Thursday 5 March 2015

Starry, Starry Night

Hello. This week I've finally managed to complete the 12 quilt blocks for L's Graduation Quilt. Tuesday found me playing around, arranging them on the bed as I tried to decide on some sort of order. I've since started joining them together with some of the elephant material. 
A couple of the squares have added embroidery:

It shouldn't take too long to finish the top, then I just have to decide whether I want to hand or machine quilt it. Actually, I may go with a combination: hand quilting around the stars and then quilting in the ditch up and down the dividing strips.

There have been a few other happies this week too:

Purple Lurky Soup! Basically, any veg found lurking in the bottom of the fridge that needed using up. In this case, it included a chunk of red cabbage - hence the interesting colour! R wasn't impressed, even though it tasted much better than it looks!

A new piece of artwork in a local shopping centre. Since someone mentioned 'couples padlocks' on bridges (sorry, I can't remember who blogged about them), I've been seeing them everywhere. Our little bridge near the library had a few and then there was this masterpiece:
A quick trip to Oxford to take L a dress which she needed and had forgotten.
 The Radcliffe Camera:
The Bridge of Sighs - named because of its supposed similarity to the famous one in Venice:
Part of Gloucester Green market - I bought a few cheap embroidery threads and L bought a book on Oxford buildings and gardens:
Lunch at our favourite Chang Mai Kitchen - veggie spring rolls:
Thai red curry and green papaya salad:
A walk around the covered market. I adore this cake shop - the decorators sit in the window working and I could watch them for hours:

This one of an old couple was my favourite - I love the blue icing and the ginger cat. Note the socks with sandles!
Another of my favourite stalls - the cheese shop. I'm addicted to their Oxford Blue:
To work off lunch, we climbed Carfax Tower. The view is amazing, although the climb up an open wrought iron spiral staircase had me quaking a bit. I'm not mad about heights - I'm OK, provided I look out and not down, so the staircase where I had to watch where I put my feet was rather a challenge!
Another cute discovery on the way back to the park and ride bus stop. It's tucked away down a little side street and I must have walked by it many times without noticing it:
My spoils of the day - a fat quarter from the cutesy shop, my threads from the market and my cheese and some passion fruit from the covered market. I saw a recipe for lemon and passion fruit pavlova on the Comic Relief Great British Bake Off. I bought some passion fruit on Monday to make it later in the week but E discovered them so, needless to say, I had to buy some more!
That's all for this week. If you fancy having a peek at what's made some other people smile, pop over to Planet Penny and join in the fun.
Toodle Pip for now. x


18 comments:

  1. The quilt is looking good, I am sure your daughter will love it. I really must get around to visiting Oxford instead of flying past it on the A34, it looks so interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The quilt is beautiful, I really love the yellow and green. Oxford looks wonderful, I would really enjoy visiting someday. Your Thai lunch is making me hungry!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That quilt is absolutely gorgeous! I wish I could sew!!! I am smiling at the purple soup, but hey, waste not want not eh, and I'll have to get used to my purple potatoes.
    I am drooling looking at that lunch....sighs....then you have to go and show images of blue cheese......I think I may have to raid the fridge now!
    Loved the image from the tower!xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your trips to Oxford always look such fun and you seem to know all the best places and are obviously still discovering more!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful Oxford, always such a pleasure to see. The cheese stall looks wonderful. I'm about to lay out quilt blocks as well for a quilt I'm making for my eldest. CJ xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. The quilt is beautiful! Lovely to see some more of Oxford too, glad that you had a great day out!! xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, I love your quilt. Just think of how many hours you have put in to create such a lovely, lasting piece. I'm sure it will be a much treasured gift. I love seeing all your photos. Looks like you had a great day out and about.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Way to go on the quilt friend! It looks so beautiful!! And the colors are just so pretty! I also loved the view you captured of the city!! The market is so fun as well to see all of those different shops! Wishing you more happies this weekend!!! Nicole xo

    ReplyDelete
  9. The quilt is going to be beautiful, I love the fresh spring green. Thank you for joining in with Happy Friday and for the virtual walk around Oxford. I'm with you on heights... I love the view, but I'm very bad at getting there! Have a lovely weekend x

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a beautiful quilt! I love the freshness of the green against the white. Isn't that cake adorable, it would be a shame to eat it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a wonderful day out you had!! Your quilt looks stunning!! I'm so impressed, if it were me I wouldn't even have started let alone be close to completing before the big day! xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a gorgeous idea for a graduation present! Beautifully personal. Given that I can't sew, I'll have to think of something else for my daughter's graduation next year - better start thinking now!

    ReplyDelete
  13. That quilt is stunning! Looks like you had a lovely day in Oxford. "Darn it & Stitch" - just fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  14. That quilt is stunning! Looks like you had a lovely day in Oxford. "Darn it & Stitch" - just fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  15. the quilt is looking gorgeous x

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your quilt is beautiful, such fresh colours. Thanks for taking us on a virtual trip around Oxford. The cakes are amazing, too good to eat.
    Ali xx

    ReplyDelete
  17. Love the Oxford photos! And that lunch :-)
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  18. Mmm, the spring rolls and curry - I love the look of that! Yum. Your starry quilt is just amazing, what a wonderful graduation gift. x

    ReplyDelete