaned up - the next best thing to dermabrasion I reckon!

Muddy but ecstatic as ever!!!

I've managed some stitching this last few days

Secret Santa gifts completed - a couple of sneak previews:

These are of the SSCS one organised by Elf Donna in Australia (but where will this one travel to I wonder?)

These are of the BQL 'made' one which will go a little nearer to home possibly - I haven't quite decided what to send for my other 'bought' gift yet

And finally I've made good progress on the Soft and Gentle quilt for Nigel's cousin

I've realised the arthritis pain in my hands has been irritated by drinking fresh orange juice so I've cut it out and noticed quite an improvement - missing the OJ though - nothing else gives your taste buds quite the same wake-up call in a morning I'm afraid!

A close up of the next round of hourglass blocks

And a 'done so far' view waiting for more flowers in each corner to complete this round - it measures 56" square so far

Think I might do sawtooth stars for the next round - if I can stomach the thought of all those flying geese components - we'll see..................

Baptism of Fire

2009-11-07T09:22:00.003Z

It saddened me greatly to read Tanya's posting the other day about bullying.

The whole concept that people of any age can be so slyly cruel to another is sickening.

The post came at a particularly poignant and pertinent time for me because this week has shown the worst and best of human nature.

The worst has come out in a girl who went to primary school with Louise two years ago and often made her life less than happy probably we think because of jealousy.

This girl, when she found out that Lou was transferring to her secondary school this week, organised the worst kind of welcoming committee for her.

Through the internet and word of mouth she convinced her friends, a group of undesirables at the school, that Louise had been trying to steal one of their boyfriends (all of them aged 12/13 - I ask you?)

She then sat back and slyly watched her carefully orchestrated scenario unfold at a distance with Louise as the unwitting victim

By the end of her first day Louise had endured them all levelling nasty accusations in stage whispers in two of her lessons and finally they tackled her off the premises when she was waiting for me to collect her at the end of the day

Her second day carried on in the same vein culminating with a session in the changing rooms for a PE lesson where Louise finally broke down in tears and rushed out of the room to get help

We should be thankful that all this was only verbal not physical abuse but nevertheless totally unnerving and very upsetting

At the end of the first day I had sent an email to her form teacher to make her aware of the situation - many years ago Sarah suffered at the hands of some of her peers just before she transferred to secondary school - not wanting to exascerbate the situation we adopted a 'suck it and see' tactic which turned out to be the wrong one and as a result I have always since stepped in at the first sign of trouble to endeavour to get things nipped in the bud

Fortunately, because of my job, I have access to the County Global email address list and could pen this missive promptly - other parents don't have that sort of access and would have had to resort to ringing the school and waiting call backs which would have further delayed the onset of any solution

Coincidentally Louise went to her teacher for help just after she had opened my email and the school sprang into action to sort out the situation

As you can imaging Louise had been even more nervous about going into school on the second day and I was like a cat on hot bricks all day

At 2.30pm I received a call from the school - they wanted me to go into school at the end of the day to talk to her Head of Year

To give credit to the school they were mortified that this had happened and massively apologetic

Mrs Matthews had sat patiently with Louise going through all the Year 8 pupils' photographs on the school management system so she could identify the girls, all of whom she'd only met the day before and of whose names she had no idea

We came to the conclusion that Louise had been a victim of cyber-bullying and the school would do all in their power to sort it out

Yesterday I had another call from Mrs Matthew's PA reassuring me that they knew which girls were involved include the back-room conductor of the band and they would be dealt with.

She also told me that she was amazed at how mature our 12 year old blonde baby had been in dealing with the situation by both keeping her composure under fire and also having the courage to contact a virtually unknown adult in a new environment to ask for help. They have identified a place of safety for her to go to if she ever feels exposed and she added that Louise was a real credit to her parents in being able to handle the situation in such a composed manner so I guess you could say the best of human nature has manifested itself in her

At least now the school are aware of the situation and dealing with it, and should it continue, sanctions will be set for these girls to hopefully avoid any recurrence

On the better side of human nature two girls in her class that she has befriended have been massively supportive and done their best to help her settle in

Of course the most ridiculous thing about the whole situation, if anything can make you raise a smile about such things, is that because these girls had jumped in with both feet immediately on Louise's arrival they couldn't even try to shift any of the blame for bad feeling onto her

Cleverer girls would have bided their time and then started trouble a few weeks later being careful to blame Louise for any animosity - nasty and not bright - not a good combination

Instead they were hoisted with their own petard

Things can only get better (please)

Keeping my head above water - just!

2009-11-04T10:58:00.004Z

My life is generally busy

I run around after three kids, work part-time in an ever-changing job, keep a (not very tidy) house, look out for my elderly parents, try to squeeze in some time with my husband and occasionally manage to pull a little me time for stitching out of the hat like the proverbial magician's rabbit

I don't think I am alone with this number of conflicting demands on my time

I'm sure that many, many of you also only just manage to keep various balls in the air too

However at the moment life seems ever more complex and I have to say I'm struggling to keep my head above water

Our younger two children followed their big sister to our nearest senior school. It is a small school which is viewed in the eyes of most of the local residents to be the least desirable school in the town to attend

However we liked everything about it when we first moved here and all three of our children have each chosen it when their turn came and we've never regretted our decisions...

until now.....

Lately there have been changes afoot

The local council in conjunction with the local Church of England diocese have campaigned and been authorised to close our lovely school along with its nearest neighbour (a school we have never liked or considered sending our children to) in order to establish a brand new Academy on the site of this other school

In view of the alternatives (our school would have had to close anyway because of a falling roll) we have given these plans our full blown backing - I even appeared on local television and attended a County Council meeting speaking in support of it

Until....................

it was announced that the existing Headteacher of the other school was to be appointed as Principal of the newly formed Academy

We have serious misgivings about this appointment and the knock on effects, we feel the appointing bodies have missed the opportunity to bring in a new dynamic leader for a state of the art new school and we suspect that there has been some sort of behind the scenes wheeling and dealing to get the other school on board - hidden agendas at every turn

So to cut a long story short after many family discussions and a great deal of heartsearching we came to our decision

Nick has opted to stay with his supportive group of friends and work his way through the transition period for the new Academy for his all important two GCSE exam years - with his newly diagnosed diabetes to cope with he needs less, not more, disruption and we support his decision

But Louise is to move school, in the middle of her second senior school year, to a different school again which is across town adjacent to the 6th Form College her elder sister attends

This will mean three kids at three different establishments and all the complex taxi driving that entails for me but it is manageable - just!

Today is Louise's first day at the new school

She is an outwardly confident, clever, happy kid who has been looking forward to this day since she made the decision

But sitting in the new school's reception area waiting to be collected by someone from her tutor group this morning her courage wavered - tears were perilously close to the brink - tissues were offered by the kindly receptionist and she just managed to hold it together until one of her peers came for her

Similar tears streamed down my face, held in until I was out of sight driving home

I just hope she comes out at 3.05pm with a smile and a desire to return tomorrow - I'm not sure quite how I can magic things better if she doesn't

Isn't it awful when powers beyond your control pull the rug from beneath your feet - I just hate that feeling of powerlessness

Unclean, Unclean - ding - a - ling..........

