Grace's quilt, Belstead, friends in purple and STUFF!

Now then...I'm really busy as always but I have lots to share AND I also want to use todays promt for Shimelle's course 'True Stories' on using 'if' when writing. So here goes for a quick experiment.....

If I could go to Belstead every weekend just think how much I would achieve!

Here, there ware three of the screen printed fairies that I am applying to a quilt for Graces' birthday tomorrow! I layered them onto wadding and then free machined them, making each a little different. Later in the post you will see that I beaded and embroidered each one too...

If only time would stand still just for a while, I would always have a wonderful stash of things to sell. Here, I have got out the spiral notebooks I bought a year ago and finally got around to decorating. I have laminated the photos and added ribbons and torn fabrics. Yummy! At the back is a little pile of paper maze books I made and three diary covers in the making.....

If these don't sell, I shall have plenty of notepads to fill with my thoughts for a very long time!

If only she knew I was taking her picture! My dear friend Barbara was wearing these cracking purple gloves just crying out to be pictured!

If only our lottery tickets were winners we'd spend our whole lives here...the best place on earth, where time stands still, where laughter fills the air, where ideas flow, where food appears and where we walk to the river and get back in time for tea and home made cake.....
Here I am with the 'two Barbaras', Elaine and Wendy...the other girls could be pulled away from their machines!!!!!

Back home........today

If I sit here all morning I might get this finished... I was at my machine by 7.30 this morning and finally finished at 2pm ...I just have the ends to sew in and one more fairy to replace as I scorched her!!!!!

If Grace doesn't like it I shall cry! I have made it for her to have on her bed at home...but it looks pretty good right here and goes with the curtains I screen printed for her

If you look closely, you can see the details of each little fairy...

If my memory card wasn't full you would have seen a few more of them too!

Take care everyone.....keep making and creating.....

Moira

PS Yes...I know that the 'if 'thing should be carefully penned blogging IF ONLY I HAD THE TIME!!!! But now the quilt is done I will have.....

Curtain inspiration

Grace's cupcake...don't you just LOVE the face...and those ears!!

It has been one of those blissful Sunday mornings when our two little grandaughters have stayed the night and then they come running through at stupid-o'clock and snuggle up in bed. This morning we had a job to do!

I am doing a makeover of our front bedroom and going to get bunk beds for Hope and Grace when they come to stay (my idea of babysitting....I don't go to them, they come to me....well....they are very close by!)
Anyway....I was thinking about curtains a few days ago and took a look in John Lewis. Oh my, was that depressing? The fabrics stated at £15.00/metre but the one I really fell for was a shocking £54.00/metre!!!! Tony nearly died at the thought that I might somehow persuade him I really needed it.
Anyway...I had a better idea....I decided to buy plain calico and £4.00/metre and design my own. Isn't this the coolest excuse to use for having to go to my wonderful studio space and be creative?

I love screen printing and have decided to combine ALL the things I love to do in this project:

Screen printing
Applique
Beading
Machine embroidery
Hope and Grace's ideas

I talked to the girls about my idea as we all sat in bed drinking hot tea and they were brilliant! No sooner did Imention cupcakes and they were off and their ideas were flowing fast. As each child came up with an idea the other took it and moved it on adding her own twist. Oh how thrilling to find this enthusiasm in them. I have only been able to upload 4 pictures but there were many more. Hope got truly carried away with her cupcakes, hearts and ribbons theme.....

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and then she was onto flowers with messages around them....

Little Grace took the heart idea and added twirls. We are off out for the day for lunch with friends but I shall take my sketchpad in the car and use these ideas to inspire the curtain design. It will take a few weeks to finalise the design before I commit my ideas to fabric. Oh but I will have a lot of fun in the design process and will enjoy using the excuse for quite a while. It is going to be fun... and maybe.....just maybe the final design will find its way onto Etsy on a bookcover or something! I have neglected my Etsy shop completely but havn't got the energy just yet to get it going again

I am SO PLEASED to have my creativity back. I've had a summer cold or flu or something which left me wooly headed for weeks but finally feel human again and my energy levels are increasing. Mind you ...I still can't taste and smell. Bother!

PS: it is late as I add this post script. My sister in law was to have had an operation for lung cancer today but when I rang the hospital to ask how she was I was told she is too ill for surgery. For the third time, she has spiked a temperature and has been hospitalized with septicaemia with no known origin. This is how her lung cancer was first picked up....through all the investigations she had.
Family is so important and although I want to push myself forward and really fly with the Kelly Rae class, I think my time is going to be taken from me as I support both her and my husband through this frightening time for them both. Good health is everything. Oh how I know that having felt so unwell myself until the last day or so