Tuesday 28 June 2022

Prettiest Quilt Shop, Crocheted Hexagon Blanket, Plaid Tilda Flimsy, Strawberry Season

 Remember I shared with you I had taken a fall last month? It is mostly better; I still feel a twinge when I lie on my left side a certain way. I must have bruised a muscle there. I mention this again because it reminded me about a blog I used to follow faithfully, the Carolina Stitcher. Faye, back in 2019, took a very bad fall which broke her arm in two places and shattered her elbow. Her son gave several updates on her blog but then nothing. Just wonder what happened to her. Anybody know??  As for myself, I've not kept Ned on a leash since. Hubby always thought it unnecessary and me too much of a worrywart which is my middle name so no escaping that bit. But do be careful everyone!

We made a couple of stops on our way home from the doctor's last week...where hubby got a clean bill of health thankfully btw. July is his birthday month...going to be 83!

First stop was at Paisleys Quilt Shop on Carp Road. Prettiest quilt shop I've ever visited and there was the owner, Madonna, sitting at the counter embroidering a piece from French General. (Here is a link to their embroidery page if you'd like to take an online look.)

Madonna's Pretty Photo-She made all the quilts on display. 
Talk about me being in heaven! So many beautiful quilts, kits and fabrics. Truthfully, I felt a little overwhelmed by the selection of Morris, Free Spirit, and French General fabrics all so beautifully displayed.  I felt like my eyes kept darting everywhere. That ever happen to you? Also so many beautiful books and novelty items having to do with Morris and /or quilting.  I bought something rather boring...the thinnest batting Madonna had for sale.

But something beautiful came home with me too. A William Morris inspired drink bottle. It's like holding a little work of art.
While still on a high from the quilt shop-well I was, Hubby not so much :D, we stopped in at the local berry farm and bought strawberries, the first of the season.  We've enjoyed a bowl each night but the remainder will have to be frozen. It's one of the things on my To Do list.

Below is the Jane Brocket inspired crocheted hexagon blanket I made in 2017. I'm re-sharing this for the sweet Patricia of  Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer blog who is hoping to make one and wanted to see mine. This one is worth its weight in gold; no, I'm not kidding. On a whim I ordered real wool from Australia and blithely looked through the online site, Adding to Cart all the colours that took my fancy. It is by far the best wool ever to go through these fingers but the price was much more than I am accustomed to paying, let's just say. Amazon link to Jane's books. Doesn't seem like she is still blogging though old quilting and yarn posts are available here at Yarnstorm and well worth a look.

And I accomplished my OMG for June linking with Elm Street Quilts - for once. Happy to report I finished Plaid Tilda to the mostly flimsy stage. 55 x 80 or thereabouts. 
Pattern is from the book, Quilts From Tilda's Studio by Tone Finnanger.  
And now that I have the batting, there is no excuse not to get it all done. 
My flotsam drawer is calling me. It's been crying out for a while. Do you have one of those??? It's rather sad to say that I work hard at not having such a drawer yet despite my best efforts there it is! All chockablock with the flotsam and jetsam of everyday life.  I've been needing to sort it for awhile and I will be listening to an audio book while I do it.  I have to think that my time is well spent, every minute of it, these days. 
I'd love it if you meet me back here on Thursday for more ramblings including Three Free on Thursday links. 


21 comments :

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I seem to recall a blog where someone had fallen and broke her arm in two places I hope it was one of those situations where she just stopped blogging but is ok.. Yes if you do not need to keep your dog on a leash on your own land then I wouldn't - less chance of falling again. I love all your projects. I too when I go into a quilt shop that has many fabrics on display artfully done find it too much to concentrate - too much beauty for eyes to settle on just a few perhaps. I guess between that and not having any near by shops makes it easier to shop on line. The crochet blanket is beautiful I will need to check out her site. Now because you are in Canada and she is in Australia do you get a better shipping deal then us in the United States - you all being under the flag of the United Kingdom I mean - better rates? I wasn't sure how that worked.

Vicki in MN said...

Your crocheted hexagons are so gorgeous in all it's fun colors. And the water bottle how fun, perhaps I would drink more water then, LOL

abelian said...

