Remember when becomes remember where...

Do you ever look back and wonder what were you doing this time say,  5  years ago...

Or maybe 4 years....

Or even three..

When I was working on these blocks...which I really like so now I need to go dig in the UFO zone and figure out what I did with them!

Transitions and sewing room question

While moving from the UK we stayed in a really fun "flat" for about 10 days. It was originally in the Mews where the carriages and later automobiles were stored. Now most of them have been made into apartments.

The one we stayed in was very fun. It only had one bedroom, a living room/dining room, a small kitchen and one bath but they allowed us to keep our pets with us. There was a tiny courtyard that was gated so Mac could sit out on the steps and watch the birds.

I loved how funky it was decorated...so not me but fun for a few days! There was a purple wooden moose-head above the fireplace, a huge chandelier above the stairs, and very large print wallpaper on one wall of the bedroom.

It was fun being in the middle of the city after living out in the country for the past few years but I did miss my sheep a bit....

Today I am taking a break from the move stuff and just organizing my computer...or should I say doing routine maintenance that I am bad about doing routinely. I had to add some RAM which is making the whole thing run soooo much faster (why did I wait so long to do this?) and I cleaned out old programs and files that I no longer need. When in doubt I backed it up onto a disk first...So now, even though it is an 8 year old computer sitting on a desk made of packing boxes (desk will not be here until december) it is working like a charm. I can put off replacing this old horse for at least another year. Now I have to sort through some of the old program CD's and get rid of the really old ones...I still have some 5 inch floppy DOS programs hiding at the bottom of this box! Scarey!

So what am I going to do with the money I saved on our computer? Well....I just borrowed Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space by Lois Hallock and put out by That Patchwork Place. I have a decent size room to use for quilting but I seem to mess it up too quickly. I was hoping if I took a bit of time to plan it out it may work better for me.

The room is about 11 foot by 10.5 feet. There is a double closet along one wall. the light isn't very good - the room is at the back of the house which faces the woods. So I know I will need to add work lighting. The good news is the fabric will not get direct light so will not fade!

Right now I have a mistmatch of pieces - a couple of bookcases that are different heights, 2 cabinets with door of varied heights and an old kitchen table that isn't the right height for sewing but has lots of space on the top that I like. So do I try and modify what I have or really go for it and get some new furniture? And if I could only get one or two new pieces what do you think is the most important piece in your quiltroom? sewing table, cutting table, fabric storage?

So much to think about......

Back in the USA!

Needless to say it has been a long time since my last post...trust me it has felt even longer to me! I estimate we have been living in hotel rooms for almost 31 days now. The glamour (if there ever was any!) has faded. I want my own bed, my own pillow, and my own pots and pans. I have a terriable craving for freshly backed brownies.

The good news is on Friday we move back into our house. Although it will only have about half of our furniture it will still be better than a hotel room. Most of our furniture will not be here until the first week of December...OK maybe moving during a month with two holidays isn't such a great idea.

Our house is not in great shape...rather was not in great shape. Things to be greatful for - quilting buddies who share the name and number of their handiman. He has a crew over there painting, pulling up tile, putting down tile, replacing broken toilets, cleaning tile, cleaning wallpaper, and generally getting all the tough stuff done. In two days it already looks 200% better.

The pets made it through the flight OK. The folks at the check-in desk for Delta were wonderful! The trip from our flat in the UK to our house here in Georgia took almost 23 hours...of couse I got a cold during this. Travel kills me. Poor Macbeth keeps going back to the house where the "red-headed dog" dog (a very pretty long haired femal dachund) used to live. He looks so disappointed when she doesn't come out to play....

I will post more on the move and what little needle work I did during it on Friday when our own computer gets back on-line.

A few more English days....

I checked another line off my "to do" list. Friday I went up to Worcester to see the Cathedral and to a small pottery just outside Gloucester. Both were well worth taking the time out of packing and cleaning!The cathedral is gorgeous. It is right on the river Servern and we were lucky enough to have sunny...that's right...Sunny day! (no way was I staying in to pack when the sun is out!!!!)
I loved this little "sleeping monk" we found on the ceiling in one of the side chapels!

