Charity Begins At Home.......

A little while ago, you may remember I showed you a little pile of trimmings.

(I thought I'd be kind and refresh your memory!)
Well, that project was one that had been asked of me....a quilt to donate as a raffle prize, for a national charity. The project came together nicely over the last couple of weeks, and now looks like this.....

 

I do so love a pretty Tanya Wheelan print. Or two.

 

For the back and binding, I went a little dotty..........

 

 

It would appear that I also love a polka dot. Or two. Too.

But what I really love, is that something that started so simply, here at home, with a little bit of time, knowledge and skill, is now on it's way to help others that do so much in helping people at bad times in their lives, and will hopefully bring a little happiness to whoever buys the winning ticket................

Now that this particular project has been completed, stand by your beds.....Christmas Projects here I come!!

Must dash now.....running late. For everything. Again. xx

Let's Vote On It.....

Between now and Christmas I've got 5 birthdays, UMPTEEN Christmas presents and then 3 more birthdays before the New Year is even a week old. I also have 2 quilt orders hovering in the wings. As you can imagine, my "To Do List" (if I was a List Maker...which I'm not...but if I WAS....) is full to overflowing. Logically I should be knuckling down......however....
Just look at this little pretty.....

...I made it using the "Bento Box" pattern that I bought from www.tikkilondon.com last week. I couldn't help myself. It kept whispering to me from underneath the To Do List. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed making this little mat. It's mostly origami with fabric and some fussy cutting thrown in for good measure. I changed how I attached the squares and am glad that I did, as it made my stitches more even on the back.
However....this is NOT a birthday present. Nor is it a Christmas present. Nor can I think of anyone to give it to. Nor do I use mats. But it is pretty.
And that brings me to this post's title....I'm sure I'm not the only one aboard the I've Got So Much To Make And Not Enough Time To Do It In Boat (though I may be the only one daft enough to spend time working on something that doesn't earn a tick on The Imaginary List), so I propose we take a vote on postponing Christmas until around the middle of March. Sheer Brilliance. What do you think??
I'm going to finish this post now, in case you vote against me, and I do actually have to get a wriggle on. See you soon. xx

A Day In The Country.......

.....well, not quite, as yesterday we left The New Forest, and headed for London, to meet Daughter No 2 for the day.
I'll let you into a little secret: a 20 year old daughter who loves to shop and a 9 year old son who doesn't, aren't always the easiest combination to share your day with. Surprised? So I came up with another idea.
We met my daughter at Kew and had a lovely cuppa, before strolling along the road, where, what a coincidence (!!!) there just HAPPENED to be a fabulous little quilting shop. Let's just say that I was brought up to do my homework properly.
So, a lovely few minutes was spent browsing in Tikki ( www.tikkilondon.com ) where it's JUST possible I may have made a purchase....or two.....

There was a very sweet little quilt on display, that was in a design that I'd not seen before, so obviously I was FORCED to buy the pattern....you know how it is....I'd have regretted it forever amen had I not bought it.........

 

............more on that later, I'm sure.

And that was the sum total of any retail therapy, because then we headed for Richmond Park. None of us had ever been before, and as we had The Lovely Belle with us, it was the ideal solution to keeping both my offspring content. I really had no idea that it was sssssoooooo large! A large slice of peaceful heaven sitting just outside the hustle and bustle of our capital city..........................................

Richmond Park, as most of you will know, is a Royal Park, and if proof were needed........

 

 

There were also some new playmates for Belle. If only you could have seen how keen she was to make new friends!

 

 

I'd packed a picnic, so we could spend the whole day exploring. I also remembered to take The Lovely Belle's mat that I made recently, as her highness doesn't like to sit on a chilly floor, so a fabulous day was had by all.........

 

 

If you get the chance to spend a day happily wandering, I can thoroughly recommend this particular little jaunt.

 

As for other news, a friend has just given birth to twins. I've secretly been working on baby quilts, and was planning on giving you a sneaky peek, until the quilts had been given to the two little recipients.....

 

 

However, being the complete muppet that you know and love so well, I COMPLETELY forgot to photograph the finished quilts. So sneaky is all you're getting!

Well, that's me done for this post, so I shall love you and leave you. See you soon. xx