Oh, I do like to be beside the Seaside!

Today - Brighton

After dropping Daughter at Guide Camp we journeyed onto Brighton for Sun, Sea and Shopping

Whilst wandering around we discovered this exhibition - Fabrica - The Elephant Bed

The sculptures were created in water soluable paper and suspended from the ceiling of this chapel. Some were suspended over water, which created some interesting effects!

And caused some to completely collapse and turn to mush!

The general public were allowed to stand inside one - this is general public Son doing just that!

View inside the sculpture

I just had to have this photo of the light hitting the sculpture, but as it is the one that you can go in I had to wait a while as people were in the way!

So although they look similar to the Brighton Pavillion globes in it's roof, they are in fact representations of minerals found in the "Elephant Bed "- a deposite of chalk (or similar) found under Brighton - it is said to be made from the fossils of horses, elephants and other creatures around at the time.

I didn't do any shopping as such - well I bought a second hand pattern from an "antique" shop, but that doesn't count as that will be used for an order that came in last Wednesday - but I did window shop to my hearts desire down the North Lanes. Will definitely be heading there the next time I visit Brighton and leave the commercial side of Brighton's shopping centre well alone!

Whoops!

So it was going to be "Finished Yet? Friday" as Jane seemed to sum me up so well and with a title like that I was sure to be spurred on to get motivated and finish the certificate this side of my 50th birthday! I'm 42!

With Friday looking good as a whole day to do coursework I was stymied by a phone call from a client enquiring the whereabouts of their order - we had our dates crossed, so everything was dropped to accommodate the refocusing of time to get said order out!

Friday evening was "Book Club" and as end of term is looming and holidays will stop us meeting til September we met at the local curry restaurant. Not much discussed about the book, "Friday Night Knitting Club" - as usual - but we caught up with all our news

Fortunately I had been able to put the final piece idea down on paper whilst at the hairdressers so this is my proposal:

Next week Finished Yet Friday, but this week I shall go with Meg's "Forget Friday, Send it Saturday!"

Great to see other Distant Stitchers joining in!

Alliteration - the key to getting stuff done!

Sian suggested that we blog our work each Friday...

So what shall we call it?

I 've thought of "Flaunt it Friday" or "Friday Flourish" or maybe "Friday Flash"!

Yes, I do own a copy of the Thesaurus - mine's a Chambers 20th Century

I throw down the gauntlet to all Distant Stitchers to find something more suitable while I go and ponder what I can show to you all by Friday


Added Wednesday:

I'm getting some great suggestions, I shall be giving you all 'til end of the day Thursday for any more suggestions - now don't forget to have some work ready or we shall have to use Meg's idea!

Bishop, Pizza and another milestone

Today was Son's Confirmation and it was officiated by the new Bishop of Kensington.

Detail of one of the lovely windows at the Church

I don't know about age being judged against how young Policemen look, but our Bishop is in his forties with three young children! I'm creeping up the hill - not yet over it , mind!

Family, God-father and friends supported Son on a wonderful occassion and we all had a great time at our favourite Pizza restaurant afterwards.

Another milestone reached in our children's lives.

In the scheme of Church life the next big church occassion we will gather for may well be a wedding!

Party Time

One of the advantages of having the In-Laws to visit is a chance of an evening out and so to my friend's 50th birthday party we did go.

She had decided that the entertainment would be line dancing!

Well DH had a great time on the dance floor in his cowboy hat and the shoes he bought from Memphis - he was also wearing a very nice pair of jeans and a corded shirt before any of you conjuror up a completely weird picture of DH! Unfortunately line dancing does nothing for me - I can't do it, especially as I was the driver this evening and therefore unable to calm the inhibitions with a glass or two of wine! I made a complete idiot of myself on the one and only dance DH was able to get me on the dance floor for. I left half way through in complete histerics - laughing, but inside quite upset at not being able to master something so simple. Should ANYONE suggest line dancing as an evening's worth of fun I will definietly be heading in the opposite direction!

Having said that I did have a lovely evening meeting with friends and catching up with their news - just don't ask me to dance, unless it's a disco!

Finally some sewing...

... after a day of housework yesterday, I finally got to do some work today, half way through an order - still, I had to have lunch and take the In-Laws to a garden centre. We had a lovely lunch and I bought the Starlings some new lard blocks as they have devoured the last one.

