Happy mail from The Netherlands

Absolutely beautiful - and almost too good to use!!!
A little while ago I won a 5th blogging birthday giveaway on Marion's blog. I enjoy reading her blog because as well as patchworking, she does a variety of other crafts.
And here is what I won, a beautiful kitchen towel, handwoven by herself.

 It is 70% linen and 30% cotton and the weaving is lovely and even, and it feels so nice and soft, and very hard wearing.

 I know I will admire it for a while before I feel brave enough to use it :-) Thank you Marion.

Lately I have been doing a lot of handwork and today I've had a real urge to use my machine and just sew-sew-sew. I felt like doing some strip piecing but resisted the urge (as that would probably mean starting a new project!!) and instead settled on getting the final borders onto the quilt I am making the MOML for Christmas, his birthday, whenever (!!). 250 inches of zooming along the borders help to settle my urges, and here it is, ready to be sandwiched and quilted. (Yaay!)

And because quilt blogs are enhanced by small animals, here are a couple of pictures of the critters who help me sew.

Oscar-riley was very cross that I had draped the quilt top on his chair
when I photographed it. He was quick to take up this position -
reclaiming the area as his own.

Not a very clear picture but this is what Miss Timmie does when I have
a quilt (or similar) within her reach....she sits there and pulls the pins out!!

Have a good week everyone, and thank you for visiting,

Hexie madness?

I decided on bright and cheerful for Wednesday's flowers this week.......

......as all of the others I have done lately have been rather blue....

 This happened because I came away from home unprepared for a longer than intended visit.

I had a cute little tin of creams and beiges prepared so that I could make this background----

More on this project later - once I have planned the next step!

 After a few days it was getting too big to be a handbag project... so what does a good keen girl do...?
Yes, you're right, in desperation (grin) I visited a quilt shop. I wanted some hexie flower fabric and was surprised to find only one fabric in the shop that I thought would go with my previous fabrics!! Of course I bought it and was able to mix it with the odd prepared hexie I had in my other tin.

And aren't I a spoilt wife - the MOML came to my rescue and posted down my box of hexie stuff..hence the cheerful hexie-flowers and a happy me.

Life Is Beautiful

This morning I finished another "Life Is Beautiful" stitchery. I love the sentiments stitched into these, they will make a beautiful quilt (...one day....!)

Sorry, I know it needs a good press but I couldn't be bothered
getting Mum's iron out. I did sit it under a book all day but it
didn't help much!

I am down at Mum and Dad's helping out again.... so thought I would share what has been going on in Granny's sewing room...

 A spot of mending. Dad produced his woolen coat for a button to be replaced and the buttonholes tidied up. His father gave it to him over 55 years ago. Here it is on the trusty Bernina I learnt to sew on... it still goes well but I missed my knee lift and automatic needle up-down button!!!

And a lovely old stiletto.. I don't think I have ever used one of these, but it
made me feel very professional!!

 Gosh the coat was made well, I'm not surprised it took  55 years for the odd button to fall off. They are sewn on with a little button at the back in VERY strong thread. The quick-unpic had great trouble taking a button off one side of the coat so I could reattach it where it was needed.

Beautiful lining, and not a raw edge to be seen.

I didn't think I would be asked to do needleturn either, but here is my latest effort-

Yes, more mending!! Another old garment, his dressing gown this time :-)

Dad is doing OK, but had a tumble the other day and broke a foot bone, and has ended up in plaster.

Where there is a will there is a way!
 He had a great day picking grapes from the wheelchair!!

I hope you have all had a happy weekend, thank you for visiting, and happy stitching,

In My Garden

I've been able to get some hand sewing done lately and here are the results - 'My Garden' blocks months 7 and 8 (this was a Lynette Anderson BOM - see the link on the side bar as she is doing another one soon.)

Block 7 - The Hive and Block 8 - the Cumquat Tree

The details are so cute and make the blocks unique. 

Simple and effective

French knots as the flower centres :-)