Fresh New Month equals Fresh Sewing Day!

Really?  October already? 

Would someone please tell me where September went to? 

looks like a slower month, but hey, that's ok, my body has yet to adjust to the change in season , so hopefully by the end of this month I will have got used to dark nights, and feeling like I should be hibernating! 

yeah I know, get over myself and get on with it!

so a few Bee Blocks, some sewing, some practice sewing, and some quilting, there may have been a smattering of cake, jam and chutney production too!

Speaking of cake, whilst the Diva lays in bed and off school, (yep poorly child in this house)  cake production continues for this afternoons quilting meeting, and we are trying something new, and seasonal.

I'll let you know how it goes :)

So now you've seen what I've been up to, Head on over to Lynnes blog where the linky party is and see what everyone else has been up to.

And whilst you're there, how about taking a look around some of those smaller blogs, you might be surprised at what and who you find! 

Just Sayin!

of fabric and fudes ...

well, lets start with the pretties shall we!

The week started well, with good mail 

and the Good Fortune of  a wonderful visitor ,  

which in itself calls for cake!  Right!

yes that's on a dinner plate! 

I can highly recommend Chocolate Mayonnaise cake, I used this recipe, if you are interested.

a wonderful day of crafty chat, playing with curves and cake ensued ;)

there has been a lot of this ...

and yesterday, well a morning spent out shopping!

Look away NOW!  

My lovely friends from Doughtys were in a town close to me!

and these Heirloom by Joel Dewbury made a dash for my bag!

I had a FQ pack of these in another colour way last year

plus a couple of rogues into the mix

the palest green was on my list since I've just made a mahoosive quilt with it as the background and didn't have enough left for a makeshift backing ... but now, the end of the bolt lives here and I can get on and  finish it :) 

the palest blue, just a pretty colour, the green is for backing, and the wavy stripe, oh I see this one being binding, don't ask on what yet, but it will come good I've no doubt!

other must buys were to stock back up on the white on whites which was almost depleted, 2 meters left of the last batch is never going to keep me going til spring!

so if you fancy a little shopping spree, you can find out if the Doughtys Roadshow is coming to a town near you right here!

and I came home rejuvenated and happy ...

in between more quilting, and texting, with a testing teenager,

 I came in last night thinking this didn't look right  ...

and it's NOT!

now, to engage a little reverse stitching and see if we can end the month on a positive note!  

Planning ... and scheming ...

I'm busy quilting away, 

but in the mean time, 

whilst I have plenty that could do with being finished ...

I've been making plans :) 

these little lovelies from Tanya Whelan, I got this time last year when Doughty's came to town ...

and I've got them ear marked for a Jack Attack from Lynne ...

there's a button the side there if you are tempted too! 
And then the lovely Leanne of She Can Quilt, who I had the great pleasure to meet and get to know earlier this year at the Fat Quarterly Retreat, announced a Quilt Along of the Mod Pop quilt she recently pattern tested for Julie of Distant Pickles ...  
I love that quilt, so retro ... so I delved into that enormous stash and pulled out the 30 or so (or something like that) fat quarters and some white on white to get me going  ...

and my templates have arrived, I have the pattern and am ready to get going chopping up a little fabric for this one!

And most recently, I spied something really pretty on fellow Brit Bee'r Fiona's blog, now I'd spied it, but was resisting, after all , I need to finish a few things before I start yet another project right?!

but I was lost, once I saw how wonderful Fiona's rows look, I knew I could resist no longer!

So I went back to Lori Holt's site Bee in my Bonnet and sussed out the fabric requirements ...

now I've been sitting on a fq pack of Sew Cherry since I got it on sale earlier this year, not knowing what I was going to do with it, but as you know, I couldn't help myself!

well, I took out all the lights, and then added some more fabrics from that lovely fq pack of Ruby, raided my scraps of Its a Hoot, and delved into the stash for some more!

So if you are tempted with a little pile of fabric, and want to spend some quality time piecing a quilt, one row at a time, I can highly recommend the Bee in my Bonnet Row Along.  This is a long term project aiming to finish next spring
Go on, you know you want to!
Now, back to the quilting!  I just though I'd pop in while I took a break to let you know I'm still here!
What have you been planning lately?
(oh, and Doughty's are back this coming Saturday, I've got a list!)

Best of British

Done!  

Really!

How long does it have to take to sew down some binding!

this is when I pieced it

the deets are there too

The light was fading, I refrained from hanging it on the fence, last time I did that, my neighbour got a shock when the top blew right over into her garden!

and it fits the bed a treat in my humble opinion!

I'm going to be right toasty tonight!

Feels good to finish something :)

Swapping things about

So now one swap is over, time for some more?

Well who could resist the lovely Sarah when she put out the request for swappers back in August ...

so my Festival shopping was very focused ...

the pink has been chopped and sent and now I await the return of a package full of Japanese loveliness!

much like these ...

Thanks to a discount code for Celtic Fusion Fabrics ...

and there may have been a little hopping for this swap too!

this may or may not already be on its way over to Rebbecca Lynne

and whilst I was cutting and sewing up a storm for my BQS3 there was a little more  chopping of this pile of loveliness that has been glaring and quietly whispering ....

so not content with a couple of Charm Swaps, there was a frenzy of activity on Saturday for sign ups for the Mouthy Stitches 2 swap

and as with all making swaps, an inspiration mosaic is required ...

still trying to hold onto the soft warmth of summer as it fades rapidly

another thing that got swapped around, thanks to the antics of yesterday and today, was turning these into jam ... for now they languish in the cold depths of the freezer.  

And thank you all for your concern after my comments yesterday, my mum is fine, we went back to the fracture clinic this morning, they confirmed  a double fracture to her wrist, took the plaster cast off her arm and made her more comfortable and able to cope on her own with a half arm splint instead.  Lets hope there are no more falls in her future  :)  

another day of no sewing, thanks to a dental visit for the Diva that resulted in not having the scheduled filling, and an unscheduled visit to the orthodontist.   I was so glad of a sit down and a cuppa by the time I got home tonight!

Hopefully I'll be back with something productive soon

Brit Quilt Swap 3

Well I did finish my BQS3 Quilt ...

and it even got posted within the permitted time frame too!  

I loved making this little mini for my partner, she is a woman of amazing talent who I do admire, 

so you can imagine I wanted it to be just perfect. 

Sadly my last minute rush failed me, and the piecing of the quadrants didn't quite go to plan ...

but finish I did!

and I'm pleased to report that Sheila loves her mini quilt :)

and because it's a swap, well I got one too!

Isn't this just beautiful!

Thank you Catherine, I love it, and the goodies are safely being mused over in my studio !

It's been a funny week or so, with no hot water and a trip to A&E, that now requires follow up appointments at the Fracture clinic, hmm, sewing time has been scarce some days, and could be erratic to come ...

still there's always another swap to get involved in, what with the Japanese Charm swap, and the Low Volume charm swap ... there's always room for one more right?  

Awe-gust!

well considering it is still summer, August has been and gone, and I feel like I missed it! 

but it seems I didn't after all ...

I'm up to date on my Bee blocks,  2 framed purses, 2 rounds for Ab Fab Free Bees (I have one more to do) and 4 yes 4 quilts!  And away at Festival too!  

So how was August for you?  I'm linking this up with Lynne's Fresh Sewing Day, why not head over and see what everyone else has been up to, and check out some new to you small blogs too!  

right, back to the bottom of the garden for some more creativity!