Twisted snowball with Zen chic True Blue

Q4 has been pretty epic! Another finish from my list!! Number 12 to be precise, it was a last minute addition but i got cracking with this at the Thistle Patch retreat. It was such a quick and easy pattern from Pam and Nicky Lintott, snowball with a twist. I so wanted to use up my zen chic True blue layer cake, i adore the effect. Its been really really grim trying to get pictures in the grey Scottish winter so this is the best i could do!

I used up some meterage of camper van fabric, fun and cheerful. This one will either go to Social Bite quitl drive by Jo Avery or Project Linus.

Using up precious scraps

It's done!! Number four on my proposed finishes for Q4 I had some quite substantial scraps left from my Petra Prins quilt. There was a sweet cross pattern from a schnibbles pattern book and hey presto we have a sweet wee quilt.

I even backed it with Liberty thanks to my huge stash of cheap seconds! I like it.

Skipper Mark

Do you remember the big bad snow of 2010? Towards the end of it there was a huge big dump of snow when I was at work and we got sent home. I couldn't get my car out of the station car park, scoobs was stranded on the motorway and I was six miles from home. There was max two hours of light left. Now the sensible thing would have been to go to a hotel. But Bud was home and I knew he would stress if he had to mess inside. I couldn't bear it and also I was pissed off and fed up with the snow. Angry with it. So I set off and walked home on the frozen canal paths. It was totally stupid light was fading as I headed into Bonnybridge one false move and I would have been in the frozen canal but I was determined to get home to my boy. All was well but when I went up north and told my family I got such a row, mum was mad at me my sister was mad at me. There was only one cheeky wee face who grinned at me and said "bet you never felt so alive!!!" That was skipper Mark, my beautiful nieces husband. We said goodbye to you far too soon, heartbreakingly too soon. But that's how i will remember you, sweet cheeky gentle and gorgeous.

Gartmore, last visit of 2017

A night away with this lovely man?? No contest! 

A lovely meal followed by a few drinks in front of the fire.

I just love this place it feels like coming home.

   

Christmas cushioning along

And we have a finish!!!! In the giant christmas cushion along 2017. Love this event, any excuse to bust out the snowmen pandas 😊🐼

This year and last years cushions make a nice pair.

Smashing my personal best

I seem to have many draft blog posts about works in progress, its high time i got my act together and  finished them! Neve mind its been s good weekend, fairly chilled and relaxed. Im in the step count challenge which is a fun thing, in the last week you are supposed to try and beat your personal best. My personal best was 33,286. This weekend i set out to try and beat that. The paths were icy so i wasnt hopeful but then i forgot about my sheer and utter thrawness .... 😊 I walked to the kelpies, six miles, met Mark there for lunch then walked home again. Lovely day, listened to Murder on the Orient Express from radio 4. It reminded me what liberties the recent film adaptation had taken! Here are some highlights.

I added on about another 1,500 after that pic was taken. Tired but happy.

A month in the country BOM

Oh the force has been strong with this quilter in Q4! Finish of number 11 on my Q4 list this has been a year in the making. The month in the country BOM from Todays Quilter by the rather talented Jo Avery (shes a chum you know :-) i get hugs :-) ) I loved making this, i had a load of animal themed fat quarters, sadly the fair trade fabric shop closed down, i got loads in their sale. It did feature applique which im not terribly great at any more with my stiff wonky old fingers. I just machine appliqued what i could. I do love it, nice and bright. Here is some work in progress:

And here is the finished quilt! Please note that the block second row far left is four small snowflakes. They are waaaaaaaay smaller than they should be as i forgot the “enlarge by 200%”instruction!