Bloom Quilt Along with Cheryll ... 2019

Cheryll is hosting a quilt along for 2019 and it's the Lori Holt Bloom Sew Along Pattern.  It was originally completed in 2016 with Lori's Calico Days fabric range.

It is gorgeous and uses an abundance of appliqued flower patterns.

All the blocks are worked in nine inch squares of white and edged with strips of all the fabrics that are used to make the flowers.  I am giving mine a teal border and matching binding in similar colours.

It has Tilda fabric written all over it and here is mine all set to go.  All fat eighths Best Pressed with Mary Ellen and the yardage cut down to the eighths that are needed and pressed.  20 pieces of white backing for each block.

The Tilda Pardon My Garden range as well as the 

Tilda Spring Diaries range which match perfectly.

I still haven't made my mind up on which applique to use, the hand or the machine method.  I love the hand method as it is invisible but I have looked at the machine method using a monofilament thread which seems invisible and I am very tempted to give it a go.  

If you would like to join us from the 8th January and finish this gorgeous quilt by June 2019 then popover here or keep an eye out for everyone's weekly blog post about their versions of the Bloom quilt.

Happy Stitching All :) xx

Merry Christmas ...

Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends and family, hope you have had a wonderful day.

Just about ready to dish up.

Table set and ready to go.

Love the Spode Christmas Tree - waited along time to get this collection.  It has been worth the wait.  It was part of my Christmas box.

Matching charger plates, crackers and napkins, without breaking the bank either.

We have now eaten and now chilling with a bottle or two and about to play a couple of boardgames - as is the Mork household tradition.

Hope you have had a great day and look forward to catching up with all your posts over the Christmas period.

Take care all xx

BLOOM Quilt-along

We are starting a quilt the Lori Holt Bloom quilt along in January 2019.

It was originally completed in 2016 but we are doing it next year and I needed a few of the tools to complete the quilt.

Lori Holt Sew Simple Shapes Bloom (Riley Blake Designs), 250 Pretty Applique Pins, Lori Holt Nifty Needles, Pellon Sew In Interfacing and last but not least the Clover Point to Point Turner.

Okay so I didn't NEED the pins and needles but I WANTED them lol.

These also fell into my basket on Amazon - how does that happen - far too easy ;)

They are 40mm suede tassels - 100 pack in 50 colours - for putting on zips and clips when making bags - the amount of colours means I will always have one to match the fabric I am using - particularly Tula Pink - a few upcoming projects.

If you are interested in joining in the Lori Holt Bloom quilt along just pop along to Cheryll here but be quick as we start stitching in January.

Hope you are managing to get in a stitch or two while getting organised for Christmas. :)

Friday Night Sew In...

Tonight I sat stitching with the girls on the Friday Night Sew In.  You can see what everyone was stitching by visiting here.

My stitching was the Shepherds Bush scissor fob kit from 2017.  It just needs the white on the sheep, but that gets done last as it will stay cleaner and a couple of pink stitches on the flower.  There should be a heart above the sheep however I like to have the year on my fobs so I know which ones I have.  I do like to change patterns slightly then they are original to me even if everybody has the kits.

Happy stitching all and a BIG thank you and shout out to Wendy who hosts the Sew-In's for us.  You are a lovely bunch of ladies to stitch with and I look forward to more in 2019.

FNSI Sign ups for last one of 2018...

Wendy is hosting the last FNSI of 2018 and sign-ups are here

Hope you can join in and will see you later for stitching. :)

Christmas countdown ...

Only a few days of baking left.  Gluten free biscotti with chocolate.  My table is set as I was testing out where I wanted to put everything.

Gluten free sausage rolls, so far I have made 68 of these beauties and as fast as I make them they disappear, so I made a sneaky batch and froze them so they can't eat them!!

A few tweaks to the Christmas tree, a bit more Disney - Mickey celebrating 90 years so we had to, chocolate tree decorations and a couple of robins.  The first lot of presents under the tree, our Chihuahua keeps guarding these - they are not hers lol.

A bit more stitching on the Shepherd's Bush 2017 Scissor Fob and it's looking okay.

A couple more stitches into the Mani Di Donna Purse.

