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.

Dreadful Feeling

I promised you last week I would have my blue Oakshott quilt top finished.  It has still to have a border but here it is all sewn together and up on the design wall - aka my flannelette sheet!

That little blue bundle of fat eighths turned out just fine and the shading is really quite nice when you see it close up.  Another success I think.  

What do you do when you are so tired, you can't think straight, you can't sleep or read or function properly.  This is how I have been feeling the last couple of days. I am starting to wind down, having been so busy over the last few weeks, and organising things for my holiday at last it has arrived but I have exhausted myself.  Now I am here on the other side of the Atlantic, in the middle of the Rockies, ready for a well earned break, I am suffering from terrible jet lag.  I know I am on holiday - a time for reading and relaxing but my fingers are itching already.  I can't concentrate to cut, piece and sew so I have  brought out my little pouch which I sometimes carry around just for times like this.  

A few more scrappy hexis have been produced - this is a trend which has had a revival again. This is where I started my quilting experience many years ago in the early 1980s when my boys were of nursery age.  I joined a class and was taught EPP (English Paper Piecing). I made my very first pincushion and I still have it today!  

Every now and again I go back and make a few more hexis with my scraps - who knows where they will end up or what they will turn into but for this week they are keeping me sane.  

Hopefully over the next few weeks when we are out and about I will post some photos and show you all some of the lovely lakes and mountains in the area.

Happy stitching - whatever or wherever you might be.

Where Does The Time Go

I feel a little like the hamster on his tread wheel at the moment and I think I am in need of a break.  I have also been considering for a while whether or not to continue with this blog.  Many I read in the blogging world take little breaks now and again, (some have even gone over to Instagram - too technical for me) in the hope of finding more inspiration, bigger challenges and some time to breathe.  I am not sure just how many follow this page - but I do know there are a few.  I don't get a lot of feedback and that's just fine because I am not even sure if this page is set up properly to get comments and feedback and I'm afraid I don't want to upset any of the settings by messing them around.  Sometimes I think I'm talking to myself but then again that's no bad thing as long as I don't get an answer back.  It does help though to write thoughts down.

It's been a challenging summer for me (if we can call it a summer) not a lot of sunshine or blue skies, everything seems damp and dismal and already the nights are closing in and the darkness is falling much earlier.  Can you tell I'm feeling a bit low?  Well I will give myself a wee shake and give myself a talking to and hopefully I will feel a bit more up beat soon.

Last week I started on the Oakshott bundle, I'm not convinced that I like this fabric.  It is a woven fabric, with different coloured threads it has a very definite sheen and the colour changes in the light, it also tends to fray quite a bit so it's been a bit of a challenge.  The pattern I have chosen is not ideal either and no matter how I place said blocks they change their light and shade, this might become a design feature or it might be a disaster but as they say I've started so I'll finish.  

The single block from last week now looks like this

Well it doesn't really - because they are not joined together in a four block but in rows and if you come back next week you will see that the placement gives a whole new dimension to the pattern.

I should really be doing some quilting not piecing!  I have three, eh no five, oh maybe it's six tops waiting to be sandwiched and quilted, oh well tomorrow is the start of another week and I know for a fact I won't get much sewing done.  Hope you do!

A New Start

This little bundle of fat eighths has been sitting on my shelf for a long, long time.  

They are Oakshott fabrics which I bought at one of the Ingliston shows a good number of years ago, when I was a rookie at this craft, and I didn't know any better.  Yes you know I don't really like pre cuts or fat anythings don't you, but I know they have their uses sometimes.  I seem to remember being given a free pattern with the bundle but having looked for it a few times unsuccessfully the little package has always been returned to its little corner unopened to sit beside two other bundles of precuts!  

On a recent tidy through my books and magazines one evening last week, I came across a pattern in one of the magazines, from a Fons and Porter Easy Quilts issue, which I thought might just make use of the bundle of blues.

These little eighths have been folded for so long it took a bit of pressing and even some steam to get the creases out before I was able to make a start.  

Start I did though and as all those who know me will be pleased to hear - this quilt will not have any green in it!  If you have a look through my gallery you will see that most of the quilts I have made to date seem to be green tones or have green featured somewhere in there. We all seem to have our own little idiosyncrasies and mine seems to be having a touch of green somewhere in the mix.

This is the first block -

I have adjusted the pattern slightly as I will be limited by the fabric I have, I am sure the range and dye lot will have changed by now.  Look out for the progress - you may need to wait a while but I'll get there, no rush for this one!

Hope you can make a New Start this week and enjoy some time stitching. 

Festival of Quilts

 

There is so much chat on social media this weekend about the FoQ which is taking place this weekend in Birmingham.  I think,  and I stand corrected if I'm wrong, this is the largest quilting show in the UK.  It is not really something I want to do but can understand why many quilters make a pilgrimage each year to the show.  Coming home with bags of quilting goodies and hopefully lots of inspiration. However I do have the privilege of having one of my quilts in attendance.  A nice surprise when I saw a photo of the Biggar Stitches stand.  No it's not competition standard by any means.  My Lace Mountain Quilt which is on loan to Kim at Biggar Stitches has closed her shop for the week to have a stand at the show and has taken my quilt with her to showcase the Zandra Rhodes range of fabrics.  I'm sure she won't mind me borrowing her photo to let you all see.  I hope everyone attending the show has a really enjoyable time and comes home refreshed with new ideas.

Photo courtesy of Biggar Stitches from their facebook page

Lace Mountain

 

It's been a funny old week this week here, I seem to have been hustling and bustling all week.  I did manage a little sewing and am now pleased to report that I have all four 'Bus Quilts' finished - all but the labels and I need to wait to see what details Miss G would like printed on them.  I have a funny feeling I may be making more of these in the future but I have been asked to curtail my enthusiasm for the moment to let her catch up.  Apologies for the photos it's a bit windy today, and sorry I didn't see the bird feeders lurking in the background. 

 

 

Hope you all have a good sewing week. 

Once In a Blue Moon

I thought the phrase once in a blue moon was one of these made up sayings.  Apparently not.  Last night was the second full moon of the month and this is technically known as a Blue Moon. No it's not blue - but who would know as I don't think anyone around here would see it. Last night we had monsoon weather here, yes I know monsoons only occur in Asia but it felt that way last night as I was sitting sewing.  As I looked out into the garden as the light was fading the wind was swirling and the rain could not have come down any faster or heavier.  It's brighter this morning although the black clouds are building up again.

Sticking with the blue theme I have finished another 'bus quilt' as they are now being called in our Group.  This is just a little rail fence type block using up my blue scraps from my basket.  It has been backed with a grey fleece and I bound with a nice bright floral blue and yellow binding which was stitched down last night whilst listening to the pouring rain.

A delivery came yesterday, my Espresso Kona solid from Plush Addict.  Very quick service, I only ordered it very late on Wednesday night, I couldn't help but add a couple more pieces of fabric to the order.  No idea what they will be used for and they are not supposed to coordinate but I'll probably use them as a border for something.  

The brown solid is for backing for a Judy Martin Log Cabin quilt I made a long time ago way back when I started my quilting journey.  It is pieced with lovely autumnal colours and has been sitting patiently waiting to be sandwiched and quilted - I think it's time.  This backing will be sprinkled with Missouri Star Disappearing Pinwheel Blocks in which I have used up the remains of the fabrics from the front.  I still haven't decided on the layout yet though, I keep changing my mind on this one.

That's my cup empty again so I had better go and get on with my day.  I hope you manage to find some time to do a little sewing this week.