Our tea party

We had a lovely tea party yesterday..Pat arrived about 2 and then we talked a little while we chose what tea to have. We decided on Lady Grey Tea.

Our menu included:

cucumber sandwiches on whole wheat shaped like hearts

cranberry scones with lemon curd, strawberry jam, butter, and carrot jam (yes carrot - it is a spicy jam made by one of our guild members)

maple and chocolate cookies

I chose blue teacups today and a teapot that my daughter in law gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago.

The sun was shining outside the window so it made for a cheery day. After drinking our tea and chatting about our families, our projects, and what was happening in the quilting world, we moved to the living room where Pat showed some of her wool felt projects. I just love the all seasons wall hanging she is showing. It was adapted from a pattern she found but like the true creative person she is, she put her own spin on it!

We hope you had fun at your tea parties and hope to do this again!!

Remember post and comment by midnight tonight to be eligible for the drawing for the door prize gift!!

A flowery tea set

Here is a picture of a tea set on my hutch. Again, it's not antique. I do know that it is from the 1950s and is marked Japan on the bottom. The teapot is about 7 inches tall and 6 inches wide. It makes a nice little display on the hutch.

Don't forget the virtual tea party tomorrow!!!

Lest you think I have forgotten about quilting, here is a picture of a portion of my Grandmother's Flower Garden as it hangs on the design wall

Children's tea

This children's set is one that I picked up at a thrift shop. I know it's not antique but I thought the cups were cute. They are marked Japan and I guess that they probably are from the 50s or 60s by the way that Japan is stamped on the bottom.

The other pictures have dishes most of which I know are old. (1920s -1950s) I know the children's furniture was from the 1920s or early 30s.

I am still working on my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt...the flowers are done and I am now working on the white fence around the flowers...will have pictures soon.

Don't forget the Tea Party on Friday...Usually afternoon tea is held between 3 and 5 pm...I scheduled mine for 2 - at least that is when Pat is coming. We will probably talk quilts and then have tea and then talk quilts some more...

Two for Tea

Since I didn't post yesterday, I am going to post pictures of two tea cups today. I bought the first one in Canada in 1967! I bought it during a trip to Windsor, Canada. My mother had a penpal in England since before WWII and the penpal was visiting her sister in Canada so my family went to meet them. I still remember the trip. In 1978, my husband and I took my mother to Canada again to visit her again.

The second cup doesn't have any special memories. I just like the lacy look.

Today, the wind is bringing some snowflakes. A good day for tea and quilting. Hope to see you all at the tea party on Friday - see the previous post about the party. Now, to decide what to serve with the tea!

What kind of tea would you like?

Here is a sampling of my tea stash...at different times, I like different teas and since my friends and family know I like tea, they sometimes give me a new one to try.

Another from my collection

Here is another cup from my collection...to remind you about the virtual tea party coming up next week. See yesterday's blog for details.

Today I am going to work on my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt. If you are interested in other ideas for using hexagons be sure to check out this hexagon blog to see what others are doing.

Virtual Tea Party

This is a picture of a tea cup from my collection sitting on a vintage doily.

I noticed that many of my fellow quilting bloggers also like tea and tea parties. I began blogging a year ago this month so to celebrate, I am hosting a virtual tea party.

Here is how it will work:

My friend, Pat, will be joining me at my home on Friday, January 30 at 2:00 PM for tea.

We, of course, will talk quilting.

We are inviting you to also have a cup of tea with us. You can do this alone or with some quilting friends. (Since time may be a factor, you can have your tea any time between 12 AM on January 30 and 11:59 PM on January 31.)

Take a picture of your tea...cups, goodies, guests, etc....post the picture on your blog if possible.

Comment to my January 30 blog to share your experience.

As a party favor, on February 1st I will randomly choose a guest from those who comment to receive a special little gift.

Thinking about the future

I spent most of the day glued to the TV watching the innauguration. What a couple of days we have had in history! I held my quilting in my hand thinking. I remember so well the 1960s, the turmoil and emotional feelings.

I couldn't help thinking about how a quilt can symbolize how different pieces can be put together to make something beautiful.

In my first book which was about middle school diversity, I talked about quilts "I am always amazed low two people can start out with the same pattern, and sometimes the same fabric, yet come out with strikingly different works of art. Quilts tell stories of families, towns, and even countries...To me a quilt is like a person's identity. Small, sometimes seemingly incongruous pieces, are slowly combined, building a beautiful creation." So it is with a country's identity...

I am getting philosophical I know ---quilts are beautiful!!

Almost Three Weeks....

Has it been almost three weeks since my last post? I can hardly believe it! I have been busy working, quilting, and visiting.

At the beginning of the month, our guild had our UFO presentations. I did two orphan blocks, two vintage blocks, and one almost 30 year old unfinished quilt.
There were 5 of us who responded to the challenge. What fun we had sharing! I finished all my contracted items - I finished the last one about 11 pm the night before it was due.

Here is the final one. I call it Attic Treasures 2 because it was the second piece I made from my finds in the family home attic. The Sue was appliqued onto the oval then I appliqued the oval to the background and made the border. It is hand quilted. All the fabric, except for the backing and batting, was found among the family home fabric.

I took my machine to have its annual professional cleaning so I decided to do some hand work. I have always wanted to make a Grandmothers Flower Garden. I used the English paper piecing method. All of the fabric so far is from my stash but I think I will go out and get a white on white fabric for the fence around the flowers. I had an off white that I thought I would use but it just doesn't look right. Anyway, the white is more traditional. Here are the flowers I have done. Each of the hexagons is 1.5 inches. Some of the petals aren't sewn down yet but I just had to get them on my design board to see how it was going.

I also spent three days with my daughter in law while my son was at a training in Alabama. The second day my grandson went to preschool so we had about 5 hours for work. She painted their entry hall and I recovered dining room chairs.

So, now I am off to work this morning...ready for a new week