Quietude and Quilts

 I woke up really early for me, around 6.20 am and feeling like I might be getting a cold but it's come to nothing.  I got quite chilly yesterday on our walk as we were walking slowly and the wind is usually stronger on the seafront. By the evening my legs were bright red and really wind chapped. Ouch!

I wanted to wind my new skein first thing and so here it is, all ready to be crocheted onto those granny middles.  That will be something for the weekend.

After my weight training class I set about getting the tiny dolls quilt finished.  I couldn't choose between a pinky apricot lining or a lilac one but in the end I chose the lilac.

I'd learned from my first attempt that it wouldn't need any wadding or lining.  I laid it out over the fabric backing on the ironing board, pinned it and measured around 2cm.

I cut the fabric out and then double folded it over the edge to create mitred corners.  I tacked it in place - then unpicked bits and tacked it again to get it a bit more even.  Good job I don't make these for a living as it's by no means perfect.

Once I was reasonably happy with how it looked, I machined close to the edge, unpicked the tacking and finished the ends. Done!

Now for the fun bit of trying to set up a mini bedroom scene to style it.  I'd bought bedside drawers and a vase weeks ago and I remembered that Chris had planted out some really teeny daffodils last weekend.  I went outside and to my relief there were 3 still alive so they went straight into the vase.

Plain white walls looked a bit dull and I suddenly thought of a painting I’d done when I was 19 which was an almost abstract still life of a fern in a pot.  I distinctly remember painting it on my art foundation course. I remember it exactly - the bedroom, the curtains I had - Laura Ashley blue and white striped, the table in front of the window, feeling happy whilst I was painting, planning a night out with friends.  I had such a great time on that course.  I've sorted through my portfolio many times over the years and it's nearly been thrown out a few times but I always had a soft spot for it and kept it.  I'm glad I did now.

Peggy looks quite at home next to her bed.

I think it works really well as a vibrant kind of wallpaper backdrop for the quilt. It gives me a lot of pleasure seeing all those colours together. I am always going to be a colour junkie!

Lunch was leftover cooked potatoes fried up with an old onion, past it herbs and a bit of chorizo and feta from the weekend.  I must have a very robust immune system as most days I seem to be eating up past it stuff that I can't bear to throw out.  It always tastes pretty good and I like the challenge of concocting something from “bits” that I find lurking in the fridge.  

I try to do 10:10:10 which is no more than 10 mins prep, 10 mins cook and 10 mins to eat and then lunch isn't overly time consuming.  Days on my own sometimes feel like a battle against the clock before everyone is home again.  I am very rarely bored!

This afternoon has been spent sorting out my fabric cupboard a bit.  It looked like a maniac had ransacked it and thrown everything in randomly.  Can't imagine who that was…

The Vanilla Latte sock called out sadly to me to get the gusset decrease started so I spent a bit of quiet time on that and listened to the rain, quite happily - as you might remember my fondness for gentle pattering of rain when I'm cosy inside.

As the day became colder and more rainy I lit the kitchen fire using bits of old pallets and any bits of wood Chris could find and chop up last weekend.  We've run out of logs and really don't want to order a huge load now that spring is/was?? here.  I lit a candle and suddenly the kitchen was transformed into a warm and cosy room, ready for the teens to come home to.  It's absolutely pouring now as I write this, so wishing you all a lovely Friday evening and thank you for reading my blog. xx