The stained-glass window were beautiful too....
So for the second year in a row my chili has come in second...oh well, isn't the saying always a bridesmaid? Anyway, I am ok with that since the guy who came in first had promised me his recipe for cheesecake which is absolutely wonderful. My Dh on the other hand had his hopes up for first place...men!

Our computer gets packed on Tuesday this week so I my posting my sporadic through October...

Are we there yet?

Macbeth's photo sort of says it all...we are very tired. And this isn't the royal we either - the cats are sleeping almost all day, Macbeth will not give up his corner of the couch for anything or anybody, and if it wasn't for an obnoxious alarm clock I am fully capable of being the next Rip Van Winkle. Yup, we are very tired.

I would like to blame it all on the pack-out, the move, the MS, and/or the meds but in reality much of it is from just plain stubbornness. You see there are still boxes unchecked on my list of things to see and do while here in England. I am just too stubborn to accept that it is time to fold up the list and let it go (but, but, but....what about...just one more....)This week I joined and British American group on a trip to Lacock. It is a National Trust village that is used for many costume dramas like Jane Austin, historical movies like The Other Bolyen Girl, and Harry Potter! It is like hitting the trifecta!

For those HP fans you may recognize this hallway.....The cloisters also had some very interesting medieval tiles. Overall the lighting was great.

A bit more of London

After a week of cleaning the house I did a quick one day trip up to London and fit in a packed schedule. (I could not believe how young these soldiers are! or am I just getting old?! And I must be shrinking!)I saw the changing of the guard, toured the Royal Mews and Buckingham Palace. Once again London wore me out!

The changing of the guard was very crowded but interesting. The Mews was my favorite - horses and carriages! Doesn't get much better than that. The palace was a bit overwhelming. The state dining room was set for a state dinner which is very over the top!Got home tired and had to get back to organizing and getting things ready to ship. I have visitors coming for a few days later this week so have to get as much as I can done as early as possible. Part of me just wants to have them pack it all and deal with it when I get to the states...not the worse idea...

Sunday I taught a bag class with a local sewing group. I also got rid of some of my excess fabric. I brought way too much drapery fabric with me...enough for two houses worth of windows! Needless to say I only made three curtains while I was here...I think I used more making bags!

Well the rain has stopped for a bit so out to clean out the car....am I having fun yet?

London Calling

We went up to London for a few days. My Dh is starting to say "this is our last chance to..." about every hour! So we took the Bank holiday weekend as a last chance to see a couple of show at the west end (Jersey Boys and Mousetrap) and to get some good Greek and Middle Eastern Food.

Saturday was my day to go to the markets. I went over to Portebello Road early. This is an interesting antique market but don't expect any deals there! It was very crowded and I left earlier than I expected which was OK because that ment I was in time to meet my DH at Camden Market.
The last time we went to Camden was at least 8 years ago. We haven't gone back because my DH was noticeable uncomfortable with the Goth/Punk atmosphere. This time he had no problems - it has been yuppified. There are still elements of the old Camden yard but they seem a bit "Disney-d." For instance there was only one guy there with the shabby leathers, florescent pink mohawk, and torn t-shirt...he was a poser. For a 1 pound coin you take his photo...the Camden equivalent of Mickey Mouse. (He also had not tattoos and no piercings...wimp!) Not just the atmosphere has changed but the things for sale were 80% imports from the far east. Many of the stalls were just repeats of stalls on the other side of the market. The stalls inside the Canal building are much better and the food stalls in the courtyard next to the canal are wonderful. (best to go there hungry!) Interesting that sometimes the prices in the shops along the road are less then in the market...and that is with my DH negotiating.

