Beautiful Quilts

I live in a very small village with a shop, a school, a pub and a church and a whole lot of talent! Yesterday I went to an exhibition in the church by a group of 6 local ladies. This quilting group meets once a week in one lady's house and these are the results of their labours. I was truly amazed by their work sadly my little camera doesn't really do them justice.

The wall hanging quilt below depicted one lady's house etc and the work is very detailed lots of different textures too.

This quilt wasn't one of the groups makes but was made in the 1920's in Dakota, a very thin summer quilt, beautiful piece of work!

Some gorgeous figures

and cushions too.

It has definately given me the push I needed to finish my cactus basket quilt started a long long time ago so watch this space! The one at the top of this post took about 16 years so there hope for me yet. They also had some fabric for sale, I thought it would be rude to come away empty handed :D

Now I'm off to do something very exciting indeed ............. todays the day I get my chickens! We went to choose them last night a brown Silkie, a black Maran and a white Light Sussex.

Birds, Blocks & Bake.

I was in my kitchen cooking earlier watching the birds through the patio doors & it reminded me that I hadn't blogged my bird photos. In the Autumn I moved the bird table etc right outside of my patio doors as we only use the doors in the Summer. The downside of this is I'm forever taking photos through the glass when I should be cooking a meal :D

Robin.

I think this Blackbird decided that there were tastier morsels under the house so squeezed in there.

Mistle Thrush

Pied Wagtail

Not a great photo as I had to zoom to the end of the garden but this was a Fieldfare sitting on my bay tree as far as I'm aware we haven't had one of these in the garden before.

And my little Blackcap who I blogged about after seeing him for the first time on Christmas day, well he's been back every day since and there is now a Mrs Blackcap! She has only been visiting here for the last week & is quite timid although bossy, to the other birds, & very photo shy but I will get a photo in the end, incidently she has brown cap.

Now an update on the string quilt challenge, I really love making string blocks it is seriously addictive. I've cut strips from all of my patterned cotton fabrics these are mainly florals it has to be said!

And I've made 30 blocks so far, these are only roughly trimmed at the moment. I have a few things in mind what I'm going to make a few small projects and a quilt then I'm going to attack my Globaltex stash to make some cushions. Excuse the dull photos the light here is not good at the moment.

And for a change in the evenings I've started another crochet blanket this time I'm using Yvestown blog's pattern the inner circles are the same as my hexagon one and these will have another row to square them off in a very pale cream. I've done about 40 so far so I'm getting there, I know I should've finished my second hexagon & my ripple first but I do really love this one so simple too.

52 week recipe challenge - we've now done a creamy mushroom soup, which I did fiddle around with slightly, a delicious soup and I got a chance to photograph my latest CS find 4 soup bowls.

Then another bake this time a lemon cake with crunchy topping, this also went down a treat!

This weeks recipe is for a country cottage pie, which I made on Monday after looking at the ingredients and just guessed the method. I haven't got a photo as I had to make it ahead of a Governors meeting it had been devoured by the time I got home although they did save me some. All the recipes can be found at Debbie's blog here

And finally I'll leave with proof that Spring is on it's way Tete a Tete's in my kitchen and

snowdrops in my garden.

Now my hook is calling.