Resolved.....

Well, the technical glitch got resolved.....after throwing my hands in the air and thinking all was lost, I went back to website management pages and found a rather superb button titled "reclaim deleted pages" or something along those lines.......so taking a deep breath, I clicked the button and hey presto, the last 5 years of blogging came back to me.......

To say I am ecstatic is an understatement.........I felt like I'd lost  part of myself, all the huge things that have impacted me over the last 5 years were amongst those posts along with all the mundane things that I'm sure no-one is really interested in reading......but who cares, it's all back in it's rightful place and all is well within (my) world........

I have finished Charleys Uni Quilt, she loves it.......and I love her.  Only 7 more days until we take her to Brighton I still have her Amy Butler cushion to finish, but that is a mere 30 minute job.......will post photos of the quilt tomorrow when I've had a chance to take some decent photos......we're off to a leaving party tonight for Ollie, my friends son, Charley's friend and really like a member of our own family.  Ollie is off to Sheffield Uni tomorrow.........I think there will be tears shed, by all of us...........when did all these kids grow up????

Technical Glitch

I knew me and technology never really gelled........and the moment where it all went wrong was never far away.  Well that day is here........

I tried to update my blog this morning, it's been so long since I added any links to the sidebar (ooh don't I sound technical) that I forgot how to do it.......so while I was bumbling around, behind the scenes, I have managed to delete all of my blog entries to date - 5 years worth........I have no idea if I can get them back, I will try but if not, maybe it was time for a new start.

So to help you keep updated, here's a little run down on life for me as of right now:

• Festival of Quilts...had a fabulous 2 days here, the quilts were amazing but have really inspired me to try a lot harder with my free motion quilting
• Results Day...Chaz got all the marks she needed to meet the conditions of her offer from Brighton Uni, but UCAS forgot to send out Chaz's results so that meant many days of stress for Charley and lots of days spent on the phone sorting it all out so that Chaz DID get her rightful place
• New York...me and Ross spent a week in NY, Ross's first time, and we walked our legs off.  Did the usual sightseeing, rode the subway, enjoyed the sunshine and ate at some fab restaurants.
• Finishing Chaz's uni quilt...I should be putting the finishing touches to this today or tomorrow, will post some photos when it's done
• Shopping & Packing...been helping Chaz prepare for her move to Uni.  She leaves on Saturday 26th Sept...I'm dreading it and just know I will cry when I leave her there.

I have a whole list of things to do once Charley has gone, the most important is getting ready for our quilt group having a coffee morning sale in November......we are making some small handmade things to sell to help raise money for Macmillan so I'm hoping lots of people come and everyone likes what we have made.......off to add the binding to Chaz's quilt, see you soon x

Festival of Quilts

Wow, wow, wow.........what an amazing 2 days!!!!

Everything was just perfect, from being able to check into the hotel at 10am when we arrived on Thursday, to the shopping, the demos, meeting friends for a quick coffee and catch up, Amy Butler's class and to a clever bit of traffic avoidance when we left at 5pm on Friday.

The quilts on display were amazing, there were so many and I couldn't include all of them in this one post, but I'll give you a selection......this one is called Bizzy Bee....

I absolutely love this quilt.  I've had a hankering to make a hexangonal quilt and I just love the colour placement on this quilt.  One of the best hexagonal quilts I have seen - in my humble opinion.

This one is called (I think) Abu Ali and the Gilded Chair, I just adore the detailing on the quilting that really brings the quilt to life...

This one is the winner of the Art Quilts, again the detailing is awesome.....it's called Mother Earth

There are plenty more but I'll them to another post in the next couple of days.

I have learnt the easiest amazing way to do quick celtic knots, which I am very pleased about.  I love celtic knots but all the double folding, pinning and hand stitching was the main things putting me off making a celtic knot quilt.......but know I know how to do them with no folding, some fusing and whizzing it through the machine.......I might actually achieve one now.

I have also bought a circular ruler........another quilt I was wanting to make, but thought I'd make a complete mess of sewing curves on my machine, but I was given a fantastic demo by Virginia Walton and after some practise I think I'll even achieve a curved quilt too.

The Amy Butler class was just perfect.  After a full day and a half of shopping and exploring we, Marilyn and I, were ready for a bit of a sit down and unwinding with some sewing.  Amy was a very lovely teacher and I learned something I hadn't done before - I now know how to put in an invisible zip!!!!!!  We were also given lots of freebies - Amy Butler software form Electric Quilt, with 22 patterns on it, a new bag pattern and a pattern to make some funky kids cushions........

I have come home so inspired, that my head is buzzing with new things to make.........back to the lists I mentioned in an earlier post.......before I get lost in my sewing room, I think I had better make a list and STICK TO IT.

More quilts from the show in a day or two........

Lists.

I need to start making lists I think.  Suddenly my life has gone from hiding indoors and not doing very much apart from sewing, to having a very busy few weeks ahead, so in order to not forget anything I think I'm going to have some "to do" lists  stuck to that walls of my room.  Maybe I'll start practising on my blog...

1. Packing list for Festival of Quilts

2. List of things to get ready for Chaz for Uni.

3. Packing list for New York.

4. Sewing list for things to make for our Macmillan coffee morning sale.

5. Organising trip to Las Vegas - show tickets, car hire etc.

I'm worn out already and now our 3 new rycycling bins from the council have just arrived, so I need to organise those...........or am I just putting off the list making..........mind you I think I'll need a list for the bins, it all sounds very confusing right now, but I'm sure in a couple of months time I will have mastered what goes in what bin and what week each bin gets collected...........for now though, I think I need a large coffee!!!!!!!!!!!

Calm....

......before the storm.  I think that's the best way to describe this weekend.  The weather was gorgeous and we had no plans, so a lot of chilling and relaxing has taken place.  For the first time in like forever, we had a lie-in........we pottered and had breakfast in bed, but didn't officially get up until lunchtime yesterday and this morning Ross got up early and went to the gym and brought me back the Sunday papers........after getting my coffee, I took the papers up to bed and discovered what it was like to read the sunday papers in bed.  I've heard people talk about it but have never done it myself.......it was lovely to take my time and spread all the suppliments out and enjoy the morning.

I have a busy week ahead........I'm off to Hanson's in Sturminster Newton on Tuesday with a couple of friends and then on Thursday and Friday I will be at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC in Birmingham with another friend.  We shall have the whole of Thursday for shopping and browsing the awesome quilts that are there, and Friday morning I'm hoping to meet up with some other friends who are going and then have an Amy Butler class in the afternoon before we come home.  Then on Saturday Chaz is going to serve at Carroty Wood, so it will be a quick, "hello, missed you, have fun, see you soon" type of convo between us in the morning.

I see this week being a bit of a whirlwind, but a very enjoyable one.  I'm hoping to get the wadding and binding for Chaz's uni quilt at the NEC, so once she goes off next Saturday I can get cracking with that and try to get it finished before I go to New York in September........I'll be back as soon as I can.