A Finish is always followed by.....

A new start.

I've been planning this piece for a while, gathering fabrics with produce images on them.

I had wanted to do something a little more artistic, but inspiration just didn't come and due to fabric sizes, some were fat eighths, some as big as fat quarters. All were big enough to make 4 five inch charms each. So a charm quilt it is.

I've made a start on sewing the charms together.

It's lovely to work with such warm bright colours on these cold winter days.

I may get more done today, or I may sit and cross stitch, as yet I'm undecided.

*

Tony and the boys have gone fishing for the day so my time is my own.

This morning I made a huge pan of veg soup and portioned it off for the freezer.

I also made muesli slice for lunch boxes and did loads of washing. There are scones in the oven as I type and I even squeezed in a trip to the post office, so this afternoon, I get to relax and sew.

A finish!

A small one, but a finish all the same.

I put the finishing stitches into 'Indigo Crossing' last night.

It fits beautifully on my table.

 I quilted it on my wee silver sewing machine, as I'm still having thread issues on the frame.

Simple straight lines look very effective.

 I found the perfect fabric for the back.

I love bears.

You can never have too many bears!

I'm not sure what my next project will be, but I'll keep you posted.

This morning I'll have a play in my stash and see what inspires me.

Maybe this afternoon, I'll sit with sleepy for a while.

Two out of three ain't bad!

 I managed to achieve two of the items on my short list yesterday.

First up, I did the ironing.

Then I could relax and enjoy myself.

Indigo crossing reached the finished top stage.

Yay!

Belle helped.

After I had removed my helper from the room, well I say I did it...

Tony was cooking bacon for our lunch.

I just closed the door behind us.

After lunch I did find the right backing fabric.

I pressed it and laid out the three layers.

I even managed to put in 6 pins, yes, six!

Then Tony asked for help in the greenhouse.

I planted garlic, spring onions and baby beets.

That was it, after a quick scoot to the shop for teabags and milk, it was time to start dinner.

Hopefully I will get my Indigo crossing table runner finished today. And also make time to spend with sleepy.

But right now, I need another cuppa.

The plan for today.....

 Is to finish what I started yesterday!

 I pulled a kit out of the drawer. I bought this one while we were in Auckland last year.

 My favourite colour combination.

It's called Indigo Crossing.

I cut all the pieces and played about on the floor.

Belle was asleep in the sun.

Then I started chain piecing, I got about half way through before I had to turn the machine off.

So today I hope to get this pretty table runner at least to the layered stage.

Provided I can find a suitable backing fabric.

I'm hoping I will also have some time to spend with sleepy.

She is growing nicely.

But first I have to do the ironing.

Don't want that hanging over me while I try to have fun.

Happy Sunday.

I've lost a pattern!!

It was in a magazine. I'm not sure exactly which magazine, but definitely an older one, I recall seeing it at Parliament street, back on the Isle of Man, so pre 2012. In an Aussie mag, not a British or US mag. It was a wall hanging, with pieced poppies. 

Beautiful.

I had saved the magazine, knowing that I would one day want to use the pattern.

Yesterday it struck me, with a little adaptation, it would make the perfect table cloth.

Can't find it!

But, in my efforts to find it, I did have a clear out of magazines, I've thinned out about a third of them, which is pretty drastic for us crafty types.

I also managed to find a suitable replacement pattern, in fact, it may even be a better pattern than the one I was seeking.

So I now have a shopping list. I have very little of the required fabrics.

Shame that!

Meanwhile.

After writing the shopping list this morning, I got on and did a little more to the Christmas Story quilt.

Block 4 is completed.

But there are two weeks of May left, and I won't start the next block until June, besides Debbie is a wee bit behind this month and I don't want to race off without her, This is her first ever sew along.

I'll contemplate what else I could be getting on with, while I cross stitch this afternoon.

 Maybe something Christmassy, or a wee gift project.

It's never too early to get on with those things.

I didn't get to do any sewing over the weekend, (Well I could have, if I hadn't been searching for a pattern!) But something else did happen in my room. On Saturday it was a drear day, very overcast and a few dribbles of rain. Not the weather for working outside, so instead I suggested that Tony might put my shelves up for me.

