Walking, theatre and a stitching show.

This last week has been great fun, especially yesterday.  Over the week I've managed to get some bits and pieces of sewing done even though I've been working. Having thought I'd done all the quilting on Lucy's quilt, when I lay it out to trim it I found a couple of areas I'd missed plus a few ends I'd not sewn in. That was soon sorted and I could get on with the next job of cutting and preparing the binding. I will machine stitch that to the front of the quilt a little later this afternoon and then this evening I can start hand stitching the binding to the back.

I have also started work on another project. This is for the Eerie Nights blog hop so I can't show you what I'm working on. My day is 20th October so I'm on a tight time schedule. 

I'm also using this as my October 'Let's book it' project. I love using one item to complete two things.

Although I've been working I've done a lot of walking this week. I've forgotten to take my camera and phone with me most of the time but earlier in the week John had his phone so took this photo for me. 

This was taken on Wednesday and as you can see the leaves are just starting to change colour and some leaves have already fallen. It was predicted that we would have magnificent Autumn colours due to the rain in the Spring and then the hot summer days but so far that isn't happening. We spotted this patch of Neapolitan cyclamen in a woody area of the walk just poking through the fallen leaves.

Yesterday John and I went to the Stitching and Knitting Exhibition at Alexandra Palace.  This show has been running for many years and attracts a lot of visitors. I don't go every year as I find the crowds challenging and it detracts from my enjoyment of the show. However this year I wanted to go to look at the sewing machines. My home machine has a very small aperture under the arm and it makes quilting a chore so I decided I needed one that would work better. To get to see all the different types of machines is difficult if visiting the shops as they tend to only stock one manufacturer. The show offered the chance to see lots in one place. I had fun getting the information and test driving different machines. I decided on a Brother and my new machine will be arriving on Wednesday or Thursday. I can't wait 

Whilst at the show I also stocked up on some fat quarters for background fabrics

and a new magnifying light. Now that will make hand stitching much easier. I tend to stitch at night and often find it quite challenging. I sat and worked on my millennium sampler last night and I might have a better chance at finishing this now. Yesterday I was working on the spitfire.

John treated himself to some wool to make a jumper........ only problem he doesn't knit so I now have another project Not such a problem as knitting in the winter whilst watching TV is OK. This pattern is also mainly stocking stitch except for that neck/collar bit.

John and I had an evening at the theatre on Thursday. We had dinner at Pizza Express first and then on to the theatre in Richmond. I haven't taken any photos of the theatre so when I go next time I'll take my camera. We went to see Alan Ayckbourne's comedy Relatively Speaking with Robert Powell and Lisa Goddard as two of the four cast members. We really enjoyed our evening.

So walking, a trip to the theatre, and the Stitching and Knitting Show with a new sewing machine makes for one fun week.

Now I need to get a wriggle on with attaching the binding so I can sit and hand stitch whilst watching Silent Witness later tonight. I'm currently slowly re-watching the whole of the back series.

Lyndsey