Wednesday 23 March 2011

a splash of colour!

......... well nature did all the hard work, I guess I just helped her along by planting the bulbs.

Anyway, it's officially spring as of Sunday past and it's certainly showing here in Virginia. The pots I planted up when we arrived back in October have just shot up in the last couple of weeks. We can't quite get the yard/garden sorted out just yet as there is still a lot to do inside, but, we can see these from the patio doors and they look very pretty. We have a couple on the front steps to greet visitors too. I can't wait to see what they'll look like in a week or so.


I'm wondering when the little humming birds return, so must to a google and see if I can find their migration habits. We have lots of other birds coming along (plus Seamus O'squirrell) to the feeders now so I guess we on their routes, but I'll have to make up some nectar if I want to see the hummingbirds hanging around.


I've also been doing a family tree and have found lots and lots of relatives online that I'd lost touch with over the years. It's addictive and exciting to find out what they are all up to. I think I've even found a couple of american cousins that I haven't seen or heard of since I was a small child. One in Chicago and one in Vegas ........ pretty cool eh???



Saturday 19 March 2011

a quick blind ....


for the kitchen window as I promised M. I would. I found this piece of fabric in one of my seafaring boxes. It's probably been languishing in my stash for about hmmmmm I'm guessing about 14 years lol! Old Laura Ashley stuff I bought some yards in each colour .... I guess I liked it. Well at least it's a fairly timeless style, Gingham is always in, right?


So quick and easy and will definitely make do until we get around to decorating for real and then it will be the Apples or the Shrooms. Still undecided.




Tuesday 15 March 2011

a Baby Quilt


Well it's kind of upcycling as they say here. My sister-in-law gave me these baby crib bumpers a while ago which had the binding and tapes coming off and asked if I could sew it together.

It was a lot more blue last time she saw it and had sports balls on it, but given it was for a little lady I decided to cover those with some flowery type embelishments made from ribbon.

Phew, it took a while and getting all that puffiness through the machine wasn't easy so it's far from perfect but looks quite pretty regardless. Just hope Ms Sofia likes it. Now just to deliver it to the Beach!
Next up .............. I have to make a temporary covering for the kitchen window. No Apples or Shrooms just yet but something to stop any exposure of body bits during late night dashes for drinks. Would never do to scare any unsuspecting Peeping Tom or Tomassina!


Monday 7 March 2011

a Hat!


I had a fabulous day last weekend spent at the Mid Atlantic Quilt Fest here in town. It's the largest on the east cost and draws in around 10,000 visitors, so really good for tourism here too. I took lots and lots of pictures, so many in fact that I ran out of space on my camera. It was a sensory overload and I was exhausted by the time I had ooooo'd and ahhhhhh'd around for almost four hours. Definitely has me itchin to get stitchin!

As part of the festival I took a class and this is the result. I'll shall be making more of these soon, so if you want one let me know. I can customise the size to fit for those of you who find funky hats hard to find.