2009-10-15T11:37:00.003+01:00

Well the two youngest and I have been holed up at home with the lurgy

I don't have it - I'm playing nursemaid

I did suspect swine flu especially in Louise on Tuesday and Nick was following in her wake

Obviously this raised the alarm for both of them but most especially him because of his diabetes

I rang the helpline and they authorised a course of Tamiflu for each of them - I have no idea if they actually have swine-flu - they've not been seen by a medic and the only true way of telling is a blood test apparently. They have been pretty ropey but who can tell?

I spoke to the Diabetes Nurse who gave me advice on what to watch out for with Nick's sugar levels and warned me about the side-effects of the Tamiflu often being worse than the Flu symptoms in youngsters

I took the executive decision to keep them off school for the rest of the week but not to give them the Tamiflu as we were coping with the symptoms

So far they are managing, unwell but not dying and the other three members of the household including myself are okay at the moment

I could definitely have done without the time out of work but it was unavoidable as Nigel is in Spain for work this week so can't share the nursemaid duties

Never mind whatever doesn't get done will no doubt be waiting for me next week and ultimately my kids are more important than the school finances

As an unexpected bonus I've managed to fit in some stitching while administering to the patients

I mentioned my friend Sue in last Thursday's Breast Cancer Awareness Month posting

She was actually on ITV's This Morning programme on Tuesday being interviewed by Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby about her diagnosis and how her blog has helped her cope

I started a lap quilt for her when she was first diagnosed and never got further than sandwiching it. Her favourite colour is cerise pink - very apt for a breast cancer patient. Lots of simple piecing and hand appliqued hearts

This week has given me chance to quilt and complete it just in time for her mastectomy next Monday. I've used cream fleece as the backing without wadding so it's not too heavy and the fleece has been brought over onto the front to make a soft binding too

I think she might like to snuggle under a quilt full of cuddles while she's recovering from surgery

The quilt is my PINK item for this Thursday of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Ladies, if you do nothing else of great importance today, start a regular regime of checking yourself and going for mammogrammes if you fall in the relevant age bracket - you owe it to yourselves and your loved ones.

All is well

2009-10-08T19:29:00.004+01:00

Time has been whizzing along and passed me by in a total haze

I can't believe I've not posted for over three weeks

Nick is doing well, not letting his diabetes get in the way of his life too much and we're all coping with his diagnosis in our own ways but coping well

Work is as busy as ever and getting ever more complex - how much more can my brain take I wonder!

And virtually no stitching is happening - my hands are extremely sore and my mind is elsewhere

In support of our dear friend Sue who lives firstly just up the road from us and secondly with her battle with breast cancer I'm posting a few completely random pink items this Thursday for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I may not remember next Thursday so you're getting a few to be going on with.

A happy picture of Louise playing the fool with an improvised pink hat - what a clown!

A smiley picture of me on Sark in a pink shirt - don't look too closely at the laughter lines

Pretty in pink - Hagley Hybrid - a favourite among my beloved clematis in the garden

And finally the two pink cot quilts I made for the births of Nigel's nieces a few years ago - both photos are taken at the old house - now that is a while ago!

Silver Linings

2009-09-20T10:57:00.003+01:00

You know to every cloud there's usually a little bit of a silver lining if you search hard enough

This time last week, whilst I was keeping Nick company in hospital, in between playing games of scrabble and gleaning as much information as I could from the staff I used the time productively

There are countless leaves and berries to be stitched onto the outer border of Batik Baskets

With the unexpected time out of the usual hustle and bustle that is generally family life I have managed to get just over an eighth of the border completed - still a way to go but I keep chipping away at it, half watching Casino Royale on the tv last night gave me chance to add a few more

As for the Soft and Gentle quilt - this one really does need a better work in progress title - I've added the next round ready for more applique but have stalled at getting the bias tubing cut, stitched and pressed ready to start the handwork

The 6" corner blocks went together like a dream - all that jewel box and plaid quilt practicing obviously sharpened up my piecing skills - well something definitely needed to! :o)))

We're Home!!!

2009-09-15T17:18:00.002+01:00

Just a quick post to let you know that Nick was discharged from hospital this afternoon

I have been astounded by how grown up he has been over all this - my boy is really a man in teenager's clothing on the quiet

His attitude when asked how he feels is a shrug of the shoulders and the reply "I've got to do it so I'll just get on with it"

He has to administer his own insulin injections four times a day and prick his finger to carry out blood sugar level tests regularly - all this he has mastered quickly with no fuss and great competence

He's now desperate to get back to some semblance of normality so he returns to school tomorrow

As for me - I'm shall we say somewhat nervous especially now I'm away from the hospital safety net even though they are accessible 24/7 at the end of a phone

But I'm in total awe of the way he has coped and is looking forward to the future with his usual zest for life

Thank you to everyone who both commented or emailed me privately with your support, advice and good wishes.

You've given me more support than you can ever know

So now - onwards and upwards!

Just as you thought it was safe to go back in the water....

2009-09-11T23:09:00.004+01:00

Isn't that the famous line from Jaws?

We thought life was bumbling away nicely here at the moment

And then something comes along to turn the world upside down

Nick has been not his normal self since we returned from Sark

Perpetually thirsty

Never out of the bathroom

Generally under the weather

Starting to lose weight

Is this ringing any alarm bells with any of you?

Those alarm bells rang with me earlier this week when I quizzed him about these things - he's the sort of kid who always suffers in silence so it could have carried on for some while yet had I not interrogated him

So I booked him in with our doctor this afternoon - fortunately with the British National Health Service this is all free and we didn't have to worry whether we could afford the appointment

The long and the short of it is he has Type 1 Diabetes

It has come on suddenly as apparently it often does - he will have to live with it and manage it for the rest of his life

Lots of aspects of life in Chez Bebbs will have to change

Most particularly for my gorgeous, funny, crazy, clever boy

But we're looking on the bright side

He could have had something far worse

He's been admitted to the local hospital so they can stabilise things and will possibly be in there for several days - because it's the weekend the steep learning curve we'll have to climb won't really start until Monday when the specialist staff are back on duty but again thankfully we won't have any of this to pay for

He was more than happy for us to come home to sleep - I shall be back in with him first thing in the morning - think I'd better dig out some handstitching - and maybe a pack of cards :o))) As you can imagine posting may well be a little sporadic - bear with me

and then there were blue flowers....

2009-09-11T08:04:00.003+01:00

Over the past couple of nights I've worked the nine flowers onto the cornerstones between the flying geese

I've merely transposed the colour placement of the wreath flowers and used slightly different fabrics

Now onto the next round................

I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do but knew that I didn't want to butt up more coloured piecing against those flying geese

But then I also didn't want to do a plain border all the way round with just applique..........

Compromise!

Pieced corners and appliqued sides...........

