Four Seasons In One Day

When I was working in my first job, a colleague Billy used to say, great wee country this, where else would you get four seasons in one day. Boy was Billy right. This week we have had sun, rain, cold, a brief period of warm and hailstones, not only in one day but every day this week. I ventured into the garden today to plant a sweet potato plant, hung out the washing, came back in and the hailstones fell. I just hope my sweet potato plant doesn't go the way of my aubergine plant - dead as a dodo. I haven't even bothered planting my sunflower seeds, they will keep until next year.

My sewing has been a little like the weather too the last week or so, all over the place. A little of this and a little of that and nothing much to show anywhere. I finished my April bee blocks for Angela in Modern Quilt Ireland. Angela blogs as PinFiddleQuilts and is very talented. I did my usual of sewing two squares the wrong way round, in both blocks. And, like last month someone thankfully noticed in instagram and was kind enough to tell me. Please don't be afraid of offending me with criticism, please tell me. I don't understand it. I actually go over the block with some sort of ocd tapping each component in turn, comparing it to the photo and still don't notice the mistake! I got it corrected easy enough and having mastered it made another two extra squares. Hopefully correct! I can't show you as I forgot to take a photo. I will however show you the photo of the "wrong" one , again. I should set up a spot the difference puzzle.



spot the mistake!

My niece was up on Sunday and she kindly spent time with my Big Shot cutting hexies. To make it more interesting she used lots of different coloured papers. They are now stored in a Jo Malone candle box, smelling beautifully no doubt. This was just at the right time as I am off on my travels again soon and can take them with me. I have 12 rosettes done now, nearing decision time. I think I'll keep going, I enjoy the rhythm of making these hexies. I'll be kind and not bore you with yet another photo of my hexies.

I have spent a little time looking at my WIP. Having nearly finished my Can't See The Wood For The Trees, Can't See The Trees For The Leaves quilt, I had a bit of a hoke and dug out my medallion started when I joined the Modern Quilt Ireland last year. By this time I should be sitting out in the garden with this draped over me whilst I drink a glass of Prosecco. No chance. I ran out of red fabric and have decided to stop looking for more. It dawned on me the previous plain strip of fabric in the border is quite broad. Duh .... Take my strip of squares off, narrow the previous border until the strips DO fit. This will be rather trying for my maths, I can either wing it or get the hubs involved. Insert smiley face here. Then, another round or two and it will be finished, it never was destined to be big, just a lap quilt. I bought some red spotty fabric for it, a different red spotty fabric to the other red spotty fabric.

so near and yet so far

Something else that came out this weekend were the bee blocks from last year's Modern Quilt Ireland stash bee. I think I am on a theme here with this MQI! Everybody kindly made me 4 blocks. One bee member dropped out so that made 44 blocks. Two quilts of 22 blocks. I make 4 extra blocks and I will have two quilts roughly 60" x 48". These are meant to be for the two sun loungers this summer. Again insert smiley face. I haven't missed them not being finished! Again, haven't done much sitting out with a glass of Prosecco this year. The hub feels my quilts are always a little too short, but I'm short, approximately 60" high so their length is perfect! I might add an extra row. The daughter and the niece laid them all out on the table. I was just going to mix up the colours and keep them both balanced. They decided to go with a warm quilt and a cool quilt. I like their idea much better. Very cool.

hard at work

 

The Quilt For Mr Cool

Am I The Hot Stuff Quilt? (sorry daughter, made you cringe)

The one thing I really should be working on is my pixelated heart quilt. I was making it for my cousin who has had a few health problems, not that she lets it stand in her way. She was 40 in November and this was to be her birthday present. She's just had another operation, so this quilt should really be a priority. For me, hardly for her. We did have coffee a few weeks ago though and she seemed quite excited at the prospect of a quilt, or was very polite anyhow!

Pixellated Heart Quilt

Next week is a big week in our household, an exciting graduation. We will have a doctor in the house. We will actually have two doctors in the house, or family, but one of them graduates next week. Although, as Ross's mother used to say in Friends, not a "proper doctor". And, lucky me, this  ties in a little genealogy trip. Prepare to be very bored when I tell you all about it. Needless to say it involves my great great great great grandfather. My husband won't know what will have hit him; I have been trying to make sense of my notes, and make my notes into more concise notes. And make my concise notes into even more concise notes. And no, it doesn't all fit on a revision card. I may be taking a lever arch file.

In the mean time I have joined a new bloggers blog hop. More about that later when I upload the button and have time to think about it more. (I mean when I work out how to upload the button, again, techy stuff not being my natural thing). Whilst writing this blog, I was reading Quilting Jet Girl's blog about the blog hop and Yvonne mentioned a quote from Angela Walters, "Finished Is Better Than Perfection". Think I should adopt this as a my mantra. Thanks Yvonne.

All the best
Helen x
ps should I read The Girl On The Train next or The Miniaturist? Can't decide