I decided to make my interest in quilting a bit more useful in 2010 and made a couple of quilts to give as Christmas gifts.

The first of these was for Keith and Karen (andPepper!). With all of them keen on sailing I decided a nautical theme was in order and came up with all kinds of ideas, some of which I actually used!

Having chosen the picture of a yacht to use, I enlisted the help of my other brother to enlarge it to fit the available space, and also to be in scale with the picture of the black labrador I had managed to find on half a metre of fabric at a quilt show last summer! I had to show Pepper sitting on the deck!

The center panel was appliqued and then the borders were attached around the edges. I originally got the idea for this quilt when I purchased the pebble fabric on a visit to Truro.

Keith and Karen's quilt

I had initially thought of trying to embroider a dog on the deck but when I found the labrador fabric I did breathe a sigh of relief. Much easier to apllique one instead!

'Pepper on' the deck!

Not the clearest photo but you get the idea!

The second quilt I made was given to my sister-in-law, Maggie. I based the design on one I had seen in a book but modified to work with the quantity of fabric I had to use. The braids  are made from bright batik fabrics.

Maggie's Quilt

The original design had all the braids running in the same direction and next to each other.  I felt the overall design here looked better with a strip of plain fabric between the braids. The binding was also done in the batik fabric.

I was really pleesed with the finished results of both these quilts and I am planning to make another couple this year. Not sure yet who will get them or what fabric I will use but it is only February!

In the meantime though, I am going to have a go at some freeform crochet and see if I can make a dent in my yarn stash!

It has been a while since I updated this blog so it is high time I added photos of the various projects I have made so far this year!

The first two photos are of  cot quilts I have made for displaying at work. They are both based around  pre-printed panels to which I have added borders.

For the Hungry Caterpillar quilt I used strips of the pre-printed border fabric to increase the size of the panel to fit a baby’s cot.

The Hungry Caterpillar quilt

The next one is a Farmyard quilt. I adapted the pattern from the one which appears on the suppliers website because we would not be stocking the full range of fabrics. This one is also a cot size quilt.

The Farmyard qult

The next one is a Pirate’s Treasure Map playmat. Again, this was an adaptation of the pattern on the suppliers website.

Pirate's Treasure Map playmat

The fabrics and the original patterns for these quilts can be found at http://www.makoweruk.com/

The next project was a couple of costumes. One is a cute Halloween themed costume for a baby.

Pumpkin baby

The second costume was a Cinderella dress for an older child. This one was not really enjoyable to make and I think that is entirely due to the fabrics used. However, it looks effective, which is he point of the exercise! The Tinkerbell costume was made by a colleague.

Cinderella and Tinkerbell

And finally………..!

For a friend’s birthday, I made this small butterfly brooch using the butterfly yo-yo maker by Clover. The fabric used is an ivory cotton with metallic gold in a random pattern. The butterfly body is made with clear, gold and brown crystals.

Butterfly brooch

Batik Bunny

This is my latest creation. She is made of very soft cream plush and batik dyed cotton. I don’t know if she will stay with me or find a new home, but at least I remembered to take a photo of her!

We left Falmouth late morning and headed west towards the end of Cornwall. Our first stop was the beach at Cot Valley, famous for its huge pebbles.

The beach at Cot Valley

That little red dot in the photo above is Keith setting up his equipment to get some cool shots of the beach. These pebbles make you feel as though you are at a beach in the Land of the Giants or somewhere!

Balancing act

As we all took the time to get some interesting photos, we saw several groups of hikers on the coastal walk. Too energetic for me!!

Waiting for the picnic

Taking in the view

Land's End in the distance

St Helen's Oratory, Cape Cornwall

A Highland cow!

Another view of St Helen's Oratory

We headed back to Falmouth after a quick stop at Pendeen Lighthouse. 

With thanks to Keith and Karen for some of these photos.

We took a picnic with us and after parking the car, we ate our lunch so we didn’t have to carry it with us!

Picnic time!

Before we left on our walk, we let Pepper play in the river.

Swimming in the river

Can I have my stick back please?

We decided to start with the Lady Vale Walk which is an easy 3km, and see how we felt when we reached the junction with the Wheal Glynn Walk, 1 1/2km described as ’short and strenuous’!

Woodland explorers

We gave ourselves a photographic challenge as we walked. The plan was to get the best animal shot (probably a dog called Pepper!), the best photo of moss or litchen, and the best shot of something man-made.  Of course we also took photos of anything else that took caught our eye!

Me and my favourite dog!

When we reached the far end of Lady Vale Walk we decided we had enough energy to tackle the extra loop up to see the old lead and silver mine at Wheal Glynn.

The old engine house and chimney at Wheal Glynn mine

Another view of the the old engine house, Wheal Glynn mine

When we had photgraphed the old engine house from all sides we headed back down the hill to rejoin Lady Vale Walk.

Keith and Karen checking the route

As we got to the bottom of the hill we turned right towards Lady Vale Bridge, which takes its name from the Chapel of Our Lady that stood beside the river during the 12th century.

Lady Vale Bridge

Side view of Lady Vale Bridge

Karen and Pepper in a cave!

One of the spectacular views

Keith and Karen on the beach

Close up of the sandcastle

Swimmer in the clouds!

I arrived in Falmouth about 5.15pm on Wednesday 9th September having spent nearly six hours travelling by train from Winchester. As I waited at Penmere station for Karen to collect me, I decided to record the fact that the sky was blue and the weather was good! Why? Well the last time I was in Falmouth it rained most of the time!

