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National Memorial Arboretum - Alrewas - Photos

National Memorial Arboretum – Alrewas – Photos

National Memorial Arboretum

I visited the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas earlier this year.  This was officially opened in May 2001 and is a moving tribute to our armed services.  This is the official description of it:

A spiritually uplifting place which honours the fallen, recognises service and sacrifice, and fosters pride in our country.

It is now run by a charity with countless…

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Curved Log Cabin Quilt Pattern

Curved Log Cabin Quilt Pattern

Curved log cabin quilt

My curved log cabin quilt pattern has turned out really well – well I think so, anyway!  I’ve used the basic log cabin quilt block but with different sized logs.  This means that the red square which began in the middle of the block actually ends up way off centre.  Traditionally, the central square of a log cabin block is red to represent the fire in the hearth of a log…

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Warwick Castle - Photos

Warwick Castle – Photos

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle is one of those places that I had always intended to visit but as it’s nearby I hadn’t quite managed a trip there until recently.  After all, it has been there since 1068 so I felt that it was likely to be around for a while yet.  What a lovely castle it is with lots of activities.

The castle lies on the River Avon and you can see at the front of the photo where the…

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Budapest Quilt Pattern - Floor Tile Design

Budapest Quilt Pattern – Floor Tile Design

Budapest quilt

The Budapest quilt design is based on floor tiles that I saw on my recent visit to Hungary.  You can find a link to the photos from that trip at the bottom of the page.  The quilt measures 67″ square, using nine 15″ blocks with three borders.

For the borders I have used blue strips for borders 1 and 3, with a smaller version of the central block for border 2.

I have used 2.1/2…

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Budapest - Hungary - Photos

Budapest – Hungary – Photos

Budapest – Hungary

Budapest has been on my list for a long time and I am delighted that I have finally managed to visit this beautiful city.  The River Danube runs right through the city, which was once the three cities of Bhuda, Obhuda and Pest (pronounced pesht).  I had always thought that Budapest was created from the two cities of Bhuda and Pest, so that was the first thing that I learned on…

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New Waterwheel Quilt - Free Pattern

New Waterwheel Quilt – Free Pattern

New waterwheel quilt

The New Waterwheel quilt is far larger than I had intended it to be.  It ended up measuring 85″ by 112″, large enough for a king size bed with some left over either to drape down the sides to wrap around the pillow.  The blocks are large and very simple, so the quilt went together really quickly.

I have used twelve 27″ blocks, half in blue and white with the other half in red…

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Waddesdon Manor - Aylesbury - Photos

Waddesdon Manor – Aylesbury – Photos

Waddesdon Manor

Waddesdon Manor is another delightful National Trust property.  It was built in the late nineteenth century for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild.  He wanted somewhere to display his arts and sculptures – and of course to entertain his friends.  Although the property is owned by the National Trust, it is managed by the Rothschild Foundation.

A visit there is a real treat as both the…

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Diamonds Are Forever Quilt Pattern

Diamonds Are Forever Quilt Pattern

Diamonds are Forever quilt

My Diamonds are Forever quilt has been named in honour of my son’s wedding this weekend.  I have used two different quilt blocks with various colour variations to provide diamonds in both the overall quilt design and in some of the blocks.  Please don’t think that it looks too complicated – each block is actually very simple to make.

The quilt is rectangular, measuring…

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Orange Peel Quilt - Free Pattern

Orange Peel Quilt – Free Pattern

Orange peel quilt

I have made my orange peel quilt using applique – so much quicker than sewing lots of curved seams!  The thing that I love about orange peel quilts is the way circles form in the design.  There’s always something more to see when you look at the quilt.

I have used thirty six blocks which are 7″ square finished size and the final size of the quilt is 48″ square.  The fabric…

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St Tiggywinkles Hospital - Photos

St Tiggywinkles Hospital – Photos

St Tiggywinkles Hospital

When I visited St Tiggywinkles Hospital I was utterly enchanted – even if I didn’t see a single live hedgehog!  The sweeties in the photo are actually stuffed toys for sale in their shop.

St Tiggywinkleswas opened by Sue and Les Stocker with their son in 1978 when they began treating wild animals on a voluntary basis.  It was the first wildlife treatment centre and soon…

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Spool and Bobbin Quilt - Free Pattern

Spool and Bobbin Quilt – Free Pattern

Spool and Bobbin Quilt

I have used the spool and bobbin quilt block along with the Belle’s Favourite block for this quilt and I think that it gives a lovely quilt.  The quilt measures 40″ square, a good size for a lap quilt and I have used 3/4 yard each of purple, lilac and green fabrics, with 1/4 yard of white fabric.

You can buy these fabrics at a discount in this week’s special offer.

There…

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Work in Progress July 2018

Work in Progress July 2018

Blue star quilt

My work in progress is at a wonderful stage at the moment – some quilts are still just tops only, some have been layered, some quilted, some bound and some just waiting for a hanging sleeve or something else minor.

Now that I have given myself more time to work on these projects, I thought that I would share with you what I’m doing and how I am quilting some projects.  As ever,…

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Piano Keys Star Quilt Free Pattern

Piano Keys Star Quilt Free Pattern

Piano Keys Star quilt

When I designed the Piano Keys Star quilt my original intention was to place a piano keys border around each block.  However as I went along I decided to use the piano keys sections as sashing rather than complete borders around each block.

I had hoped to create a look where the light blue background to the star blocks blended with the light blue piano keys, while the dark…

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Washington DC - America - Photos

Washington DC – America – Photos

Reflecting pool Washington

I took the train to Washington DC from Philadelphia.  It’s an amazing city and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.  The grid system for the streets makes it so easy to find your way around.  I didn’t realise until I was just leaving that the numbering system begins at the Capitol so you can always tell where you are.  That’s a real bonus for me as I get lost so easily!

When…

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Church Tile Quilt - Free Pattern

Church Tile Quilt – Free Pattern

Church Tile Quilt

My design for the Church Tile quilt is based on a panel behind the altar in a church that I visited last weekend.  It’s an incredibly quick quilt to make, using mostly squares only.  I don’t have a photo of the panel itself – I didn’t take my phone with me in case it went off during the service and then of course when I saw the tiling I wished that I had it with me.

The quilt…

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Bath - Somerset - Photos

Bath – Somerset – Photos

Bath Abbey

My visit to Bath last weekend was great fun.  I haven’t finished showing you my American photos yet, but they will have to wait till next week.

Bath is a city in Somerset, renowned for its Roman Baths.  I didn’t visit these but I gather that they are very impressive.  The whole area is steeped in history, with Stonehenge not far away.

Bath Abbeydominates the middle of the city.  It’s a…

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Photo Quilt Cushion Cover Pattern

Photo Quilt Cushion Cover Pattern

Photo quilt cushion cover

I’ve used this photo quilt cushion cover pattern as an opportunity to show you how to transfer photos to fabric.  You can use this technique for individual photos or text prints, or you can make a memory quilt using all your favourite photos.  The cushion cover I’ve made fits an 18″ cushion pad and I’ve used about 1 yard of the navy blue fabric, just over 1/2 yard of…