The Mystery Wall Hanging Has A New Home

If you remember reading about the Mystery Wall Hanging, then you will be interested to hear that it has now crossed the Atlantic.  My sister in law, Mary Ann, offered it to her brother Bob, and he gladly accepted.  However, he lives in Baltimore, rather a long way from Surrey, so he has had to wait a few months.  Rather than risk putting the hanging in a packet and trust the post, we decided it would be best for Mary Ann to take it with her the next time she visited him.  She made the trip to the USA earlier this month, and yesterday I received a message from Bob, plus the photo.  Here is what he said:- 

We have hung it over the stairs so we see it every morning as we come down to breakfast! 

I deliberately captured the "Good Morning Sunshine"  plaque on the lower wall though the text is a bit small to see.

The hang arrangement is interesting.
Without thinking about it much I bought the wooden dowel and figured I would have to cut it to size or get some hooks etc.
We had not even decided where to hang it at this point.

Just for giggles I threaded the dowel through the loops and placed it over the stairs.
It was just the right size to wedge there. No cutting needed. Must be divine providence.

So that's where it will hang.

Definitely a happy ender!  Thanks for the picture, Bob!

A Picture for Sunday - Leaded Glass

Painted glass at Tyntesfield.  I love the repair to the broken pane at the top right.  Nothing like a strip of lead to fix things.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 116 - Rain and More Rain

Eerie timing... the day I stitched the pouring rain was the greyest and wettest for a very long time.

And I mean wet.  This is just down the hill from our house.

The project for the 12 x 12 exhibition is now complete except for a bit of hand stitched detail, so if the daylight improves I should have photos to show next week.

Meanwhile, I am working on a second, super-quick quilt for the exhibition.  It too shall remain a mystery for the time being...

... but I can tell you that there is some rudimentary free motion quilting and four buttonholes.  There shall be no buttons to match.

Here goes for week 116...

The project in Week 115 that caught my eye was Gwyned's ice cool creation, Siren's Song.   If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

A Picture for Sunday - Fan Vaulting

Extraordinary fan vaulting on the ceiling of St Malachy's church in Belfast.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 115 - A Few More Lines

When children leave home and both end up in Ireland, sewing has to wait its turn.  Last week I had six days away visiting my daughter in Belfast and then my son in County Wicklow, so there isn't much difference between this photo of my 12 x 12 project and the last one, except perhaps that this is a worse photo.  The weather is rubbish, and my camera can't cope with the poor light indoors.  Perhaps I shall have something rather more fascinating to show next week.

While visiting my son I was delighted to be able to give this boy or girl quilt to my future daughter in law's sister for her brand new baby boy!

Here goes for week 115...

The project in Week 114 that caught my eye was Bernie's lovely colourful baby quilt.   If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

A Picture for Sunday - Tyntesfield Chapel

Dreamy Victorian Gothic.  This chapel and the adjacent house and estate are visible from our upstairs windows, which probably explains why I have only just got round to visiting them.  This video is fun, too.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 114 - Steady Progress

Not finished yet, perhaps about a third of the way there... It will be done by the end of the month, and I shall keep it secret from now on because I am making it for an exhibition in December.  All shall be revealed soon enough.

Here goes for week 114...

A special welcome to Paula, the first blogger to link up from Brazil.

Paula has enjoyed a quick quilting course recently and is thrilled with the results, and I can see why!  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

A Picture for Sunday - Short Days

A glorious sunset over the Bristol Channel, taken just before 5 o'clock last Tuesday.  The days are getting shorter.  The idea of hibernating is rather tempting.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 113 - Not Pink

Girl or boy?  That's the burning question when making a quilt for a baby that has not yet been born. 

I pieced all the strips of squares some months ago and stashed them away with the intention of making cradle quilts specifically for baby boys, so none of the prints are the slightest bit girly and the colours are strong and functional.

Some of my favourite nursery prints have made a reappearance - planes, trains, and toys pegged on the line...

...and there's a little bit of fun and nonsense in the binding.

The blue and grey butterfly print backing is a definite nod towards a baby blue colour scheme, whereas the quilt top has a pink look about it.  The funny thing is that there are only the minutest touches of actual pink in one or two of the squares.  It's all a matter of perception.

The fabric strips between the strips of squares are a cream colour with a grid pattern printed in dark red.  The border fabric is a tiny gingham print in rusty red and beige, averaging out to a colour I associate with too much fake tan.  But if you think girl, and look at the quilt as a whole, you see it as pink.

So, job done!  A baby quilt for a boy or a girl with a shifting colour perspective, achieved by accident.

I shall be going away visiting next week, so this quilt will find its way to its new home very soon, by which time the baby might have already arrived.  All the quilting was done on my 1945 Singer 15K treadle, and the piecing and binding on my 1916 Singer 99K.  The 100 year age gap between machine and baby should add a little entertainment value.

Here goes for week 113...

The project in Week 112 that caught my eye was Karen's quilt made from a rescued vintage top - gorgeous!  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia and Ireland have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up to Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Nina Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.