I even managed a little retail therapy for myself this week.  My filofax top up for 2019 - I am old fashioned and love my file, I take it everywhere and I try to keep it up to date.  I spotted the Fiskars Peacock feather cutter on ebay, I have a couple of fiskars patterned ones but hadn't seen this one before - it will match my Tula Pink bag perfectly.

Look at what I also managed to bag off ebay :-0  A Tula Pink quilt kit - Sedimental.  I love, love, love Tula Pink and have a few of her fabrics since she started out so I couldn't resist.

I am sitting having a large glass of a rather delicious California Blush Zinfandel.  I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and Santa Claus brings you everything you ask for, whether it's family or gifts or a feast, enjoy yourselves and take care over the festive season from all of us in the Merk household to all of you, Merry Christmas xxxxx

Gingher Scissors ...

I have a wonderful collection of Gingher scissor collection and most of them have matching Shepherd's Bush scissor fobs (it stops people from borrowing them as they don't like the heavy cushion lol)

The full collection of Gingher 4" scissors

2017 and 2018 Shepherd's Bush Scissor fobs, I have started the 2017 one.

2017 Lauren and 2018 Eleanor Gingher Scissors.

Gingher Scissors Wren

Gingher Scissors Eve

Gingher Scissors Julia

Gingher Scissors Emily with the Shepherd's Bush All Season's scissor fob.  I never managed to find the fob that matches these scissors.

X-cut applique scissors and the Gingher Sewing Machine curved scissors.

Karen Kay Buckley Serrated Edge scissors in 4" with Halloween themed scissor fob from one of my many books.

There are a few more pairs for my embroidery and dressmaking and I am sure that I will be adding more to the collection.  I love the different designs and hope to get a full set sometime but waiting for that 'must have the set' design to appear.

Christmas ...

The Christmas tree is up - a little minimalistic to what I usually do but it is what I could manage.

All of our special baubles are on.

The fire place with my Yankee Candle angels and handmade reindeer.

Merlin had to get in on the picture showing off his perfect pose.

I will be putting other pieces up but only when I can get.  Tonight I am putting my feet up and sorting through some embroidery and sorting my scissors ( don't ask I have loads lol ).

Friday Night with Friends ....

I got all my stitching ready but back pain interfered so I ended up just binding a few more coasters for Christmas.

Bohin sharps needles, Aurifil 80 thread and Karen Kay Buckley scissors.

All six completed and they make great little stocking fillers using leftover binding from past Christmas projects.

Popover here and see what everybody else stitched.

Have a great weekend.

Physiotherapy...

Having had a little retail therapy for the last couple of days, today is physiotherapy day.  Exercises and a tens machine are key to today because I am unable to let anybody touch my back as it is too painful.  Having had the first session on Tuesday I got good and bad news.  The bad news was that it is six vertebra that have collapsed, four on the left and two on the right and they have trapped both the sensory and motor nerve in the left leg which is why I don't have feeling from the knee down in the left side.  Makes for some interesting walking and standing options lol.  The good news is with five different types of physiotherapy it is fixable without the need for scalpels but could take up to 18 months for it to fix.  All this from a fall at Easter where I broke my hand too, lesson learned, I need to be more careful when out and about.

What doesn't kill makes you stronger so they say!

Friday Night with Friends is here ...

Sign up is here

Hope you can join in on Friday the 7th December and have a night of stitching without leaving your home comforts behind.

Thanks for hosting Wendy.

Happy Stitching :)

Decision made - I will do some more work on my blackwork hare - Gillian from Inspirations Embroidery magazine.

OPAM - RSN Crewelwork completion ...

I managed a finish in November for the OPAM, my RSN Crewelwork Certificate.

Here she is after being mounted at Durham on Wednesday.

I am back there on Wednesday this week to hand all of my assessment paperwork and the completed embroidery over to Tracy Franklin and then I will start on my next piece of certificate work - the silk shading.  I have chosen a yellow rose for my piece of embroidery.

We have decided to have a night away to celebrate completing my first piece.  Last week we got caught in the most horrendous weather coming back and after we got home they closed the roads so we were very fortunate to get back at the time we did.  We are not taking the chance this week and have booked The Rouge room in Durham for dinner bed and breakfast and I can't wait.  I might even get a little Christmas shopping done on Thursday - as long as my back holds out.  It's not good at the moment as the tablets haven't started working yet.