FINALLY 2018 HAS ARRIVED

Hello my lovelies. First, I would like to start by wishing you all very happy new year. I’m sure 2018 will be full of great things for each and every one of us.

The first thing I did this morning when I opened my eyes was be thankful that 2017 was over and done with. I must admit that I was really pleased to be bright eyed and bushy tailed after a very good nights sleep. I had a very quiet New Years eve in the comfort of my own home. I watched some mindless television and had a glass of wine. So, there was no hangover for me this morning; the best way to start a new year.

Today I decided to be kind to myself. I did a few simple jobs, a bit of tidying up, some stitchery work and some easy peasy cooking. Here’s a little peek at the stitchery work …..

As in previous years, I plan on carrying on my volunteer work for Quilts for Comfort. I have a few quilt tops I plan on turning into proper quilts over the next few weeks. I’ve recently been working on another little challenge which consists of bonding squares for St. Thomas Hospital in London. I’ve knitted my simple 5” squares using DK yarn ….

This is something I can do in the evening while watching mindless TV shows. I’m sure I’m not the only person who needs to do something while watching TV.

My few Christmas decorations have been taken down and stored away for another year. My house is looking a little lacklustre now that all the twinkle has been removed. I’ll have to swap my quilts around to brighten the place up.

I haven’t written my To-Do List for the year yet. I do have a few goals and plenty of dreams. I guess I’ll start with finishing a few UFOs and we’ll see what comes next.

I finally finished painting my sewing room yesterday. This week I’m going to put the room back together in a different order. I need to purchase some new and different storage units in order to make everything a little more user friendly. The room looks fresh and bright. I purchased some fabric in a sale recently for curtains. Perhaps that will be tomorrows job.

Today has been a great start to the new year. I did a few easy jobs. It was a pleasure to sit quietly doing some stitchery work while binge watching the box set of Big Little Lies. If you haven’t watched it yet and it’s available to you, do watch it. It’s got a bit of everything in it. I won’t spoil it for you by telling you what it’s about. I found it very satisfying to watch.

On this first day of the new year, I’ll leave you with a quote I came across recently ….. There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind ~ CS Lewis. I quite like this quote ♥

So, for this evening this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be doing some English Paper Piecing. I hope you all have a super cosy evening doing something relaxing. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

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ANOTHER PINK LEMONADE QUILT FINISHED

This is a very nice quilt. I would love to see it bound and spread out on a bed. I think Marion will be very happy with this quilt. I finished longarm quilting it today. I worked thru the storms. The lights kept dipping but I put my head down and just kept working. The next batch of quilt tops will start arriving tomorrow morning and by early next week the last of them will be here. I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Three weeks today is Boxing Day!

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the whirlwind year I’ve had and on the year to come. There are so many things I want to do so I had better start making a list in order of priority. Something I would like to do more of is Freemotion Quilting using any and all of my domestic sewing machines with lots of different threads. The last few months have kept me so busy that I haven’t had a lot of time to play. In my opinion it’s our playtime that produces new ideas/projects. So the top of the list should read have more playtime ……

I got a lovely little gift on Tuesday from my lovely friend Shelley who is a very crafty person. Shelley made this lovely brooch/charm. I love the bright cheery colour and the fact that it’s funky. I plan on using it as a charm on a bag. I guess I had better design a bag using fabrics that tone in with my new funky charm. Isn’t it funny where we get our inspiration?

Over the last few days I spent a wee bit of time working on this little stitchery……

This was a free pattern on the internet which I printed quite some time ago but I can’t figure out where I got it. So if anyone knows please let me know and I will post the link. I plan on turning this stitchery into a useful Christmas gift. I really enjoyed working on this little stitchery and I love the words.

And now a little update on “A” is for Applique. I finished doing the applique work on my November block ‘Tis the Season……

At the moment it doesn’t look like much but I plan on adding some stitchery work which I think will bring the block to life. Over the Christmas holidays I plan on stabilising all my “A” is for Applique blocks and doing some stitchery. It’s hard to believe that I’m up-to-date with my blocks. However I haven’t announced the theme for December yet. So let’s get that out of the way so you can all come up with a plan. The theme for December is your Favourite Quote. So basically take your favourite quote and turn it into an applique block. It should be fun to see all the different interpretations of different quotes. Don’t forget it’s never too late to join in. The last theme will be in March. By then we will have 12 blocks to work with. I reckon that’s enough to make a quilt. I can’t wait to get started on my Favourite Quote.

Now the weather in my little corner of the England hasn’t been very good today. It was wild and woolly making it feel rather cold. Even my dogs didn’t want to go out for a walk this morning. I’ve been awake since the wee hours because the wind was making so much noise. So after today’s storms I think I’m ready for a bit of snow……. I would love to have a white Christmas.

So it’s been a really good day in happy longarm quilter land. I finished Marion’s beautiful Pink Lemonade quilt and started planning what I’m going to work on over the weekend. I don’t think there will be enough hours to get everything done that I would like to do! My lovely friend Karen asked me today if I was planning on getting myself a Poinsettia this year. Well the answer is I haven’t decided yet. My local supermarket has plenty in stock at the moment but I worry that the sooner I bring a plant home the sooner I might kill it. So you’ll just have to wait and see what I decide over the next week or so.

So for this evening, this very happy longarm quilter will most likely carry on working on the Dr Who scarf. It’s such a simple project that it’s very relaxing to work on. I hope you have a splendid evening working on something relaxing too. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching. ♥ ♥

 

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