A finish and picking up a forgotten project.

Yesterday was dry and mostly sunny and I needed to do some laundry so that was top of my agenda. The predicted rain never materialised and so all the washing was dried on the line and today I have some ironing to do. I like ironing and I can put on a podcast or vlog whilst I get it done. Today is wet and miserable at the moment but should clear later. The garden will be very happy with the rain and it will save the need to water. 

Yesterday I decided to work on the apple core blocks I'd found when I was sorting out my sewing cupboard. These blocks involve a lot of sewing round curves. If the curves are are matching there is no problem but when concave and convex curves are involved in the stitching line life becomes more complex. Sometimes I can get the curves to work perfectly and others it's a right mess even though I use the same techniques. My thinking is, complete the apple core quilt, really practice sewing the curves and then return to my double wedding ring quilt. To me, this sounds like a great plan. So I took the two rows I had already done, they are at the top of the picture. The other half of the dinning table was in use so I couldn't lay this out flat. Fortunately it shows the puckers and slightly out of shape curves. I then sewed some of the apple cores together to make two more rows. The second row of cores sit much better together. I added the first row I'd made to the progressing quilt and this still involved some puckering but is better that before. So today I will make a few more rows and add to the main top. Each time I sew two cores together my sewing is neater and more accurate. I might even get it right by the time I have a top put together. I'm finding the process slow but I am determined to master the technique of sewing curves. Wish me luck as this could take some time. Please ignore any screaming and shouting you may hear from me.

Later in the afternoon I finished the crocheted blanket. Having stitched all the ends in I added a row of double crochet around the outside of the blanket. I like how it looks and it is very warm. This will be a donation blanket and is a good size for a young child.

In the evening whilst watching a murder mystery I finished the right front of my pink cardigan. I now have the sleeves and front band to knit.  The colour of the yarn changes depending on the light when I take the photo. This colour isn't completely accurate to the original.

I had rolled most of the skeins into balls but I had three left to do. I decided to do this minor administrative task and then put my knitting away. Later today I'll cast on the first sleeve

My plans for today are fairly fluid. Once I've completed the ironing I'm hoping to make a start on the quilting of the dinosaur quilt. Currently John and I are both using the dining table but hopefully John will have other things he wants to do and I can move my machine in. The quilt is large and heavy so I need the whole table to ensure it is fully supported. I can't wait to get the quilting started. Here is the phot of the completed quilt top. It is already sandwiched and ready for quilting.

OK so ironing first and then the quilting.

Take care

Lyndsey

Everything but the Japanese panel

This week I had planned to work on the Japanese quilt I was going to make using a panel that I bought a while back and I planned to include some sashiko. The problem is, or was, that I couldn't make up my mind how I wanted the finished quilt to look. I had several different ideas but not one that I particularly loved. I decided that the best thing to do was to scrap the idea for now and move on to something different.

I decided that spending some time on scrap management would be useful. Scraps seem to multiple even when I'm not doing any sewing. I started by dividing some of my scraps into colour groups.

I decided that I would make some string blocks. By the time I had finished I'd made 16 blocks.

I really enjoyed making these blocks and I like the way they look. I also made a few 9 patch blocks as well. I need to put these blocks together into a quilt.

Last week I pulled out the mystery quilt I made last year. I have done machine quilting on all the quilts I've made so far but for this quilt I decided I would try and hand quilt it. I completed the quilting on one of the blocks and then put it away whilst I worked on other projects. Earlier this week I decided I needed to get on with the quilting. Over two episodes of Miss Marple (Agatha Christie stories) I've managed to complete one and a half blocks. it appears that somewhere between April 2024 and now I developed a real love of hand stitching in all its different guises.

I've nearly finished the right front of my pink cardigan. I'm not posting a picture as it doesn't look like anything until you start joining all the pieces together. That reminds me, I need to wind the remaining skeins of yarn into balls so they are ready for knitting.

Another project I've spent some time on is the crocheted blanket I started during the lockdown of the covid pandemic. Since then I've crocheted more than 100 of these blocks and last November I started crocheting them together. 10 by 10 squares makes a nice size blanket for a toddler. In the picture I have crocheted the rows together but still have to complete the columns. I've nearly finished that and will then do a couple of rows of double crochet around the outside. This will be a donation blanket. I think I have enough squares left over to complete a second blanket.

The mystery of the comments has for the moment been solved. I was going through my emails this morning, deleting and generally tidying up the space when it told me it was updating. A couple of new links then appeared and one was labelled 'social'. Considering it was a new tab it had a lot of emails in it going back to end of December 2024. Most were from LinkedIn and were deleted straight away. LinkedIn was useful in relation to work in earlier years but I'm now over 70 and not interested in changing my job, so I will be deleting my LinkedIn account later as well. We automatically have a LinkedIn account through work so I will still be able access any of the e learning they have on offer. Anyway what was left in the social tab was a list of emails from readers of this blog. My son reliably informs me the social tab has been there for ages but I hadn't updated my email. Anyway I now have some comments to read and respond to, sounds like a job for this afternoon.

