Friday Night with Friends and a catch up.

First of all thank you Cheryll for hosting us again this month, I am looking forward to seeing what everyone has been working on.

It was one of those odd, pleasant days. It started out with an early trip to the market for our sausage and bacon supply for the next couple of weeks from Franklins Farm Quite chilly at 8am and I had to find a jumper. 

Then we went off to the hairdressers, our first trip in 4 months as fotunately we had squeezed in a visit just before lockdown. Perfect timing really as our hairdresser has been open since mid May and busy catching up with all those people who would have visited in March and April. 

Then a socially distanced visit with a friend on the way home who was busy spraying everything in sight with Zoflora!

After a late lunch it was time for some 'me time' and as the fabric samples I had ordered at the beginning of June had finally arrived I spent a happy time deciding which to order and browsing the web site for anything else I might 'need' lol.

I took photographs of these butterfly blocks which are this months task for the Red Manor House BOM

Such a pretty design which I think will make a great table topper at some point. They will be the corners of the border which includes these Flower pots which I completed earlier in the week

and the petals from May.

They need sashing in between each block, hence the fabric samples as I dont have enough of any one fabric that is suitable.

By the time I had printed out pictures of my June finishes and added them to my journal

it was time to water pots and the afternoon was over.

In the evening I worked on my RSC Dresden. Dark blues this month and I was struggling to find different fabrics to the ones I used last year until I remembered the lovely dark blues I have in my Christmas stash.

This has given me an idea and there may well be a red and green Christmas Dresden before the end of the year!

During lockdown I was busy working on some secret stitching which has now been gifted so I can reveal all!

My neice in Australia was expecting towards the end of June and so I had plenty of time to work on a quilt for her new baby. I used this pattern from Annies Craft Store

swapping the pieced elephants for appliqued ones. This was a lovely project to work on - I had all the fabrics in my stash apart from the grey elephant fabric which I ordered and it came from UK very promptly despite lockdown. (Far quicker than the fabric samples!!)

So the quilt was all ready to post off as soon as I had a name to add into the label. As soon as Dylan arrived I was able to post it off and it arrived in Australia 12 days later - never known the post to be so quick!

And here he is with his quilt!

Big brother Cooper insisted on getting out his quilt too

So thats me all caught up - I am getting out my diamonds for the table cloth today to make into basket blocks and theres an autumn mini that needs working on too. Have a good week.

A Biscornu Pincushion

I finished the embroidery for my pincushion during the week. It did not go together as well as my first biscornu but then choosing velvet for the base was probably not a good idea! Anyway after a bit of unpicking and restitching it went together and I was able to add the spider to my last corner and tassels to the points. Using a shanked button was not such a good idea either but then, after much deliberation, it was the best for size and colour of what I had so I went with it.

Very pleased with how this turned out although a few lessons learnt for future reference!

This week I also completed the last flower pot for my Red Manor House BOM

so now I am all ready for the next part which should arrive on Wednesday.

So far the only big problem I have with the new blogger is that I am receiving each comment twice by email. Is there someone out there who can tell me where to go to report this please? Also the only way I have been able to add labels is by running through the whole list and checking the boxes - anyone know of a quicker way?

Have a good week and hope to see you on Friday for Friday Night with Friends.

FNSI for March

Greetings from lockdown France! So especially nice to able to sew virtually with all my lovely blogging friends. Thank you Wendy for getting us together - you can see who took part here on Wendy's blog.

I spent the first part of my afternoon working in my sketchbook on this 'lifted out' drawing

With this tecnique you cover the page with graphite and then use an eraser to remove the lighter parts of the picture. I enjoyed doing this much more than I expected! and am happy with the result.

Then on to a little secret stitching - sorry, not even the tiniest sneak peek!

In the evening I finished appliqueing these sheep for my Red Manor House BOM.

 and as soon as this is posted I shall be getting out my machine and adding them to these doves, pots and arrows to make a border.

I ventured out to the supermarket on Thursday morning complete with signed and dated form stating why I was out and about. I went to two supermarkets. Neither was busy, busy. Both were well stocked apart from the inevitable toilet paper lol!

So, as it has been a beautiful warm sunny week here we have been busy in the garden catching up with digging and cutting back. The daffodils have almost finished and the tulips are opening up - it's lovely to see their splashes of bright colour.

Stay safe and well everyone and keep stitching.

March FNSI

Many thanks to Wendy of Sugarlane Designs for hosting us again for our Friday night get together - you can see what everyone was working on here

In 2015 I worked on a BOM - here are my twelve blocks laid out on some dark green fabric that I was thinking of using for sashing.

Well the twelve blocks have been languishing in a bag for the last two years so I thought that it was time to get them out again. As I really do not need another large quilt on my 'to quilt' pile I have decided to quilt each block separately and then join them together with the sashing. I still have that piece of dark green but am wondering if a softer mossy green would be better. Anyway, no need to decide just yet.

Friday was a horrible cold, damp day here and so it was lovely to start my FNSI in the afternoon, sitting by the fire while I started hand quilting the first of my blocks.

And then I got another one completed in the evening!

How satisfying was that! Only ten more to do.

I hope everyone else enjoyed their FNSI.