Three Blocks Over, Oh No, They're Not

This post should have been posted Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Don't the days fly past? How did I ever find time to work? The hold up here was just getting down on the floor to lay it all out for a photo. That and the ironing. Yesterday,  I ironed all the seams open, hoovered the floor and got down on my knees. The space in my kitchen, the "working space in my kitchen" as opposed to the "space in my working kitchen" is just about right for the this quilt. In the old days, in the kitchen houses, the working kitchen was the little scullery at the back of the house. Do you understand any of this? I bet those from the northern part of the UK do, even if nobody else does.

The Belfast Bulletin, I believed was finished, with strangely 3 blocks left over. I have laid it out and strangely there are 3 blocks missing! If Holmes and Watson were here, it would be like this. Dr Watson would say "Excellent" and Holmes would say "Elementary" . Another case solved.

I ended up enlarging the quilt quite a bit, by 40% or so. Each row had originally 8 blocks, and 10 rows altogether. Making 80 blocks. I added an extra 4 blocks to each row, making 12 blocks per row, and the original 10 rows. That makes, oh , wow, 120 blocks! No wonder I felt my enthusiasm waning at times. The happy couple live in an area that gets quite heavy winter snow, they will be glad of the bigger quilt.

We may well be glad of all our bigger quilts ourselves this week. The Beast from the East is on its way. Cold air and winds from Siberia, of all places, are en route to the United Kingdom. In the past we have had sandy air from the Sahara, now winds from Siberia. Why do we never get the sun from Florida?  We haven't any snow yet, but it is cold. Under this pile of quilts are three adults watching television in that sluggish after dinner snooze time.

I should really have taken another photo without all my labels. Basically the label blocks are the original blocks. I made up a load of extra random blocks, and tried to fit them in a randomly appropriate sort of way. So, no photo inserted here.

The backing fabric arrived from the Eternal Maker in England. This is a bolt end, just under 4m. There is 3m in one piece, then 0.5m then two smaller width of fabric pieces. Sure won't I be cutting it up anyway? I did see a really nice brush stroke floral fabric I thought would be good. My customer advisor felt my son would think it was, well, floral. I had always liked this Cotton and Steel "vintage prints for the happy recluse" fabric, it seemed to fit the green/blue brief. I think I will be saving this selvedge.

So, I have to piece together the rows. I have the backing. I have no wadding. Quilting thread, I have no idea. My most local quilt shop is closing down, might call tomorrow to see if there is any thread left. If they still have YLI variegated thread, that will be good.

If the Beast from the East arrives as expected I have plenty to do anyhow. I have my Postcards from Sweden all cut, ready to sew, more about that tomorrow. I am still knitting my So Faded sweater. I have gone down the Sea of Stockinette as far as the ribbing. The Sea is on waste thread, until I see how the yarn lasts out. I have gone to explore Sleeve Island, the first of the two Islands. I have decided not to go with my third colour, my daughter didn't "get" it, it was very blue in tone. Hoping the red fade into pink lasts out to the ribbing.

I feel the need to knit my grandson a cardigan for Easter. That's what grannies do? Don't  they? My friend Mo, is a non knitter. Mo's mum was a great knitter, a knitter of aran jumpers. Mo now has a little granddaughter of her own in New Zealand. So .... Mrs Mo is away to New Zealand on a visit with a bright pink hooded cardigan in her suitcase. I hope little Miss K likes it and I hope great granny Edna would approve of the non traditional bright pink!

Wherever you are, I hope you are safe and warm in your own bed, cosy and warm.

Helen x

linking up with Beth and Cooking Up Quilts