So my advice for Camden is to go on a Saturday. Hold onto your money until you get to the stalls inside the building. There are some good crafts there but do not expect any antiques like most of the webpostings promise. Also, wonder the small food court before deciding what to have for lunch...there are lots of great choices! (My Dh had Lebanese and I had Ethiopian goat curry followed by a cappachino and French puff pastry! Calories don't count on vacation...)
That afternoon I went to the National Gallery. It was wonderful I love Van Gogh so seeing another of his sunflower paintings is always exciting. They have so much more energy when seen in real life. The paint is so thick and has so much texture. Right now I can see oranges, yellows and greens better than reds, blues and greens so the sunflowers really seemed to glow for me! We had really good Greek food at Jimmies near the theater.

Sunday we went to yet another market! This time to Spitalfields and Brick Lane. These I strongly recommend! Lots of crafts, young designers and vintage clothes. The food at the Brick Lane was again really, really good. I ended up buying a trench coat, a belt, and a pocketbook. I would have bought more if I was about 4 sizes smaller....I did love the red chairs in the photo above. I took about 8 photos and have been playing with them on Picassa.


There was an Olympic handover party we made a showing at but I cut out early to spend a few hours at the V&A. The tearoom there is one of my favorite stops in London. Each of the three rooms was decorated by a famous designer (including William Morris) and are just wonderful eye candy...the almond croissant isn't bad either. (Ok, I have given up on fitting into any of the designer clothes....)

That night we just had dinner at a little place in China town. Then I went back to the hotel too exhausted to see any more...

Today I am home resting...needless to say I overdid it the past few days. Too many "my last chance to...." finally wore me out! Lots of inspiration though. I filled dozens of pages in my dream book and took lots of photos.

Forgot what sun looked like...

I had so many plans to work in the house today to get ready for visitors and for the move but there is sun! Real sun with real blue skies! None of the big billowing grey clouds we have lived under for the past month or so. It feels so good. Housework will just have to wait....

Yesterday I put the border on my Orphan/scrappy quilt top. There are so many random bias seams in this I think I'd better get it quilted soon before it morphs into one of those pointy hats...For example right after I put it together I squared it off. The only thing I did after that was hang it on the clothesline for a couple of minutes to take a photo then I folded it up and placed it on a shelf. (I may have taken it out one other time to show some quilters here are the house.) Regardless, compared to the lives of my otehr quilt-tops this one has had it easy. However when I laid it out on the floor I did a quick measure and found that one corner had streatched out almost an inch...back to squaring up this monster. I hope the borders will help.

I know I cut enough of the red fabric to go around the entire quilt but one strip was missing. The gold fabric on the top of the quilt was the first piece of solid 3 inch strip I found in the box so like a game of tag - that was "it." It does serve a purpose - reminds me which side it the top!

I also did some more packing this week and actually found some things that had been missing since we moved here two years ago! How great is that! Some of these were real finds: a footpedal for one of my machines that I was sure was long gone; my Cobb Quilt that I started back in 1997 (!); a box of beads that also had a bracelet I made while on a trip to Florida. You can see in the photo above that I tried to represent Amish quilt blocks with beads. Typical of my projects - all it needs is a button or large bead on the end and it is done! When I look at this it reminds me that not all that long ago I had really good eyes!

Well, off for a walk with Macbeth and to take advantage of the rays while we can.

Back again...

I know it has been a while since I posted. I'd go through the long explanation of my eyes going wonky, not being able to use the computer...I don't want to be too whiney so I'll just leave it at that. I have found that I see colors better right now by taking photos , downloading to Picassa and then hitting either the color saturation option or the black and white option. I used that laying out the blocks above. There are a couple of not dark but not light blocks (they were samples made while I was teaching new quilters ) that were fighting me. Using the photos I found the "problem" blocks worked best in the corners. Who knows I may even finish this one since you don't have to see colors to hand quilt!


The photo above is from Chedworth Roman Villa in Yanworth. It is one of my favorite sites to bring visitors. On a sunny day the mosaics look amazing and it really gives you a feel for how a villa was laid out. Earlier someone posted and asked for more mosaic photos so as I find them (my photos need organizing again....) I'll post! I'm sure there is a quilting pattern in those floors....


I did make it to the Tewkesbury Medieval festival again this year. The photos are of a Morris Dancer group. I love their costumes. The one with the bright mask represents summer...of course it was rainy and cold that day!

