Losing - and finding the plot!

It's been a while since I lasted wrote a post. No major problems but lots of small issues that mean time has been very limited and there has been a lot to do to get back on an even keel.

I do seem to have lost the plot when it comes to sewing. I keep getting projects out to work on and find I'm putting them away again without having sewn a single seam or put in a single stitch on my embroidery. Is it pressure of work, the hot weather, the myriad of other things wanting my attention? I don't know why but I haven't felt enthused to sewing even though I have some fabulous new fabrics and patterns and a mountain of ideas. All in all this year has been a really slow year for anything sewing related. Having said all that I woke up on July 1st and heard my machine quietly calling me. I opened the patio doors in our dining room, set up the machine and settled down to sew whatever came to hand. In the end I didn't start sewing straight away as I had an urge to do some cutting ready for a new quilt. These fabrics are so pretty.

Having completed the cutting I moved to the kitchen and spent some time baking.  First I made banana bread. Mmm so yummy especially when the slice is spread with butter.

I made two loaves, one wholemeal and the other white

and finally a tray bake of banana parkin.

Having enjoyed my baking session I headed back to my sewing machine. Quite a while back I started making a summer dress but could get the fit of the bodice quite right so I put it in a bag and stuffed it to the back of my sewing cupboard. I pulled it out and after I had pressed the fabric I set about sorting it out. It proved to be extremely easy to get it fitting properly and by the end of the day I had a completed dress. I forgot to take a photo so I'll do that next time I post.

On July 2nd I also made a good start on my project for the picnic blog hop. By the end of my sewing session I had the main part of the project completed. I need to buy some additional fabric to finish it off.

The 2nd July was our 40th wedding anniversary. We went out to dinner on the Saturday night to celebrate. Our meal was delicious and we had a great time. We decided that we would spend some of Sunday visiting the wetlands centre at Barnes. We haven't visited for a while and we really enjoyed our day. There weren't a lot of birds but there was a profusion of wild flowers 

There were a lot of dandelion seed heads. We had fun as children blowing the seed heads to see what the time was. I want to try and do a painting of this one.

The wind started blowing rather strongly at this point as I tried to take a photo of the bee on the flower.

I think this one is common knapweed. It is such a beautiful colour.

This one is cornflower and the little one in the background is tufted vetch.

The teasels were fresh and green. They will dry out as the year moves on.

The white water lilies on the pond were just beginning to open.

I'm not sure what this one is called but it is a beautiful flower.

I also need to discover the name of this delicate flower.

Looking across the wader scrape there was a mass of purple loosestrife. It looked amazing but it meant you couldn't see any of the birds that were hiding amongst it.

This weekend we have driven to Yorkshire and we will be doing some birdwatching. I also want to do some sketching. I haven't done any for so long that I'm nervous I will mess up my new sketch book. I'm also hopeful I may come across a quilt or fabric shop. I'll let you know what happens.

Take care

Lyndsey