Before I get down to other business I’d just like to thank all of you who wrote me such lovely messages yesterday. I really had the sort of day where I felt like the sky was falling on my head and it cheered me up no end to know that I have friends out there all over the world who care and support and are prepared to take their time to cheer someone having a bad day along. It proves yet again how much blogging has done to enrich my life and what lovely people I’ve encountered along the way. For that I’d like to thank you all dear readers! (Did I just sound a bit like Charlotte Bronte?).

Up till now I’ve really only been involved with one bee – Stitch Tease run by lovely Di In California. It was a bit scary at first, but so far (and we’re still in the fairly early stages) it’s been a great experience.

Now I think I’ve been bitten by the bug….this week I’ve joined the EEEEP EPP BEE, an English piecing bee – now there’s something I haven’t done in decades…and then only hexies – so that should be a nice little challenge and something I can happily sit and potter along with!

and Quiltova and I are in the process of starting up our very own little European bee – Sew Euro-bee-an (cool name, huh!). This is a bee made up mainly of some of the lovely European ladies we met at the FQ retreat. We realized what a fun time the Brit Bee’ers are having and decide that we really wanted a bit of the action too. We’re in the early stages, but it’ll be fun to see how we get along. I kind of feel we’ve graduated to the big league…what me? a bee mama? hehehehe!

That’s without mentioning the Soda Pop Quiltalong – which is rather on hold till my fabric arrives.

I think I’m finally starting to break out of my attic.

Which is really quite exciting!!

Helen

I’m having one of those days…

You know what I mean. The days when you’d really like to just lock yourself in the bathroom for a very long time until it’s all gone away.

They don’t happen all that often, but today there are too many things all just coming together. Puberty, the menopause and elderly parents are not a happy combination. Topping it all my dear friend is moving to a hospice and has stopped all treatment other than palliative care.

I’m shattered – by all of it – so I’m sorry I can’t come up with anything interesting and uplifting today. Even my quilting is all on hold, waiting for supplies to arrive in the mail before I can make any progress.

What do you do when life gets like this?

I’m cleaning bathrooms like it was going out of fashion.

Tomorrow is another day!

Helen

Here’s what we made…..

Pretty cool huh!

I should point out that much as I would like them to be, those are not my legs!

(and yes, they were a perfectly nice pair of jeans before we started…)

Helen

I’ve just joined the Soda Pop Quiltalong being run over at Sew Allegorical!

We’re going to be making this quilt:

Soda Pop by Katy Jones

From this book:

Which I just happened to have (and would recommend if you don’t!).

Why?

It’s cool, I want to use up lots of scraps and more to the point, I want to practice my machine applique.

So I’m pulling fabric out and messing up my nice tidy cupboard and sshhh I’ve ordered some bright lime green fabric for the petals…..mine’s going to be a limeade quilt. Lime seems to be my colour this year.

This week seems to be cutting out week….two and a half zillion squares to start with.

I’m onto it!

Helen

Today I admit that I’ve shamelessly neglected my husband and children. The good thing is that they seem not to have noticed….or maybe they even liked it. There haven’t been any complaints at least.

I was up with the larks and happily quilting before 7 this morning. Lovely cool breeze through my sewing room/cupboard window, Radio 4 quietly in the background, nice cup of English breakfast tea at my elbow.

In a fit of unadventurousness I decided that I actually really want my New England Beach House quilt to be a simple, unfussy sort of quilt. All I have done is quilt (rather wobbily if I’m honest) in the ditch around the blocks. I can’t tell you how quickly it all went – helped of course by the Archers Omnibus and a bit of a book on tape.

The result is….well simple. Part of me thinks the quilt actually looks like something you could buy in IKEA – my husband says that’s not true, but, well if I’m honest it does a bit. It also looks simple and beach housy, a bit Scandinavian even….which is really what I was aiming at. All part of that simple uncluttered unfussy feel I’m always striving for.

I’ve never done so little quilting on a quilt. Normally my quilts look kind of busy. Not this one. I didn’t even do anything in the border – I guess I can always go back and do something if the urge strikes me.

It’s not a masterpiece by any means, the back is pieced and ever so slightly wonky. Have I told you how much I hate basting big quilts? (Only a million times!) I only realized that it was a bit off once I’d done basting and decided that I could live with it. Or at least that I could live with it  more than I could could bear the thought of pulling all the threads out and starting again.

So now for my favourite bit – hand sewing the binding down. Perfect for doing while the England-Italy game is on this evening. I may need something to bury my head in, but I do hope not. Miracles do occasionally happen. It would be time for England to pull something out of the bag.

Start saying your prayers folks!

Helen