How does this look for the corner blocks? Most unlike me to start drafting out patterns on paper with coloured pencils being a cut it and wing it sort of a girl

And then although I said I didn't want coloured piecing next to the flying geese I don't have enough of any one cream to do all four sides so I think I just might piece the cream background panels for the applique

OK - Enthusiasm fired again - must dash, I've an appointment with the rotary cutter before I head into work at 9.30am

Softly and gently does it................

2009-09-09T18:48:00.004+01:00

Whilst we were on Sark, our hostess, Nigel's cousin Caroline, was very complimentary about Batik Baskets

Back in the late 70s and 80s she took an art/textile degree at Loughborough and subsequently she worked for Elizabeth Bradley Tapestries on Anglesey so she certainly knows her onions

She hinted that she'd love a quilt for her own bed but would never find the time to make one herself

I suggested that she might like me to make one for her and showing great delight at the prospect she also offered to pay me for it

To be honest she provided us with wonderful accommodation on holiday and would accept nothing in return so I reckon that any payment for a quilt has already been received

I did ask her what sort of colour scheme she would prefer

She intimated that, as her bedroom is all creams and beiges, a palette of soft subtle colours would suit it very well and she has a special fondness for lilacs and duck-egg blues in particular

So on our return I dug out some of my softest and gentlest fabrics to go with the creams and beiges

First a floral wreath with three tier flowers - I've made these flowers often over the years - given a considered colour placement they always look more than the simple shape they are

Also I'd rather like this quilt - which will be a large double bed square - to grow relatively quickly.

So as I'm also fond of Four Block designs, so I decided to work four of the wreaths for the centre

Then I interspaced them with scrappy flying geese - unusually for me there are no defining borders around the blocks - I'm not sure why I didn't bother because I virtually always do on a medallion quilt and I'm not totally convinced I'm happy with their absence, but I shall run with this as plenty of cream will give me open quilting spaces and help to keep the colour scheme light. The flying geese have worked out almost too randomly as there are some close neighbours in the same fabric but again I'm not going to change it - rather keep it as some naive cottagey charm

This is almost as much as I've done so far - the cream corner stones are now in the process of having similar single flowers but in different fabric stitched onto them

So what shall I do for the next round? - who knows, but again I'm resisting the temptation to add a coloured border before I work it

Projects old and new.............

2009-09-07T16:58:00.004+01:00

................... have been worked on throughout the summer break and since our return.

'Batik Baskets' now sports a completely hand stitched vine all the way round the 10" border, all undertaken during some wonderful 'me' time on Sark when everyone else was off yomping round the island.

The major task of adding all the leaves and berries is now underway.

Plus a new project is ongoing - soft, gentle colours mixed with a variety of creams - hand appliqued wreaths surrounded by flying geese for starters.

Inspiration for the next round will no doubt come to me - probably at 4 o'clock in the morning.

And back to normality

2009-09-02T14:31:00.009+01:00

School restarted this morning - well for three of us anyway.

Nigel has been back at work over a week but Sarah doesn't return to 6th Form College until Monday 14th

However the two younger ones and I are back into everything that a new school year brings and steadily on the downhill slope to autumn and winter

The summer break this year seemed very short

We went away slightly later than we usually do which only left us one full week of holiday after our return and the house has been full of a succession of guests since then - maybe that contributed to this feeling - it's certainly my excuse for not getting round to blogging until now anyway

Our holiday saw Nigel, Sarah and I revisiting a place we last went to sixteen years ago although Nigel did manage a fleeting visit a couple of years ago for a funeral so not the best reason to visit the island. For the two youngest it was their first visit to one of Nigel's favourite places.

Sark is a small island making up one of the Channel Islands which belong to Britain but sit very close to the French coast

All the Channel Islands are beautiful but Sark has the peculiar quality of being a place with no cars

The only way to get around the island, which measures 3 miles by 1.5 miles, is either on your own two feet, by bicycle or in a horse-drawn carriage

There are a few tractors on the island for essential work but no other motorised transport (unless you include the couple of invalid scooters ridden by some of the more infirm and elderly residents)

Because there is little in the way of motorised traffic the island has a very laid back, sleepy feel to it and is a wonderfully relaxing place to visit to chill out and relax

Nigel's family have long had connections with the island. His mother and her siblings holidayed there regularly as children just after World War II. Grandpa retired to the island in 1961 and Nigel's aunt and subsequently her niece (one of his cousins) have run the island's post office for several decades

To whet your appetite here are a few shots of the island and its way of life

The island is a 300ft high block of granite raised up out of the English Channel which makes for stunning coastal views

There are two parts to the island, Sark and Little Sark which are joined by a 300ft high isthmus - La Coupee - with a walkway across the top. This permanent structure atop the ridge was only constructed by German prisoners of war at the end of World War II - can you imagine negotiating the crossing in a high wind prior to its construction - it was not unheard of for people to crawl across on all fours in the winter storms. Incidentally horse-drawn carriage passengers still have to get off and walk across letting the carriage cross separately

And a view of Grande Greve - the beach on the western side of La Coupee - all the beaches have a climb down and back up again

Just the place for gathering a jelly fish in a discarded childs beach toy

Havre Gosselin - one of the lesser used harbours on the west side of the island - usually only brought into service when the weather is too rough to land at the islands main jetty and harbour on the eastern side of the island. However some of the many yachts which drop anchor around the island will also use it to come ashore.
Nick high up on the cliffs above Havre Gosselin - who's the King of the Castle?

Sark is far closer to France than England and sadly the original Norman Patois language is dying out - however it still remains in the names of places around the island

We were so lucky with the weather - after a couple of days of misty sea fret at the start of the holiday the sun shone and temperatures soared. However you can tell from this tree that the winter storms have their own way of shaping the island
Sarah soaking up some of those rays on one of the cannons on the Eperquerie Common to the north of the island with the neighbouring islands of Guernsey, Herm and Jethou in the background

Sarah and Nick had the very priviledged opportunity to ride on the back of a driving carriage similar to the one the Duke of Edinburgh races. It's owned by one of the island's residents and Sarah said the speed the horses pulled it at was absolutely breathtaking

Lou spent a lot of her time fishing with her younger cousin and managed to even catch a few now and then
Everywhere was inundated with butterflies

And here's the stunningly beautiful Jersey Moth which has bright orange tips to its wings when extended
A view of the Seigneurie - the home of the Seigneur who is the island's ruler - from across the top of the maze at the end of the Seigneurie Gardens. The last time we were there they had just planted this maze - now we can only just see over the top

Our older two certainly found the centre - and are probably sharing a joke about their parents still struggling to reach the middle

The Seigneurie Gardens are open to the public and very beautiful - the hydrangeas had to be seen to be believed - the range of colours was amazing

My favourite - clematis - rambling through the dahlias (my least favourite! - harbourers of earwigs, yeauchhhh!!!!)

