Trails and Tags!

  Last Christmas I had calendars made for gifts that featured some family photos.  This is October's and I smile every time I walk into the kitchen and see it on the wall.  It's my DD and DS dressed up for a Halloween party.  They took this themselves before leaving home for the party and I love that they were having a laugh together.

 The extremely organised Ali of Very Berry Handmade has tagged me this month.  I've not seen so much tagging going on in blogworld as there used to be but it's a nice idea to occasionally do to get to know eachother better through asking questions (not too personal) about subjects that may not normally come up in a post.

The idea is quite simply to answer 8 questions and then make up 8 new questions to ask another 8 bloggers.  I'll say now that I won't be tagging anyone because I hate having to choose but consider yourself tagged and feel free to take part if you like the idea.

Here are my answers to the questions I received:

1. What do you enjoy about blogging?

The most enjoyable thing for me is the interactions and friendships that have developed with bloggers, many of who include crafting as a very important part of their lives. I also enjoy getting inspiration from other crafty bloggers that encourages me to think more often ‘outside the box’.

2. What's your ideal holiday?

My ideal holiday would combine a few different elements – nice, warm weather (not too hot), a bit of relaxing and pampering, a little outdoor exercise such as walking and a couple of days on a course with new people sharing a love of singing or stitching of some kind.

3. What is your favourite comfort food?

I’m struggling with this question! I like most foods and nothing came to mind immediately, so I ran through a couple of the usual suspects in my head (chocolate, chips, bread, pizza) and none stimulated feelings of comfort. The only candidate really is the large, hot, satisfying cups of coffee that I have at the local hotel when out with friends but I suspect the ‘being with friends bit’ contributes to that!

4. What is your proudest achievement and why?

Definitely my children!! They’ve both grown up to be considerate, hard-working and thoughtful adults (never mind the fact that one of them weighed 5kg at birth!!)

5. What do you lose sleep over?

My crafting is the thing I mostly lose sleep over funnily enough. It’s not that I worry about it but I have ideas battling for space at the forefront of my mind. Sometimes I go through the virtual process of making a project to the end!

6. What's your favourite way to relax?

This is getting repetitive but if I want to be honest here then it’s once again the crafting. OH doesn’t’ understand that when I’ve finished chores for the day, I get out the craftwork and don’t sit and ‘relax’ as he sees it, maybe in front of the TV or with a book. It’s scientifically proven that crafting, of any kind, lowers blood pressure – if that’s not relaxing I don’t know what is!

7. What's your favourite film?

I love many films but especially those about the relationships between women, such as How to Make an American Quilt and Steel Magnolias but my favourite film so far has to be The Last of the Mohicans. It’s got everthing? Scenery, action, a love story, Daniel Day-Lewis and the thing that makes it – the music!!!!!

8. Where's your favourite place to shop online?

It depends on what I’m looking for but sites that come to mind are ebay, The Natural Collection and Green Metropolis when looking for books.

Here are my 8 questions for you if you feel like taking part:-

1 How did you come to start blogging?

2 What is your favourite meal to eat?

3 What item have you made with your own fair hands that you are most proud of (crafted, cooked, built etc)?

4 What was your favourite TV programme as a child.?

5 What would you do if you had a whole day with no commitments?

7 What is your favourite item of clothing or jewellery?

8 What is the most daring thing you have done?

To finish up, here are the credits for the photo 'trails'. 
The lovely sky picture with aeroplane trails is the view as I come off the carriageway on the way home from work and am almost home.  I took this last week while parked on the slip-road in a very precarious position but I couldn't resist it!

The stitch trail is my attempt at stipple hand-quilting.  I'm not sure if I like it yet but I'll do a bit more before I decide.

Bye for now
Teresa x

Autumn Sunshine!

I've had a lovely weekend.  Saturday morning was my regular Singing group meeting and in the afternoon I went for a browse at a Craft Fair held here at the local school hall. 



(Half way up The Dingle I stopped to catch my breath to photograph the autumn colours)

Not having had time to fit in any exercise on Sunday morning and not wanting to waste such a fabulous late summer day, I persuaded OH to join me for a walk.  He chose the location and drove us to the yard from where his estate work is based and we headed off up The Dingle.

When we neared the top and I turned around I was astounded to see how far and wide the view extended.  And was surprised to find I could fit (l-r) the Blorenge, the Sugaloaf and the Skirrid mountains all in this one photo.

At the top of the hill was a small herd of these lovely dark brown cattle.  The mother here was contentedly munching away, ignoring us, but the calf was quite wary!

Through fields and over stiles, we came to a gap in the trees.

On the way down the field was filled with sheep not cattle.   I think they must have been an old breed with their long tails and brown front and back legs. She was a bit wary too - one more step closer and off she scuttled (do sheep scuttle - oh well, it seemed appropriate)!

Oh, and what would a lovely weekend be without a bit of stitching.  Above is just under half of the HSTs joined together. 

Here's the mini quilt coming together with the scraps from the quilt above surrounding the transfers (now embroidered) that have been waiting on the kitchen table for a few months for me to use.

Only some quilting and binding to do on this. Famous last words!!

Bye for now

Teresa x

Bee Blocks and a Big Banana!

It's getting exciting now (well, I'M excited)!!  The Tag Square Bee is under way and I've received my October block from Bellsjo.  I saw it on Flickr but it's much better looking in the flesh and, when I put it next to the sample block I made, the colours complemented eachother really well!

 I've also sent off my contribution to the October block to Shannon in the USA.  I hope it gets to her quickly and that she likes it.  The little block at the side is the signature block that I've signed and included with the parcel. 

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 A while back I blogged about a local country walk we took around our village and showed a few interesting things on the route.  We found the Big Apple but not the Big Banana even though we'd heard about it.  It seems we had veered somewhat off the actual route to allow the dogs to run freely in the field. 

We've since found it (not that it's difficult to spot!) and I had the chance, while taking another walk on a beautiful, warm, sunny, October day (warm and October don't often make it into the same sentence) to get a picture or two.  There was a couple sitting on it when we came back and I've just realised I should have put something or someone next to it as a size reference.  I would say it's about 6 feet long but I'm not very good at estimating. 

I hope you all had lovely weekends.
Bye for now
Teresa x

One Day........................!

Our quilting club Open Day on Saturday was a great success.  Lots of friends and locals dropped in to see what we were up to and a few promised to come to our next meeting in November to see about joining the group.  Many of us worked on our quilting, some were demonstrating techniques, while others were serving refreshments or showing guests around. 

Members also brought completed works to display around the hall. 

This photo doesn't do justice to the colours so I took a closer one.

 As usual they are much better in real life.  I look forward to the day when I have a completed quilt that I can show to the group.  It won't be a patch on these but I don't mind - just to finish one would be enough.

 This is what I worked on during the day.  It doesn't look very different from the last time I blogged about it. But I assure you slow progress is being made. 

And finally here is my sample block for the Tag Square Bee to show the other members of the group the sort of colours I like for when they make a block for me.  I wanted to make it in browns, oranges and greens but seeing as these are my favourite colours I have used them all up! The Bee is now under way and for the month of October I am to make a block for Shannon from the USA who likes bold, graphic prints in browns and greens.  This is going to seriously challenge my limited stash and the design of my blocks is going to be limited by what I can find!  I've been checking out the photo stream and they've been making some beautiful blocks already - I need to pull my finger out and get going!!

Bye for now

Teresa x

Welcome to all the Bee members who've become followers - I'll be checking out your blogs soon too!! :-)