Collections 3- quilted hangings

Today you are getting two collections in one!

First ~ two quilts I have made to bring some colour to the walls of the apartment here in Chiang Mai. 

The top one is just strips of plain colours that I love and randomly sewed together- not the flattest quilt on the block but I could pretend the waviness signified something!

The second quilt was made after I returned from our fab holiday to Santa Fe, Taos and Seattle last summer. Many of the fabrics were bought in quilt shops in those 3 cities.

Second ~ a collection of old Thai teak temple timbers that we have been gathering here in Chiang Mai. We were looking for one piece to hang the Santa Fe quilt from 

but discovered this treasure trove of timber and came home with 10 or more! 

Most not hanging anywhere yet!

Footnote- we returned this time and sadly the salvage yard is gone - a new warehouse is being built there. 

Making a special space

Last week I was reflecting on sacred as part of the Unravelling course I am on. 

Some of my fellow unravellers had special places within their home 

and that made me think about where I could create the same. 

 I realised that I am never in one space consistently but wanted to create a talisman that I can draw strength from wherever I write

 - which I try to do every morning.

Why not quilt a mat that will always be under my journal? I thought. 

Maybe it can store up good thoughts to appear on the page? Well you get my drift.

 Long story cut short - I was searching amongst bookmarked pages when I was reminded of 

a 'ticker tape' quilt I had seen on Flickr.

Below is my effort - using favourite fabrics and colours.

 Now I write on it (not literally) every morning.

Maybe I need one under my keyboard too!

Here's to special places. 
Do check out my new adventure here

You can find instructions on how to make your own ticker-tape quilt at both these inspiring blogs sewmamasew or crazymomquilts.

Thoughts on Ideas and Creativity

Ideas...
~something I am accused of having too many of.
~something that wakes me up at 3 am and brings me to my computer screen
~something I am thinking about having read a marvellous list of quotes on quirksltd at 3am
~some of which I would like to share with you today.............


Linus Pauling: "The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas, then throw the bad ones away."
Ok here are some of my good ideas from 2010, a year I want to be overflowing with good ideas
~ January I started doing an 8 week online course called Unravelling. This has led me to meet, read and do much that excites me.
~ starting a 365 -flickr group which has led me to take a photo every day since I started on Feb 14th and reconnect with friends. Although I was the only common link at the start, we really are becoming a group who know each other. Think about starting one yourself, it is a lot of fun.
~ deciding to make 2 quilts a month - at least one for charity.

This is made for an ISB project to give to a sheltered home for young adults with mental challenges

~ committing to writing a book on .... you'll see later!

~ starting work with a life coach to help me get to the next stage!

Anonymous: "Exhilaration is that feeling you get just after a great idea hits you and just before you realise what is wrong with it."

This happens every time I have an idea to write on this blog and now I am writing it I am feeling the second part! Hope you will indulge me by reading to the end.

Scott Adams: "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."

My blog clearly shows I don't now yet.... but thanks for reading it regardless

Mary Lou Cook: "Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun."

That sums up for me what it's all about and I am trying to find it in the photos I take and the people I am with.

Having fun in Beijing art district last week with friends over from Denmark

Maya Angelou: "You can't use up creativity. The more you use it, the more you have."

So on with the next photo, quilt, chapter and whatever new things come my way.

Albert Einstein: "Creativity is courageous. Pass it on."

So thanks to all those wonderful friends and blogs who keep passing it on to me. 

I'd be nowhere without you - Astrid, Linda, Kendra, Anne, Pia, Mai, Ayumi, Beth and many more.

The most treasured gift - I never received

This morning in my email box was a lovely message from my daughter Astrid and a beautiful photo of a quilt. This is what she wrote to me on my birthday - "It was my first little quilt... supposed to be a Thai temple dog at sunrise for your Chiang Mai apartment! Anyway, sorry it never made it to you, but I wanted you to know that my first quilt was made for you!"

I feel this is the most treasured gift I received today - but didn't.

Sadly the chinese post is very unreliable and things often don't arrive... but this is the hardest thing to lose. 

But the thought that went into this makes me so warm inside.

I was exceptionally lucky today to spend it with friends, husband and younger daughter - beautiful gifts and warm words. 

Just what I needed to start the next year of my life.

Thanks to everyone who made the start of my next year a special one.

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. --Leo Buscaglia 

Quilting in Beijing

What a week we had together. 

Five friends from Copenhagen - reunited in Beijing.

By day we saw the sights 

and 

by night we sewed.

We each finished our quilt tops.

 Chinese coins was the design we all worked on.

Each of our quilts uses a little fabric from the other four.

The white Buddha in my garden 

served as a beautiful model for the quilts.

Hope they bring some colour to your day.

