In Real Life!

It's only taken a year or so, but I've finally met a real-life blogger/follower/followee!!

Today I met up with Benta of SLIKstitches at the Parham House 'Stitches In Time' show.

It was really fun, and proves how you really can be friends with someone you have never met before, and carry on as if you really have been friends for a long time.

We swapped gifts - she was the recipient of the brooch I made a few days back, and I am now the lucky owner of ... 

 

... the twin of a mug rug made for the Goodie Swap - I've been admiring those scissors from afar (and not particularly subtly), and now they are all mine; thank you Benta!

The younger FBs also came away with some great goodies, Benta sneakily pre-posted about them here, when she knew I would already be out of the house!  They are being loved as I type - thank you so much from the small folk too!

We wandered round the stately home, admiring, and sometimes otherwise, the tapestries, needlework and collections on display; we tried not to put off the nice old ladies making lace and obviously had to do a little spending, imagine how rude it would have been not to...

Jenny Adin-Christie parted me from my money, but I don't mind.

The rain stopped in time for us to wander round the gardens for a hour, having previously spent some lovely time in the tea room, chatting with a weaver-turned-quilter, whose first quilt Benta and her daughter had been admiring in Greenwich earlier this week - it was all a bit spooky!

So that was my great day - no photos - too busy talking, and you've seen me already!  (Still just a little bit intreagued at what you guys actually thought I looked like after yesterday!).

Now you must excuse me, I have to mentally prepare myself for going back to work tomorrow after 6 weeks off...

All rise for another tick...

Now, despite deep reservations at about 9.30pm last night that I would get it finished, I did manage to get the binding fully attached before an albeit quite late bedtime, and with the early risers waking me at some ungodly hour, the Union Quilt was washed and tumbled all before 8am...

I am really pleased with it and hope my Dad will be too.  Unfortunately he won't get it until the weekend after Father's Day, as next weekend is the final of the Open Studios, but I'll pop a card in the post and keep the surprise until we see him.

So I have a tick for...
Make my Dad the Union Jack quilt I have been promising my Mum I'll make for him.

On the Open Studio front, things have been going really well, plenty of visitors, selling lots of stained glass, prints and cards, so he's a happy man.

I, on the other hand, am a poor customer.  I thought I had money to play with, but the Sussex Guild show was really disappointing.

Don't get me wrong, having waded across the wild, wet and windy gardens to the marquee, I was confronted with a lot of beautiful things, but the average price tag for a simple pair of silver earrings was over £100; there love at first sight for a glass beaded necklace, however at over £400 my premium bonds will have to do a little better!

I chatted to some of the sellers, Liz Moys who makes great silk-sewn pictures, and whose daughter works for Orla Keily, got the sum total of my spending, £1 on two postcards!

The only quilt stall was not entirely to my taste, a lot of pale Liberty prints, silk and cushions, but the lady seemed to be busy with the 'old fashioned brigade'.

I probably spent more time in the tiny Parham House gift shop, and I bought some cute note cards of Victoriene Parsons Mitchell's Crazy Quilt, just to go home with something a little more substantial!

Well it hasn't stopped raining here all day; so we had another 'cinema' session this afternoon with MegaMind, I fell asleep; and now I'm off to make some little felt creatures... hope you've had a good one x

The Weekend so far...

I've got the binding attached to the Union Quilt, and I am looking forward to sitting in front of the TV this evening and finishing it off.  If I get it done quickly I may even wash and tumble it before bed; yeah right!

In other news, I am now at liberty to show you the card I sent Fiona, but not her June Bee blocks (those pesky rules!).  The idea featured in Handmade Living, and I think it turned out pretty cute...

We've had tears and tantrums over ballet rehearsals although once I arrived, minus one twin (I left home with only one, before you ask!),  I had a lot of interest from a 'bored ballet brother' about a little toy I was stuffing whilst peering through the door at the ballerinas.  I think that'll be my first commission (non-paying, obviously) as he was so sweet, asking about the 'cotton wool' and how it all works and desperate for one!  More on that soon.

Tomorrow I am off 'round the corner' to see the Sussex Guild's Contemporary Craft Show at Parham House.  It promises 'Textiles and shopping', and there's a picture of a pretty dresden plate in the leaflet, so I'm just a tad excited!

Louise Bell's Big Red Tree

I'll be going it alone tomorrow, for my sanity, but will be back there again for the Sussex Game & Country Fair en masse next weekend.  Benta (slikstitiches) and I have already pencilled in a date there on September 4th for the 'Stitches In Time' exhibition - if any of you local types fancies joining us, you'll be more than welcome.

I will report back on my findings tomorrow.