Quilting and packing

This will be a short blog because I am just back from visiting daughter in Rome, the most amazing city and full of Roman quilting designs, which they clearly had to make in marble mosaics as they had no one inch squared paper....

Mosaic section in Rome

For some of you, the sight of oranges on a tree will be an everyday thing, but for me it was a marvel. The orange crushing fruit juicer in the hotel had me riveted to my seat, just watching the lady throwing in oranges by the handful and produce jugs of delicious juice at the bottom was amazing....

Oranges trees in Rome

And the food.... and the ice cream..... well, my waist is not any smaller as a result of this trip!

Restaurant tents on the Tiber by night

Arriving back , it was time to post the 50th wedding anniversary quilt to Stephanie in time for the party for her parents at the Ritz Hotel in London... here is the finished quilt:

Stephanie's quilt by Green Star Quilts

Colchester castle

Now I am off to the south for daughter's birthday and a little light babysitting whilst cocktails are partaken with her sister, hopefully in very pretty dresses if the sun comes out at the weekend. Other parents are struggling to care for their families in our garden and yesterday there was a baby blackbird as big as it's mother, in the climbing hydrangea outside the sewing room window... no flight feathers, a big attitude and no manners, yelling and squawking for more worms NOW! 

I hope you like the new banner for the blog. It took me all day to make it. I followed instructions from at least three very kind people who had put those instructions on the web for techno beginners like me. It is not perfect but better than the first one where the ribbon was not straight and the cotton reels wobbled off on their own agenda.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and a chance to go on holiday too,

Kind regards,

Sue  

Vintage trucks and a retro quilt

This week has been such a rush. It has rained nearly every day except yesterday when Jo and I took ourselves off for a day of arty indulgence at the Patchings Art and Craft Fair at Calverton.You can see the pictures here..... So many lovely things to look at and all the new pencils, paints and sketchbooks we could possibly desire to buy. A picnic under a shady tree, a long gossip together over locally made ice creams, a one off chance to wear a summer dress and our hearts were full! 

Also I have been finishing the retro transport quilt for Toby, which will be given to him by Pam. Here it is and I have called in some of husband's much loved collection of trucks and cars for the photo shoot....

Toby's quilt by Green Star Quilts

and of course we have to roll it up to show off the colours....

and then roll it the other way....

and I couldn't leave out the Fisher Price now retro camper van and the little people....

recycled Victorian shelf from the garage 

I have also been getting on with the 50th wedding anniversary quilt for Stephanie to give her parents. This is it so far and now it is ready to be layered and quilted...

This is a happy memory quilt with lots of the things on it that the family treasures. Stephanie has asked me to reproduce the patterns from her family quilts made by her American grandmother.These are two of the blocks ready to be hand stitched together...

I love the tulip block and the simple shapes which are pinned down with those tiny applique pins which I have only just discovered but I'm sure everyone else has known about for ages...

I have used t shirt transfer paper to get the California University crest onto fabric and design a wreath of Californian poppies to go around it...

Here is the Scottish thistle block with a Celtic knot, I really enjoyed working out the in and out sewing on this, I used that oh so useful iron on bias tape to make the knot and was amazed that it worked! 

How has your week been? Have you finished projects too? It  feels the best moment when the person who has commissioned the quilt unrolls the parcel and sees how their ideas have translated into fabric. 

Do you make quilts as gifts or commissions? If you have time in your busy week, pour a coffee, pick up a chocolate biscuit and take a minute to tell me about what you are making... 

I hope you have a sunny weekend, a weedless garden, trouble free seams and an iron without Bondaweb glued to the plate surface like me,

Kind regards,

Sue