Organising and getting things finished

Hmmm... seems like everything I start up on my post does not get finished - did you not notice an absence of wolf moon textile hanging? Where is the house quilt that was supposed to be finished in a week? 
Well today I am trying to tie these ends up. What has made the difference? My new super duper work room reorganised and refurnished and full of inspiration again.
Before:
I don't know how I dare admit to this state of chaos!

Yesterday Ian assembled the new desks and storage (yes, it is handy having a husband who likes shopping in IKEA!) and I spent the day trying to organise all my fabrics and stuff. How do I come to have so many notebooks? They must be breeding in the many boxes they have been stored in.
Hope you enjoy taking a look and if you are ever short of fabric you know where to come! (I have lots more in the basement too.)
After:
I just love the new look.

So here is what I managed for my full moon piece - I feel it is a work in progress. Couldn't manage to make a wolf - imagine him just off the canvas!

Unfortunately I broke my sewing machine needle on a tough bit and now my machine makes an awful sound when I sew! Think the wolf had something to say about being missed off! 
I cleaned, oiled and reassembled the bobbin bit 4 times - to no avail. So that is a bit of a challenge since there are no Bernina mechanics here in Beijing. I don't know if I dare take it to a repair man here. Maybe Mr IKEA can take a look as he is on a roll at the moment.


As for the house quilt - it is delayed as I have to finish a quilt for a school project - we are making quilts for some mentally challenged young people who are just about to move out of their orphanage (they have to leave at age 18 in China) and will be together in a sheltered home, in part paid for by our school, International School of Beijing. I am making a quilt for one of the girls - but now I face quilting it with my machine making a clunk at every stitch sewn! No - I am not going to hand quilt it!! Maybe the elves will mend it in the night... or better still - quilt it!
Hope you have an inspiring/ organising weekend too.

Muffins anyone?

Well I had this great idea to make Friday my food blogging day. However Ian's birthday took over and so though I plenty of eating on Friday, it has taken 2 days to get round to sharing!
Hmmm ... Friday started for me at 4.30am - I had not finished sewing the quilt I was giving to Ian that day, so it started early for me. I had it all done by 6.30am but then had to make some special muffins for breakfast because I had been so busy sewing all day Thursday I had forgotten to buy anything special for his birthday breakfast!! 
Are you like me - loads of muffin recipes but can never remember which is the really good one? I decided to try a new one - partly because I had the ingredients and partly because it gave me an excuse to get out my everso much loved red Kitchenaid mixer.
As you see from the photo - the muffins did good and Ian felt properly celebrated. 
So if you would like to try them here is the recipe:

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Preheat oven : 375F or 190C

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups (500ml) all purpose flour

1Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup (175ml) sugar

finely grated zest of one lemon

1/2 cup (125ml) butter, softened

2 eggs - at room temp

1/2 cup (125ml) whole milk

1 cup (250ml) fresh or frozen blueberries

1Tbsp flour

Glaze: 

3/4 cup icing sugar- sifted

1.5 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

To make:

1. In a medium bowl mix the 2 cups of flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Place sugar, lemon zest and butter in the mixer bowl. Attach the flat beater (if using a Kitchen-aid). Set to speed 4 and beat till light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Stop the mixer and scrape down every so often. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again. Set to speed 2 and beat in flour mix alternately with milk. Remove the mixer and scrape the bowl.
3. In a small bowl lightly toss the blueberries with 1 Tbsp of flour. Use a large spatula to carefully fold the blueberries into the batter.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake in the lower middle of the oven for 20 -25 minutes - or until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing the muffins to a rack.
5. Meanwhile prepare the glaze by whisking together the sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Brush n the warm muffins.

Recipe from ‘The Mixer Bible’ by Meredith Deeds and Carla Snyder

Oh and in case you wanted to see the quilt - here it is. The reason I was so rushed was because I only started on it 4 days beforehand. From my amassed piles of shirting fabrics I included some squares from his favourite old, red twill, gingham Thomas Pink shirt. In fact it was news to Ian that the red twill shirt was no longer in his wardrobe! But it lives on now - 3 squares down from Rufus's nose ( who is searching for muffin crumbs I think).

Let me know if you try the muffins and how they taste.

houses on every quilt

Started a new quilt today.......I have got a theme for the year ... houses.

Every quilt I make this year is going to have a house on it somewhere - maybe everywhere.

I was inspired by some photos I found on flickr for best house quilt ever and had to give it a try. Rather than white  background I am going for grey...... my new fave colour. Yes turquoise is still a love but just after grey now.

So with 30 house blocks to make, I am aiming to make 6 a day and have it done in a week.

Feeling very motivated this year- must be the unravelling course I am doing. Just love it.

I hope that by focussing my creativity on houses, I will find the house of my dreams this year - near the sea and in the Suffolk (UK). 

I'll keep you posted and have you round for tea when I find it.