As our dog is getting on in years (he will be 12 years old next week, so he is an elderly gentleman now), I managed to wangle a couple of days staying in the cottage sewing while the other family members went further afield. What joy to be able to sit and handsew for several hours without the sound of traffic and all the interruptions of 'normal' life.
I made good progress on Arlington Square:
and I also managed to work on Robin's Nest which I have hardly touched since last summer holiday...
We visited several gardens: Hestercombe (below)
The laundry rack came in handy after stitching and pressing the long rows:
And here are a selection of photos to give you an idea of the size of the top and variety of fabrics used:
Lots of seams but they sit quite neatly - always press outwards, from the centre to towards the edges of the block.
I didn't fussy cut on this occasion, and I'm not a great collector of novelty fabrics, but sometimes the centre block worked out with something interesting to look at:
Using up scraps, especially in such narrow strips, had a surprising effect: it has made me REALLY look at some of these fabrics and appreciate them in a way I didn't when I used the same fabrics in other quilts in much larger chunks.
And at Hestercombe there was even a Log Cabin made from tiles on edge in the paving!
I made good progress on Arlington Square:
and I also managed to work on Robin's Nest which I have hardly touched since last summer holiday...
We visited several gardens: Hestercombe (below)
and Lytes Cary (below) where there was still so much glorious colour, even at the end of the season:
Enough holiday snaps, before I went away I had a mad week of sewing to make up for the previous dry spell. I chainpieced madly, laid out and joined my bright Log Cabin variation blocks together:
The laundry rack came in handy after stitching and pressing the long rows:
And here are a selection of photos to give you an idea of the size of the top and variety of fabrics used:
Lots of seams but they sit quite neatly - always press outwards, from the centre to towards the edges of the block.
I didn't fussy cut on this occasion, and I'm not a great collector of novelty fabrics, but sometimes the centre block worked out with something interesting to look at:
Using up scraps, especially in such narrow strips, had a surprising effect: it has made me REALLY look at some of these fabrics and appreciate them in a way I didn't when I used the same fabrics in other quilts in much larger chunks.
And at Hestercombe there was even a Log Cabin made from tiles on edge in the paving!
Enjoy a gorgeous autumn wherever you are, and some sewing contentment too.
