Bank holiday sea views and a card trick or two.

Bank holiday weekend found us in Scotland visiting my Dad - The weather didn't look like this when we arrived, It was dark , damp and dismal but the gusty wind blew the clouds away and the sun came out.

We had come to support him and his friends with a fund raising afternoon ( which involved eating lots of cream teas) for the St Abbs Coastal Rowing Association. Follow their blog here.

Although the sea was a bit rough for rowing today .
Another Coastal view a bit further down the north east coast when we went to South Shields on Monday. It was anything but peaceful as a van full of policemen screamed to a halt and the policemen ran past us in hot pursuit of someone - then the police helicopter swooped down low in front of us on the cliff top.
So we retreated inland to Birkheads secret garden for a bit of peace and quiet
and a pot of tea of course. Situated only about 5 or 6 miles from the Metrocentre, these wonderful gardens are a real treat and well worth a visit.


And I have done a little bit of sewing - The "strangled" star block is now complete - although it put up a fight right to the end.
The Card Trick block was much easier to do and went together quite nicely. All this hand sewing- its is not like me at all. I am now starting on a Dresden plate block - all by hand too!

Happy Quilting xx

Bluebells and lots of quilts

Bluebells are really beautiful in the woods at the moment and in my garden too.
This lovely wood is right by the main road near to my home, but well protected with a barbed wire fence.
And the bluebell colours are in keeping with this lovely quilt I saw when I visited a friend last week. The Dresden Plate block is quite dramatic in blues and purples and the plain blocks are quilted in a Dresden plate shape pattern too.
More blues with the geometric card trick pattern - all done by hand - Inspiration for me to keep going with my sampler quilt
The third quilt in Margaret's collection is a beautifully hand quilted pattern with beads and colonial knots.
Here is a close up of one of the blocks. The quilt took her 18 months to complete - a treasured heirloom but she sleeps under it every night.


Margaret T has been busy too. On Friday afternoon she showed us her latest work in progress, a fantastic applique of an African village. This has taken her just 3 weeks to do.


In between times she has pieced this Star strip quilt with her machine but quilted it by hand - it reminds me of harvest time and ploughed fields.
Irene is having a run on doll making at the moment - her latest project is this lovely Japanese doll.

I have been finishing off my machine quilting - just the binding to sew on. It is good to be able to admire other people's quilts and take inspiration from them. I'm inspired - hope you are too!

Happy Quilting xx