Blue sky at Penmere Station

We headed home to collect Keith and Pepper, so that Pepper could have some exercise…… and we could get some fish and chips for dinner!

We went up to Pendennis Point and took Pepper down to a little cove where she was able to swim, one of her favourite activities.

Pepper swimming at Pendennis Point

She thoroughly enjoyed chasing her floating toy and running back up the rocks, to get us wet if she could!

There's nothing like a good shake!

The following day Pepper and I walked along the cliffs to the fields above  Swanpool so that she could have a good run, and yes, it was another sunny day!

Gyllyngvase Beach, Falmouth

The view across the bay was superb and the sunshine was accompanied by a pleasant breeze. Pepper had a great time chasing her ball, and meeting other dogs. She even took time out to pose for the camera!

This is my best side!

By the time we got back home, we were both flagging and while I spent the afternoon reading, Pepper shared her bed with her octopus! Well, nearly!!

Nap time!

The next time we took Pepper to the cove at Pendennis, we walked round the moat of Pendennis Castle.

Walking the moat at Pendennis Castle

When we got to the Point we bought ice creams for us and a milk lolly for Pepper. The tide was out so we could investigate the small beach.

Exploring the cove

Having re-packed my bags the night before, I got up to have my last breakfast in Poppy Cottage. The plan was to spend the day at Sandringham before heading in to Kings Lynn for me to catch the train home in the early evening.

The drive across Norfolk was uneventful although we did get caught behind a ‘Sunday driver’ who was out a couple of days early!  We arrived at Sandringham at about 11.30am and having checked out the gift shop and resaurant for visiting later, we head in to the grounds of the estate to look round the house before having lunch.

Sandringham, Norfolk

It was fascinating to walk through the rooms in the house and hear about the items on display from the very knowledgeable staff. Unlike some stately homes, the rooms that we saw were almost cosy! Even the room that had been used as a ballroom did not feel too large.

We headed back to the restaurant and had an excellent lunch before wandering through the magnificent gardens.

View across the lake at Sandringham, Norfolk

The museum at Sandringham is house in the Stables. It contains an exhibit detailing the history of the house and a collection of vehicles, both full size and child size, that have belonged or been presented to, various members of the Royal Family over the years.

The Museum in The Stables, Sandringham, Norfolk

As we left the museum, we realised we had enouh time to walk around the lower part of the gardens before making a short visit to the Church on the way back to the car. The interior of the church is dominated by the large silver altar.

Sandringham Parish Church, Norfolk

We left Sandringham at about 4.30pm and drove in to Kings Lynn in time for me to catch the 5.36pm train back to Kings Cross. At least going home I didn’t have to get a bus for part of the journey!

Mind you, I wouldn’t recommend trying to take two suitcases on the escalators on the Tube! Apart from that, the journey home was only spoiled by having diet coke spilt on me, but it could have been worse! It could have been a hot drink!

Now I am looking forward to my next break away in September!

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The day started out sunny with fluffy white clouds as we headed to Fairhaven Woodland and Water Gardens near South Walsham, Norfolk. It comprises of 131 acres of ancient woodland, water gardens and a private broad.

 We decided to take another boat ride and walked down to the broad where we found the small boat that would give us a 20 minute tour  of the private and adjoining public broad.

Fairhaven boat trip

After the boat trip we followed the trails through the woodlands, over bridges  and alongside the water.

Old oak tree at Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, Norfolk

We had a cup of tea and a toasted teacake in the cafe before heading back to Poppy Cottage via the supermarket at North Walsham to get ’supplies’ for the journey home the next day!

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Low tide at Moreston Quay

When we finally headed out it took us about 20 minutes to reach the sandspit  to see the seals and seabirds. The Blakeney Point sandbank has built up over the last 300 years so would not have been there when John Of Gaunt was living down the coast near Mundesley! We did see some seals. A few were out in the water swimming around the boats, while four were basking on the sands. These were Common seals.

Common seals on Blakeney Point

We decided not to get off the boat and walk to the old lifeboat station on the point, instead staying on the boat and going back to have our picnic. After that we got back in the car and headed for Sheringham. We wandered around the shops for a short while before heading for the beach.

Fishing boats at Sheringham

We decided it was time for a cup of tea and found a nice table outside overlooking the sea. Just as we started to enjoy it, the rain came so we packed everything up and headed inside where we consoled ourselves with a cream scone each! As the rain got harder we headed back to the cottage and spent the evening watching dvds.

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Woke up to better weather, although it was still cloudy. We left Poppy Cottage at about 10.30am to drive to Aylsham where we were going to join the Bure Valley Narrow Gauge Railway to Wroxham. It is a 9 mile journey and takes about 50 minutes.

Anne by Spitfire, The Bure Valley Railway

On arrival in Wroxham we walked in to the town and visited ‘Roys’ which is advertised as the biggest village store in the world! We sat and had a cup of tea overlooking the river watching the boats before returning to the station to catch the 3.30pm train back to Aylsham. We had a brief look around the town, It didn’t take long!

Arrived back at Poppy Cottage and as it was a lovely sunny evening we decided to investigate the field at the bottom of the garden and find the pond that had been mentioned in the guest book.

Poppy

It also gave us a good view of John of Gaunt’s House, which was just down the road from Poppy Cottage. John of Gaunt was the fourth son of King Edward III and was born in 1340. Hard to believe this house is over 600 years old!

John of Gaunt's House, Gimingham, Norfolk

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