Sew little time, again!

I think I could win the prize for thinking about quilts rather than making them. Some actually become WIPs but most are just planned. The planning can often involve retail therapy, well actually, it usually involves a purchase of some kind. I find it very difficult to choose everything from my stash. There's always something vital missing, one fabric, the right quilting thread, even the best border idea.
At the moment I'm waiting for some fabric from the US, the result of quick internet whizz over a lunchtime sandwich. No matter what my mood a fabric purchase always hits the spot, bit like an expresso. The plans for that fabric will carry me through the next few days until the parcel arrives and then it'll be tucked away with the rest of my stash.
I recently swapped some rose print fabrics for some African fabrics with Karol-Ann. What treasures! I've a sort of Chinese Coins design in mind for them but I'm still auditioning backgrounds. Will probably use a murky batik to set off the fab brights. Thanks, Karol-Ann.

Quilting again!

After weeks of indecision, fabric buying and general procrastination, I'm finally back quilting. I've sorted out my most recent ufos and started to work my way through them. I've spent most of today hand quilting a quilt that's intended for my sofa. I do like to snuggle under a quilt while watching tv of an evening. I made this quilt from a charm pack simply put together for speed and then have taken months over the quilting. Not clever!
Hope I'm back on track at last. I have so many quilts to finish. Rediscovered a half log cabin quilt I made at a Lynne Edwards workshop in January which just needs the blocks piecing together. I'd like to get it finished for my LQS exhibition in July. Will have to be big stitch quilted as my machine quilting skills are very basic.
Waiting for a couple of parcels at the moment, some fabric from the US and some plants for my garden. hopefully they will be here soon. I love getting parcels!!
Trying to fix my camera issues, I'd love to post photos but the technology seems to be fighting back at the moment. May have to ask for help from DD when she visits at the weekend.

No chance to stitch

No stitching for a couple of weeks but I've managed to go to Malvern for the quilt show and buy lots of fabric online. It only takes a stressful day at work and I'm looking for bargain fabrics. My shopping from stash resolution only lasted until the end of January. Looking forward to all those parcels arriving and the excitement of planning another quilt.
My LQS has launched a challenge for their 10th anniversary exhibition in November. Of course I had to visit the shop and aided and abetted by my sister and DD selected fabrics for my entry. That led to several evenings with my quilt books searching for inspiration. I've narrowed down my options - the theme is Stitch in Time - and I'm thinking that I may go for that 'timeless' classic, log cabin or perhaps a nine patch. Decisions, decisions. At least I have until November to complete it.
Looking forward to a long weekend and the chance to stitch. I really need to complete the ufos from the last couple of workshops I've done. My Lynne Edwards Continuous Log Cabin blocks need to be stitched together and the Katharine Guerrier scrap blocks need to be finished. I enjoyed the 'big stitch' quilting I used on my last quilt so will opt for that on the log cabin.

Cambridge Guild AGM

Spent last weekend in Cambridge for the AGM of the Quilters' Guild of the British Isles. A chance to catch up with quilters from all over the UK and Europe. I travelled by minibus with quilters from Swansea, Cardiff and Gwent. My friend Teresa came for the first time and brought her daughter, Bron, a young quilter.



Charlotte Yde was our speaker on Friday evening, fabulous art quilts. I like hearing about the inspiration behind quilts. So often we view quilts at exhibitions and would love to speak their
creators for more background info. During the rest of the weekend the speakers were Shirley Bloomfield (Baltimore), Helen Deighan (coiled pots and dyeing) and Judi Mendelssohn on why she's not a championship quilter (but she could be I think).



There were traders of course but I managed to stay reasonably focussed and not go mad. Just some lutradur and threads but then found a scrap bag containing some fabrics I recently used up. Lasted until Saturday afternoon before buying a book of small quilt projects. Thought they'd make good presents for quilty friends.



Didn't take many photos as space didn't allow for a quilt exhibition as in previous years. Looking forward now to next years AGM in Swansea. Much closer to home for me.

Quilt weekend

Our guild held an area day on Saturday so I went to catch up with quilters from across South Wales. There were retail opportunities from a couple of LQS's, a bookseller and a quilter who'd 'down-sized' to a smaller property and needed to reduce her stash and help raise funds for the new quilt centre in York which will open in the summer. I managed to find some fabric to finish a half log cabin started at a Lynne Edwards workshop recently and a few brights and darks to pad out my scraps for the workshop with Katharine Guerrier on Sunday.

Sunday's workshop was a lot of fun, we all managed to make a couple of minor blunders but the laughter and yummy cake helped us through. Katharine was a very supportive teacher and encouraged us all the way. Of course it means another WIP to add to the pile. I had intended to be really good this year but I've only added to both my stash and the UFOs in waiting.

This Saturday we have a fabric shop coming to trade at our group meeting so I must be really, really good and NOT BUY ANY FABRIC!!!!! At the rate I'm going my dining room will disappear completely under the baskets of fabric, all waiting for the right project.

What have I done?

My 'shopping from stash' intentions have been sorely tested already. A bad day at work sent me online for a couple of jelly rolls - no projects in mind but I love getting stuff in the post. A workshop at my LQS saw me using up my blue scraps in half log cabin blocks. Very good, I thought until a browse at lunch time for 'extra' dark blues found me buying a length of fabric with cherries on. I am a fabricoholic and must try harder to resist temptation. Our guild area day is coming up on Saturday and I just know there'll be traders. Maybe I should just forget to take any cash.

I've signed up for the Spring Fling Round Robin as I'm trying to get more involved with other quilters. I've chosen my centre block and have dug out some fabrics but will have to wait until the weekend to start stitching. There are some great blocks completed already. Where do you all find the time?

I'm doing a workshop with Katharine Guerrier on Sunday. What a treat! An opportunity to use up more scraps. I think mine are breeding somewhere.........

When I work out how to upload from my new camera I'll share my latest quilts with you all.

Mutterings of a wannabe quilter

I've been following a number of blogs for some time now and I finally decided I had to put my foot in the water. I'm a quilter who plans more than quilts so I'm in awe of the amount of work so many of you in blogland are producing. My stash grows ever larger and the WIPs increase after every workshop I attend.

I'm booked on 2 workshops in the next few weeks, both of which are described as 'suitable for using up scraps'. Guess who's stash will probably look bigger after the workshops? Nothing makes a dent in the stash so I'm on one of those 'fabric diets' for a while, like so many of you out there. No buying new just 'shopping' my stash for any new project or workshop. It's a painful process and I've only just started!