A busy bee unknowingly pollinating a stunning white passionflower
And another of my favourites - this Osteospermum Whirligig always reminds me of the Seigneurie Gardens - I loved it the minute I set eyes on it during our last visit - I have the cream version in my garden now and keep on the lookout for this pink one to join it. I think the Seigneur might have had something to say if I'd dug this one up to bring home :o)))

One of the smaller carriages available for hire to tour the island - all the drivers have to do an island version of The Knowledge to give visitors a comprehensive guide as they drive them round

Of course, on an island with no motor vehicles apart from tractors, how else would you pull the ambulance to take patients down to the harbour and across on The Flying Christine, the Channel Islands emergency boat, to the hospital on Guernsey about an hours journey away. Nigel's cousin's daughter was almost born on the boat on the way to the maternity unit.

The main church on the island - this day there was a visiting brass band playing outside in the sunshine
The island post office which is owned by Nigel's cousin with the distinctive blue pillar box for the mail outside

And here is the island prison with Alan, the current Constable in the doorway - the post of Constable is an elected role which changes each year and is held by one of the residents - there are two cells inside which are seldom used, usually only if someone is more than a bit worse for wear to drink
We thought it would be fun to lock Sarah up in one of the cells - fortunately Alan was happy to let her out

Here's Lou after a lovely meal out one evening at a local hostelry

And the two oldies taking a breather on the walk down to the harbour on our journey home
Finally a farewell to the island................. until the next time

Something for all you Amy Butler fans

2009-08-13T13:40:00.002+01:00

This is a very quick post on my husband's laptop whilst away on holiday in not so sunny Sark (anyone elsewhere in the UK with some sunshine please send a little bit of to the Channel Islands)

Any of you out there who are Amy Butler fans and who can get to Hereford next Monday might be interested in the following link

http://doughtysonline.co.uk/?src=New_Store_Email

These are the details from the mailing list email I have just received

Come & Meet Amy Butler at our all new Dress & Furnishing fabrics store!
We're excited to announce that on Monday 17th August 2009, renowned American textile designer & author Amy Butler is coming to open our all new Dress & Furnishing fabrics store at 3 Capuchin Yard, Church Street, Hereford HR1 2LN and we'd love to see you there.
Admission is free & Amy will be available from 11.30am for book-signing and Q&A sessions, so come and see us & enjoy a truly memorable day out in Hereford!
Special Amy Butler Exclusive Online Discount Code
To celebrate Amy Butler coming to open our all new store in Hereford, we've setup an exclusive online voucher code for you to redeem off any Amy Butler fabrics you purchase at DoughtysOnline.co.uk from our Amy Butler fabrics section here during August!
To qualify, simply purchase any combination of Amy Butler fabrics from our Amy Butler fabrics section and enter voucher code AMY10 at checkout for a full 10% off your Amy Butler fabrics order! (Offer expires 11.59pm 31/08/2009)
Click Here to Visit Amy Butler at DoughtysOnline.co.uk & SAVE!
New Voucher Code: Save big on bulk-buys and supplies!
Whether you're after a new workbox, lamp, thread-box, treasure-chest or simply want to stock up on waddings, basics or a selection of our value-for-money fabrics, DoughtysOnline.co.uk is committed to helping you pay less for the things you need. Use coupon code TENOFF at checkout for 10% off your order of £100 or more. (expires 31st August 2009 at 23.59).
Click Here to Visit DoughtysOnline.co.uk & SAVE!
Dont' forget to enter your voucher code in the box provided at checkout, or your discount won't be applied.
For any help with this promotions, or to contact us about coming to see Amy Butler on Monday 17th August, give us a call on 01432 267542 or send us an email, full contact details are here.

Not sure if any of the links on the cut and paste i tem I've added above will work but check out Doughty's website for details if you're interested

Not such an Amy Butler fan myself but thought someone out there might be

Keep stitching and smiling :o)))

The vines are tacked................

2009-08-08T12:04:00.004+01:00

................ and ready to hand stitch down - that should keep me out of mischief for an hour or three

Then there'll be a forest of leaves and berries to complete the job

Just ignore the tails of green bias tubing peeping out from under their neighbours - I shall trim those to size once I'm stitching in the vicinity - I've learned from bitter experience how much tacked things can shuffle once a big piece of work is being tugged about and the last thing I want is for them to be just too short anywhere. A big thank you to Libby for giving me the initial inspiration for this quilt - I'm so please with how it's turning out

The batik jewel box is slowly growing too - but has been on hold for the last day or two while I've tacked all those vines

Himself is still plodding on with the back garden - the cement mixer he bought at the beginning of the job has been worth every penny.

Now that the sun has come out at last the butterflies, who have been in very short supply up to now this year, are visiting the garden in abundance and loving the white buddleia we have in the corner - the bees love it too.

My beautifully scented David Austin old english roses are having a second lease of life

This one is called Shropshire Lad - very appropriate as Himself is one of those too having been born in the Shropshire county town of Shrewsbury.

This clematis has decided to come out to play too - it's a gorgeous one with a big blowsy centre but I can't for the life of me remember which one it is - and the label has long since blown away.

Clematis are my very favourite type of plants - at the last count I think we have seventeen different varieties around the place. You can never have too many clematis I always say.

The pumpkins continue to flower in abundance - the flowers are short lived but oh so magnificent. I'm not sure who's the most excited with them - Louise who is their 'mummy' or me because we've never grown them before and they continue to delight us each day

This little fella has got to about 3" across - I just hope it will have just the right quantities of rain and shine to still be growing along when we return from our trip.

The world of work

2009-08-06T14:53:00.006+01:00

Some time ago Sarah decided she'd really like to have a career as a physiotherapist

Then once someone told her how difficult it was to find a job in that profession she sort of moved her ideas sideways and considered chiropractics for a while

However probably last autumn she had a long chat with one of the other rugby mums who is a senior nursing manager and as a result she realised that physiotherapy is what she really wants to do - the variety of career options is far wider

So the university visits we've done so far have all been for physiotherapy courses

The competition for a place on any physio course in the UK is extremely high and one of the plus factors on any students application is a spell of work experience within a physiotherapy environment. Such spells are as rare to obtain access to as hens teeth

However with some application and persistance Sarah managed to get a two day placement for yesterday and today at our local hospital

It has given her a first hand insight into the varied working environment of a physiotherapist - from orthopaedics and joint replacements to stroke rehabilitation, and geriatrics to respiratory management

Whilst she already realised it, one of the people she shadowed yesterday told her it's amazing how many girls come on work experience thinking a physio's whole job is to run on the pitch to tend to the limbs of burly rugby players

The situations that she's witnessed over these two days haven't put her off one bit - not even the old chap having incontinence pants put on so he could be helped out of bed to go for a spin in a wheel chair - she wasn't actually at the action end but she did say the smell took a bit of getting used to

She's finished the two days absolutely buzzing - another tick in the box for her application

Just another year's hard work at college and she'll hopefully be successful in her endeavour to train to do a job that she says she can see herself doing for her entire working life.

I guess there can't be that many 17yr olds so sure about their view of their own future.

