All about Me !

The lovely Penny at The Homemade Heart has nominated this little blog for the Liebster Award which I am sure you all know about, if you've been blogging for any length of time.  Thank You Very Much Penny!
It is basically a blog promotion system but also a nice way of getting to know more about the individual blogger.

Norfolk flint wall

I don't really post much information about ME in this blog, only about what I MAKE.  The first thing I have to do as part of this award is to give you 11 random facts about myself - brace yourself .... I said 'random', not 'interesting'!

1.  I love taking photos - always have, since a very young age. I photo everything, as you can see here!

2.  I like flint walls, which is a good thing as we are surrounded by them in Norfolk!

3.  I am a great believer that things look better in groups - even mop-buckets.

A gaggle of mop-buckets

4.  I speak three languages, reasonably fluently - French, German and Yorkshire.

5.  I have been a 'Yorkshire Lass' for 55 years now and have never once uttered the words "Eee bah Gum".

6.  I love watching wildlife.  It can be anything from the birds in the garden, whale-watching off Cape Cod or seals in North Norfolk - it is completely absorbing.

It's the eyes, isn't it?

7.  This is one of the most difficult blog posts I have ever written!!!  It feels like I don't know anything about myself at all.

8.  There are so many other crafts (apart from Pottery) which I NEED to have a go at, that I fear I shall run out of time!  

9.  I hate getting 'dressed up'.  I still look like a student most days.  I was a child of the 'party frock' era, and have been rebelling ever since.

Complete with fluffy little cardie!

10.  It's a cliche, but the best thing I've ever created is not my pottery, or my homewares designs, or my blog, or my home - it is my three brilliant, gorgeous, wonderful children.  They would insist they are no longer children, but they always will be to me!

11.  I am taking a break from everything at the end of this week and have loads to do in preparation, so that is my excuse for pretty much doing this post off the top of my head - yes, I know you can tell!!  

So - I think that's enough about me for now, but if you're still awake and want more, tune into the next post which is part two of the Liebster Award, in which I answer Penny's 11 specific, original and rather quirky questions!  Thanks, Penny, I enjoyed it really ;-)



x Cathy



 
 

Threadkeepers

A while ago my friend Rose at handstitchery.blogspot drew my attention to something called a 'threadkeeper'.  She has been stitching a long time and had only just become aware of them, and needless to say, I had never heard of them before!

If you google images for 'threadkeepers' you will see hundreds of examples.  

Spaghetti junction - this is how I 'keep' my threads!

And if your threads look more like a plate of spaghetti, it may be that a threadkeeper could be the answer!

Ceramic Threadkeepers

So, I had a go at making some.  Basically they can be anything, so long as there are holes to keep your threads tidy.  I decided on little birds, but hearts might be good too.

Baby Bird Ceramic Threadkeeper

You'll have to tell me if I've done this correctly, because I have no way of knowing, but I am assuming it's meant to go something like this above??

Is this an American thing?  Have you heard of them? Do you use one?  Would you use one? If  not, how do you 'keep' your threads?  I personally think I am too lazy to actually bother threading them through one of these, but maybe that's just me!!

At any rate, I am sending one of mine to Rose for suggesting them as something that might fit with my 'brand' quite well.  Thank you Rose!

xCathy

Friendship

The mugs are set up on old bushel boxes - good for carrying and for showing!

So, we're back from the Quilt Show and I can honestly say it was exhausting but also great fun.  The thing that stood out for me over the two days of the show was how friendly and helpful everyone in the world of quilting/sewing/making is!
Obviously I already knew that from blogging with you all, but it was lovely to chat for real and to meet new quilting-mad friends!

Quilt-block wrapping paper in 'Summer Winds' pattern

The lucky draw was drawn - congrats to you, Freda!  Parcel in the post!   It was a good experience and we didn't forget anything, afterall!  So, we will probably do it all again in the Autumn.

'Right Hand of Friendship' ceramic quilt block bowl 

It was also a useful way to get feedback on our new homewares products.  The most popular pattern range amongst customers seems to be the 'Right Hand of Friendship' items, which is also the case for the handmade pottery. That is surely because quilters are such a thoughtful, friendly bunch of people and the sentiment strikes a chord with them.

Friendship gifts.   www.cathydaniel.co.uk

So, lots of these were bought, even for Christmas presents,  (in May!!).

But now, I have to put my pottery hat on for a few weeks, (do potters wear hats??), to catch up with a backlog of orders from some very patient people!  Some of my bowls were seen at the recent Loch Lomond Quilt Show, and as a result, a flurry of orders has come in from north of the border!  And I have also been asked to work on a very special project, which I am seriously excited about, but which will have to wait til another blog post!

x Cathy