‘M’ for Merci!

I don’t know whether anybody remembers but I decided to make a patchwork quilt for my daughter’s 18th birthday (memory jogger)  How horrified I was when looking for the post and realised I started it last July! And how I laughed wryly when I read my own words and had written something like ‘oh, it’s a year away, no worries’.  Well, it is no longer a year away, it is 4 months away.  Not only have I only done about a third of the top but they’ve discontinued the fabric and I am having one hell of a job trying to find somebody with old stock.  EEK!!

I decided that there are too many distractions at home so, when I go to the ‘atelier’ (sewing group) on Saturday afternoons, I have started to lug my sewing machine with me so that I can get a few blocks sewn while I’m there.  Of course everybody has to yell at  me above the whirr of my Janome and, as the main reason to join the group was to improve my French converstion skills, I’m kind of defeating the object.  However, I can now report that shouting loudly at foreigners doesn’t make them understand you any more easily. 

In an effort to encourage me (presumably) one of my lovely new friends, Marie-Jo,  asked me what my daughter’s name was and produced this beautiful monogram for me to incorporate into the quilt.  What a lovely gesture.  She must know I can’t bear doing cross stitch – far too fiddly for me and a sure way to see me institutionalised.  How lovely is this?  Merci Marie-Jo, bisous x x (she may read this post, well, that bit anyway as she doesn’t speak any English)

'M' for Megan

I wouldn’t mind but, as soon as I’ve finished this one, I’ll have to start another as there are only 18 months between my two daughters and now I know that’s probably how long I’ll have to allow to make her one.  Must remember to get fabric that’s not about to be discontinued too.

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Another Keeper

I know I say I’m often tempted to keep my vintage finds, rather than put them in the shop, but the gorgeous vintage pillow case in this collage had my name on it (or my monogram anyway) so, of course, it’s definitely a keeper. 

Another Wooden Box

This is something else I bought at the foire à la brocante (antiques fair)  last weekend.  I know it’s another wooden box but, this time, it has something inside.  There are some little wooden printing blocks which, the lady told me, were used to mark linen.  Of course, the ink pad has long since dried out – lovely little tin though! – and I can’t get the cork out of the ink bottle – but I must have a play with printing some of the letters and patterns  because they look as if they would be really pretty.

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