I haven't been doing much sewing...except for bags. I found a really easy pattern on the internet for a medium size tote. You can never have too many of these...ok, maybe I do have too many now but I never seem to have them with me when I am shopping so now I have made a tote bag for my tote bags. This made it easier for me to carry the bags in the car and I am happy to announce I have even run out of store plastic bags! It may be time to retire that funny little plastic-bags-carrier-tube I made years and years ago that hangs behind the kitchen door. So is that progress - I've gone from making a storage bag for my plastic bags to a carrier bag for my carrier bags?!

Too rushed to think

Have you ever heard the comedians who can run through an entire Shakespeare play in about 2 minutes? That is what the past couple of weeks have been like for me...yesterday I spent a couple of hours just chilling by the river. It helped!


Just before I left for Scotland I learned my niece's apartment in the states had burned down. She and my (gulp) great-nephew were ok but shaken up. It is the helpless feeling you get living so far from family that makes you realize it may be time to go home. They lost everything. So I did what I could - pack a box, write a check and quickly start quilting. Today I have to put the binding on his new quilt so I can get it into the mail before the weekend. I'm also sending him this stippy star quilt that a made a couple years ago and Bonnie quilted. I think they need some brights right now.

As I am working on the second quilt I have been thinking of how stress helps or hurts creativity. For writing deadlines and stress help me...for quilting they paralyze me! Maybe it is because I look at it as a hobby or something to spend time enjoying the process...like the 3 hours I spent pulling fabrics in my sewing room! Oh well...the quilt will be finished soon and if it isn't my best it is still a fun quilt and I am sure the little guy will like it.

My eyes are getting better but the slightest thing wears me out. I went to see a medieval dovecote yesterday and have lunch with friends. That was it. (Two hours of entertainment equals 6 hours of sleep.)

The dovecote was part of a settlement of Knight of the hostelers (spelling?) The area was pretty much self sufficient with the dovecote to provide dove meat and eggs, a fish pool that come off the river Coln, and lots of fruit trees. The second photo shows the inside of the dovecote. There is a lot of light and an incredible ladder that swings around the center pole! Amazing engineering! (love to have that in a library!) The holes for the doves are sort of J shaped and alternate directions of the loop by level. There have been several archaeological excavations on the site but few of the original building survived. It is all on private land but a local anglo- american group arranged a visit.

The main gate also still stands and has this wonderful carving above it.

What a Sunday

Yesterday I made the most of being in the Cotswolds. First I went on a long hill walk with McBeth and my DH. The weather was wonderful. They both went home to rest and I went on to a 21st birthday celebration for a local pottery! Toff Milway is the potter at Conderton Pottery. He used a salt glaze and makes gorgeous pots. His talk was very interesting. On one table he displayed pottery he has purchased over the past 20 years. On the other table were post he has made during the same time span. He then talked about how what he has purchased - which generally looks nothing like what he makes - has influenced either directly or indirectly what he creates. None of them were copies. It was more like - he bought an icecream dish with a fish on it. The fish idea stayed with him (and he loves fish pie...lots of food references in his talk) so he made a fish plate and a dish for fish pie using a - you got it - fish. (I think you can just make out a fish dish and a fish candle-holder in the photo.) It was a very informative talk without being too academic. I started to think differently of my own quilt and pottery collection.

All and all a great morning...but, there's more!

On my way home I ran into one of my neighbors who owns a flock of sheep. They (my neighbors) have been very patient with my lamb-paparazzi tendencies. To my amazement she asked if I would like to come over to the barn where her husband was shearing sheep. How cool is that! Another thing to cross off my "what I'd like to do while in England list!." I was amazed at the different personalities among the flock. One the ewe fought like crazy and jumped the gate! The next was so mellow she looked like she was going to fall asleep. Isn't it great to have neighbors like this.

