Bright Baby Quilt

A friend asked me to make a quilt for her soon to be born first grandson.  "Pastel colours or bright" I asked, secretly hoping for bright. "Bright" she said. So I hope she isn't going to regret it!

I cut and stitched last weekend - after having had the fabrics for a few weeks and not being able to come up with a design.  Zara is a maths teacher so I though she might like tessellating shapes.
I chose a simple quilting design as I was running out of time. I think sunglasses might be required!

Front view

And back view.  It's all made in cotton so will wash easily.  It can be a cot quilt or used as a play mat if she prefers.  I just need someone to have a baby girl who also wants  a pink and pretty broderie anglaise type quilt.  Everyone is having a boy.

I've just been to the airport to pick Steph and John up.  They 'popped' over to Spain for the weekend to search out wedding venues. They are going to get married in this country - just them and their witnesses is the plan at the moment. The Spanish trip will be a blessing ceremony or whatever it's known as.  They are hiring a villa for everyone for a week. 20 - 30 people. Some people are staying the whole time and making a holiday of it and some are just staying a couple of days. They've found a villa in the mountains about an hour from Malaga Airport with views of the mountains and sea, safe for the boys and other little ones and pretty enough for a wedding celebration.   June 2018 is the probable date. Plenty of time to lose some weight and get fit - apparently it's very steep!

I looked after the boys on Thursday night as they needed to get up at 4am for the flight out, took them to school and nursery and then went to work. Steph's mother took over on Friday afternoon  and Saturday while I was at work. ( I think I had the easy stint!).  They had to get up at 4am again this morning to get the flight back which arrived in Newcastle at 9am.  It was the first time John has driven and it sounded like a baptism of fire as the roads in the mountains are primitive to say the least!

Unlike Steph and John though, I'm having a lazy day finishing things today:

The star table centre (22") is finished with a simple quilting in the ditch. It proved a little difficult for the ladies at the class who took it home with them. I think they're on the straight and narrow now though. Theirs are being made in 'true' Christmas colours. The sample is not Christmassy at all although I love the duck egg blue.  Everybody is wanting to sell fabric at Christmas, every Christmas, that they make up new colours every year and it's difficult to get soft old fashioned greens, golds and reds now.

I can feel some gingerbread designs coming on and they really don't look good in duck egg blue or pink or whatever colour the marketing departments say are 'on trend' (how I hate that expression).

A lovely drive around my beloved  Northumberland last weekend culminated in lunch at a farm shop near Corbridge. (Brocksbush Pick your Own Farm)  Home-made pie and salad for lunch - yum. Some lovely bread, cheese and fresh picked strawberries provided a lush breakfast the next morning.

and some jam for the Victoria Sandwich Cupcakes I made for the Thursday Night Quilt Class

 Cupcakes are easier for individual portions

A little Creme Fraiche instead of buttercream ( I also put some in the cake batter to make it extra moist)

Actually there is a lovely farm shop less than 10 minutes from work.  I discovered this on Friday when I went to get a strimmer for the garden.  I've been there before, but from home which is 35 mins from work. The Milkhope Centre has gorgeous shops, home decor, a kitchen shop, a garden tools centre, gallery, clothes store and a restaurant that makes quiche to die for.  Junction 80 on the A1(M) if you're in the area. All the shops are in converted farm buildings with a walk through the woods next to them. Especially needed to work off the calories taken on board in the cafe.  Try the local cheeses and vegetables grown on the farm if you go there. They don't get more fresh and local.

It's Yarndale this weekend but in no way could I justify the cost of going down and buying more yarn, much as I would have enjoyed it. I have so much to be getting on with. Now the Autumn Equinox has passed I will be doing more yarn work as this is easier to do in the darker evenings. 

So now I must go and do some household chores.  I might just have forty winks first though, or come to think of it I might pull out me yarns and see what is left to finish and what is waiting to be started. Squeak - that sounds like a good idea. Household chores - what household chores?

Hot on the Heels of the Boxes

I had some fabric left over from the boxes shown in the last post so I decided to make a table centre:

 This should work about 24" across when it's finished

It consists of four diamonds (made eight times). I have actually finished piecing this but didn't have a big enough square of wadding without breaking into one that I have set aside for a Durham Quilt.

The wadding is summer weight cotton which I got from the Sundown Quilt Show in June. It is really soft and drapy but it came off a roll and I can't remember who makes it. Not the normal companies.

Pictures of that when I either find or buy some 80/20 wadding.

Had an urge for custard creams this week but I didn't have time to chill the dough before cooking so I made little round ones that I rolled into balls and flattened - they tasted the same but looked very home-made!

I saw something on Pinterest this week and decided I HAD to do it.  Hilary at High Street Quilting has some gorgeous cotton lawn in at the moment which is just perfect.  I made a paper mock-up because I wasn't quite sure of the measurements

 I cut out one and stitched a sample ( I like to tack but I could have starched and/or used fabric glue)

 I love the delicate feel of the lawn.

 I cut out more centres (iron on wadding would help this process)

 I cut and tacked the outer hexagons

 Then spent a happy afternoon assembling them.

I loved doing this - you have to be incredibly accurate with cutting and stitching

 All seams are on the bias

I might make a Christmas version too.....  sorry did I say that word in September?