A busy Tuesday and a great weekend

I planned to write this post on Tuesday evening but life got in the way. I had taken annual leave on Tuesday which gave me a five day weekend, since Monday was a bank holiday in the UK. Everyone else was working so Missy and I had the house to ourselves. As always there were several household chores to complete before I could claim the time as my own.  Obviously one of the 'chores' was taking Missy for a walk but that is only really a chore when the weather is cold and wet. Walking in the sunshine is a joy and Missy's love of life and walking is very contagious. We spent some time at the park while I threw balls for her to chase and for her to have a good sniff at everything. She stuck her nose in a patch of flowers and spent the next little while sneezing, very delicate ladylike sneezes for the size of dog. Back at home I started some bread. Most weeks I make one large loaf and it lasts all week but sometimes everyone wants toast for breakfast. 

Eventually I was able to make myself a cup of tea and sit and consider what I wanted to achieve on my annual leave day. I have a new quilt project percolating in my brain but it isn't fully formed yet so it was back to the ones I've already started. The dinosaur quilt was calling me. Having finished the first set of 6 dinosaurs I still have 3 more sets to make or 18 blocks. I decided I would cut the fabric for two of the brachiosaurus blocks but cut the background fabric for all 6 blocks. This took quite some time as there are a lot of small pieces. The pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman who also designed Cats in pyjamas

and dogs in sweaters

                               

I also have both of these patterns for future use. They are such fun designs. The patterns have a lot of pieces to them but the instructions are well written and easy to follow. From experience don't try to make too many blocks at the same time, one at a time works very well.  Anyway I spent time cutting fabric. Restricting the amount of cutting I did was a good idea as last time it made my wrists very achy. This time my wrist was still feeling comfortable. Gracious me, does this mean I've started to realise my limitations at last!

Later in the afternoon, once I done some ironing, I got my knitting out and worked on the second sleeve. It should hopefully be finished over the weekend and I can sew my cardigan together. Writing it down my day doesn't sound very busy but I was worn out and needed to go to bed early.

Wednesday and Thursday I was working and so that bring us to Friday. This morning John and I set off on a weekend in Portsmouth. I'm going to tell you about our trip in the next post but over the weekend I did some sewing on the little countryside embroidery. I didn't get a huge amount done as we were out and about all day and I was tired by evening. Here's how far I've got.

I've cut the red fabric for the poppies and I'm really excited to get this piece finished. I'm linking this post with Kathy from Kathy's Quilts for her Slow Sunday stitching Pop over and see what everyone has been working on.

I need to download my photos so I can share them on my next post. I'm working tomorrow but I have a day off on Tuesday so blog post and more sewing.

Take care

Lyndsey

Bird watching trip and stitching.

The weekend was fun and productive, even the weather cooperated. On Friday I awarded myself a sewing day. I wanted to finish the remaining 4 stegosaurus blocks and also make the quilt sandwich for the mystery quilt. I started by making the quilt sandwich.  Having taken part in a mystery quilt I decided I'm not over keen on them. I stuck to the instructions that we were given and didn't deviate. I used 9 fat quarters or pieces of left over fabric of the same size. I loved the fabrics I chose but once I started cutting them I felt there wasn't enough definition between them. The fabrics had to be laid out in a set manner to make the nine fabric groups that would be used to make the blocks. You can see what I mean in the photo. Normally I would have changed fabrics around to give a better mix but decide to see how it panned out. 

I made all the blocks and I like the way they turned out but they needed a little lift so I added green sashing and borders. Much better.

For the backing I used some yellow and cream fabric I had in my stash. I didn't have enough of either fabric to make the backing so it has been pieced. This quilt is now ready for quilting so now I'm waiting for inspiration to strike. I have some ideas but it's always useful to give my brain a little extra time. On the occasions when I've rushed into the quilting phase I've found I suddenly have an amazing idea when its too late to change what I'm doing. 

