Saturday 31 May 2014

MAY



Welcome to my blog for May.
 

Recently a good friend of mine (an amazing quilter!), treated me to this useful gadget called a “Board Buddy”. There is no need to remove the spray head when filling & pouring, and you can use it as a spray, or for filling your steam iron. Another one of those gadgets you shouldn’t be without in the quilt room or just ironing in general.
 
 

Well, not a lot has happened since my last blog. I have been doing quite a bit of patchwork and also rehearsing my dancing.
Earlier this year, I joined my daughters dance school adult dance classes. Her website is:
etoileperformance.co.uk  
I have never danced in my life (so where my daughter gets her talent from, goodness knows!)
We do tap & ballet. I find the tap dancing hard, as I can't seem to co ordinate my feet & arms with the music. Ballet is slightly better, and we are doing a short routine in her mid year showcase on June 8th.
I am very nervous, but will do my best not to let the side down. The other ladies in the class are great, and we have a real laugh. Wish me luck!

On then to my quilting blog for May:

“The wind at North and East
Was never good for man nor beast
So never think to cast a clout
Until the month of May be out”

 

This month was named after Majores, the senior (or major) branch of the government assembly or senate in Rome.

The first day of the month of May is known as May Day. It is the time of year when warmer weather begins and flowers and trees start to blossom. It is when people celebrate the coming of summer.

FESTIVALS:
May Day

WEATHER:
Cold dewy, misty mornings. Warm days. Now having 16 hours of daylight.

EVENTS:
May Day (May 1st), used to be celebrated by people dancing around a flower bedecked maypole.

A May Queen would be elected.

Well Dressing (mainly Derbyshire).

RHS Chelsea flower Show.


SIGN OF THE ZODIAC:
Taurus the bull, (21st April – 21st May) Gemini (22nd May – 21st June).

BIRTHSTONE:
Emerald.

IDEAS FOR QUILTING BLOCKS:
May basket

Mayflower

Around the world (maypole dancing)

IDEAS FOR QUILTING BLOCK FABRICS:
May blossom.

Cowslips, (a later flowering cousin of the primrose).

Early in the month, the bluebells appear.

The first baby birds are hatching.

Kentucky Derby.

Oak leaves.(Oak Apple Day or Royal Oak Day was a formal public holiday celebrated in England on 29th  May to commemorate the restoration of the English monarchy in May 1660. The public holiday, Oak Apple Day was formally abolished in 1859. In some parts of the country though, the day is still celebrated).

The yellow flowers of oil seed rape is a feature of the countryside.

My block:


 

There seems to be several poems about May. This is by Robert Browning, Home: Thoughts from abroad:

                                                                   BLOSSOM

“And after April, when May follows,

And the white throat builds, and all the swallows

Hark! Where my blossomed pear tree in the hedge

Leans to the field and scatters on the clover”
 
                                        Well that's all for now. See you soon!
 

 
 
 
 

Monday 26 May 2014

APRIL BLOCK OF THE MONTH & STRICTLY COME DANCING!


Hello everyone. Welcome to my somewhat belated April blog!

Things have been a bit crazy recently, and although I had sewn the blocks, I hadn’t got round to actually photographing them or typing it up.

As the blog was due to be written, we decided to go on a very last minute cruise.

Life has been somewhat stressful this year, and we decided we definitely needed a break.

I saw a “Strictly Come Dancing” themed cruise on P&O Oriana advertised, and booked it on the Saturday morning. We sailed 24 hours later!

We hadn’t been on this ship before, but we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We were lucky to have a spacious balcony cabin, which was lovely. (Even better, it had a bath!)

There were four professional dancers from the show, as well as Craig Revel Horwood, and Lisa Riley. There were lots of events and show dances which I really enjoyed as I am a fan of the show.

There were also several costumes displayed from the last series.

The cruise went to Spain, Portugal, Madeira & the Canary Islands, and the weather was glorious.

We came back feeling much more relaxed!


Here are a few pictures you might like to have a look at.

                                               Some of the beautiful costumes:

Worn by Sophie Ellis Bextor
 
 This was worn by Abbey Clancy.

 
Worn by Fiona Fullerton
Another one of Sophie Ellis Bextor's
 
Worn by Ola Jordan.

 
 
This was taken at the back of a shop!
Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote 


Hubby & me.


The Oriana by Lisbon  Bridge. Our balcony is the last on the right..
                     

                               Well on now to my belated block of the month:
                                                             APRIL

It is possible that April’s name comes from the Latin ‘aperio’ meaning I open, referring to the opening of buds and flowers.

FESTIVALS:
April Fools Day 1st April

Easter, Good Friday & Easter Sunday, (Dates vary each year).

St Georges Day 23rd April

 
WEATHER:
April showers.

EVENTS:
Easter: Remembering the death of Christ on Good Friday, and him rising from the dead on Easter Sunday.

Easter is also the Spring festival when new life begins.

Easter customs.ie Easter egg rolling (depending on region).

SIGN OF THE ZODIAC: Aries (The ram) 21st March to 20th April, & Taurus (the bull) 21st April – 21st May.

BIRTHSTONE: Diamond
 
IDEAS FOR THE BLOCK:
Easter eggs, April showers, wellington boots, umbrellas, rabbits (Easter bunnies), chicks, tulips & bluebells.

I made two blocks for this month. I wasn’t sure if I was happy with the first, and now I still can’t decide which one I will use!

 

My favourite April block.
 
Wrong way round, but you get the idea!
I think the colours are a bit muted.


I hope to be putting up the May blog in the next week or so. Hope you liked looking at the pictures from the cruise.
 
As always, feel free to leave comments. I always enjoy reading them.
Bye for now!