Tilly's Surprise Visit to Abakhan

Today I completed my last session of eight weeks at Abakhan where I demonstrated patchwork techniques one day per week. It introduced so many people to the craft and also brought some more quilt makers to help boost stocks for LillyBo Quilts. I've had visits from a few quilting groups, and some other lovely individual ladies, who are going make some quilts for the children.

I have been sponsored by Abakhan Stores who have been very generous and whilst the quilts will go directly to children undergoing treatment for cancer, all my examples and smaller items I have made will raise funds for CHICS, the children's cancer care group.

The staff in the store have been so welcoming, friendly and helpful and I'll miss them all but I do go into the store frequently so I'll still see them quite often and I've been invited to do a similar series of sessions next Spring.

I had such a surprise today when a lovely smiling lady sat down at my dem table..... it was one of my  blogging buddies Tilly, who is a Super Star Stitcher and has already made 9 quilts for LillyBo. She had decided to visit me but got lost in Liverpool City Centre and couldn't find the store. It's just on the edge of town and after 3 hours wandering around she discovered where to find it and I'm so glad she did. Sorry you had to go to so much trouble Tilly, but thanks so much for making my day.

Shock horror, don't be too amazed, but I know most of you know that I don't "DO" Chr*****as until December and YES! here you can see us with samples of some of the items I was demming so I'm caught red & green handed. 

I saw a similar hanging at the Harrogate Quilt Show so I thought I'd have a go making one. I'm not sure if it is the same or as good as their's but I found it was so easily made from scraps. 

I cut 4 1/4 " triangles and sewed them up, leaving a gap to tun inside out, before stuffing them and stitching them together at the points, as in the photo.

I inserted a narrow garden cane in the green casing at the bottom to weights the hanging and helps it sit well.

 

Here's another of my easy to make display items.

This is a patchwork padded pin board similar to the ones I gave to Annie & Jo recently. Luckily I had made made another one and so I was pleased to be able to give this one to Tilly.

This dragon is a sample in progress to demonstrate appliqué. Originally I thought it might make a cushion but it will probably end up as a hanging. I am going to machine and hand embroider it.

Here's something I made in the car on my travels. My DD2's friend loved the one I made for my granddaughter so now her little girl can have one too and I have now embroidered her name on the four central pennants.

These close up pics might be helpful to follow if anyone wants to make some. I started at the bottom and added and extra treble at each end of every row. When the pennant was long enough I worked 2 rows of doubles around each side then one row of 5 trebles scallops. 

I love the floral bias for joining them together.

Central Library, A New Gem for Liverpool

I prepared and filed this post a good while ago and forgot about it.

 It is especially for my good friends Dolores and Neet and for my family who live far away from the city.

 Dolores is a librarian in Slovenia and will love to see this.

 Neet will love to show her son all the Everton Memorabilia as he is an avid fan of this great football team.

I hope one day they will all be able to pay a visit here to see it for themselves.

Here's the glory of our recently opened new Central Library which encompasses old and new architecture so successfully. 

It is a wonderful worthwhile place to visit.

How impressive to walk into this.....

The old Picton Reading Room of the library renovated to all it's Victorian grandeur.

 It was built around 1879 and now links in so seamlessly to the new building.

I wanted to say "Sssshhhhhh!!!"

The new atrium leading on to a public observation piazza.

The view towards St George's Hall

Amongst some of the archives on display, a prize winning essay by Sir Paul McCartney when he was only 10 years old.

Who would have dreamed the future of this young lad on the left?

Everton Memorabilia

The library has a good cafe and excellent facilities for tracing family history.

Big Friday Smile

What a Wednesday I had! 

I'm still smiling even though it's now Friday so I'm linking in to 

Annie's Friday Smile 

 I had the most wonderful surprise when I was "pounced" on by blogging buddies, Jo Twiglet and Annie Wipso whilst I was demming patchwork in the Abakhan Store in Liverpool. What a wonderful surprise and how lovely they are in real life and not just through cyber space. 
Annie's super DH drove them all the way from Shropshire to enable us to meet up at long last. We felt as though we'd known each other for years, (well we have known each other for years in blogland) and now I'm sure we will meet again and again in the future. 

