Somehow everything seems to slow down as soon a school is out. There are less hours in my day for a start as I certainly sleep an extra hour or two in the morning. My body has never felt that 6am is a right and proper time to get up – and now I’m positively wallowing in being able to sleep till 7.30 or thereabouts. I confess that’s the thing I look forward to most in the school holidays. Needless to say I don’t look forward to teenagers spending too much time together and being fractious and downright horrible (although we haven’t got to that stage yet this week!).

So despite my good intentions I haven’t moved any mountains this week. The laundry is almost done, but not the ironing, the vegetable beds are somewhat weed-free but I still need to make jam with all the blackcurrants I picked and three floors of the house are semi-clean and tidy, but the entrance hall still looks like it’s been bombed. I haven’t finished the soda pop quilt top or anything else for that matter…..but I have made this for the EEEEP EPP BEE – for DJ Coolbear to be specific.

I hope she likes it – it’s Treasure Box and the instructions were for jewel colours – I think this fits the bill. It was fun to make and I’m just about to start the second one.

Slowly mind you….

Helen

I’ve joined an English paper piecing bee – now there’s soemthing I haven’t done in, oh…a zillion years or so….but  Annabella twisted my arm and I’m in. In the EEEEP EPP BEE to be precise. You can see what we’re up to over on flickr, right here. My month is September, so I have to get my skates on and think of a plan by the middle of August!

Today I’ve made a start on the first block – Treasure Chest in jewel colours against black. It’s been altogether very soothing on a day when I needed some soothing. That’s the great thing about sewing and knitting, isn’t it? It calms everything down. It gives me time to ponder and to try to put things in perspective. And at the end of the pondering, there’s something nice to show for the time spent.

On a happy note – all the children passed the school year and the sun is shining. I’ve been cleaning and washing and gardening and trying to introduce some order round here. Standards had slipped a bit recently….but I’m onto it. I love how a clean house does wonders for my spirit!

Helen

The base of the Soda Pop quilt top is done….and the lime green fizz is on the way….a few zillion petals more and I’ll be there! Most of the fabrics in the base are by Sweetwater – a mixture of Reunion and Lucy’s Crab Shack with a few stash odds and ends thrown in for good measure.

All in all this is a quick and easy quilt – and the bondaweb/machine applique that I was a little unsure about has been a walk in the park so far.

It’s fun, bright and cheerful – a really nice summer project!

Oh and by the way, I’m calling it Lime Fizz….

Helen

So. Here we are. The girls finished school for the year today – and both passed the year for which I’m very grateful. My son finishes tomorrow.  I actually have a zillion things that I should be doing, but this afternoon I have slowly, but surely come to a grinding halt.

Does that ever happen to you? You’re madly busy and then all of a sudden waves and waves of tiredness hit, my back starts to feel very iffy and I have no energy to do anything at all. Even lying on the sofa seems, frankly, like rather a major effort.

I would really, really like to just go to sleep, but with kids in and out, dinner, driving to and from ballet lessons and picking one daughter up after an end of year dinner at who knows what time, that isn’t really going to happen. The cavalry aka my husband is on a business trip in Hong Kong, before you ask, so the buck, the very tired buck stops here.

I’ve been amazed this week reading blogs about the amazing number of projects that people are planning to finish in the next quarter. I suppose I could set myself some goals too – but really I think I want to just plod along and do what I can. I don’t think I need any more pressure. I’ve just joined two more bees plus the Soda Pop Quiltalong. I’d like to try to get my contributions made on time. That’s all. That will do for me.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Helen

I’m amazed at how quickly the Soda Pop quilt is going together. One of the reasons I decided to do it was to get some machine applique/bondaweb practice – and I’m really pleased with how easy it all is and how well it’s turning out. Even my no-name bondaweb is working like a dream. Who knew it was this easy?

And the green spots? I’m not euphoric, but I’ve got metres and metres of the stuff so it’s going into this quilt come hell or high water! I think I can honestly say that it really does pop!

I’m enjoying this – it’s got me out of my comfort zone in as far as colours and techniques are concerned – and I’m loving it! Needless to say that I was incapable of sewing all the squares together and only then starting on the petals.I’m doing my usual a little bit of this and a little bit of that routine. Clearly no staying power.

Some things don’t change!

Helen