Good to be back?!

Hello everyone.
First blog for nearly a month as I have been away on a wonderful cruise to Italy to celebrate my husbands 60th Birthday.

I have finally caught up with all the washing and ironing now, and last night decided to start thinking about quilting the top that I have put together for the village show in August.

I finished the top before I went away, and tacked (basted) the quilt on to the backing & wadding.

Usually I quilt "in the ditch" with a little free motion quilting around the edge. However I thought that it was about time I "branched out" and decided to experiment with various designs.
The one I settled for was a leaf design, which I worked out on tissue paper.
I have now started the quilting using a multi-coloured thread and am quite pleased with the results so far.

It is always difficult to quilt on a standard sewing machine for a larger quilt, so I roll it up and use bike clips to keep it together.

When I have got it quilted I will publish a picture of it.

So that is all the sewing I have been managing to fit in recently.

Next time, as promised in my last blog, I will show you some pictures of my lovely sewing book from 1943. Haven't got round to photographing it yet, but it is on my "to do" list!

Thought you might like to have a look at some piccies from the cruise.

Thanks for reading, and be back soon!





Carved fruit & ice. Amazing!

Sunrise over Lisbon.



Mum & baby, Gibralter.

Pisa.

                                                             Colosseum, Rome.

                                        Our cruise ship, Royal Carribean's "Independence of the Seas".

                                                             I would not like to do this!

                                                 Creating an ice sculpture of a swan. Amazing, considering it was 30 degrees +!

Bye everyone. See you soon!