Monday, October 10, 2011

Today is as good a day as any


 It has been so long since I posted , I had got to the stage where I wondered whether I would ever post another post but as today is my birthday I figured it was a good a day as any.
Today is a beautiful spring day, the sun is shining where we are and there is quite a lot of warmth in this spring sun.
 Of course all of the beautiful spring flowers are out, I just love filling our home with them so this morning I am sending these lovely Tulips to you all wherever you may be.




I have been doing lots of different sewing and cross stitch, some I haven't photographed yet so will save that for next time  but in the meantime I will show you some of my new obsessions.
I am obsessed with Jockey Caps, I am sure some of you will call these drunkards path ( I think ) but I believe when they are sewn into four in this manner they become jockey caps.
I think the fun part is mixing the fabrics , the quirkier the better.

I don't believe anything is off limits, what do you think.

I have also been working on this medallion style quilt in my class with Marg Sampson-George at Material Obsession. 
My background is an antique linen sheet which is so lovely to work on. The idea is to fill the entire background with all sorts of quirky shapes and things that appeal to the maker. Here you can see I cannot go without adding my beloved pears.

I have used this quilt to really try and improve my needleturn applique skills.I have to say I have really enjoyed the challenge.

I have also spent quite a lot of time exploring my recipe books and experimenting with some new recipes.
These sticky beef ribs with coriander sauce are a real winner from the cook book of an ex masterchef contestant, Marion.

Well this is a short post but I have to say it is great to be back, hopefully it won't be so long next time and I have loads to show you.

Happy sewing
j

35 comments:

Miriam said...

Happy Birthday Jean!!! I hope you are having a wonderful day and you get the chance to enjoy more of the sunshine and spring flowers.

I love the start of your medallion quilt. I look forward to watching your progress on this one.

Glad to hear you are doing lots of sewing.

Jan said...

Happy Birthday, and welcome back. You were missed!

Adele said...

Birthday greetings to you on your speacial day.

Loving the quilt, its going to be wonderful when its finished. Love your blog....was only wondering last night will we ever see another blog entry.

Margaret said...

Happy birthday! I always love to see a post from you. Your work is always so inspiring to me. Lucky you also to be in springtime. I love the spring!

Anonymous said...

well happy birthday ! it's your birthday and we get the gift of a post from you and i know of someone else who will be very happy to see you back !!!

have a lovely day birthday girl !

Kristy said...

Happy Birthday! Please, please don't be so long in posting next time...I so enjoy seeing your pictures and hearing about your endeavors.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday my friend! Hope your day is filled with good things...
Love your little jockey caps - stunning fabric choices (as usual).

cathie said...

Jean, Many Happy Returns of the Day - I hope you have a Wonderful Day. It is so nice to have you back you have wonderful work and it inspires all of us, Thanks for sharing. Love Cathie

cathie said...

Jean, Many Happy Returns of the Day - hope you have a wonderful time and all your wishes come true. Also, welcome back it is just lovely to see your work and you give so much inspiration to us all. Cathie

Sharyn said...

Well you can tell by all these comments that you have been missed, it is lovely to hear from you. Hope you are having a lovely day, keep up the good work. Thank you for being my fairy god-mother and granting my wish, much love. X

Jan m said...

Jean ,I have to join the line in wishing you Happy Birthday and soo glad you are back posting,love all your posts and have missed them.JanM.

antique quilter said...

so glad to hear from you...I Have been wondering what your up to, I keep checking to see if you have written a post.
well Happy Birthday!!!! I love the quilt your working on from Marg, I am very tempted! love that your adding shapes to the background that mean something to you.
love the jockey caps...ah yes drunkards paths, they are just fun to sew, I applique mine
hope your back posting more frequently...
Kathie

Bloom said...

Hope you've had a very happy day Jean! Lovely to see you back at the blog. I would hate for you to give it up as your work really inspires me :) But I also understand the time it takes to maintain a blog. Your medallion quilt on antique linen is going to be stunning, I can tell! Ros x

Cardygirl said...

Happy Birthday! Lovely to "see" what you have been up to...love those jockey caps.

Pinkadot Quilts said...

Happy Birthday! The tulips are lovely and your quilt is awesome!

Annette T said...

Jean, happy birthday. Hope your day has been filled with loveliness. Always love to read your posts and be inspired by your wonderful work and fabric choices. Also looking forward to seeing more of your cross stitching.
Kind regards,

Googy Girl said...

Happy Birthday and welcome back

love the mix match colours of the jockey caps...

the medaliion quilt looks set to be a real heirloom

lindsey said...

Just come across your blog...Happy Birthday! I have enjoyed reading through your post and will be back!

Ann-Mari said...

Happy Birthday:-D
Hope it turned out the way you liked.
I love your medallionquilt.
I have been following your blog for some time. I find great inspiration in your photos:-)

Dawn said...

Happy Birthday - thank you for the photos of your lovey projects. LOVE the fabric variety in the caps, and your medallion is gorgeous. Looking forward to more pictures!

Nyla said...

Hope your birthday was just wonderful! It's so good to hear from you again. Love your tulips and projects. Made a variation of what's called a drunkards path with my Mom and called it "Happy Wanderer" instead, don't like the other name. Love your new project, I had been thinking of doing something along those lines. Happy stitching!

PatchworkRose said...

Happy Birthday for yesterday Jean.
I thought of you the other day when I bought a gorgeous Wedgewood mug and and would you belive it on the side was a recipe for poached pears.
Welcome back. Love all the work you are doing. Gorgeous as always.
Cheers
Lynne

kclily said...

Happy Birthday. Love the Jockey Caps. Glad you are back.

Kathryn said...

Happy birthday. I love seeing the projects that are keeping you busy. They look great. kathie L in Allentown

Sew so crazy said...

Happy Birthday!! Thank you a beautiful post as usual!!

Mary said...

Oh Jean! This is beautiful! And I am so green with envy that you get to take classes at Material Obsession!!!

Mary @ Neat and Tidy said...

Happy birthday, and I'm so glad to see you back! Your fabrics and projects always inspire me.

Elizabeth said...

Happy Birthday. Your quilt is looking beautiful. x

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Jean. I love your posts. I'm doing the Marg Sampson quilt as well - love it. I found the boarder around the central vase quite difficult.
Meg

Sue-Anne said...

Great post Jean. I love your Jockey Caps and I think the more colourful the fabric the better.

I am really looking forward to seeing more of your medallion quilt, it looks fantastic already.

RG said...

So great to hear all that you're up to Jean :D
I hope your day was a speciil one xx

Mary @ Neat and Tidy said...

Sorry I'm late; happy birthday!

Kerri said...

Hi,

I tried to email you but the email wasn't working through your profile.

I saw your lovely clamshell quilt on pinterest and just love it!! I'm not selling clamshell paper pieces in my shop and was wondeirng if it would be o.k. for me to add the picture of your quilt in my listings to give an example. I'd link to your blog in my listings to give you credit. Just let me know.

Thanks for considering,

Kerri :)

Carla said...

I love the english paper piecing quilt. I do a lot of that myself. Very pretty

*-* said...

Love your quilt, & interesting to see the alternative placement to be jockey's cap.
Marg does such beautiful quilt classes sure miss being able to participate, now we are living over here.