As for the world of work, her younger brother Nick has had a rude awakening to just how much effort you have to put in to earn a few pounds

At 13 and three quarters he's really not old enough for a part-time Saturday job yet

However he has had his name on the list for a paper-round for a good while

Although there's not yet an opening for a permanent round, this week he's had the chance to cover for someone else's round while they're on holiday

This means delivering almost 200 copies of the local free newspaper to some of our neighbouring streets along with any leaflets the newspaper company is also paid to distribute

The delivery of the papers wasn't a problem - he's young and strong

However, for my less than practical son, the origami involved in sorting and collating all the leaflets was a somewhat more onerous and time consuming task - thank goodness for my conservatory floor!

He'll probably yield about £8 or £9 for this work depending on how many leaflets there were - he reckons it's slave labour

I reminded him that his sister at 14 and a half was working as a swim assistant at the local pool in the water helping teach the primary school aged children to swim for less than £4 per hour, and that there are people much younger than him in this world who work for far less and don't get the chance to get a good education

If he wants to earn money - that's what the situation is

Mind you he did look like he'd spent a while at the coal face once he'd accidentally smeared all that newsprint onto his face before he set off on his deliveries!

His little sister was bored this afternoon - so a mistakenly bought roll of shortcrust pastry (I only usually buy pre-made puff pastry) was turned into a tray of jam tarts and a treacle tart.

That kept her attention for the princely spell of about 20 minutes!

I've been busy too

As I shall have no access to my sewing machine for a couple of weeks soon I've dug out the batik baskets quilt and added the final borders

A basket full of bias strips ready to turn into bias tubing

Then I spent yesterday evening and this morning tacking on the vines ready to take away with me for a little hand stitching to keep me occupied in quiet moments

I'm half way round with the tacking - only another two sides of the quilt to prepare.................

How time flies..................

2009-08-03T09:47:00.006+01:00

.................... when you're busy

What a long time since I posted - I can't believe it's two and a half weeks without the excuse of a 'going away' type holiday.

Never mind - let's make up for lost time then.

The big girl has had a birthday - she's now 17 and legally old enough to drive.

That should keep you off the Somerset roads for a start.

She had a small bunch of friends sleeping here for her birthday weekend - lots of caterpillars sleeping in the conservatory

- followed by some canoeing

- Where's that beach? - again - the college friend at the front plays football not rugby and hasn't grasped the concept quite yet.

In and amongst this I've broken up from school for the summer break - hurray!

Louise has been growing pumpkins - with great success, I guess plenty of rain and reasonably mild temperatures have been helping everything to grow.

Himself has been very busy indeed, in and amongst the rain, laying more of my beautiful patchwork patio

He's onto the bottom level after completing all the brick edging around the top one - he got this whole bottom layer put down this last weekend - so progress is speeding along.

The strange gaps in the front of the step are the housing for soft inbuilt lights that we'll be able to switch on as and when we need them as I just know if either my father or his mother (both of whom can trip over a single hair in the most spectacular fashion) are here in the twilight they're bound to miss the step and break something vital like a hip or whatever.

The canoe storage area will eventually be hidden by a very smart fence/gate arrangement to allow ease of access combined with camouflage - I'm also toying with repainting the shed in a lighter colour - but still trying to get that one past the Management Committee!

He's now working out the logistics of cutting the paving slabs to accommodate those less than attractive but unfortunately necessary drain/rodding access covers - Good Luck with that one then dear!

We've had a bit of a run of luck finding some new planters in the sales at ridiculously low prices

Some tall (and not so tall) square ones (with a round friend) at a fifth of their original price

And some nice blue ones at just under half price - I do love a bargain! - once the paving is finished I shall place them strategically round the garden filled with all sorts of things to add colour and interest

We also spent Saturday morning, in the rain (again), having a good shuffle round of plants in the borders - the smaller ones from the back were moved to the front (the border was much shallower before we decided on the paving dimensions) and some other plants added to help fill it all up

Recently we visited some friends of ours in Surrey who have this beautiful cottage garden bursting with flowers and great things to eat

Their overflowing borders and beds are the sort of look I'm aiming for around the edge of the paving - eventually!

You'll also, no doubt, be pleased to note that the earlier argument with the gas main has had no long term ill effects on the plants in the front garden.

Here's a shy little clematis hiding behind its big bully neighbouring buddleia happily flowering despite only being planted a few weeks ago.

Finally although I've been lurking rather than posting around blogland I've not been idle

The plaid top only needs the final row down the right hand side (blocks already completed and awaiting assembly) - and then it's decision time for the borders

Never happy with one project on the go I was tempted to start the next

Remember - I did say I hadn't got the Jewel Box pattern out of my system

Here we are, six blocks assembled and stitched together

I have five more almost done - I decided to scale the blocks down slightly on this one - they're 3" HSTs rather than the 4" ones from the previous scrappy version

I wasn't sure about the colour of the mushroom batik that I'm using for the background - it seemed a little dead when I first cut into it - but as the quilt grows the combination of the lifeless background and the bright batiks works ok - it's growing on me the more I put together

We have a trip to Sark in the Channel Islands planned quite soon - it is a magical place of such peace and tranquility that it always puts me in mind of what 'Heaven with the door closed' must sound like.

I'd rather like to get the borders on my Batik Baskets so I can hand applique a good amount of the vines around the outer border while we're there - that may well be today's job.

Overall a busy couple of weeks - and it's so nice both to be back here with you, and also to welcome Mrs M from The Magpie Files fame back into Blogland with her new blog .....the sight of morning...

If you're not familiar with her old blog check her out she usually brings a smile to my face each morning and always makes me think.

Right - must dash - I'm away to stitch again.....................

Scraps and shirttails

2009-07-16T14:43:00.007+01:00

First of all - I'm not going to apologise for shamelessly pinching the title of Bonnie from Quiltville's recently published book to head this particular post.

It is actually rather apt as first of all she was the person who originally hit my blogging radar screen and ultimately inspired me to start blogging myself.

And secondly it's also quite appropriate as one particular quilt of hers - 'Blue Ridge Beauty' - is the inspiration for my latest creation - but more of that later on.........

First of all I'll give you a quick peek at the latest photo of my three taken on our recent visit to Stourhead.

Sarah, in the middle, is not impressed that her 'little' brother, who's overtaken her in height, suggested a photo taken in height order rather than chronological order. Mind you both of them are taller than me with the little one catching me up all too quickly. It would appear I'm destined to be the shrimp of the household.

And here are my parents on the same trip out - they have settled in so well down here it makes me wish we'd moved them years ago. What would it be like to have a back garden big enough to accomodate that seat! Sadly I'm not sure I could fit it into my pocket to sneak it home with me though.

So back to those shirttails.

Recently Jane has made a start on an applique quilt made from an assortment of plaids

I'm a great charity shop visitor and here in Taunton we have a Barnardos shop which sells all items of clothing for 99p each - much cheaper than the other shops in town where you can easily pay four times that for a cotton shirt. So I often pop in and pick up men's shirts to supplement my plaid collection.

With the variety of shirtings I had gathered together foremost in my mind, I offered to send a selection to Jane to help bolster the variety needed for her quilt.

She very kindly sent me some neutrals for backgrounds and contrasts in exchange - I seem to go through yards and yards of WOW, COC and all other sands, beiges and creams - it would seem this particular girl can never have too much neutral fabric so her contribution is most gratefully received.

