Holidays Over

We are back!  Safe and sound after a very long day travelling.  We had a reasonable overnight flight and I managed to get a few hours sleep which is unusual for me, I usually find it difficult to sleep well on the plane.  It was good to see Techie waiting for us at the airport and I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the family over the weekend.

Sadly we left this behind - 

these blue skies are just something I would love to bottle up and bring back home with all the other gifts and things in my suitcase but I will have to make do with the photos and the memories until next time.  I might even print some photos and hang them on the wall in my sewing room.

The suitcases were almost at their limits this year coming home. I managed a few bargain pieces of fabrics to add to my stash. Of course I have plans in my head for theses pieces - but perhaps I should write them down in my notebook so as not to forget what they are!!   I also brought the Hardware quilt back (without the batting) - I did think I was going to have to leave it till next time as space was tight, however DH offered to carry it in his hand luggage. So yet another top waiting to be sandwiched and quilted.  

Before I left Canada I did manage to get all 80 blocks finished for my wonky log cabin quilts I told you about last week.  That means I can get them sewn together next spring - it's always good to have a project in progress for snowy days.

This week will be a quiet one I hope - getting the body clock back in kilter, unpacking and catching up with what's been going on here over the last month.  Hopefully a few of you will be heading to the Quilt Show at Ingliston in Edinburgh this weekend.  I am sure there will be bargains to be had, lots of inspiration, new fabric lines and there is bound to be some lovely quilts on show as always.  I am looking forward to catching up with all the ladies at class on Tuesday to see what I have missed, and finding out what everyone has been stitching over the last four weeks.

Now as the summer comes to a close and we head into the autumnal days and darker evenings I for one am looking forward to cosy nights in my sewing chair - I've certainly got lots to finish and lots planned!  How about you? Have a good week.

 

Sorting Scraps and Counting Blocks

One of my plans for this break was to make a scrappy quilt.  Unfortunately that's not going to happen as time is going in so quickly.  I guess summer holidays are not when most of the sewing gets done but I must admit the curtains are closing earlier and the darkness falling sooner each evening.

This week I did make an attempt to sort out the scraps which have accumulated here.........

To this ........

A bit more organised and perhaps that scrappy quilt will be made next time I'm this side of the Atlantic.

Did I tell you I'm making quilts for the twin beds in the downstairs bedroom?  Yet another ongoing project which I am thoroughly enjoying.  The pattern is from the Mod Block Magazine by Missouri Star Co.  It's a wonky log cabin and the fabrics were purchased last year from Connecting Threads, unfortunately this company doesn't ship internationally but their prices are very good.  I now have 68 blocks completed and I reckon I need 80 to make the two quilts, so I almost there.   I did lay the blocks out - but then I realised I had them all wrong.  A nice layout but not the one in the pattern!

This car knitting project was fun!  Hopefully these will keep a young man cosy during the winter months ahead - oops pun not intended.

                                          

We managed a shopping trip to the city this week too, it's always nice to see different shops in the malls and take advantage of the exchange rate which is certainly in our favour this year.  A few bargains just had to be picked up for gifts.

I hope you have all got your winter projects planned for the longer evenings throughout the coming months when it's always good to snuggle up under a quilt and get some stitching done.  If you haven't yet perhaps this is the time to start looking.  If I have my dates right I think the Ingliston Quilt Show is next weekend.  I will be giving it a miss this year but I am sure a few of you out there will be going along and perhaps will be inspired by the lovely quilts and fabrics on show.

Enjoy the week ahead. 

 

What a Pain

Not a lot to report this week.  Unfortunately I tweaked my back at the beginning of the week and have been in a bit  of discomfort, I have no idea what I did but thankfully it's getting better, now I just need to be careful and not do anything silly.  We have managed to get out and about and strangely enough sitting in the car was reasonably comfortable.  The sun has been shining and we continue to do things at a more relaxed pace.

So not a lot of time at the sewing machine this week,  I did manage to piece the backing for the Hardware quilt top but this is as far as it goes while I'm here.  I will be taking it home to sandwich and quilt.

I have been forced to do a bit more reading while sitting with the heat pad on my back.  Hubby bought me a quilting magazine - the Fall edition of Fons and Porter Easy Quilts which features some nice patterns especially the one called In the Middle - I've seen this one before as it was designed by a lady who's blog I follow here -  http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.co.uk. She featured it on her blog on the 28th August this is  yet another one to be added to my wish list.  I've also been browsing around the usual quilting sites online.  The Missouri Star Quilt Co have just published the next edition of  their Block magazine, so I might be tempted to buy the digital edition for some more reading material and to inspire me.  The only real stitching, as opposed to the virtual stitching going on in my head, has been my hexis  - but I suppose that's ok.  

We have had two really hot days which have been lovely, we sat and enjoyed the garden yesterday, unfortunately this morning it is pouring with rain - I feel sorry for everyone working hard all week when the sun shines and then when the weekend comes along it rains and curtails plans for outdoor activities, such a shame.  

Well whatever you are doing this week enjoy!

Missing ..........

Thankfully we have now recovered from our jet lag and the tiredness which we had last week and are now definitely in the Canadian time zone.  We have had a good week, lots of rest and relaxation and drives out to some of our favourite spots on the warm and sunnier days.  I even made some cookies for our afternoon picnics - I don't know the last time I had time for baking.

I have unpacked my sewing stuff too - it's so good to get my machine out and set up. Everything put in its place, my machine mat and machine, cutting mat and rotary cutter, fabric boxes and rulers........eh wait a minute, where's my 6 x 24 .......... Well it's missing - I have absolutely no idea where it has disappeared to and its not where it should be.  We have had the house upside down and is gone awol.  Fortunately we have a quilting shop just down the road and I was able to buy a new one, it's one piece of equipment a quilter (at least this one) cannot do without.  

Do you remember this block?  

The kit contained these fabrics 

This is one I've been working on for a couple of years in fact when I look back my notebook it tells me this kit was bought from Connecting Threads in 2012 so this one has been a long while in the making and I am so pleased that it's now almost done.  Unfortunately when you buy a kit you need to take the fabrics you are given, and while I really liked the pattern the fabrics were a bit busy for my liking and had I known then what I know now I should have substituted and put in some solid fabric.  As a result instead of making all 35 blocks I stopped at 16. The blocks should just be joined together as is but I though I would use a nice bright sashing to break it up.  I'm now working on a strippy panel for the backing which I am piecing with the extra fabric which should have been used for the rest of the blocks and gone into the front. 

Here is my 'car project' - I always like to have something in my bag to keep the fingers moving.  I do have my hexi pouch and I bought this wool this week in our little wool shop downtown.  We are so lucky to have a sewing and knitting shop just down the road, and there is one in the next town too!

It's a bit cooler here this morning - only 5 degrees and a bit rainy.  We wondered why the heating had switched on at 7.00pm!  Hopefully the sun will come out later and warm things up.  I need to go into the basement and look out some of our winter clothes if it doesn't.  I don't think we will be sitting on the deck today.

We are enjoying the slower pace at the moment and trying to take each day without making plans so unless the clouds lift and the temperature warms up today we will have a day 'at home' enjoying a quiet day reading, sewing, knitting, sudoku and drinking coffee in the den.  I hope you all have time to stop and slow the pace this week and enjoy a bit of stitching too.