Oh what a day

Ta da from the squares to this

Pattern called Japanese Jigsaw by Tracey Brooksheir. Its a 9 " squares chopped in four laid on point. A 3/4 set round the sides and after that they are sewn in units and using a diamond template hey presto a neat wall hanging and real quick to do.

Its funny tho its not till it was finished and I had taken the photo that i realised there is a 'bad' square, in that it hasn't as much colour in it as it should have.

It needs quilted but it will be simple as this is for a retreat challenge, we were all given the centre fabric the theme is 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. Oh and the retreat is in less than three weeks away.


I have also been making some bits and bobs for goodie bags. The fabric in the bag is from Hancock's, its made up of small 6" panels, so works well for the bag. Have a few more of those to do and also have made for the bag little tissue holders.









A work colleague has just had a premature baby I have a number of Dear

Jane Blocks and I'm tempted to make her a quilt with them , but may go for something more funky for her

Having done all this today I then decided as it was a nice day and about 4 o'clock an hour of feeding the pups that I'd take them a walk to the forest. It s a nice place to go very remote, on the side of a mountain ( by USA standards its a hill, but here its a mountain) I have been a few times there are tracks through it, but i decided to try a different path figuring if I kept turning right I ought to end up back where I started and if it was like the trail i usually do about an hours walking. So off we set two excited dogs and me and we walked and they played through the shughs ( Manky ditches). Met one other lady with 3 dogs we passed the time of day, she was coming in the opposite direction so next turn should be back to the car. We walked and climbed, oh must be an incline to the car park, turned a corner and there's a clearing where the foresters are cutting down trees. In the distance I could see a house with a crane, and thought ok time is getting on I better head for that , I realised by this time i was lost. Kept going and kept climbing , Ok for some reason i was going up the mountain and ok If I ended at the top I knew the main road was there and it was a case of walking back down the road to the car.

Keep going cos by now the sun was going down, at this point Bailey decides to go into yet another shugh followed by Saphy. next thing I hear this dreadful crying , tear back and Bailey is going crazy barking and getting on and I look and there is Saphy totally caught up in Brambles down this 3 foot shugh well and truly stuck in the mud and brambles. Bailey is back and forward jumping in and out and barking and carrying on like nobodies business , manage to tie Bailey to a tree to stop him going in again. I make my way through brambles and shrub lean down to grab the brambles and shrub from Saphy to release her. and yes in I went.

By now I'M sinking in to my ankles, manage to get the stuff off Saphy chuck her on top of the ditch and grab a branch to haul myself out. Dang left a trainer behind got trainer chucked it of ditch 15 mins later I'm finally out. By this time I'm exhausted totally disorientated, Thank heavens for mobile phones, for some strange reason I took mine with me I usually forget it, I never have a pocket to put it in.

I phoned a male friend to tell him. I am so lost. Phone would not work. I phoned his business to get them to get him to call me, he did, no connection. I sent a text I'm lost. I keep walking up, he texts back what is ur location. Trees was the response but I knew the sun was on my right I should have been going down not up! OH and for some reason I am on top of the mountain somewhere, I had passed a fire dam I could no longer hear traffic. I keep going surely one of these tracks must take me to a road or at least the edge of the forest. Three hours later and two whinging dogs, I finally see the road and we cross more muck mire and whatever and scramble to the main road.

I sent text to Jim , I found the road, ........... on my way was the reply and I start now walking down, heck I was further up than I thought 20 mins later my knight in a white minibus arrives. I would have had a 5 mile walk back to the car. The dogs were mucky I was mud from head to toe having been in a shugh. He burst out laughing bundled the three of us in and took me back to my car.

it was 8 o'clcok before I was home, fed the dogs, stripped in the kitchen everything into the washing machine and had a shower.

That was when I decided to download office 2007 tot he computer and that is another story as they say.

I cant believe it

I can't believe its 2 months since I posted, i have been sewing !

I've just noticed you can see my Little grace machine frame peeping out of the top window, yet another room i have extended my sewing area into.

My Carolina crossroads is back from the LAQ I must say I am pleased with the overall effect. Finished just in time to start the next mystery with Bonnie on the 1st April I haven't chosen my fabrics yet. I may have to start later.

I'm going to a quilters weekend retreat in Neenagh in Southern Ireland and have a challenge to finish for it . we were all given a 9" square of fabric and it is to be used in our challenge. I have it partly done in that it is on the design wall , but have another set of cutting to do, here is a first preview, it will look completely different when its finished. The challenege fabric is the centre and its actually purple ! The rest of the fabrics i ordered , do you know I did not have a piece that matched it! All japanese fabrics.

I am taking two classes with Sally Schneider, Woven star and twisted ribbon. I need to sort out my fabric and get some cutting done for that asap.

I am just putting the borders on my curved churn dash quilt for my grand daughter, and also have made goody bags and tissue holders for a group of us who are heading of in October .

I really havent been idle, oh yes and the terrible two have kept me busy, i can't keep them out of the pond, now it needs repaired as the water is seeping away i can't find a hole so have ordered a new liner and will empty pond and refil and replant as soon as it arrives. maybe I should make booties for the two!