That was quick

Having finished work yesterday, I cleared the table and set about arranging the charm squares for the baby quilt. I needed to cut 13 of the squares in half but first I needed to decide which ones to cut. Having done that and once I was happy with the layout I started sewing them together. I soon had all 5 rows sewn and I cut the blue fabric for the remaining rows. In no time at all I had a completed quilt top.

My work today is full with various meetings so time will fly by and before I know it I will be able to pack up my work and set about making the quilt sandwich. I haven't fully decided on the backing fabric for the quilt. I have enough of the blue fabric to do the job but I may piece together some of the children's prints in my stash. I'll see how that looks before I make a final decision.

Having completed the top I pulled out the dress for Luna Lapin. This is very fiddly sewing and doing it on the machine can be a little difficult but I wanted to get it done and out of the way. I set in the sleeves, sewed up the sleeve and side seams and attached the collar. This is dressmaking in miniature. I find making baby clothes very fiddly but this puts a whole new spin on it. However once completed and properly pressed it will look really good.

Having done all that, it leaves stitching down the collar on the inside of the neck edge, the hem, back fastenings and making the bow for the front. That should get finished this evening and I will have another empty project bag which means I could start another project. It also means I need to sort out something else that has been languishing in my sewing cupboard, waiting to be finished.

Back in June John and I took a long weekend away in Norfolk. We'd stayed at the hotel/inn before and knew that the rooms are very comfortable and the food is excellent. We were hoping for good weather and we weren't disappointed with sunshine for the whole of our stay. We had planned for some bird watching, walking and a visit. We started our first day by visiting Old Hunstanton where we found an old and interesting church.

The church yard was particularly interesting as it had these two old graves.

The area was remote with limited habitation and a flat but tricky coast which advantaged the sailors who knew the coast well. This made the area good for smugglers. The beautiful old oak tree had a massive trunk so was very old. We wanted to go and measure the trunk to estimate the age of the tree but unfortunately it was on private property.

The photo of the church from the other side shows its squat tower. The hedged area in front of the church had the memorials to the Le Strange family who were local dignitaries

The church wasn't open on the day we visited but a member of the church council arrived and chatted to us. He let us have a quick look round inside whilst he completed the check he needed to make. The stained glass window was beautiful.

I really liked the shape of the windows in the church porch. I'm sure those curves lend themselves to a quilt block

There were a lot of mallards on the village pond and we had to chase 8 ducklings from underneath our car before we could leave. There were two yellow ducklings and 6 brown ones and they split into two groups. The adult mallards had trouble shepherding them around.

The rest of the day was spent walking. We followed a circular walk from the cliff top car park in Hunstanton, along the coastal path, across fields and along roads. We stopped for a drink at a pub on the way. We passed this old barn. Although not in use when we passed it, the barn had obviously been renovated fairly recently.

We passed through wide open countryside and alongside the beach and mud flats.

We walked through the nature reserve on Ringstead downs and didn't see another person but we did have a deer crash across the path in front of us. No flowers, limited butterflies and a few birds we could hear off in the trees. For quite a distance the scenery was just what you see in the photo. It was so calm and quiet but also felt a little eerie. It was good to get back to a more populated area.

Once back at the car we were tired so we headed back to our hotel and had a nap before dinner. I'll tell you some more about our trip tomorrow. I've finished writing this post in my lunch break and I have another meeting I need to join in a few minutes.

Take care

Lyndsey