This photo below, is courtesy of Annie as, darn it!, I didn't have my camera with me and as I still haven't found it (hoping it's not lost), I am not yet able to show the many more reasons for me to be smiling. I received bags full of gifts from these two amazingly generous stars, some for me, some to help raise funds for CHICS the Children's Cancer Care Support Group and two more beautiful quilts for the LillyBo Project. THANKS so much for everything but most  of all for being such lovely, precious, friends.

 Go over to Annie's blog for more Friday Smiles and you'll also be able to see more pics and her report of our fabulous day.

I hope to get back to regular blogging pretty soon but I've been so busy doing so much and going to so many places of late that something had just to give. Apologies for worrying some of you lovely blogging friends out there and thanks for the emails asking if I was OK. I really am fine, just bogged down with too much going on.

Fragrant Friday Smile

We recently visited Inglenook Farm to see the fields of lavender.                    (Note that the lavender was harvested a few days after our visit.)

 Be sure to check it out HERE, and it's worth a short visit if you are in the area.

We go occasionally just to look around the craft barns, to buy plants and to have our lunch in their excellent cafe but it's a must to go there before the lavender is harvested. It really brings a dose of happiness and contentment.

This week, after a dab of their excellent lavender oil,.... (bet you can smell it)....it is part of my Friday Smile, especially for Annie, and if you pop over to her blog, HERE, you'll be smiling for the weekend when you share several other smiles. 

Why not add your own bit of happiness too.

As the lavender oil produced is organic, all the fields have to be weeded by hand and there are plenty of huge thistles amongst the weeds.

I have a few of their plants in my garden and Hidcote is the variety I love the best.

The Peter Pan variety is darker in colour but not so rich in fragrance.

There are chucks roaming free around the outside area of the cafe and it's quite amusing to watch their antics.

What a treat to see some day old chicks.

 I'm also smiling this week because my two DD's and their families are all together in Germany. A rare treat and not long before this little fraulein, .....peeping over her Mama's bump with her special ted,... has a little brother.

A very special smile!

WOYWW and Image Transfers

I do hope Mrs Dunnit, WOYWW Headmistress, doesn't give me detention for being absent for two weeks. Please Miss I couldn't help it! I've been down to Brighton to visit my curly girlies, alias the Brighton Belels, alias two of my grandees. 

Back again just in time to attend Vicky Stampers last Saturday where Lynne gave us a super workshop and we had good fun this month improving our skills transferring images on to fabric. We then used our examples to make a book which also incorporated some stamping. Lots of inky mess, especially for me as I decided to colour my calico shades of pink, orange and red.  

I've been using the breakfast table to finish it off with beads and ribbons and some free embroidery. It's such a lovely spot to sit, especially as I can also watch all the visiting birds.

On the table there are also remnants of the card I made for my little fraulein's 4th birthday, next week. I hope she has a very special day. 
The Brighton Belles will be visiting Germany with their parents just in time for the birthday party so I hope they all they all enjoy this rare opportunity to have lots of fun together.

Looking through the window into the garden, I realise that I have another "workdesk" waiting for me  on the patio as there are several perennials, that we bought on our travels, all waiting to be planted but we've had so much rain so it has been impossible to get out there.

If you would appreciate a snoop on many, more desks just get over to Julia, the Headmistress of WOYWW, for the complete register of all those present this week. 

That's my desk for this week but browse on if you have time and would like to see the results of the image transfer workshop.

Recently Donna gave me fabric print which was just perfect to add as an extra  couple of pages in my book.

I will possibly add more hand embroidery when I've had a good think about it.

On Sunday we visited the Knowsley Flower Show and I just had to include these photos of the Mersey Morris Men performing traditional dances and they are especially for WOYWWer Lynne of Textile Treasury blog who is a part of the Norfolk Morris scene.(Spot the Liver Birds on their sashes Lynne!)

It was amazing seeing them throwing the sticks in the air, knocking them, swapping them and catching them. All good fun and so clever.

I think this dance was "Jenny Wren"

It is good that English traditions are being kept alive.

Despite the show being in the heart of the city, Knowsley is close to rural areas so it was a proper flower show and the entries were excellent.

One of my favourites, Sweet Peas, ... I adore their fragrance.

After being AWOL for a couple of weeks I hope to get round lots of your desks this week. 
If you've time... pop over to see what's the latest exciting news on LillyBo Quilts too!