I doubt much creativity this week-end as Son is being confirmed and the rehearsals and final get together of the group interupts any serious crafting, plus entertaining the visitors will take up any other spare time.

Still, a rest is as good as nothing getting done!

Sadly no cooked breakfast!

The morning after the Summer School before...

Stripped all the beds, clean bedding in place and everyone moved to their new rooms, bathroom cleaned, washing awaiting to be sorted, shopping list in process of being written and all this before 9 O'Clock!

And where's my cheesy eggs, bacon, tomatoes and beans?

Back at Urchfont!

Off to complete tasks before The In-Laws arrive later this afternoon.

Trying to keep the energy and enthusiasm that was created at Urchfont bottled for next Thursday when the house will return to it's original state and I can begin the impossible - complete the Certificate by 2011!

Safely Home

Just returned from Urchfont from another successful Summer School.

It was great to meet with all the friends I have made over the years and to meet the new members of Distant Stitch

Here you all are for the annual photo call!

Hope you all had a great time too and if travelling to UK destinations are now home safely and to all the international members have a great holiday and safe return to your part of the world!

Off now to enjoy a calming herbal tea before Birthday Boy and the Darlings return from the piano lesson - birthday cake all ready with candles!

Quilts from the Show

This delightful quilt was the raffle prize, designed by Paula Doyle, the top sewn together by members of the group and then long arm quilted by Isabel Hall,

and for once it was won by a member of the quilting group!

It's off to have it's photo taken so it can grace the cover of a leading quilting magazine.

I won't mention which yet, but will show you the cover when it's published!

Some of our group also belong to another sewing group.

They each made a Snow-man block quilt over a period of months

Here are three wall quilts which were completed after a workshop

with Ferret of Ferret Fabrications

This was my effort at a "wall" hanging.

The idea was seen on an internet quilting show on HBTV

and I added the "hedgerow" quilting instead of the Japanese quilting they used.

I loved the colours in this quilt, very Festival of Britain

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: the quilt on the right was made using the "Turning Twenty" method and has lots of wonderful bright fat quarters and batik froggy fabric. The Quilter of this quilt was "white gloving" and chatting to a Lady who said how wonderful the quilts were, but for one in particular and she wondered what the person was thinking when she made it! "Which one do you mean?" asked the White Glover. "Oh I'll show you." said the Lady and promptly marched to the White Glover's quilt! "Oh," said the White Glover "That's mine and my Grand-daughter loves it, so there!"

The Visitor's Choice Winner!

and another view of the Froggy Quilt

This one was called Chocoholic's Delight

Two totally different quilts, one a "jelly roll quilt as you go" fun quilt and the other a heart shaped block made for a joint 70th birthday present.

It just goes to show we have a talented bunch of quilters, both professional and amature.

We quilt because we can!

Hidden under a Pile of Quilts

It's been too long since I last blogged and how busy have I been?

Too busy!

On top of the usual family stuff of looking after DH, the Darlings and the Pigs, taxiing the Darlings around, fitting in coursework and running the Toddler group, I been busy with my little business. Yes, I took the hint from the kids - see earlier post - and found a lovely little bussiness that means I can sew to my heart's desire and get paid for the honour! I've been doing this since 1st December and, so far so credit crunch, I seem to be doing rather well.

Due to the nature of what I make I have two built in deadlines of June and September and a possible Christmas market to cater for. As this is the first trading year for me it's a bit crystal ball, but what fun I am having?

So in between family, working and Course work, I just had to be involved in the organising of the quilt show for my quilting group Thameside Quilters, hence the title of this blog. Believe me I have had a lounge full of quilts which finally left last week-end.

How lucky was I?

Here are a few of them...

This was one of my favourites called Tropical Glasshouse

This one by Paula Doyle won a prize at Sandown

and was predicted to claim the Visitor's Choice...

...but in the end it was this quilt by Paula for her Son to take to University which won the day!

Another quilt that was at Sandown - yes we have very talented quilters in this group!

It was hard work, but I had a great committee working with me and we had a great week-end - is it just a week ago? All that work and only photos and memories to remind me.

I'll share some more quilts another time as I now have to get organised for my Summer School at Urchfont - a time to create in beautiful surroundings and a few days for ME - JUST ME!