Housekeeping

On several occasions when a few of us have a cup of coffee together conversation will turn to housekeeping skills, and in my case, lack of them. Although I make supreme efforts to keep the dust down and at least keep the kitchen and bathrooms in pristine condition, I am hopelessly untidy and a complete squirrel. Like a lot of fellow squirrels I sometimes find I have a series of bags and boxes waiting to be sorted, usually items that have been swept into said receptacle from floor and table when notice has been given of an impending visit less than half a day away.

It's not that I don't long for the look of softly glowing tables empty of all but a beautifully, but casually arranged bunch of flowers, sometimes we even achieve it fleetingly, but my brain does not seem to function in the organised way needed to sustain it.

The scent from the orange blossom is beautiful

When bent on a day of solid housework I find some interesting recipe, new knitting pattern, or something that has been missing for days ready to distract me from my purpose.

I am just so grateful that I enjoy, indeed am almost fascinated by, food preparation and preservation. I love cooking for friends and family, I love to read about the lives of those other women, past and present who did the same.

One of my all time favourite accounts is 'The Diary of a Farmer's Wife' 1796-1797 an account first published in the Farmers' Weekly in 1937. I have it in a rather ancient Penguin paper back and it inspired me to keep a similar sort of diary for a number of years, which I then stupidly destroyed when my life changed.

The quest for a perfect cupcake recipe is my current occupation. The one found the June 2007 edition of Good Food magazine has to be the favourite.

We loved the butter icing, made with Green and Black's Organic white chocolate with vanilla

Blocks of a Quilter's Life

My finished quilt came about when my very good friend suggested we do a workshop to pass on what we had learned since picking up our very first fat quarter!

The beginning

I used fabric left over from Daughter No. 1's wedding quilt, only buying the backing.

It was fun looking through my buttons to see if I had enough to put onto the yellow block sashing. I put a lot of feelings into this quilt, looking back over my sewing years and how far I had come.

We held our workshop one sunny day in a local school with our one lady who came. We decided not to be disappointed but to give as much knowledge as we could. It was lovely to find someone who was so eager to learn, having never made quilts.

What a lovely day it turned out to be!

The payment from the workshop went to pay for the hall, but we were not feeling flat, quite the opposite, we felt elated!

Since the workshop our student has gone on the make half a dozen quilts with such enthusiasm.

The finished quilt

To those of you out there who are struggling to get someone to recognise you, don't give up! It's always a wonderful, warm feeling to pass on what you have learnt.

Guide to a Grumpy Quilter

This is Caroline's Post

For the last 2 weeks I have been tearing my hair out! The weather has been terrible and has put me in Dark Cloud Mood!

I have been trying to finish off my Basket Quilt, joining together the blocks with Chevron patchwork. That done, next I hope I have enough one and a half inch strips to join into blocks.

Oh Heck! Why is it you never have enough? Ah, I've found some left over from another project.

Now then, just need to turn everything out for 'joining it all together' material.

Oh Cripes, what a mess I've made!

Before

Just said no to Jane for a look around Midsummer Quilters. I'm flat broke and my yearning for new material beckons. I must be strong! groan.....

I've just found half a metre of material I was going to throw out, I knew it would come in handy! Move cat off cutting mat to use rotary cutting board or wait until he goes out to annoy the female cats of the neighbourhood.

I phoned Trish to see if she had my yo-yo maker, nope, no joy there, turned everything out again, with the most foul language! Ah, found it!

After

I am so looking forward to Malvern as I have not been for four years, and that is an achievement for me. I won't feel guilty about spending loads of money, husband No 2 is going to Glastonbury for 3 days!!

Funny, I seem to turn out really good work when I am miserable. I suppose it's because I put all my ideas into my work and that seems to help me focus.

Norman Wisdom, eat your heart out!

Always be Prepared!

Prepare yourself mentally for sewing. Think about what you are going to do... never approach sewing with a sigh or lackadaiscally. Good results are difficult when indifference predominates. Never try to sew with a sink full of dirty dishes or beds unmade. When there are urgent housekeeping chores, do these first so your mind is free to enjoy your sewing. When you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible. Put on a clean dress. Keep a little bag of French chalk near your sewing machine to dust your fingers at intervals. Have your hair in order, powder and lipstick put on... (If) you are constantly fearful that a visitor will drop in or your husband will come home and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing as you should.

Isn't that great! I found it in the latest Quilters Haven Newsletter - Advice from a Singer Sewing Manual from 1949.
The patterns are from the 1950's.

Baby Genius

This is Caroline's Post

Daughter No. 2 wanted a puff cot quilt for Granddaughter No. 1.

Phoebe has used her pram quilt since birth, making dents here and there as she grows in months. My friend told me that she bought some fabric for her granddaughter's quilt called 'Baby Genius', which was bright and funky. I bought fat quarters of this wonderful fabric and co-ordinated bright fabric already left over from other past products.

After all the rotary cutting (5 1/2" square for the tops, 4 1/2" square for the bottoms) 9 rows wide by 12 long and all that tacking and pinning I thought I would never finish!

The finished quilt is amazing and plan to make more of these colourful puff quilts.

But maybe not This Big.

Becoming a Grandmother

Here is my very first grandchild Louis Joseph! This photo was taken on the day of his birth and I saw him for the first time three days later. So many people had extolled to me over the years , the joys of being a grandparent and I was overjoyed when he was born; but when I went to see him I saw someone else's baby and all my feelings were for my own thirty year old baby who was suffering from a migraine from all the lack of sleep , excitement (always a cause when he was a little boy-eg invitation from best friend to tea-he was nearly always sick!!!) and the whole experience of the birth. Both new parents looked shattered but my daughter in law Mel had that beautuful glow of a very new mum. When this photo came through on the internet I printed it out and stuck it on my fridge. Over the next few days Louis' little face made me smile and a deep joy began to grow inside me and his grandpa and then his image made us chuckle with pride and happiness. His image worked it's magic in just a few days and I was well and truly hooked !!!

Ofcourse I had to make a cot quilt for Louis and here it is! Our quilting group used this block 'spool' for the charity quilts we have made from all our scraps. I think it works really well for this purpose because the blocks we used were small. I wanted Louis'quilt to be bright and I enjoyed the chance to sew fabric designed for babies with ducklings and kittens etc as well as use up some I already had. I made it all by hand and it took two months. I gave it to Mel together with a handknitted teddy which I bought some years ago at a school craft fayre, and my pearl earrings which she had borrowed to wear for her wedding. I know the quilt is in constant use and plans for the next are taking shape in my head!
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Quilts and Bears

Here are three of my little quilts, this one is called Candy Baskets, and inspired by the book called 'Celebrate with Little Quilts' published by That Patchwork Place.

The smallest of the three quilts is this little fan quilt, about 24" x 36"

I think this pattern is Roman Stripe, easy strip piecing, in Amish colours, the biggest of the three.

The border is not visible in the picture because I fixed it up with drawing pins to take the photo.

Because we have written to our grand-daughter every week since she was small we have lots of photos that we have turned into cards, things that she would recognise and enjoy. Here is Topsy with Alex - both bears were made by Marilyn Haupt.

Bruno with Tilly, both hand knitted by me. Tilly has her own clothes on in this picture. Bruno is still absent-without-leave.

Alex always has been a bit of a poser, almost always in his dressing gown, he was my Christmas present to my husband a few years ago. Two of my larger quilts can be seen behind him.