Be careful what you wish for!

I know I said I wasn't ready to return to work yet and would love more time off, but I really do have to be careful what I wish for! I have a temperature and pains in my ears, neck, shoulders and back. And I'm starting to snivel! My Doc says I have a viral infection! This wasn't the more time off I had in mind. I'm feeling so yeuck! It's taken two whole days to quilt in the ditch on only a quarter of Big H.

Now can you see them Joe?

For those wanting to see my 'quilt as you go' method for finishing, I found a tutorial. I followed this tutorial waaaaaay back when I made this quilt. No point reinventing the wheel. When I was making the Dresden quilt I thought it would be my hand stitching in the back seams that would require my attentions, probably the first time I washed it! LOL In fact those seams have held up well, the plates on the other hand have required some TLC. I didn't use any kind of stabiliser and quilted them a little too lightly, most of them have had attention of some kind as they have begun to come away from the backing. I do still favour the less is more style of quilting.

Finally.

I kept meaning to take the camera to work on a snowy day. Yesterday I finally remembered.

There isn't a lot of snow here, just a couple of inches.
It was actually falling as I was walking in.
It's falling again now.
It's been an exceptional year, I for one have enjoyed a snowy winter, it's so much nicer than the wind and rain we normally get. But I'm ready for spring.

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On the sewing front, I haven't done anything since layering and pinning the quarters of Joe's quilt. Work and life and stuff have just got in the way. I'm shattered too, I'm back to those nights where I just can't stay asleep. I was up at 5am yesterday and again today. I have been planning what to do next though. I'll be back in the scraps box.

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Jonny is still not well. He was hoping to rejoin the boat on Monday, but he is still getting flushes of temperature and pains in his ears. He is not resting properly and allowing himself to heal. I am so worried about him.

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I'm off to get a cuppa. Take care.

More Snow?

Typical, the day I go back to work, we get more snow. Not too much though, just a dusting. This will be gone before lunchtime.

I'll think about cosy quilts all the way to work! Speaking of quilts.....

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Maybe I shouldn't have told him there are fluffy bunnies on it! I didn't let on about all the flowery pieces that crept in, and he can't find the ugly which I chopped two slices from. Phew!
No I didn't forget that I wanted to quilt as I go. What you see here are 4 quarters, and lots of pins. What I see laying on the floor here is a neat pile of layered and pinned quarters, just ready for me to pick up and quilt when I get home later today. Hmm, it's cottage pie for tea, maybe after I get that started. This one took it's time talking to me, but once I got it all laid out it told me I couldn't get too fancy with the quilting, I get to stitch in the ditch, basically making a whole load of big H's, and it wants to be called Big H. Joe doesn't get that! I think I need to have a word with his teacher!

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Right, where's my boots? I'd better find my scarf and mittens again too.

Take care.

My last day of freedom.

Well that's how it feels anyway. I could quite enjoy not having to work for a living. LOL Back to work tomorrow. I should have a great sense of achievement, the house got a good clean, I finished a huge quilt and it looks like I'll certainly have another top ready to quilt. I'm just not ready to go back to work, I want to play some more.

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Yesterdays trip to the shops was pretty good. I found another curtain sample! LOL Like I need more. It's in a pretty lilac colour and looks like it has huge eyes!

I also found three beautiful plain buttery table cloths. (This picture does neither of these two fabrics any justice, but it's the best of a bad lot). I'm undecided about using the table cloths as quilt backs, or I may embroider on them. Some one had been having a good clear out. There were several, some quite large, table cloths there already covered in pretty embroidery. Someone else snatched those up, yes snatched. I heard her boasting to her friend that she puts them on ebay and sells them for huge profits. There were several pieces of man made fabric that felt ew! And lots of wool fabrics, Meters of the stuff in several colours. I didn't get any of that.

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DS Joe's quilt made a huge leap forward yesterday, and I have half of it ready to layer and quilt.
It's in two parts, top right and top left.
That odd piece of blue stripe is a cotton sheet from the Hospice shop. Joe has consented to have that as a border. But we found nothing to use as a backing and in the end I purchased a plain blue cotton sheet.

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I promised details of the pattern I'm using and here it is. Thanks to Paula for the reminder. ;-)

It's called 'Precious Pieces', though I think I'll have to come up with a name change for Joe's version.
It is in volume 18 No 2 of Australian Patchwork and Quilting. The cover quilt is a good scrap user too.
The postie brought me a surprise yesterday. A Huge, king-size piece of Dream Green batting. I love using that stuff! But I wasn't expecting it. I knew I had ordered and received two pieces recently, one is already inside the Seeing Stars quilt I recently finished, the other I didn't even unwrap, it was sat under my table waiting for me to be ready to quilt this current project, and here's the postie with another piece! Hmm...... When I place an order on-line I keep the email confirmation in a special folder, and a copy of the confirmation page too. Then when the order arrives, I usually remember to get rid of them. Well last week when the second piece arrived I got rid of two order confirmations obviously mistakenly believing I had forgotten one at some point! I really don't remember ordering three pieces, two yes, but not three! I must be going funny in the head. Never mind, it will get used and I don't have to feed it.

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Time for a quick read with a cuppa tea, before I get the second half of Joe's quilt finished, maybe I'll even get the parts layered today.

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Take care.

Not A Rainbow.

In spite of my best efforts and bargaining,

DS Joes somewhat blinkered taste
Regarding colour
and pattern
has left me with a limited
palette.
I wonder now if breaking the fabrics into their colour groups was such a good idea. Perhaps it would have been a better idea to chuck the whole lot into a basket and go for pot luck when making up the blocks. I'm having problems trying to visualise this one. Maybe once I start putting all the blocks together things will work out.

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I'd been wondering what to do with the backs I had taken out of all the curtain samples I've been given. They make great foundations!
I want to quilt as I go, I keep on saying I will, then forgetting and having to force huge quilts through my poor little household machine. I think if I quilt as I go, the smaller more manageable pieces will mean that I can try some more complex quilting. First though, I have to find an acceptable backing fabric the maestro has rejected everything I have offered so far! Wish me luck with that.

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DS Jonny is home, still unwell, but so much better than he was.

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I'm off to do a few chores before I go to the shops.

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Take care.