I have been spending a lot of time playing with Picassa. Tonya put it on my computer while she was visiting but with company in town I only just started playing with it...what a blast! I've done lots of wild things with my Stonehenge photos. By the way the National Geographic channel has a special on Stonehenge that I watched this weekend. I highly recommend it. Not that I agree with everything they said but they do present some new ideas on the site and have some wonderful cinematography (but hey, it is National Geographic after all....)

So what does this mean for quilting. Uhmmm...I haven't done much with a needle this week. Lot sof ideas though....

Visitors in town

I've been off the grid for a bit. The day after Tonya left my sister and her husband arrived from the states. I like having visitors since it gives me such a good excuse for seeing more of England.

Our first day we spent in Cheltenham seeing the regency style houses and visiting a proper English tea room. We then headed out to the country-side to see some Cotswold villages and take lots of photos of thatched roof cottages and roses. Stanton and Stanway are two of my favorite villages.

The next day we drove down to see Stonhenge and Avebury to see the standing stones. Stonhenge is large and some ways more imprssive but Avebury allows you to go right up the stones (plus the bonus of the sheep and lambs...such a weakness I have for lamb photos!) We also got to see the town my Mom lived in for part of WWII, Tidworth.

I took hundreds of photos that day and am tossing around some ideas of what to do with them. The Stonhenge ones I particularly like. I've even considered an "art"quilt!

Quilt Show!

Tonya and I made it to the Malverns Quilt Show and back to Teddington in one piece. Our plans to not buy any fabric were busted 10 steps in the door! The second stall was manned by Kim Porter of Worn and washed reclaimed fabrics. The photo below is of her stall. It so made us think of Bonnie and her new book. Kim has a great sense of color. The rolls were hard to resist...so we didn't. Two of our rolls are in the first photo. We also got some packages of fat quarters in bright plaids, some indigo fat-quarters and some very fun Indian stamps. Not as much damage as I've done at some shows and more than others!

Now we are going upstairs to my quilt room so Tonya can "shop my stash" and find some bits to go with her new fabrics and maybe drink our 100th cuppa tea!
We also have to chase Goldie out of the guest room again...she isn't sure why T has taken over "her" bed!

Sunny Days!

I have been bad about posting, cleaning house, quilting or just about any responsible thing the past few days....blame it on the weather. We have sun. Beautiful, beautiful sun!

We went on a long walk around Snowshill on Saturday. The woods were filled with wild garlic in full bloom. Boy was it fragrant! Wonderful. We had lunch at a local pub. All and all a great day. I just can't bring myself to stay indoors. I have lots of cleaning to do for visitors coming this month and two quilts to finish. Maybe I'll just walk MacBeth....

Jane Austen visit and recipie

I finally made it to Bath where, as my husband puts it, I "stalked" Jane Austen. He just doesn't get it... Anyway, the city was wonderful, the sun was shining, and I ate way too many scones with clotted cream. It doesn't get better than that. Oh, ya, and there is a very cute quiting store...bonus!


Here is some of the regency architecture. There were four crescents surrounding a small park. The photo below shows the detail between the first and second floors. There were hundreds of different patterns. They reminded me of appliqué.
I would definitely like to get back there again. I was able to go to the Abbey but ran out of steam and didn't see the baths (no pun intended!) don't you just love these carved angels climbing the ladder! They were on both side the Abbey. (And check out those blue skies!!!!)

A couple of folks asked for the Blueberry Pound Cake recipe. I think it came from Cooking Light but it may have been Southern Living. If they don't come from my family then 90% of the recipes I use are from one of those magazines.

Blueberry Pound Cake

2 cups sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup reduced fat cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour, divided
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 (8-ounce_ carton of lemon yogurt
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
(optional: grated lemon peel)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat granulated sugar, butter and cream cheese at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla.

Combine 2 Tablespoons of flour and blueberries in a small bowl and toss to coat. Combine remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda and slat. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternating with yogurt - beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in blueberry mixture.

Pour into a 10-inch tube pan coated with cooki8ng spray. Sharply tap pan once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl (optional: add 1 tsp grated lemon peel.) Drizzle over warm cake. Cut using a serrated knife.