some images from belstead

just a few images from the belstead weekend lovely work well done girls

a weekend at belstead house

i had a very good weekend at belstead house with girls from romford and essex embroiderers guild it was really nice ot meet you all. lots of creative work and everyone had some fun - i hope!

i also enjoyed meeting ruth smith from southampton and was fascinated by her folded books i am going to have a go at making myself one when i get time.

talking about time i have made 2 peg bags today - yes you did read that correctly - why? well i suppose the answer is because i can - also i hope they are going to be useful at their intended destinations. is it avoidance tactics though? i seem to have so many things i need to be doing and end up doing something silly.

i'm down at quilters haven tomorrow doing a bit more 'melting and burning' and then friday we should be starting to help alex and lynette move to sawston. i've made a pot of chilli and a chocolate cake so we've got supplies! all being well ashleigh should be on her way home from afghanistan on friday as well so we may get to see her in a few days. a busy weekend ahead.

tulips and other stuff

another little experiment using sheers to make a link or insertion. i've got ideas to make a larger piece with the tulip motif so watch this space, as they say. just need a lot more time and energy.

had a good meeting today about sending our atw quilts to the loch lomond show in may, some older pieces and some lovely new ones, hope some of you will be able to get to see them. our ely quilts are in america with fiber transformed - going on tour no less.

i'm off to market harborough this week to meet some quilters and belstead house at the weekend to meet some embroiderers from essex, i hope they are ready to be creative.

weddings seems to dominate our time at the moment and house moves - alex and lynette should soon complete on their new house in sawston - just need someone to buy the house in bury now! it looks as though the havoc caused by the volcano is going to delay ashleigh coming back from afghanistan all she wants to do is come home and enjoy planning her wedding. the wedding dress for lynette just needs a little 'fine tuning' and the first bridesmaids dress is ready for a fitting. i'm playing with some other lengths of yummy fabric thinking of making my own outfits for the weddings.

what else is going on here? well just the building project that frustratingly hasn't started, we are still trying to overcome the obstacle of the sewage pipe - it looks as though we are going to have to divert it after all - a lot of money to throw down a hole. so all in all quite a few things to occupy my mind.

is it playschool

last saturday was spent with members of bury st edmunds embroiderer's guild up to our elbows in paint dyes and glue - and a lot of tissue paper and cotton wool - the results were far more sophisticated than it sounds and i can't wait to see what the girls come up with when they use their new found treasures for stitching projects.

now i'm really busy here at home with a million and one things to do. i've made some papers today so they are nicely drying. just completed my latest addition for the alveva crazy patchwork round robin and spent several hours preparing all the info for the workshops i am going to teach at the remarkable symposium in queenstown, nz, this time next year - yes i know its far off but things have to be so far in advance. next job - well i've got to get the bridesmaid's dress ready for a fitting, and i want to sort out some pattern pieces for a dress for myself as a trial run for something to wear for one of the 5 weddings we have coming up, but first i am going out into the greenhouse to set some seeds for tomatoes and aubergines.

I know its just squares

this is another piece for the from the east collection to go to Loch Lomond next month - yes i know its just squares but each square has a fragment of an image from castle acre priory. i've really got into markal sticks now that i've rediscovered them so that's whats going on with the border, a cutout in freezer paper provides the stencil. its just about finished now the whole lot densely quilted with motifs from the stonework.

an away weekend

i was one of 12 feltwell and hockwold girls who managed to escape to the peak district recently

it was a trip with a little bit of drama but all ended well! here are some of the group well up on kinder scout in a little bit of snow. it was quite a challenging walk for us girls from the fens and we were really pleased to see the car park (and cars!) at the end of 7 hours but it was fun and there was a great sense of achievement felt by all.