The Inspectors have finally been installed.

From their lofty perches they can oversee pretty much everything I do here in my room.

Maybe they will even help me finally get to grips with the quilting frame! 

The room is starting to come together. There are still pictures I want to hang and one or two mini quilts also to hang, but all in good time.

We also finally got some more pictures up in the entrance hall.

I have a collection of family photos spread about out there.

Feels good to have loved ones looking down on me as I move about my home.

We also went out and purchased a fancy curtain pole.

There is some debate about where that could be installed, you see it will not be going above a window....

Sunday was a better day for being out of doors, while I searched for quilt patterns, Tony and his dad went to get timber and earth for inside the green house.

It now has a central footpath, awaiting paviers.

We didn't put the earth in yet. One final squirt with weed killer on the base before that goes down.

Then I can fill it with earth and get some plants in there.

I'm off to stitch.

Another block.

Another chapter of the Christmas story quilt is progressing nicely.

Belle left me alone the other day so I was able to get along with it.

Block four is all blanket stitched and ready for the piece work to be done.

In case you're wondering, this is what she found so important.

 She was keeping an eye on my dressing gown, you never know when it might leap up and get in the way.

I've noticed she does like to curl up on this fleecy garment, even when I'm not in it, so left it on the bed on purpose. It doesn't stay vacant for long.

Something different.

Today you get a peep at my cross stitch.

Mirabilias Sleeping Beauty.

I've barely touched it since we got Belle. And to be honest, I wasn't rushing along with it before that either. The first picture below was taken on 16th Feb.

 And this picture was taken today. The progress made hasn't all been in the last week, 

I have had a wee go here and there, but it is fair to say that most of the progress was made in the last week! Some time ago I put it away in the hall cupboard, still on the frame, as Belle was paying too much attention to it. 

On a spur of the moment thing I took her off the frame one day and popped her into the drawer by my chair, with a hoop. That seemed to be the right thing to do. Belle can't get at her when she is tucked away and seems less interested when I work on her, 

I've been enjoying stitching away in the afternoons. Belle watches from her tower rather than chasing my needle and threads!

Sew, I'm off to stitch some more. 

Another block done!

Block three is completed. Yay!

I had a lovely time just pottering in the evenings last week and on a couple of afternoons too.

Here are all three blocks so far.

I am enjoying this project and it's fun to see Debbies blocks and compare with mine. They are so similar, but oh so different too.

As well as getting block three completed I also made time to sit and cross stitch on Friday last week.

I took Sleepy out of the big frame and popped her into a hoop. For some reason Belle finds that less interesting than the frame and left me alone, preferring to watch from the top of her kitty castle. Eventually she got bored and went to sleep.

Over the weekend Tony and I were again busy in the garden. Why is it no matter how many weeds we pull out, there are always more?

The green house construction is finally complete and now we just need to get some earth in there. All ready for a few over winter crops and next spring.

The winter garden I planted a few weeks ago is looking good with everything growing well, it's exciting to see it all growing in my own garden.

I have cleared two more patches in preparation for spring planting. Both still need some more digging over and plenty of good compost digging in. One area will be my pumpkin patch and the other...

I'm not yet sure, maybe some sweet corn and some peas?

*

Right, I'm off to see if madam will let me get on with block 4.

Making Progress

In spite of Belles ideas about pressing fabrics!

 I have managed to make progress on block 3 of my Christmas Story quilt over the last few nights.

Tony has had to go into work after hours to do IT stuff. You know that mysterious stuff that can only be done after hours and all the computers do something weird the next day?

So that has left me with free time to do my thing. I've enjoyed pottering about getting this far, even with my helper. Hmm, I wonder where she went though, after chasing tiny off cuts into the bin and all over the floor, she departed.

Time for me to depart also.

Bedtime for this sleepy head.

I sewed!

Of course, Belle helped!

 I managed to get quite a bit of the blanket stitch done on block 3 of the Christmas Story quilt.

 Belle looked after the threads for me.

She found a whole basket full of the pesky little blighters!

 She takes her job as overseer very seriously and makes sure to check things from all perspectives!!

Right, I'm off to sew some more, before she comes back from inspecting her biscuit bowl.