Merriment with the Muslin Mistress

It all started harmlessly enough...

A lovely lady talking about her quilts...



And there were some really lovely quilts made by this lady: Jennie Rayment



She manipulates fabric....



...and tells many a fun tale about her quilts and travels and life...



And then she took her clothes off!



We had already gathered that she had a fine sense of humour...



That she liked making her own tucked and twizzled undergarments...



And that she is an absolute scream....


But, boy is she brave as well as talented!
It was a fun night. Quilts, strips, nips, tucks and all...

and it was fun being invited to an evening at a new guild.

Is Spring Springing?

I love it when the sun is shining and there are lambs about,

it means Spring MUST be on it's way!!!


Time to start a lttle Spring cleaning on the outside of the house

(now that he's almost finished on the inside...)

Thought I'd take some quilt photos outside,
but there was almost too much sun :-)


DS2 had a friend to play, they had a great time outdoors
in such glorious Spring weather...

Cathedral Stars so far...

I have managed to get the blocks from the Cathedral Stars course that I did

with Bonnie Hunter and at home to top stage...

... I think I may need to take a rest now :-)

What's happening here then, eh?!

My war on my UFO's continues...:

I have sewn together my NYB blocks and am now contemplating borders...

Black with cornerstones or piano keys of multiple colours???
I may need to think about this for a bit.

Then I have started work on my Cathedral Star blocks again.
Like Lisa, I also don't want this to be another UFO!


Just a few more star blocks to go...

I have also completed ALL 12 super-size Jared takes a Wife blocks...

... but have stalled with the sashings...

DH continues to finish up his Do It Himself UFO's...
This time with laying super new flooring and finishing up the dining room/study...

And DS1 has taken up the trumpet.

In an attempt not to curb his enthusiasm,
I will refrain from wearing my earplugs when he can see me :-)

UFO's be Gone!!!

Thanks to this blog I can tell how long this UFO has been kicking around! September 2008 I started doubling these string blocks, (see my tutorial in the sidebar), that I got from Kate.

So after my wonderful quilt trip in Germany I just had to get it pieced together and donated to Project Linus.

This top will be joining some other tops that have been kindly donated (again) by Kate. Thanks Kate for these 3 cool tops which are much appreciated and are now in the hands of Vicky for Project Linus...

1)
2)
3)

Also thanks again to Birgit who donated this panel to Vicky for Project Linus.

You Can Say 'Du' to Me...

I have managed to get my hearts to 'top' stage.

After my inspirational trip to Quiltville in Germany :-), I have been on a bit of a UFO mission. Hence the state of my sewing table:

Slowly, slowly it's looking a bit like Spring around here...

The temperatures don't feel like it though...

...and the mornings are still quite frosty.

While in Germany, I had the good fortune to attend the Black Forest Quilter's Guild meeting which hosted another Trunk Show with Bonnie.

There was also a raffle which is not normally open to non-members, but as I had brought along two prizes for the raffle, I was allowed to buy a ticket. A winning ticket it appeared! I chose this charm pack:
Great colours and perfect for a scrappy quilter! (Thanks BFQG)

I also had the opportunity to briefly look in on the BFQG 'Virginia Bound' course with Bonnie the next day...

Wonderfully messy and creative tables...

Bonnie & Birgit...

It was wonderful seeing everyone's colour choices. All so different...

On to shopping!

Birgit's shop is a treasure trove!

oohh, aaahhh...

Gorgeous plains and marbles...

Such yummy spots *drool*:

While visiting other special German friends on their farm... my friend pulled out a quilt I had made absolutely yonks ago (at least 12 years!!!) using a panel. (shame on me!!)

These friends also have a farm shop.

At this time of year they sell these coloured boiled eggs...

They also sell their own regular eggs, their own meat...

Their own home-made beverages...

and all sorts of other farm produced products.

So that should conclude my German photos :-) I certainly enjoyed my trip.

I hope it's not too long until I pay another visit.

Shiny & Red

On my last full day in Germany, Birgit kindly took me to the new 'Meilenwerk' in Boeblingen. There you can see wonderful 'old-timers'. Obviously these classic cars come in all sorts of colours, but the red ones were my favourite!!

Just in case you hadn't noticed it's a PORSCHE tractor!!!

On the wall is a saying that roughly translates to : 'Every old-timer was once in its time the absolutely newest development of human invention'. How true!

This little car was so cute!

The tables in the coffee shop were very innovative ('the newest development of human invention?' ;-D)


And the table out of a propellor was pretty cool too (with the yummy red leather sofa)


Now this is a classic!! Love it!:


Don't forget, old-timers needed to fill up too :-)