Once I'd completed the Jewel Box in the last post I thought I'd have a go at another 4 Patch/HST confection as they grow so quickly using Bonnie's Leaders and Enders theory. This time, however, I thought I'd use different block placements and decided to make it solely from plaid/striped shirtings and neutrals. That way, when Nick heads off to University in a few years time, there will be a slightly more masculine quilt waiting for him to take if he wants one.

This of course is where the design for Bonnie's lovely quilt 'Blue Ridge Beauty' makes an entry.

I've become hooked on scrappy now in a big way - as you can see from this photo the variety of plaid and striped shirtings is pretty extensive and it really doesn't matter at all where they sit, they all play so nicely together.

And here we are with the centre 36 blocks assembled.

I'm having so much fun piecing and seeing the underlying pattern emerge that I can't see myself getting bored in the near future - bet you never thought you'd hear me say that!

Progress on two fronts

2009-07-10T15:49:00.005+01:00

In and amongst a very busy few weeks - auditors (we passed with flying colours - hurray), university viewings with Sarah (UWE at Bristol is favourite so far - although it didn't stop us trecking up to Sheffield and back one Sunday), trying to puzzle out the first months financial reconciliation with the new computer system (only over two months late through no fault of mine - don't ask!!!), usual ferrying kids here and there etc etc etc - there has been some creative output

Firstly the jewel box quilt has now grown to a 5 x 5 layout - the photo only shows 4 x 5 but you'll just have to trust me that the last row's been attached - Sarah has decided that she'd like to claim this one when it's finished to take away with her as a sofa throw when she goes to university in September 2010 - that gives me a little time to decide whether to add borders and then to quilt it.

I've so enjoyed putting this one together that I'm carrying on making 4patches and HSTs in neutrals and shirtings to make a second quilt with a slightly different layout - more of that next time - plus I've not got the jewel box pattern out of my system yet either and I have it in mind to do another but with 3" units instead of 4" and in batiks with a single salt wash batik fabric for the background in a beige/mushroom shade of which I have a good four or five yards in my stash. So if anyone wants to swap fabrics and send me some dark or bright batiks I'd love to trade for material of your choice or a little Bebbington original if you prefer.

Away from jewel boxes but keeping on the batiks - all the appliqued sashings are now sitting between the batik basket blocks and I'm now steeling myself for clearing enough space on my cutting table to cut a narrow 1" green border and then a wider 10" sand border around this for more applique to complete the top

However it's not just me that's been busy - oh no indeed - himself has been working like a proverbial slave in the back garden laying my beautiful courtyard patio area (well some of it anyway) in all the incredible heat and humidity we've had up to this past few days (until the weather broke with heavy rain showers on Monday anyway)

The top level is almost complete (he's added more since this photo was taken) - it just needs the pointed brick edging to finish this part - ignore the umbrella, it was an aid to keeping him cool while he worked and will actually finish up at the other end of the garden (behind the photographer)

Himself has stoically suffered the 'grand designs' aspirations of the 'design superintendent' (that's me) and put in carefully placed focal accents (you may feel this might just bear a passing resemblance to a patchwork block pattern!)

And under the windows of the conservatory the lavender bed is finished complete with recycled gate post finials to accent the corners - just waiting for the plants to grow to fill it out now.

Catching up on commitments

2009-06-16T16:23:00.004+01:00

The Birthday block swap for which I had made the 'circles' blocks from my last post has been sitting on my shoulder like Jimminy Cricket - with good reason considering how behind I've allowed myself to become

I was acutely aware that I still owed a red, black and white block for March, a purple rose block for April and finally a NYB block for May to bring me right up to date to work on Kate's 3D block for June

Here are the completions so far to bring me right up to the present day

March

April

May

Only June to do which is current so I'm up to date - hurray! Now to think up something with a 3D element for Kate - ideas anyone?

I've also been stitching more sashings for the Batik Baskets - but as they're all much the same they're a bit boring

However I did find time to put all those hourglass squares together - a couple of borders should bring this up to Cot size

And finally I have a pot of Marguerite daisies outside both my front and back doors - I love these simple plants, they remind me of living in France, and if you deadhead them regularly they'll reward you with a wonderful succession of blooms all summer long - this little fellow was captured just minding his own business, ignoring me as I opened the front door after work the other day

Today's bag of allsorts

2009-06-06T17:07:00.004+01:00

You know Mother Nature can always teach us a thing or two about colour combinations - just look at these rhododendrons in rich buttery cream and regal purple combined with the lovely green grass - a great starting point for a quilt. Stourhead in Wiltshire was an absolute delight last week with the variety of rhododendron colours in the gardens - pricey but well worth a visit

And talking about three colour quilts - here's where I've got to with the Batik Baskets

Still valiantly appliqueing away with the rest of the sashings to go round the edges

I've still been carrying on with some piecing too

Quite a while ago I received a Moda charm pack from another blogger - some of the charms had children and toys on them which weren't totally my scene but I passed them onto a dear friend who loved the 'Dick and Jane' fabrics and I knew she'd make excellent use of these which were similar

However I hung onto those charms from the pack that I especially liked but never found a suitable project for them. Then seeing the occasional hourglass quilt on various blogs thought that as I'd developed a newfound reasonable competence (tongue firmly in cheek there) for piecing I'd give it a go

Here we are so far - good fun but possibly not something I'd like to make every day - there should be just enough squares along with some border fabric to make a cot quilt

Finally I've been participating (I use the term loosely) in the Birthday Block swap that Kate's been running - unfortunately I've lost my way somewhat since about January - probably because I really couldn't apply myself to much stitching over that period.

Now we've got to June - the last month, and Kate's turn to receive blocks - and I've set myself the target to get all outstanding blocks out to their various recipients by the end of the month

Here's one of the RW&B Mariners Compass blocks that a fellow blogger made for me

And finally the two circle February blocks just awaiting trimming and posting out.

Keep stitching and smiling :o)

Lots of little bits and bobs

2009-05-26T19:52:00.006+01:00

For a change this weekend's bank holiday has been blessed with wonderful weather in this part of the world

Usually the approach of a bank holiday is sufficient to send the sales of raincoats and umbrellas through the roof

But no, this time sandals and sun cream were the order of the day

Nick did manage to find a novel way to keep from getting burned - he does look uncannily like something washed up on a beach in a crime series

The sand at Bridport is a moveable feast - it seems to depend on what effect the winter tides and storms have previously had on the beach

This year the sand isn't really sand, more small pebbles which are absolute purgatory to walk on in barefeet and annoyingly want to get right into your sandals if you don't take them off

Still the type of 'sand' didn't spoil the day.

Apart from Sunday's excursion to the coast we've stayed around home

Nigel has made a really good start on the back garden (so far, no pipes!)

And I've done a little bit of this..................

to continue the jewel box quilt

And a little bit of this..............

And this...................

which has completed these

Ready for some of this.............

and more of this.............

