And Gather We DID!!

Lucky me! Last couple of weeks we have been visiting the girl in the UK and while there we went to Edinburgh, Scotland.....WhooooHOoooo!!

I got to go to The Stitch Gathering organized by the lovely Jo and her equally lovely hubby Jonathan and the crew from Avery Homestore.  Beyond that door was loads of fun!

After the meet and greet and lovely tea we found our secret partner and gave them their nametag....above is mine made by the very, very sweet Jenny....Thanks so much...I love it so!!:)

 Here is the one I made for her daughter Sarah....closed....

....opened!:)

 We also received our goodie bags and goodie they were!!! I totally forgot to take a photo but go look here and see all the swag we received and all the fantastic sponsors!!!!

There were many workshops to choose from but since I didn't have a sewing machine I picked the hand sewing workhops and first up was Cathedral Window pincushion....here we are getting ironing instructions from Jo.

 Next up was LUNCH! Check out that spread...and you really can't see all of it!!!

 (My block is second row third from the left...the village go round!:)

Something else we had to do before the Gathering was decorate our fabric ticket we had received in the mail several months ago. Jo is going to sew them all together and make a quilt to raffle at next year's event!  Aren't they all amazing?!!!

 After lunch was the next workshop...Fabric Origami & Japanese Embellishments also taught by Jo....it was very hard to concentrate because.....

 ....this was some of the view out our classroom windows!! We were on the 6th floor of Edinburgh Napier University at the Morningside campus ! So yes...I didn't get anything finished but I have been working hard to finish at home!

 Origami corsage and embroidered pincushion....yellow rose pin made for me by my other pal Jo...more about that later!;)

Here is the back of the pincushion.  I used a piece of Liberty fabric that I received in my goodie bag...perfect bit of fabric isn't it?:)

But here is one of my fav photos!  Sarah (I made her nametag), Katy,  Fiona and my dear pal Lynz.  Now that is beautiful!!:)

~d

ps....Jo and Jonathan...thanks for homemade goodness at your place and making the retreat something really, really special!!! xoxoxo

Fifty-nine years and going Strong!:)

Yep, my folks are celebrating their 59th anniversary today...

FIFTY-NINE years!!  Thank goodness that's not my age!:)

Look at them....aren't they fabulous?!:) 

We weren't able to get down to see them today but I left a little surprise in their guestroom.  A quilt for them to hang behind their flat screen TV (it sits on a credenza).

It is made with all kinds of great fabrics depicting scenes from Italy...

my pop's birthplace...mom is half Italian too!

I quilted it with lots and lots of circles. I love that kinds of quilting...so relaxing.

Fairly muted with just a few pops of color...will fill that empty space behind the tv well I think!:) When I get back down and hang it I'll take a picture.

The 'rents with my baby brothers celebrating their birthdays last month.

Love those smiles!

Also love these sweet little birdies my pop made for me...and that Kaffe ribbon!

Happy, Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad....consider yourselves virtually hugged!!:)

xoxo

~d

Can I show you Adorable?

At least these fit my criteria of Adorable!

Bitty Blocks made for my pal Kimmie who got hitched last month...love up above...

...and down below!;)  That tractor is about 3/4" wide!!

Made this once before...the first lives in the UK...this one is for me.

Pattern  from my pal Amy at During Quiet Time here. Go check it out...there is a whole garden series....amazing stuff!

How about this shower curtain I found for $5.00 at Target....100% cotton! 

One day it will be the back of a quilt!

Rainbow stars made at Sew South....free pattern from Ellison Lane here.  Tiny card trick blocks were a gift from a swap peep and tufted tweets from Quilt Dad!

Those are all adorable but what I really wanted you to see are my folks.

Daddy enjoying my sister's ipad playing solitaire while we wait for...

....sweet mama who just had hip replacement surgery.

ADORABLE!!

~d

Could I make something for her friends?

Yep, yep, yep!

 These little sandwich squares became...

 ...these little pointy containers and then they morphed to...

 ...these little boxes....22 of them! Used this tutorial from Seaside Stitches...it's great!

