I haven’t been blogging much for the last week or so – between a (very) difficult teenager, a visit from an aging and sometimes truculent parent and gastric flu and heavy colds striking down family members (not me!), we’ve had a bit of a time of it. It’s been one of those weeks when I’ve really thought that it was all just a bit much and when life is like that blogging doesn’t come easy. Actually I should rephrase that…blogging would have come very easily, but nobody in their right mind would have wanted to read what I would have written and to be honest, the less of that sort of wallowing in the mire that hits the ether the better….

This morning things are a little easier. The parent has gone to the airport, two children (including the naughty one) have taken to their beds and what looks suspiciously like peace reigns…

I’ve been waiting for this moment.

I have also realized that I only have two quilting UFOs left…how amazing is that? Time to start a new project methinks!

On the grounds of the recent suffering endured I decided that I needed to start working on something incredibly beautiful. So I had a rummage around looking for the most gorgeous fabrics I could find and came up with these lovelies that I bought last year in France.

I actually thought they were French fabrics – I mean you have to admit that they certainly look French, don’t they? They would fit right into some dilapidated small chateau on the Loire.

Wrong! When I unrolled the bundles and ironed them a few had selvedges so I could tell what they are: there are some Robyn Pandolph fabrics in there and a few by Jo Morton. The others? Who knows? I guess they could be French!!

I decided that I wanted to make something rather traditional, something so beautiful that I might even hand quilt it when it’s done and it had to be something that wouldn’t be done in a hurry, but that I would cherish forever. After a long time on the floor going through cuttings I found the perfect pattern – it’s called (of all things) Brrrr! and was designed by Susan Kass Johnson and I saved it from Quilter’s Newsletter in December 2007.

I’ve been thinking Bear’s Paw for a while and this is a version of it.

It’s so good I could eat it!

Don’t wait up, it will be a while, as this is a 9″ block and I need to make a heck of a lot of them, but I’m going to relish every minute of it!

Helen

Don’t you just love looking at people’s back gardens – or am I the only nosy one? Somehow back gardens tell you so much about people’s lives. I took these photos at the weekend in Rapperswil, a small town with a castle on a hill in the centre, on the lake of Zürich. I’d love to live in the middle of this old higgledy piggledy town. I could see me in one of those little back gardens, couldn’t you? I’d choose one of the ones with a little bridge if it was up to me! I’m not sure how I’d feel about nosy people with cameras up at the castle keeping an eye on me though….

Helen

Helen

Here it is…

Lime Fizz….

Mainly in Sweetwater, pattern by Katy (I’m a Ginger Monkey).

I love it even more now it’s quilted and bound….

Somebody asked if I really needed another quilt and where I was going to use it.

In my book a girl can never have enough quilts. I can use it anywhere. Anywhere and everywhere.

Helen

The first blocks from my month of the Sew Euro-bee-an bee are starting to turn up in my mail box. You may remember I blogged about my sea glass idea here.

The blocks that have come in so far are just as gorgeous as I hoped they would be – each one has it’s own little twist on the theme and the quality of the workmanship is really outstanding – thanks so far to Di, Pippa and Floh. Girls…you did great….I’m thrilled with the result!!

There’s some serious postie stalking going on here at the moment!

Helen

Today I’m quilting my Lime Fizz quilt top…you remember, the one with all that lovely Sweetwater fabric? I’m going really simple and am just outlining the lime bubbles. For the first time I’ve actually found an Aurifil thread that my Bernina has made friends with and I’m loving it. Now I actually get what you all mean when you rave about Aurifil!

So that’s me today. Quilting and then cleaning the house when I need a break from sewing.

It’s a nice feeling, making progress on both fronts 🙂

Helen

PS The quilt pattern is Orange Soda from the FQ Shape Workshop for Quilters book – a brilliant pattern by I’m a Ginger Monkey Katy.