Being a resident of North Carolina, I was curious about Carolina Stitcher. A 2020 post on her blog (the most recent one) says that she is on Facebook and Instagram as "Carolina Stitcher Finishing". I found a few recent posts on FB. She seems to be finishing other stitchers' pieces now. I like your hexagons! Dot

Quilting Babcia said...

Love your Tilda plaid quilt top! That will be so lovely and cuddly after it is quilted. Will you hand quilt it?

Jackie's Stitches said...

Faye is very active on Instagram and seems to have made a full recovery. She has a cross stitch finishing business.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Your Tilda quilt is just beautiful, Jocelyn! Congratulations on getting that all together. The strawberries look yummy - freshly picked are just the best! That's a fun link to the French General site. Lots of pretty designs there!

loulee said...

It's good to read that you have recovered from your fall.
I love to discover new to me quilting shops, especially if they are those Aladdin's caves where each turn reveals new and beautiful treasure. Yes, I've been overwhelmed by them too.

Jenny said...

Fresh strawberries are delicious, enjoy yours. It will be some time till strawberry season arrives here. We often have them with cereal for breakfast. It's always so nice to visit a pretty quilt shop. I often get overwhelmed with all the stock on show. It's not so bad if I go into the shop knowing I'm going to buy this or that.

Carolyn said...

I actually have a flotsam closet. When I clean up my sewing area, I throw all the untrimmed pieces in there to be dealt with later. I am curious to know why you bought the thinnest batting available.

Jackie said...

I have never learned to crochet (well just single crochet at one point and I think I have forgotten how) and your hexagon blanket makes me wish I had continued.

Love the water bottle and the flimsy.

God bless.

Brian's Home Blog said...

That blanket is so pretty and those berries look so good!

PaintedThread said...

Ooh. That water bottle is gorgeous. Look at those strawberries! Yay for the clean bill of health!

piecefulwendy said...

Your water bottle is so pretty, and those strawberries look so delicious on that pretty plate! Glad you are mending well, too! Your quilts are looking great!

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Glad hubby is doing well, hoping your shoulder gets better soon, and I LOVE the hexagon afghan - so vibrant and pretty! Hugs

Libby in TN said...

We call it the "junk drawer," but I like your name better. In it we keep scissors, measuring tapes, Sharpies, rubber bands, bread bag twisties, pliers, keys to the church ... I could go on, but you get the idea. I don't even bother to organize it. Love your Morris jug, by the way.

gladiquilts said...

Great to start my day with 2 of your posts! Love your bird photos and enjoy seeing the progress of your projects. Falling is a major danger for those of us who are older and we need to be constantly on the watch for anything that could trip us up. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed several blogs I used to follow disappear. The first thing I do is check Instagram, because a lot of bloggers moved to Instagram instead. I believe you can check there, even if you don’t have an account. Of course, major life changes, including illness and death account for some , maybe many, of those disappearances. We need to cherish each day! Have a great weekend!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

What a fabulous water bottle!! it is a little piece of art to drink out of!!!
And the berries - they look so yummy!!
Plaid Tilda is beautiful!

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

Plaid Tilda looks wonderful and I hope you have fun quilting and finishing it up!

Carol Andrews said...

Jocelyn your Tilda quilt looks lovely. I quite enjoyed the link to your quilt shop. I think it’s a good thing I’m not closer or I would be in trouble every time I stopped in with all of their lovely treasures. I’m glad you are feeling better and that your hubby got a clean bill of health. Celebrating with your Morris bottle and those lovely strawberries is perfect! 😉

Magpie's Mumblings said...

It's sad that so many bloggers seem to have given up (or moved to Instagram). There are several that I truly miss but I'm not about to join Instagram just to see if they're there.
What a joy to explore a wonderful quilt shop - something I haven't done in over three years. I've managed to replace them with online shops but it's not the same as being able to touch the fabrics in real life.
And that wonderful afghan - beautiful! And worth every penny you spent on that yarn.

MargaretP said...

Hi Joselyn, your crochet rug is beautiful, such lovely colours.If you would like some more good quality Australian wool have a look at Bendigo Woollen Mills and Nundle Woollen Mills, both have good choice and are quite reasonably priced.