Off to Pasadena

We've been talking about it, planning it and now at last the day has dawned, We stayed overnight at the Crown Plaza near Heathrow which was quite swish though as we were just in transit our room was quite untidy with our open cases in lieu of unpacking. The Virgin flight was good in all respects except it was very long. I hadn't provided myself with quite enough to do but did some sewing and watched Bridge of Spies. Steve Jobs and most of Spectre, the latter rather tedious I thought but the other two were completely engrossing. When the plane came to rest and we had retrieved our hand luggage passengers were asked to return to their assigned seats and subsequently a very burly man in military fatigues and black rubber gloves arrived to escort three men off the plane. We emerged into completely changed world of low rise buildings in all directions, warm sunshine and palm trees. It was exciting peering out of the taxi windows looking at signs and different vegetation. We did pass through the high rise LA downtown but as we approached Pasadena the landscape changed to low hills and a more countrified air. After unpacking our first assignment was cocktails by the pool after which we negotiated a change of rooms to look onto the pool - we can walk straight out through french doors. We ate at a super nearby restaurant and got a small taste of the lovely streets and shops here before back shattered and asleep by nine.I'm writing this at six after lots of lovely on and off sleep.

Overnight stay near Heathrow

Penny and me with our margaritas

Belinda and Penny at Santorinis

Time to return to Sisters

On Thursday I set off with and friend and her daughter to London ready to fly to LA for sightseeing in Pasadena and  QuiltCon. So it's time to resume the Sisters quilts before I start on QuiltCon ones.

These ladies sang a capella and very good too.

My daughter liked this one.

Detail

I like this one very much.

All in a row

Away weekend

Tracy sewed this little top for her group's "Wish I was here
challenge"

And here is Tracy with the first of many Shimmer
pattern Christmas quilt blocks.

I used the second half of my Gardenvale layer cake to make this top  to which I'll add a
b/w border. Great fun and quick.

Surveying or projects and sharing observations.

My poppies top - it will be quilted by Maggie and be a gift for Judi.
Also awaiting a border using leftover strips.

Sewing away

My poppy fabric before I cut it up!

Five Usual Suspects enjoyed an away weekend in Broadstairs, sewing, eating and walking and in one case reading a good book. We missed our sixth member and raised a glass of her donated wine to her in absentia. This is just a small taste of all we got done.

Bad blogger

I have been very remiss with blog posts not because of a lack of quiltmaking , more a plethora of gatherings so that I felt like an evening in front of TV and not attending to the computer. Anyway I have finished the Bonnies 2014 magnum opus and it's currently on my bed.

Dargonfly Blues

Farnham

Four of us made the trip to Farnham today but later than usual and having lunch at a pub just outside the town before making our way to the venue and taking advantage of early arrivals leaving parking spaces vacant and the cheaper afternoon entry rate. None of us bought hugely and I enjoyed meeting up with old friends, checking out the demonstrations and looking at the quilt displays as all the local groups mount a presence though the main reason for the event is quilt shops selling off surplus stock more cheaply.
I took a few picures of quilts that caught my eye:

I love the simplicity of this.

General view

Angela Fitzgerald: Scrappy Wild Flowers
I saw an old quilt of this pattern  in a display
of Patricia Cox's collection. The pattern
is included in a book she wrote.

Detail

Red White and Blue by Elizabeth Hoad. I like
the simplicity.

Detail of Sue Goad's MQ Sampler, a pattern I like.

Untitled by Anne Gallagher. This piece uses Janet Clare fabrics to great effect.

Ruth French: Strawberries and Cream

Photo Session

This camera always brightens the reds

A better representation of the scarlet block.

The back and striped continuous bias binding.

Last night watching Spin a fascinating French political thriller on More Four I finished my hexagon fragments, rosettes and hexagons left over from my first quilt made for my daughter started in 1983 and finished in 1995. The leftovers took over another decade to complete. It has been a go to resource when all other hand sewing was done. Now I need another such long term intermittent project. . . .I found a very pleasing vintage fabric in my stash for the back. Just now I also took another photo of the Thimbleberries 9-patches. Don't check out the seam matching!

A better picture, I hope.

Detail

Sewing Day

Queen Beez met for a delicious curry lunch followed by fruit salad and I made gingernuts and butterscotch and walnut cake oh and we did some sewing too. I pieced my Thimbleberries 9 patches from a long time ago, part of my clearing out old projects and sewing fragments about the place. I'll try and take a better picture tomorrow and of my hexagon fragments which I completed this evening. When I got home I also chose a border for the Thimbleberries - from my stash of course.

Last night at Quay Quilters

I took a few Show and Tell pictures. Last term Trish demonstrated the Carpenters Wheel block by three different methods. Bid showed hers as did Vanessa but I was slow getting my camera out. Bid also showed another completed quilt. Melinda is a Fine Cell Work volunteer. Fine Cell Work  runs quilting and stitching groups in prisons, all by hand. The meditative aspect of the occupation helps prisoners channel frustrations and pass long periods confined to cells especially over Christmas. Items are sold and the proportion of money earned gives the inmate a starting point on leaving. She showed a completed item which will appear on the Sale section of the website soon and a top made by a very withdrawn man for whom quilting is his only outlet. The hand blanket stitch is exquisite. Check out their website .

Bid's Quilt

A completed Fine Cell quilt

Fine Cell hand appliqued top

Bid's Carpenter's Wheel cushion.

First top done

I've finished piecing the Log Jam blocks started in a Sisters class with Jackie Erickson into a top and since the photo was taken I've sandwiched it ready to quilt. Making the blocks from a kit of pretty strings supplied from the Stitchin' Post was utterly compulsive. I didn't want to set them with regular sashing though and opted for unequal frames around each one. The class was on Wednesday 9th July 2015 and there are pictures on my blog for that day.

Mainly Valori Wells Fabrics

Tidy Up

I had to move my sewing cabinet so my husband could do some minor decorating. This in turn prompted a major

Better now

clean up and a reorganisation. I plan to do more as my fabrics are spilling over and recent purchases are piled higgledy piggledy and don't see the light of day. It's much better now but I have more areas to tackle.

Back in the U3A

It's the second term and the first meet of the New Year and some members had managed some sewing during the break

Janet's striking Honey Bee

Bid's lovely quilt in super fabrics.

Rosemary's "tulip" destined to be a cushion.

Maureen's building blocks.

Grace's triangles and Honey Bee blocks

The main focus is Margaret's project for this term, strippy quilt as you go quilts assembled quilt as you go, all very enjoyable and very useful for the beginners. Most of us including me seem raring to go (but I must finish my current aubergine top first). Margaret showed lots of examples to follow or as jumping off points. So this week we are making strip sets.

Add caption

This is the one I shall make using part of a Jen Kingswell Layer Cake(Gardenvale)

Looking back, looking forward

I was somewhat dismayed to see how few quilts I made last year seeing how much time I spend sewing but then realised I hadn't updated my finishes list which I've now rectified. I'll leave it till I have my first finish of 2016. I have several items nearing completion and lots of sewn components. I intend  not to  leave any 2016 start ups unfinished.
Currently I'm sewing the binding of my Bonnies feathered star quit and I've framed log jam blocks from a Sisters workshop in an offset fashion and am currently sewing and joining rows.

Two block versions

Blocks laid out

The workshop involved improv. log cabin blocks from a bag of scraps - we had various options including plains and batiks but I opted for these bright modern fabrics, mostly Valori Wells. The sewing was quite compulsive. I didn't want a straight line sashing so like this higgledy piggledly setting. I also made myself use some long (10 years +) hoarded aubergine tone on tone for the frames.