Sewing Unplugged

It's been half term here this week and we've had such a lovely time. It's been a busy few months and I was ready for a week at home with my little people. I love having my kids home and they love hanging out together. The weather has been fabulous, we've been making bonfires, walking dogs, upgrading our chicken accommodation ready for the autumn and generally hanging out. We've moved around bedroom furniture, played games, watched movies and looked at the moon through a telescope.

Life in...

Low key

Lo fi

Unplugged.

The kids have read a lot of books, drawn lots of pictures, done lots of amazing baking and I've done some sewing. It's been the best kind of break! ( I know - Busman's Holiday - doing lots of sewing as a break from my sewing job )

My finished projects pile, long empty, is now overflowing. I can't ignore the need to baste, light that fire, and get hand quilting. It's a primal sewing rhythm as the nights draw in!

I had an urge to make flying geese as autumn crept in this season. I had been teaching a fun fast method of making geese in my Bee in My Bonnet class and it coincided with the arrival of Denyse Schmidts Hadley fabric line. These fabrics fun cheerful vintage vibe called out for a traditional quilt pattern made modern. I had always wanted to make a pure flying geese project. I made a geese quilt a long time ago but the blocks were big jumbo geese. It's a picnic blanket now, but it didn't ever quite scratch that itch. I love traditional patterns. I love the rigour they demand from you, I love the patient repetition ( sometimes!). 

 This quilt was a joy to make. I started making geese at our autumn retreat. It was the perfect way to make lots of geese fast - lots of chat and the chain piecing just whizzes away beneath you hands. These fabrics were just a pleasure to work with - every geese made me smile. I choose a dusky blue background that made the primary colours zing. Like geese against a pure blue autumn sky. My chief layout consultant ( Miss Stitch # 1) and I had a lot of layout options! I may have to make another 5 of these quilts to exhaust the ones we liked best. In the end I decided to stay simple and pure, but couldn't resist a few wayward geese flying in the other direction.

 I've also been working on finishing up quilt tops and making their backs. My Scandi Sampler Arundelle Quilt is almost finished -just that last bottom right hand panel to complete, we have to wait for the weather turn cold to watch Frozen again for the detail for that panel! I've got the back made this week though so its ready to hand quilt before Christmas.

 My sunshiney StarFlowers EPP now has a back and is ready to baste, then next in the hand quilting queue.

I've been powering through a quick chain pieced project for my Boy who has had a room move round and feels that his bed needs a new quilt! he he - I do LOVE that kind of a request and he's my favourite client! Miss Stitch #1 pulled this lovely pile of fabrics for his project - her now legendary eye for colour hits this nail right on the head don't you think?! Love this boy- palette.

 Finally on my workbench now is a return to my Double Wedding Rings project from the summer. I decided to take it to bits and rework it. Bit of a gulp decision but am now feeling ready to tackle this one again with gusto so must have been the right decision!

Lastly this week we built a huge bonfire in our field. Then rebuilt it further away from the hedge as the wind picked up last night! Then we had the whole family over, cousins, Aunties and Uncles, Nanas and Grandads for a big bonfire party. I do like Halloween but my heart is really with Bonfire Night - so much more wholesome fun. Cold air, warm fire, toffee, sparklers and smoke, fireworks and family, big bowls of warm chilli and foil wrapped hot potatoes -  it does pip cauldrons and candy to the post in my affections. Happy Bonfire week x