Quilts UK at Three Counties Showground, Malvern.

 Andrea Stracke's Citrine did well with her fabulous hand quilting.

 and her Cot Quilt, Serandite took a 2nd place ribbon. The winner of the Cot quilts was another hand quilted one,  Darian by Janet Jones. It was hand quilted with variegated thread in traditional Welsh designs.

 Andrea's perfect stitching amazed all who saw it.

 This one took my eye with it's dense hand stippling. Lotus by Linda Pardow.

 Sometimes the simplest piecing and quilting yields fantastic results. Winner of the two person award, if I read the description correctly one friend Mary completed the blocks but didn't assemble them before she died. Her friend Jane Fowler finished it for the family.  Winner of the two person award.

 I loved this one, and it was only when I got home I found out I know the maker, Sue Watters. Some of the stars are fussy cut. Lovely gentle colours and simply but well, long arm quilted by Sandy Chandler. And a well deserved Judge's Merit.

 Carol and Emma Galbraith, Prism of Light.

I love this, a combination of Dear Jane blocks in an Irish Chain setting. Beautifully quilted on a domestic machine.

 Rupert is settling in nicely, even though he sometimes falls asleep in the middle of playtime.

Hello Rupert

We have a new member of the family.
Meet Rupert

This photo was taken by his breeder a couple of days before we collected him last Saturday.

 

And these were on Saturday when he was 8 weeks and 1 day.
When Fliss was little we had a pair of guinea pigs called Stuff and Nonsense. They were a similar colouring and about the same size.... He weighs just over a kilo or 2.2 pounds.

He is a Cavachon, a mongrel by another name. His mother is a Bichon Frise and his father a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Both parents were health tested for the inherited problems in each breed. So hopefully this time we will have a healthy long lived dog. It irks me a little when the insurance company doubled the premium for what they insist is a 'Designer Dog'. I can see they should perhaps take the breed problems from both breeds on board, but when you go to the effort, time and expense of making sure your pup is free from these problems......

I cannot tell a lie, it is easier to take in an adult rescue dog. He hasn't slept through the night yet, and for such a tiny little thing, he is very very loud. And just like having a new baby, you don't mind, because you love your puppy. Update, it is Wednesday and he slept through until 6 am. Happy!

I would love to say I finished quilting the Di Ford QuiltMania Mystery Quilt before he arrived.... but I cannot tell a lie, I haven't. I have about two or three hours left to do on the cream border and the feathers to do on the outermost red border.

I cannot even get on very much with the hand applique with a puppy in the house unless he is sleeping on DH's chest, so at most a couple of hours a night.
All these stems were inspired by the applique on an Otttoman tent in a museum in Austria. It is taking forever.... but I love the look.

I am off to Quilts UK on Friday, I will try and get photos of the winning quilts and/or those which take my eye.