Log Cabin update!

When I posted here about the Log Cabin block I was using for the Mystery Quilt for my friends I had lost the link to the original designer of the block. Here is my block.

Fortunately, via Instagram, I have finally found the designer of the original block - JanineMarie of Quilts from the Little House. Many thanks JanineMarie. Click on the link to find her original design.

FNSI for May

Many thanks Wendy for hosting our sew in this month despite being so busy. Lovely to be sewing along with everyone again - you can catch up with what went on here

We were out to lunch on Friday - and very nice it was too! When I got home I spent a happy hour with my sketchbook and paints before settling down to finish basting 90 something yellow hexagons which are going to edge my swap hexies tablecloth.

Managed to get them all done before bedtime so now I am looking forward to start sewing them in place as soon as I finish this post. There is exciting cricket on TV - no, not England v Australia but Somerset v Hampshire in the final of the Royal London one day cup! Come on Somerset!

My sampler quilt is finished - I added the last quilting stitches a couple of nights ago. So here are a few pictures.

And to finish, a few pictures from the garden

Hope you are having a great weekend - happy stitching

Another week...

...has raced by and Sunday has come round again already. The blue tits are still busy feeding their young and the squeaking from the box is getting louder!

With four days of rain forecast this weekend I rushed round the garden on Thursday afternoon cutting sprays of elderflower to make cordial with.

I love these flowers so much - not only do they smell divine but they look so delicate and beautiful, like antique lace. However, they were soon trimmed and popped into a basin with sugar and other good things and left to marinate for two days.

 

Yesterday I was able to strain it all off and ended up with this bottle of gorgeousness. All we need now is some sunny weather to be able to sit out and enjoy a glass!

 

 

However, it is cold and damp - hence the slow cooker is out and a couple of duck legs are slowly simmering away with some lentils for a nice, warming dinner this evening.

I have been busily quilting away on the border of my mystery quilt and have now completed three sides - not far to go now. I have also been making up the Liberty Zip Pouch that I was given as a gift at Christmas. Whilst I like the design and am happy with my finished pouch I did have a few issues with the instructions!

Amongst other things a lace zip was supplied but only instructions for inserting a hidden zip. I have not used a lace zip before so went straight to Google for instructions and although my zip looks much better than I had first thought it would, I am sure it could have been better. Does anyone out there know of a good tutorial please?

It is a while since I did any raw edge applique and free machine embroidery so I very much enjoyed working on this part of the pouch - for which there were very good instructions. But didn't it take an age to cut out the flowers!

Meanwhile I am spring cleaning our sitting room and I still have about a third to do. With coffee guests coming tomorrow and more rain forecast I think I had better get a move on and finish!
Have a great week.

Its been a busy week...

….not least for the pair of blue tits nesting in our bird box, who are constantly in and out all day with food for their chicks!

The box is on the pillar holding up our terrasse roof and is somewhere that we are constantly passing or working near by - they get very agitated if we hang around too long!

We had what should be the last frosts of season last weekend so we spent a couple of days putting out summer vegetable plants and potting up pots and window boxes. We then had a few showery days which was good as it means all those new young plants have had a good watering. Meanwhile we have an enormous crop of broad beans this year and I have been busy podding and blanching beans for the freezer. Our tax returns have to be in next week and we have had a couple of visits to the tax office trying to decipher the forms Thankfully all done now for another year.

I have managed to fit in some sewing too and some play in one of my sketchbooks.

My Rainbow Scrap Challenge block is complete for the month - orange.

And my swap hexies are winging their way down under!

 

The quilting of the blocks in the Mystery Quilt is now complete and I have made a start on the borders.

 

 

This is nice, easy quilting to do so I shall enjoy finishing this quilt off.

Well I think that is me up to date for now - have a good week.

May's Friday Night with Friends

It's a month since my last post and that month has whizzed by so quickly! We spent two weeks in UK over Easter which was lovely especially as there was exceptionally good weather over the Easter weekend.

Many thanks to Cheryll for hosting our FNwF's especially as she is only just back from a trip herself. We were a select group - you can see what everyone got up to here.

My first job was to cut out my Dresden pieces for this months RSC block. There is very little orange in my stash so I had to supplement what I had with some golden yellows.

I got the borders attached to this QAYG sampler this week. Looking at it now maybe it would have been better balanced with the spools and the log cabin swapped around! Too late now.

My patchwork group have all been working on the same project and so it will be good to see their projects with borders on next week. As soon as they are all finished I will post pictures because it is so interesting to see how different they all are with different fabric choices.
Anyway, I now need to complete the quilting on the blocks and I am adding ditch quilting around the outside edge of each block to make the sashing stand out. Then I will have to quilt the border.
Last night I was working on the ship block - just the cloud to quilt now.

I am looking forward to seeing what everyone else was working on.

Also this week I have completed another round of my 1797 revisited quilt.

 

Two more complete rounds to do, then I can start squaring it off.

Hope you are having a great weekend.