Next I made some bread so that we could have sandwiches for lunch on Saturday. I love how the smell of homemade bread drifts around the house when it's cooking. An estate agent friend once told me that if you want a quick sale on your house make sure you have bread baking and make some fresh ground coffee when the viewing happens. It makes the house much more friendly and home like. Whilst the bread was proving I got on with the dinosaur blocks and by the end of the afternoon I had two more blocks complete.

On Sunday we went to Fingringhoe Wick nature reserve. The sun was shining and it was very warm. The board below explains the history of the area. Remember you can click on the picture to  get an image that you can blow up larger.

This willow had amazing fluffy catkins and the 'fluff' was blowing everywhere.

I had fun spotting the small fungi in one of the meadows

and there were several Southern Marsh Orchids in the same meadow.

The view across the reeds and water was very tranquil. Lots of blue sky and fluffy clouds. My face and arms have already taken on a nice sun kissed appearance but don't worry I remembered my sun screen.

We saw over 30 different species of birds including a white throat, garden warbler, whimbrel and a nightingale. The bird song was everywhere and there were a lot of wild flowers. The reserve also has adders but we didn't see any basking in the sun. They are shy snakes.

On Sunday I awarded myself some more sewing time. I wanted to get all the stegosaurus blocks finished before starting on the next dinosaur. This is my Chookshed challenge for May. I know I won't finish all the blocks but I would love to finish a second set of dinosaurs.  By the end of my sewing time I had 6 completed dinosaurs.

These blocks are large finishing at 21.5 by 10.5 inches. I still need to trim them but I'll do that when all the dinosaur blocks are made and I start piecing the quilt top together.

In the evenings I am working on making the 2nd sleeve for my cardigan. I'm alternating between knitting and the countryside embroidery. That way hopefully both projects will be finished by the end of the month.

Today we were to have visitors but our grandson isn't well. He has a bad cold and so they have stayed at home. Younger daughter was away at her best friends hen do over the weekend but she has now arrived home having had a good time, with massages and other spa treatments and a visit to a vineyard which included wine tasting and lunch. Maybe I'll get my machine out or do some cutting or planning for my next quilt. I think I'll have another cup of tea while I decide what to do next.

Take care

Lyndsey

 

Hello May

 

May already but still the weather is misbehaving. Last night there was a very noisy and prolonged thunderstorm and a downpour. The forecast suggests it will warm up on Monday but there is a whole weekend between now and then and I'd love some warmer weather. I'm not working again until Wednesday and so I have time for sewing and visits. I'm going to enjoy the next few days!

The beginning of the month means a chance to set some plans. So what do I want to achieve this month? Let's start with the Chookshed Stitchers challenge.

My number 5 is the dinosaur quilt. I've been working on this each month this year. In April I made two stegosaurus and part made the remaining four. This month I'd like to finish the remaining stegosaurus and make another set of dinosaurs. For the next set of dinosaurs I can choose from triceratops, brachiosaurus or T Rex. The instructions to make the dinosaurs are very clear and easy to follow which means the blocks go together very easily.

For my one monthly goal I want to complete the countryside embroidery. I've had this as a goal before and failed to finish it but I think I should be able to this month. I'm not sure this is the most recent photo but it is a good approximation of how much I've completed.

I want to make the quilt sandwich and start the quilting on the mystery quilt. This will be the first thing I do tomorrow morning.

I've been practicing sewing the curves for the Blooming rings quilt so I would like to make row 1 of this quilt. I think I'm ready to start stitching this quilt together.

I want to finish knitting my cardigan. I only have one sleeve and the button bands to knit. I've already made a start on the sleeve so I should be able achieve this.

I also want to plan a new quilt. I have a picture of it in my head but need to get it planned out on paper so I can decide if it will work. Tomorrow I have some sewing time so I'll get on with the planning stage and check measurements. I always enjoy the planning stage of a new quilt. 

It's been a long day at work and if I'm going to enjoy my sewing day I need to get some sleep. I have a lot I want to get through tomorrow.

Take care

Lyndsey