Friday was younger daughter's birthday and I promised I'd make her a cake over the weekend. I need to get myself organised, check what cake she would like and then get it made. Having already eaten some chocolate from the Easter egg I was given I'm not sure I need cake. I guess I'll just have to do more exercise tomorrow.

If you are celebrating Easter I hope you have an enjoyable day. Older daughter and family are coming for dinner tomorrow which will be fun. We exchanged Easter eggs when we saw them last weekend so fortunately there won't be any additional chocolate.

This morning I ventured out on my own with Missy, our 3 year old cockerpoo. I haven't walked Missy since I had my operation. She is a medium sized dog, but strong and I was a little worried that she would pull on the lead but she was incredible well behaved and walked to heel at my pace. Twiglet, our Yorkshire terrier was rather put out that he wasn't included but he will suddenly decide to change direction or speed and I'm not risking being tripped up by him. He'll have a walk a little later. currently they are both curled up together having a nap.

Take care

Lyndsey

Slow Sunday stitching.

Yesterday, John and I went on a coach trip to Minsmere in Suffolk. Minsmere is a RSPB reserve (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and there are always a lot of birds to see and hear, particularly at this time of year. I wasn't sure if I had the energy for the event so I took some hand sewing with me. There is a large cafe that serves delicious food and drinks, so I was well prepared if I needed to rest. We met the coach at Embankment after a calm and stress free journey from home on the underground system. We needed to be there for 7:30, not a time I've been up and about recently but it was good to be behaving more like my usual self. The morning was cool and very hazy. I took a couple of photos looking across the Thames. You can just see the tower blocks further along the river shrouded in mist.

It's also fascinating how the tall buildings can hide behind the trees because of the perspective. I love this part of London at this hour in the morning.

The journey to Minsmere was smooth and quick. We stopped once so we could all top up with coffee. I enjoyed watching the changing countryside pass by.

We started our visit with a cup of tea and a slice of salted caramel and nut slice, delicious. We sat outside in the sun and planned our day. Many of the group opted to go round with the group leader as he would help them see the birds and identify them. We decided to do our own thing. This is much more fun and meant we could amble at our own pace. Our first stop was to try and see the adders. Adders are the only poisonous snakes in the UK. Because of the sunshine they had been emerging from hibernation and this was potentially a time when we could expect to see them. We visited the most likely place but were told that, since the female adders had emerged, the males were busy chasing them through the thick undergrowth. This visit we didn't see a single adder. Never mind there is always next time.

There was a lot of gorse which smells like coconut - delicious.

There was also a lot of white blossom but I can't remember the name of the tree. In the last couple of weeks the trees have opened their leaves, there were daffodils and other spring flowers. It was very warm over the day and we were surprised not to see any butterflies.

As we moved on we were lucky enough to see a Nightingale preening its feathers further along the path. That made a perfect start to the day. We saw lots of birds and had a few new spots. We also enjoyed a very slow walk around the reserve and along the beach. The sea was calm and I would have enjoyed a paddle but I decided against it since the beach here is shingle. I needed to have some sandals or shoes that I could have worn in the water. I'll remember for next time. The journey back to London was fairly quick, made even quicker by me sleeping through most of it. 

Today I had some mending to do. I needed to stitch a patch onto John's favourite jeans. I did that on the machine but the rest of the mending was hand stitching, sewing on buttons and catching down hems. Once the mending was out of the way I got on with stitching the binding down on the Churn Dash quilt. This is now all finished.

I'm really happy with this quilt. It is such a bright and happy quilt. This quilt was created from a pile of churn dash blocks that had been pushed to the back of my sewing cupboard and forgotten about. 

Hand stitching the binding down is always satisfying and it just makes it all look so neat. Having finished the quilt I'm going to read a couple of chapters of my book and then go to bed.

Take care

Lyndsey

A slow start to April sewing

It's been a while since I last posted but I have been slowly working on various projects. I've been very tired  and earlier in the week I found out I was anaemic. No wonder I've not been feeling at my best. Other than that, my recovery is going well, I just wish I had more energy.

I finished the left front of my pink cardigan and started the right front last night. I like to use bamboo needles but when I had finished the ribbing and was ready to change onto slightly larger needles, I found they had got broken. Fortunately I had metal needles of the correct size to use. The bamboo needles are lighter so I will need to buy a new pair.

I've spent a little time each day stitching on the table cloth. I'm really enjoying the embroidery and I feel I'm getting more proficient with the various stitches. I've seen several new embroideries I'd love to sew but I am trying not to start any new projects. Note to self - stop looking at embroidery patterns.

