Wednesday 14 May 2014

The Pleasure of Quilty Friends

Yesterday I got to spend a few hours in the company of one of the nicest people in blogland. Someone that lives quietly in her corner of northeast England and writes some of the funniest blogposts going. Recognise her?

Hint - I'm the one on the left.
Still don't know who she is? Maybe you recognise this fellow instead.


This is the most famous Archie the Wonder Dog, and he is as wonderful as his title professes. He let me know that my paparazzi shots of him were being tolerated but I had better get his best side. I bribed him with handmade (not by me, I might add) dog biscuits that I made a special trip to the Tynemouth Market to buy on Sunday. Thankfully Archie is completely open to bribery, but Helen gets much better photos of him than I do.

Helen is the person in the photo with me. The lovely lady behind Archie the Wonder Dog. We've been online friends for absolutely ages now and I never realised that she was so close to the route I take up to my mum's at regular intervals. Now I know, I am going back to visit her many more times. We had such a good afternoon. I just wish you all could meet her too.

We talked. We ate. We talked. We talked. We laughed, a lot. We may have eaten a little more. And I admired her sewing.


The above are just two samples of the lovely things Helen makes. What many do not realise is she sews everything by hand! Yup, pieces by hand as well as quilts by hand. And her piecing is soooo precise. I wish I had taken photos of every last project she had on the go, or finished. I am slightly envious of her skill, but not too much because I like her too much to be feeling stuff like that.

Suffice to say, it was a brilliant day. Quilty friends are the best. And I know the gnome is in the best of homes. In return, I have a new mouse living with me.


Name suggestions, folks?

Susan

30 comments:

  1. I love that you met up with Helen and had a lovely time together. That's so wonderful! I had no idea that Helen was a 100% hand piecer. That nutter!

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  2. A Liberty mouse. So cute.

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  3. I'm glad you had such a wonderful day out & your little mouse is divine!

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  4. How wonderful to have met up with an online quilting friend and to have had a great day too! Love the mouse - she's so pretty. Mimi does sound like a cute name.

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  5. Hey, it's Archie's mom! Nice to meet her, I haven't seen her face before! Susan, I'm sure you had great time and so much fun with Helen and Archie! x Teje

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  6. I clearly live in the wrong part of England!! Wahhhhh!!!
    Glad you guys had such a wonderful time.

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  7. :) So great to see you two :)

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  8. Wow, everything by hand? That is pretty impressive! It's great you got to meet another quilt friend in person!

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  9. a liberty mouse can only be called liberty. Is Archie as nonchalant in real life as he seems in blog land? Looks like you had a lovely day x

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  10. Glad you had a happy time. I rather like Petunia for the sweet mouse.

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  11. What a wonderful day! Nothing better than meeting up with friends that you like twice as much in real life as you do in Blogland.

    That mouse is sweet ! Noname suggestions from me - it took me 9 months to figure out what to name my kid !

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  12. I do not even finish a little project by hand and she does quilts? Amazing! Great you finally met her and had a great time

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  13. Lucky you! I recognised lovely Helen from that online thingy we did for Sarah, how great to meet up in real life.

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  14. Oh how lovely to see Helen at last! And another beautiful red head too! So jealous that you got to spend time with another quilty friend. Glad you both had a great afternoon. How about calling the mouse 'Archie Mouse'!!!! Jxo

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  15. I'm with judith, Archie seems appropriate, glad you had a lovely visit :o)

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  16. I don't know why but the name Hildy came to mind when I saw that cute cute mouse.

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  17. What fun for you two! Archie looks less than impressed with another photo-shoot. Poor boy.
    And mousie looks so pretty, and happy . . off to a girls household!
    She needs a girlie name . . .Kay's "Petunia" sounds good!

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  18. Well I've learned something too!
    How about Marielle?

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  19. Northumberlandia seems appropriate.

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  20. So glad you got to meet in person. I've alway said if Chief ever takes me 'home' then I'm going to visit as it's so close!

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  21. Oh, yay!! And I'm impressed I knew it was Helen from the thumbnail (I might have squeed!) She's such a lovely lady - as are you - it must've been a lovely wee meeting! I am quite green with the envy.

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  22. So THAT's what she looks like! How fun for you, two! :-)

    Call it Pip. Short for Pipsqueak, because, you know, mouse.

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  23. Wish I could have joined you! But so glad you had a great time!

    I'd let the girls decide! Heck I can't even name my quilts at the mo' - total blankety blank!

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  24. I first 'met' Helen virtually for Sarah's baby shower. How lucky that you both got to spend time together

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  25. How nice to finally meet a virtual friend and her smart doggie. How about Belle, as in Liberty Belle?

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  26. You say the nicest things!! It was such a brilliant day and I loved meeting you, as did Archie! He's steadily munching his way through the lovely biscuits you brought (I'm making him eat the peanut butter(?) ones first and saving his favourite for last!) and has been practising his smile for next time!

    P.S. Doris? (Her older but much smaller sister is called Ethel!)

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