Then I made coasters...26 of them!

A couple of little zippy Humbug bags for some kiddos...

 ...and a runner for their mum. Included the initials "O" and "I" for her two kids. Love this line...Victorian Modern.  I think there is another project using this collection in my future!

I think this will be the project!!!

~d

Come visit...The Finch...

...Finch Sewing Studio!!!

One week ago email received from the boy "Mom....Kelsey thinks you might be interested in this place opening up in Leesburg...here's the link."

So I investigate....YES...I am VERY interested!!

(photos taken with my phone....ugh!)

Two days later I am at a Friday Night Sew-cial with several other like-minded peeps and the very lovely and talented Nicole of said Finch Sewing Studio!!

Nicole has taken the huge open and airy, bright and cheery bottom floor of the above building and made it into a place for gathering, learning, creating, shopping and general merry making!:)

There is a huge bay window filled with inpiration....and goodies on plates....

(Nicole's head is just over the flowers!)

...a really big cutting table, sewing machines and sergers, ironing board and wheelie chairs, shelves full of fun and of course...awesome lighting!:)

This is where I sat sewing the binding on a quilt for my pal Sally's daughter who just graduated from college...You Go Emily!!:)

I can't do the place justice...go visit Nicole's website and see all the wonderful classes and camps that are being offered. If you live nearby go visit...if you don't....you are missing out!!;)

~d

When He was eleven or twelve....

...our nephew drew this picture so he and his Granddaddy could make a box to keep his stuff contained.  Fast forward six years I found the picture while looking for a legal pad to draw an idea...and I had a different idea!!

 I made a quilt!

 I took the dimensions on the drawing and doubled them then added a border.

 My friend Linda quilted it for me then I did a little embroidery stitching his exact specifications on the box.

 Our nephew...he's a smart one.  He came in 3rd place in his catagory at the Intel World Science Fair and graduated this past Sunday...4th in his class of 409 students...

 ...going to Johns Hopkins University this Fall....on a FULL scholarship...we are very proud of him!!! Love you boy!!

On the homefront we've been having some fun too.

 Hubby installed some kitchen cabinets he took out of someone's house and put them down in a corner of our basement. We used to have a huge stack of boxes in that corner...now they have been emptied...only to be replaced by another stack of boxes awaiting the same treatment!;)

 In the opposite corner of the basement is what we call the Boy Cave!  Lumber sorted, old rugs put down, backseat bench of the old van in a corner as a couch, drumset is happy...so is the boy! 

 Look what hubby did with seven free pallets....new compost bins!  Now if it would stop raining and warm up so we could get seeds in the ground! I feel like we are in the UK!;)

Time Lord

 Since it's been so rainy I've been doing some other sewing...these are blocks 2 and 3 of the Dr. Who. Along. 

K-9

I can't wait to see what is next!

~d

Nancy is now a Grandma....

....to TWINS!:)

 Yep, our birthing instructor, family friend, Godmother to our boy and former neighbor now has two more people in her life to love!:)  Ava and Ian were born to her boy Freddie and his wife Elizabeth and of course that gave me an excuse to play!:)

A few fun strips of animals, bugs and dragons, a charm pack and some yardage of Sherbet Pips, 80 different charm squares for an I Spy and three baby quilts were born!

 But didn't they just have twins? Yep...but the I Spy stays home with Grandma Nancy!!  Can you see the Star Wars charm?  There are a few Marvel characters in there too!

 Little look at the backs.

 My favorite...I can just see Grandma Nancy and her grandbabies looking at all the cool stuff around the world...and beyond!:)

I can't say No....I mean I can but this time I couldn't! This Tardis is the first of twenty blocks being designed for the Dr. Who. Along. I think you should join us!

Visited my folks last weekend...did a lot of planting and eating good food...really good food!

 Then came home and extended a bed to include this Chicago Hardy Fig tree that my parents gave me....too cute!:) We planted some basil and lemon verbena along with more lamb's ear....hopefully the powerful smells will keep the deer away!

Now I need to plant these....maybe tomorrow!