From the sublime to the ridiculous?

I am still having problems with blogger turning my photos ninety degrees, this one was taken as a landscape not a portrait and look what happened when I uploaded it.  I know that I am not the only person who is suffering from this problem coz Sally http://quiltfeather.blogspot.com/ reported it too.  Anyway, I don't have time tonight to mess about and delete it.  So I hope you like it anyway as it was shown to me by a friend at our EG meeting on Thursday and is a supreme example of crazy quilting. So thank you Marilyn. I have a sneaking feeling that she is going to make some more blocks like this one and if she does will try and show them to you. As you know I bought a book on the subject recently but have not had time yet to make much progress on anything to do with crazy quilting, although I can say that it has been a crazy week so far.......

This next shot is the inside of a carpet bag I am trying to complete. I know it looks really bright but I thought hey why not? Again I took this shot as a landscape and its come out as turned around by blogger  grrrrrrr.

But you can see the little black tape with the clasp? on the end for my keys and also the large black pockets edged with bright pink velvet  yumm. On the other side is another deep pocket edged in silvery black for my purse.  The base of the inside is pink velvet and the sides are this really lovely flower print. I have not finished the bag yet and when I do I will post it up. I hope I can fit it in this week as Wednesday is Cumbria Patchworkers and we are making a Christmas Stocking .... seems every year I get to make one. Actually, my lovely DD in California has received 2 so far so I can think of a home for this one too........

Next up is the Viking... yes I know it's another terrible photo but what can I do? He was standing straight when I took him and when I UPLOADED  it went down hill from there.... I won't show him so large as he might frighten you!  Actually his appearance was not frightening at all it was supposed to be but no I felt quite at home, must have been the grey beard and beer belly.

He did give a very good talk about the Vikings to the ladies at Keswick Embroiderers Guild on Thursday and if you want to see some photos I took of some of the textiles he brought along I sent them onto Lesley to post on the blog which is http://keswickembroiderers.blogspot.com/ or you can find a link to it in my favourite blogs. He was a nice chap ex Royal Marines and he seemed to enjoy showing off in the gear...If you want him to come and visit you then go check him out http://www.vikingasaga.co.uk/

Lastly, I was up Helvellyn on Saturday in very wintry conditions with Bella and so no photos, anyway, you would not want to see us both sitting there on the top trying to keep warm whilst waiting for the others coming up Striding Edge. We waited and waited... with figures lurking out of the mist but no DH and his mates until at last they came. Bella and I had eaten our lunch by then and were nearly about to set off back down the way we came to Swirls carpark. As usual the top was swarming with people who all came up in odd assorted groups, some even in jeans the idiots.....they would not have been able to wait on the top for over an hour like Bella and I. So it is quite a relief to be sat here at my laptop with Bella asleep by the door because the wood burning stove is too warm for her......Pile more on I say as it has gone quite chilly in Cumbria.

Wonderful bloggies & Birthday doggies

I wanted to draw your attention to one of the blogs on my list run by Gina. http://ginaferrari.blogspot.com/ Her blog is called Fan My Flame and she is making a book using lace and people's memories for a final project for her "Fine Art Embroidery" module. Go take a look at her latest posting for a lovely idea being turned into something very special.

I can't really let today pass without posting another photo of Bella because she is 3 today and the weather has been so bad in the Lakes all day so we actually went up Latrigg yesterday to take her special day photos. She has spent most of today lying in front of the wood burner and dreaming. She really is cute when she dreams because she utters little tiny woofs inside her which can just be heard and they never seem to wake her up. I think she is a bit of a ventriloquist because when we leave the house for walkies she always grabs at the lead and drags us to the gate then as we set off down the street she barks like mad still with the lead firmly clenched in her little teeth. Our neighbours think she is so funny as they often see her taking us for a walk.....

You can see that Blencathra has already got a dusting of snow on the top and when we were in Scotland last week climbing another Munro the snow was well down and it was blowing a gale at the summit trig point. So it looks like the winter won't be long in coming but yesterday the sun beamed on us and we had soup and sandwiches on the top of the hill for lunch.
I have not been doing any sewing lately because I have been catching up with a few household chores since the Keswick Rambles guided walks finished at the end of October, but I hope to be back in action on the sewing machine very soon because I am missing it not to mention all the other ufo's I have. Tomorrow though, I am expecting a new fridge so that I can put the old one in the garden shed (overflow area for his beer and fruit juice etc) as we often find we just don't have enough room for all our fresh food. We are both keen cooks but we do like to do everything from scratch if we possibly can so that means we need lots of fresh produce, so hopefully that problem will now be sorted, so onto the next one.....now where did I put my unfinished quilt?