Books - I have been reading....

Mary Poppins by P L Travers.  Not as good as I remembered, which was interesting.

Superstar Babes by Narinder Dhami. I enjoyed reading this.  Aimed at girls and very funny.  Boys could read it though they might be put off by the lilac cover

The Escape by Robert Muchamore, part of the Henderson Boys series.  Very good for lads. Borrowed from Purbrook Park's library

Currently  reading The Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney which is going down a storm at school.  Hilarious and not difficult to read either.  Diary format.

Aquila 2 by Andrew Norriss kindly sent to me by the author who visited our school about a year ago.  A follow on from the first Aquila and every bit as enjoyable.  It disappeared as soon as it went on the display shelf.

Just finished reading the Hundred Mile an Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong to Year 3 - some enjoyed it, for some it went over their heads; they did tend to be the wrigglers though.....  Have been asked to read something by Andy Stanton which I shall probably start after half term as they will have forgotten it all with a week off.

Also on loan from Purbrook Park School I have Hunger Games but havent begun that yet.  And there will be a visit to Waterlooville library to see Andy Cope, author of the Spy dog series.  The School Library Service have lent us lots of his books to promote the event and eventually I might be able to lay my hands on one of them.  They do seem to be rather popular.  Beast Quest books still go in and out like yoyos, too.

And for those of you who might have registered blind children, the RNIB apparently have a wide selection of books with varying fonts which can be borrowed free by parents or by schools in conjunction with parents.  Obviously registration and various checks and balances as it is potentially an awful lot of money to lose but what a wonderful opportunity for those who wish to avail themselves of it.

The Hampshire Illustrated Book Award is now in full swing with Year 5. I have read the first book to them.  another one next week! This week's book was :

Tortoise vs. Hare - The Rematch! by Preston Rutt and Ben Redlich

grown ups are not allowed to express an opinion - it's really hard!

Felt United

I used to make felt a lot with my friend Bren, and later on with Janine as well.  Unfortunately I spend far too much time away from home so have had to slow down where the felt is concerned, at least for the time being.  Simply not enough hours in the day...............

Last year there was a new initiative by international feltmakers called Felt United.  They are using the colourwheel.  This year it was yellow to blue.  Here is a facebook link to the pics of what some of them got up to on that day - fabulous.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=90986216006&v=photos

Enjoy!

Roosting Robin

All sorts of names for this sort of thing.

  A round robin is where a quilt goes round various people in turn who add something to it and pass it on.  It can be as easy or complicated as you like.  Usually several people participate so that each ends up with a quilt.  Sometimes people get worried about spoiling someone else's work, or they think that their work isn't up to scratch.There is an alternative.

It's called the Roosting Robin or Nesting Robin and our merry band - well some of us! - have embarked on one of these.  Not everyone has the time so you can draw rather than sew, if you wish, but you learn more from sewing I think.  That is to say you learn how to fudge - well, I do....

Anyhow, first came the centre - any size, any technique, any colours. (This is why I was so annoyed about my deleted photos as that's where some of them have gone :(  ).  The first border is due next week and it is to incorporate rectangles.  Sorry to say I haven't even begun my first border - hopefully tomorrow sometime. I did make the centre but when I pinned it out, it didn't look as good as it did in black and white, so I made a few alterations.  Unfortunately a busy weekend looms, though I shall enjoy it, but it doesnt leave me much time.....

RIP Jane Pritchard

My friend, Jane, beloved of many but particularly by her husband, Gary Pritchard, and children Sam and Charlie Blythe and Toby and Elsie May. 

Jane had such a generous heart, a fabulous wife and mum.  She died  suddenly recently, aged 42 and there is a service at church on Monday.  We didn't see each other much but I will miss her dreadfully.

Go and hug your loved ones - there have been too many deaths this year.....

Breakaways October - some pics

Well I would like to say that I have some photos to post but some kind soul has borrowed my camera and deleted the lot - accidentally I am sure, but I am rather cross all the same.  Well that's not quite true, I do have a few pictures but not the ones I was hoping to show - more about those later....

The first two are Lesley and her quilt as you go blocks, front and back - looking good, don't you think?

The other two are Jane's daisies - needleturned applique and Jane (left) and Sheila holding it up.  These are great, good to use up scraps, and Jane will be teaching how to make these at a craft day in Denmead either this weekend or next.  The background fabric isn't quilting fabric, but it is perfect for the flowers!

All of the above are Lesley's - her black and white quilt and various details of some of her blocks, which I hope you can see.  Lesley is a prolific quilter and experiments with all sorts of things.  I particularly like her corner treatment (red squares) with machine embroidery .  Tweet also belongs to Lesley.  He flew over from New Zealand and is perched in his favourite place.  Tweet was made by Lesley's daughter, Claire.  He's a sweetie, and so is she :) .