Giving me one of these - I need another eleven to sash between the basket blocks

I'm still pondering over the cornerstones between these sashings - I'm leaning towards some sort of nine-patch but I'm not sure on the colour placement yet - mind you the other eleven sashings will give me plenty of time to make up my mind

And finally a little treat in the post

A bag from Nancy Near Philadelphia with some lovely fabrics as well - thank you Nancy, they're lovely

Right must dash - off to measure up how many paving slabs we need for the back garden

And then there were three............

2009-05-22T08:43:00.004+01:00

How wonderful.....................

Here in Somerset the sun is shining - and even better.............

Today is an extra day off for me.

Throughout the school year there are usually five days selected by the school to use for teacher training days. The children do not attend and in my case my contract doesn't require me to either.

Because of the variety of training options around, each school sets their own training or 'Inset' days and seldom do different schools have them on the same dates.

This usually means that I get the day off and my kids go to school.

Bliss!

I do love inset days.

Nigel seems to think that I should be making good use of this bonus day by tidying the sewing room.

The sewing room is crying out for a bit of TLC.

But.............

I'm on a roll.................

Three basket blocks completed

And three columns of four jewel box blocks all joined together.

When I looked at this last night it seemed to be all reds (artificial light probably to blame), this morning in the cool morning light of the conservatory it's much more random, the greens seem to dominate more today.

I just love how this pattern jumps out to hit you so much more strongly in the photograph than in the flesh.

Now, do I add another three blocks to the bottom for a single quilt or do I add two columns to the side for a double quilt - decisions, decisions, decisions..........

No, a day off is not a day for having to make decisions so.............

I think, this morning, I shall return to the other project and get the fourth basket block done ready to work out the next stage.

Can't see the tidying happening somehow.

What a shame.

Triangles, triangles everywhere

2009-05-18T16:52:00.005+01:00

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while will no doubt reel with shock when you realise that I've not only been piecing but piecing triangles at that.

As a rule I just don't do triangles in any shape or form

However it was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and our local fabric shop has mottled batiks at £4.97 per metre - a real bargain - these can often cost £10 to £12 per metre on this side of the pond

So I went in to spend my birthday money and came home with this gorgeous assortment - two metres of the end sand and beige ones and a metre each of the others

Imagine my surprise when I was surfing around blogland later that day to find Libby's lovely quilt in just the same colours as my three left hand choices

Must have been meant to be

I had also been inspired by Nancy's Jewel Box quilt - I've long thought I'd like to make one of these - and so I was already lowering myself gently into the uncharted waters of HST construction en masse.

Lots of strips

Cut up to use as leaders and enders (a la Bonnie at Quiltville)

To join together with the HSTs

To make Jewel Box Blocks

Nice and scrappy

Joining together to form the greater pattern - sorry forgot to turn this photo before loading it - just stand on your head or something to view it properly please :o))) Nancy was right these little babies just make themselve up

So once I was in the swing of the jewel box components my courage got the better of me and I decided to cut up the bits for the batik blocks - amazing how the colour changes under artificial lighting

And eventually the first of the four big blocks was born

A few days further down the line and here are two of the four - half way there. Believe it or not the greens all came from the same piece of fabric, don't you just love the variations in batiks

Just had to nip back to the shop this morning to secure additional yardage in these three colours - it would be such a shame to run out half way through such an enthusiastic project once I'm on a roll

Now I have two more blocks to stitch up (the HST's are already trimmed and waiting) and then the big decision about how to put it all together - after all those triangles I've a feeling there might be some applique on the horizon

Thank you blogging friends for inspiring me and giving me the courage to have a go

Finishes.............

2009-05-14T18:52:00.005+01:00

The first finish - the rugby playing season is over for another year - thank goodness in the main - it will be nice for the whole family to have some respite from it, but most of all Sarah's body needs the rest and recuperation after a very hefty season

This knee - which her friends told her reminded them of a Beano comic book character's - definitely needs the rest - the only remedy for bursitis, (caused by several incidences of impact with the hard ground) is REST!

And after a very intensive and physically punishing final match (the return fixture against the Welsh Colleges which we lost 10 - 22) one disappointed and very sore girl (the tears had just been wiped away for the photo) really needs a rest too - we spent the following afternoon at A & E with suspected liver/gall bladder pain - fortunately the tests came back clear - but there were some very hard tackles in this last match

You can see here that, although I managed to get the shorts back to sparkling white, the coach had less luck with the shirts and the girls ended up playing in the blue 'away' strip - not quite the same somehow

Of course Sarah's focus now has to change from rugby to AS exams over the next four weeks - but at least the knee won't get a pounding for now.

Back to stitching I've also had a finish

For months I've not really been at all focussed on my quilting

However there's nothing quite like the deadline of a colleague's imminent maternity leave to spur me into action

She told me she'd decorated the nursery in yellow with a lime green carpet

A good enough match I'd say - and she was absolutely delighted - such a simple pattern but so effective in the right fabrics - these batiks and tone on tone fabrics were a delight to work with

Amazing what one little finish can do to waken up the creative urges

Inspiration has been forthcoming all around blogland - a gorgeous jewel box quilt courtesy of Nancy and a fabulous basket quilt rustled up by Libby

So I dug out an assortment of neutrals to contrast with colourful scraps

Rustled up a pile of HSTs to press and trim to size - me - piecing? - never!!! (I know I'm as surprised as you are)

A new stitchery design ready for embroidering

The sewing machine and iron working overtime

Busy, busy, busy!!!

Watch this space for a progress report - if I can drag myself away from the sweat shop that is ...................................

Twas on the Monday morning the gas man came to call......

2009-05-07T13:56:00.009+01:00

Some of you may be familiar with the wonderful comic duo 'Flanders and Swan' from the 1940's and 50's

One of their most familiar songs was the afore mentioned Gas Man song

This is a link to a You tube rendition if you wish to familiarise yourself

And a link to the lyrics

Where, you might ask, is this leading us?

Well last Saturday my beloved husband finally got round to adding the little something to the front garden that I've had in mind since we moved here.

Going back some way to the 'More Clematis Please' post in May 2006, I'd always thought it would be nice to have a line of posts linked by two levels of rope to enable us to grow more climbers up the posts and eventually along the ropes to kill two birds with one stone by indulging my love of clematis and also prettying up the view from my sewing room of the neighbours boring, brick boundary wall.

Rather than cementing the posts in and reducing the amount of plant sustaining soil in the border he opted for metpost spikes instead

Everything was progressing smoothly until the final post was being hammered in

Nigel rushed to the front door shouting frantically for my attention

The post spike had just gone straight into

a gas main!

So as you can imagine a job that was almost finished developed into an afternoon of disruption to both us and our neighbours as not one, not two but eventually five gas men in four separate vehicles turned up and blocked the entire cul de sac

The gas main turned out to supply our next door neighbours and should never have been routed across our front garden so of course they were without gas all afternoon rather than us. Thank goodness she hadn't just put a joint of meat or a fruit cake into the oven

Fortunately the gas men were able to repair the main with a minimum of disruption to both my plants and the newly tarmaced drive

And most luckily Nigel had positioned the post directly over the gas main and hit it square in the middle - had he been an inch or so to the one side of this he would have done a double whammy and caught the electric supply as well - now that might have had a very different, possibly explosive outcome

Once the men had completed the job he was able to finish the last post and here we are awaiting the climbers - a job for next weekend I feel :o)

Then - next job - sorting out the bombsite that is the back garden and turning this into an Italian style courtyard - just hope it doesn't take as long to complete as those posts in the front garden!