My Chookshed challenge for April is turning the Japanese panel into a quilt.  I've spent quite a lot of time trying to decide how to spilt the panel. I have several designs I've come up with but I can't decide which one I like best. I plan to start sewing on this project on Monday so I need to make my final decision.

I needed to add the binding to the churn dash quilt. In the end I decided to use this fabric. This fabric was left over from a previous quilt backing. It's always good when you can use up some of your fabric scraps. It's all sewn on but needs to be hand stitched down to the back.

I was looking through my sewing cupboard to see what unfinished projects I had. I found a couple this time. The first one is an apple core quilt top I started making. I had no problem sewing the individual cores together but when I started sewing two strips together I wasn't quite as accurate. I need to unpick some of the seams and redo them. I've all the 'cores' needed for the baby quilt cut out. 

Sewing these blocks together would give me some practice of sewing curves ready for doing some more work on my double wedding ring quilt. Once finished this quilt will be a donation quilt.

I also unearthed this box.

Last year I went to the Stitch Festival with my friend Michelle. We both liked these heavenly angels which, once made, can be used as a tree or table decorations. I love that the three of them are into sewing and knitting. I had planned to make them for Christmas last year but I forgot about them. These ladies need to be made for Christmas 2025.

Tomorrow John and I are going on a bird watching trip to Minsmere in Suffolk. There is quite a lot of walking involved but I'm not worried as there is a large cafe that serves great food and drink if I get tired. The weather is meant to be dry and warm so it should be a fun outing.  

This post has taken me ages to write with lots of interruptions but it is finally finished and I need to go to bed.  

Take care

Lyndsey

Getting on with the quilting.

Yesterday I set up my machine with the intention of completing the quilting on the Churn dash quilt. I had already completed about half of the quilting and I planned to finish it but I found the whole experience rather tiring and so I I left myself 6 blocks to quilt today. I like this little quilt, the churn dash blocks are cute and having found them lurking in my sewing cupboard waiting to be sewn together, this is a quick win. This afternoon I completed the quilting on the last six blocks and I was able to trim back the backing fabric and the wadding.  At this point I realised I hadn't considered what to use as a binding so first I had to measure the quilt to work out how much fabric I needed for the binding. Then I played hunt the fabric. Nothing appropriate came to hand but I'm sure I'll find something in my stash.

Yesterday evening I did a little more work on the table cloth. 

This evening I'm going to sit and watch something on TV. I may do some knitting but I'm not totally sure. I've felt tired all day. I suppose I could go to bed early but then I'll just wake up early. 

On a totally different topic, is anyone else having a major problem with Blogger? The comments used to go to my email account but recently they haven't. I discovered some went to the email I purely use for my Microsoft account. I put moderation on but that didn't work. All advice will be very gratefully received. 

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be more awake and ready to get the quilt finished. 

Take care

Lyndsey

Let's get started on April sewing.

April arrived with beautiful sunshine. The clocks went forward in the early hours of Sunday morning (31st March) and so we have lighter evenings. The down side of the time change is the alarm going off but it's dark again. The 1st April was my Mom's birthday. She died in 2002 aged 76 but she is always in my mind. Yesterday I was working on my embroidery and went on a trip down memory lane of my mother teaching me stitches. I wish I'd paid more attention as my work would be much neater but unfortunately as a child / teenager you always have lots of other activities that seem more important. Enough reminiscing, time to make some plans for April. 

The Chookshed challenge number drawn for April was 4. My number 4 is the Japanese panel.

I want to split this panel and use sashiko to join it together as a quilt. If possible I want to include this piece of Sashiko that I completed when trying out this style of embroidery.

I took a lot of measurements of the different parts of the panel so I could make some decisions about how to lay out the various parts. This is still a work in progress but hopefully decisions will be made soon.

I'd really like to make a start on the quilting of the dinosaur quilt but unfortunately this is a very large heavy quilt and at the moment I don't think I have the stamina to work on it. That may change going through the month. I do have a smaller quilt I'd already started quilting and this seems the obvious project to work on. As I use my machine on the dining table I need someone to lift it for me as I have strict instructions not to lift anything heavy for the next few weeks. That won't be a problem and so I will try and complete the quilting on the churn dash quilt.

Later today I'm going to look in my sewing cupboard for projects I've started and not finished or worked on for a while. Things get lost to the back of the cupboard and over the last two months the ploy has meant I have sewn blocks together to complete quilt tops. I know there are still some orphan blocks in there.

I will still be continuing my embroidered tablecloth as this is so relaxing in an evening and at the same time I need to get on with my knitting. I also have another frog block to start work on. This is the one I pulled out to start stitching this month. It's slightly bigger than the previous blocks but it shouldn't take long.

My remaining item I want to sew is a blouse. This has been cut out for some time and it would be good to get it made. I don't have a photo of the pattern or the fabric so that will follow soon.

For now I need to get started on some sewing. I'll let you know how I get on in my next post.

Take care

Lyndsey