Sarah made this little quilt - she pieced the quilt first and then decided what to do in the middle.  Very brave of her and good patterns, such a lot of movement to go with the pinwheels.

I do hope this post publishes correctly.  Kim is having trouble reading my last post, but in my browser it reads fine.  Not quite sure what is going on there....

Breakaways August 2010

We did miss a couple of weeks in August owing to various people being on holiday and again I seem to have mislaid some photographs - they must all be sitting somewhere I can't get at them....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesley's double sided string quilt-as-you-go-quilt

and the other side

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

how they are joined together

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the front joined

 

 

 

 

another of Jane's pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah refurbishing a bag

Jane sewing hearts for a wedding quilt

 

Chris's I think

Definitely one of Chris's

this is what the back of one of these looks like - any old firm paper is what she used.....

Festival of Quilts etc

Sorry for long gap - my friend Chris and I went to the Festival of Quilts for a few days; enjoyed ourselves (though not the weather as we got rather wet getting from car park to halls) and saw many quilts, spent far too much money etc, in common with many others.

  Highlights were talking to a lady who works at a school and was involved with the making of a quilt which was hanging in the schools section - she was so thrilled for the children who had made the quilt.

Seeing the results of Rosemary Yeoman's Young Quilters (Meon Valley Quilters) hanging there; the fabulous bonnet installation - each bonnet commemorating someone who was sent to Australia on transport ships, often for very little reason - originator's site here - http://www.christinahenri.com.au/; the amazing quilts by the Contemporary Quilt Group of the Quilter's Guild of the British Isles - this collection was titled 'Breakthrough' http://www.quiltersguild.org.uk/index.php?page=16; meeting and talking to a wonderful Welsh quilter -  DeAnne Hartwell-Jones - and her husband such a nice man and such gorgeous quilts made by DeAnne - all over papers http://www.westwalesquilter.org.uk/

Oh yes, Dorian Walton's miniatures - exquisite http://www.quiltfest.org.uk/p_2007Miniatures.ikml ; meeting Susan Shie who is such a nice lady and sold me a pack of her Kitchen Tarot cards.  It is probably the only way I will ever get to own anything of hers and I was touched that she drew me a little picture in the lid of a box.http://susanshie.blogspot.com/2010/08/festival-of-quilts-birmingham-uk-aug_28.html

Having lots of help from the Cotton Patch staff, especially Benjamin Wilson (KnitRowan) and Brandon Mabley (designer) in choosing fabric;  seeing Kaffe Fassett stop someone carrying a quilt made with his fabrics and getting her to show it to him - that was a very nice touch and one I'm sure she will not forget in a hurry.

A fabulous exhibition of Russian quilts - The Faces of Love: Art Craft Centre, Murmansk, Russia, gorgeous wedding carpets - Gardens of Eden of Mesopotamia Embroidered Wedding Blankets of Southern Iraq; the student exhibitions, the fashion exhibitions, oh gosh there was just so much to see.

I had wondered what effect the recession would have on quiltmaking.  I wondered if people would go back to recycling/reusing fabric (because of the sky rocketing cost of fabric) but it seems that perhaps they just make smaller quilts.  There were not many large quilts but a good variety all the same, though the traditional section was quite small.  on the other hand, large traditional quilts take a long time to make and can cost a lot, as well.

From Birmingham we went to York to The Museum of the Quilters Guild of Great Britain at St Anthony's Hall, Peaseholme Green.  http://www.quiltmuseum.org.uk/ Even if you don't belong to the Quilter's Guild, or want to make quilts, their exhibitions are always interesting, a reasonable cost and there is a garden for the summer and a restaurant next door for luncheon.  The museum also has a small shop downstairs and the restaurant has a food shop at the front.  Food and fabric.....  Anyhow, we were lucky that the library was open so had a good gander at some books we were thinking of buying, and some we had not heard of; there were some ladies spinning and weaving as part of a live exhibition; the quilts were wartime Quilts, mostly Red Cross quilts and items made from parachute silk, map fabric etc.  Also a small show of quilts made with African fabrics by Magie Relph.  Phone first; the museum is not open Mondays and when they change the exhibition it is closed.  The only downside for me is the stairs which scare me stiff (I do not like heights, open treads etc so I take the lesser of the 2 evils and go up in the disabled lift which I find nearly as scary(glass walls and the platform moves, rather than a metal or glass box).  So it is a miracle that I get there each year and put myself through this.  Of course most people don't worry so that's good.  It is an excellent visit and the Park and ride buses stop opposite with car parking not far away in the city.

From York we went home via the Bramble Patch where we spent money we weren't supposed to have had.  No exhibition to see as Catherine Nicholls was teaching printing so I watched for a bit over the railing while we were having coffee.  Always interesting to see how people teach.  Bought a bit of fabric, for a change.

Home in the pouring rain and very slow traffic.  Thank goodness for company in the car.....