Scrappy log cabin quilt success

Scrappy worked well for Janet. This is the quilt top she has sewn from the blocks at last weeks scrappy log cabin class. Although it is not truly random as she had selected green, brown and red fabrics from her scrap bag - it works well and shows off the log cabin blocks beautifully.
While we were at the class Margaret was working busily on her sampler quilt. The combinations of the pink and green Nancy Halvorsen fabrics look lovely.
She has used Sandie Lush designs for her quilting on most of the blocks.
as we can see with this work in process.
and here she is giving Janet a masterclass in how to assemble a quilt that has been made with the quilt-as-you-go method. Janet is looking very worried about it!
The weekend sunshine took us to Scotland to visit my Dad and to look around the wonderful new visitor centre at St Abbs. The village hall has been tastefully refurbished, but if you can't visit in person visit them on line here.
This is the view from the front of the visitor centre and looks good in the clear sunshine.
And finally
my new toy. When I learn how to use it , I hope this will greatly improve the photos on the blog.
Watch this space ....................

Happy Quilting xx

Scrappy log cabin quilt

Last week, the Friday afternoon class at the Fat Quarters turned into an all day class led by the lovely Hazel and entitled "scrappy log cabin quilts". We learned Hazel's quick method of piecing log cabin blocks to use up all the scraps in the stash to make a quilt.
I have such a wide selection of fabrics in my box that when I put them together in the prescribed random manner I didn't like the finished effect. I have said before that I don't do random and this just confirmed it for me. I would certainly use her method of piecing again but use more carefully selected fabrics. These are just too scrappy.

Well as the mug says When in doubt Brew up!




From Quilting to Couture....

And this week was Prudhoe fashion week. Last night the textile students at Prudhoe high school put on a fashion show of all their work. Here Jenny is seen modelling last year's finished project - Her Paris Chic dress.

And this year's dress - just finished 2 days before
with a close up of the detail on the front of the dress. The brief was to design a dress to be worn by a British athlete at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. Unfortunately Jenny's dress wasn't finished before Stella McCartney got the job.

And this week's action shot is pancake tossing ( I think that was actually last week) You wouldn't believe how many pancakes we had to eat to get this one shot of one in mid toss.

Happy Quilting xxx

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party is the latest book from Alexander McCall Smith in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. On Monday the book was launched world wide from Hexham and I was lucky enough to be there.Meeting the author himself ............
and getting one of the very first copies signed by him.

This was a thoroughly entertaining evening with a fascinating insight into the world of this prolific author (he describes himself as a serial novelist ). He was a wonderful speaker full of gentle good humour - I would love to be in his company for dinner - I could have listened to him all night.
And far from the wild animals of Botswana we have been out in the wide blue skies of Northumberland today and seen the first lambs of the year. This tiny little bundle was in a field at Dilston near Corbridge ...
and here are the rest of the family.
and on our way to Allendale this afternoon we stopped to say Hello to the alpacas at Lowgate who were also enjoying the sunshine.

I have started sewing with the fabric I bought last week in Edinburgh. I have made a pillowcase for the pillowcase challenge supporting the ConKerr Charity. Starting in America it aims to bring smiles to the faces of children suffering severe illness by brightening up their hospital room with a fun pillowcase. The girls at The Fat Quarters are launching it in this country to bring smiles to seriously ill children in the 4 hospices and the RVI hospital in the North East of England. Look here for more information.

Happy Quilting xx