Don't think there are any gas mains to the back of the house!

From white to black in eighty minutes!

2009-05-05T14:48:00.008+01:00

Take a dreary wet afternoon in the Welsh Valleys

Add thirty girls (plus subs) with lots of racing adrenaline

Copious quantities of gooey, black, coal-dust laden mud - and why can't you clean that muddy ball on your team mate's shirt?

A referee with a somewhat ironic sponsor

An impressive breakaway run

The odd hospital pass from your fellow flanker in the face of a feisty opposition hooker

A nice lineout set piece or two

Some less than sportsmanlike stamping from the Welsh opposition (naughty naughty!!! - thank goodness my daughter wasn't in the bottom there)

And it's quite easy to step from this..........

To this............

In a matter of 80 minutes!

Of course being the team coach isn't always a hazard free occupation

But even a 12 - nil defeat didn't dampen their delight - the shorts took some getting white again though!

Such a privilege to play for your national side - roll on this Friday and the return fixture on home turf!

And just in case you thought this has metamorphasised into a totally rugby blog

I have been merrily cracking on with that baby quilt

Shades of green

2009-04-28T07:56:00.014+01:00

Girls on tour - a little bit of pre-match training

Trying out the scrummage machine on the indoor crumb

The beautifully manicured pitch prior to the onslaught

A London Irish shirt amid a row of yellow

The victors heading over to thank their faithful supporters

The delightful and talented Mr Kennedy looking earnestly for someone - sadly not me :o)

('or me' adds the daughter)

Another photo of himself, just because - well why not?

Another day dawns on the beauty of Welsh Bicknor

The tranquility of a country church

Early morning sun lights up a humble nettle

The Forest of Dean in all its glory

Matching nail varnish from the afternoon's opposition

And gum shield to tone - all the best dressed rugby players sport them you know

Funky tour socks on a less pristine surface - well there were some green ones in there

And finally the humble beginnings of quilt - maternity leave beckons for someone - better get my skates on

And back to something more quilty........

2009-04-19T12:19:00.002+01:00

When my attention was drawn to this by Clare at Dordogne Quilter I thought what a lovely idea

But which quilt to choose - although not as prolific as some I have made a good number of quilts over the past 12 years or so

Each one I make tends to be my favourite at that moment in time

But I guess the first really big quilt I ever finished will probably be my all-time favourite

It was a wedding present for my brother about four and a half years ago

I asked him if he'd like a quilt for his wedding present and he reacted with enthusiasm

Knowing of his love of celtic knotwork made the design type a bit of a no-brainer

However his original colour choice of red knotwork on a cream background scared the life out of me, and him when I explained just how unpredictable red fabrics can be on washing

So we chatted round a few ideas and decided to go for cream knotwork on a pastel ground

108" square and three years later - the result..........

I have blogged about this quilt before - some time ago now - and here is my write-up about it at the time:

These two pictures show the quilt I made for my brother and sister-in-law for their wedding present in October 2004.

It measures 108" square and was machine pieced in space dyed cotton (some dyed by me and some bought in) with yards and yards of cream coloured home made bias celtic knotwork.

It took three years to make in all and I worked on it in three different countries. In the middle of its construction I had a serious illness which kept me off work for over five months and working on the coloured square blocks around the edges kept me sane - not to mention that, without that gift of time to work on it when I was fit for nothing else, I probably wouldn't have completed it on time.

The celtic knotwork is all hand appliqued and I wouldn't mind having a pound for each inch of it - I'd be one very rich girl!

The photos are taken in our local church as I didn't have a large enough floor area to lay it out otherwise.

Once I'd completed it I felt that strange feeling you have when your baby is born that you're not pregnant any more - a real anti-climax.

Sadly my sister-in-law's ideas on decor didn't fit at all well with my brother's choice for the quilt and, as it doesn't comply with with her choices of cream and taupe, it has stayed in a cupboard for it's entire life and never seen the light of day

In hindsight I should have asked her - but never mind, who knows, when the current fashion for safe neutrals eventually fades maybe she might bring it out of hibernation

This close up shows a little more clearly all the knotwork that went into it - every single inch was made of home-made bias tubing and every inch appliqued by hand. Each of those pink, lilac and blue outer postage stamp type squares set into the pale green border measures 12" square - so from that you can guess there is some yardage of tubing

My only real regret is that I quilted it in an allover lines and swirls type pattern which completely disregarded the knotwork - although I did include in that freestyle quilting their names and the date of their wedding

Should I have the opportunity to relive the process I would use the skills I've acquired in the subsequent years and probably quilt it to complement the knotwork

However it's been a treat for me to revisit it and I hope you've enjoyed it too

England rocks!

2009-04-17T11:01:00.005+01:00

Well if she never gets another game of rugby in (which obviously isn't likely) nobody can take away from her the fact that she's run onto a pitch sporting the white shirt and red rose of England - and it was the first pitch at the Exeter Chiefs ground which, while it's not Twickenham, is still an honour as rugby clubs are notorious for relegating their female teams to practice pitches in case they mess up the grass for the big boys!

Mind you as the shirts are the same type of fabric and construction as the current vogue for men's stretch fitted shirts I can't say they're particularly flattering - here she is on the left with two of her Taunton team-mates who look even less comfortable in their shirts

I'll gloss over the fact that the England Colleges squad were stuffed by the RFUW National Talent Development Group squad 52 points to Nil

Although I will just drop in the nugget of information that the RFUW wanted to draft her in to play for the opposition but her coaching mentor suggested that, as her parents (you know The Bank of Anne and Nigel) had paid £300 for her playing fees for England Colleges, she should be given the chance to wear that white shirt with pride

Sarah, being Sarah, played the entire 80 minutes at 110% effort - the first quarter in her natural position of flanker and the latter 60 minutes at INSIDE CENTRE! (a position she has never played in her life but actually looked pretty handy at) to cover for injury and the coaching staff's poor bench selection.

Fortunately the match was recorded for the RFUW so her efforts will be seen and probably analysed at length and hopefully stand her in good stead for the future plus her mentor will be able to point out just how much of the match she played out of position. I may sound like a biased mother here but she certainly looked a class above virtually all of her team mates.

However she is now nursing a very sore knee so it's lots of R & R to ready herself for our club Tour weekend on 25th/26th April when, among other things, we'll take in a premiership match at Sixways between Worcester Warriors and London Irish (will be thinking of you Mrs M) and then of course the next two England Colleges matches against the seriously stiff opposition of Welsh Colleges away on 1st May and at home a week later on 8th of May

Mum on the other hand has managed to fit in a little stitching - here's a hint - more to come.............