Post Hols Hello!

Hello again!  Just got back from two lovely weeks holidays in the Lake District where it felt like going cold turkey with no access to blogland!

Me and my Bean at Sizergh Castle.

All ready for his big climb!

Stunning view from top of Helvellyn which the boys climbed while I sewed!

I am beginning to realise that I have a problem.  These two -

were taking bets on the return ferry yesterday afternoon as to how long it would be from arriving home until I turned on the Mac to check out the blogs again!!  What started in December as a tiny toe in the water of blogging has somehow, without me really noticing, become a big part of my week - that's a bit crazy really!

Probably a good thing then that I took the sewing machine on hols as I'm not sure what state I'd have been in if I'd had to survive two weeks with no internet AND no sewing machine!  So, on the rainier days or just in the peace and quiet created when the men in my life went to be adventurous in the great outdoors, I did manage to catch up on some sewing that had gotten a bit behind.

I stitched away happily in the evenings at Little Miss Shabby's Birdie Stitches.  The pics all have a slight blue sheen to the embroidery because I haven't just gotten around to washing out the transfer pen yet - sorry about that.  So here they are ...

April

May

June - redrafted from the original a little

July - redrafted from original 4th of July design

August

And, I spent a LONG time beavering away on the kaleidoscope blocks which you may recall I messed up and then have had to re-work by paper piecing in order to make the most of the 360 pieces of fabric I had already cut (wrongly).  I wish I could say it was fun and relaxing, but it wasn't.  The kaleidoscope blocks and I developed a hate-hate relationship.  Suffice it to say, I reached a point of frustration where I had to decide that I was either going to stop and never EVER touch them again in my lifetime or I had to just plough on through the hatred to get them done.  I ploughed on and they are done and maybe, in a few weeks time when I come to sew the blocks together I will actually like and appreciate them, but the wounds are still a bit too raw!  (Melodramatic enough for you?)

There are 30 blocks in all
but that was too many to lay out for this photo.

I also worked a little on my hexagon quilt (no pics as it doesn't look much different from last pics).  I started this quilt top in the Lake District last summer and it was the project and the holiday which made me decide I needed to find more time for sewing in my life.  I think looking back over the past year I can certainly say I've done that (and more).  There are some practical changes about to impact our work and home life routines around here and I'm not sure how much time I will find for my sewing this coming year, but perhaps now that this hobby is part of the fabric (apols for the pun) of my life, I'll at least be able to create a little space for it and benefit from the therapy it provides amid the chaos!

Good to be back and looking forward to catching up with everybody else's blogs soon.