Plenty of Sewing

 I've had a little more 'oomph' this week - so I'm delighted to share a finish, a start and another BOW block!

This is the finish.  48" square, made of almost all the charm squares that I own, mostly cut from my scraps as part of my scrap busting on-going project.

 Some of the points are accurate.....

 ....some of them less so - oops!

 Still, the overall effect is the one that I wanted, so I'm happy!

 I also started two more projects.  This little mini quilt (from Tickled Pink by Collette Howie in Love Patchwork and Quilting magazine).  Smaller than her pattern as I only had part of a FQ of the background fabric. 

Using a couple of my Christmas gift FQs for the hearts.  I'm still considering what quilting pattern(s) to sew.

The other start is one to use up the other HSTs from the first project - leftovers from the leftovers!  No photos as I forgot, but I hope to have it finished by next week.

 Snowfall here in London - quite rare over the last few years, but rarer still to see it with sunshine.

Finally, this weeks Aves block - number 6. 

I'm going to enjoy staying inside in the warm and doing a little more sewing!

Holiday Fun

 Week five of the Aves BOW.  Another 6 1/2" square.

Not much sewing aside from that!

I did, however, have the chance to see lovely rock formations like this - Hay Tor - on a family trip to Dartmoor.  Despite being lucky enough to have DH drive me very close to the Tors that we'd chosen, the walking involved has left me with batteries that are beyond flat.  Worth it for the fun that we had as a family, but I do sometimes wish that I didn't have M.E. / C.F.S and that I could just enjoy life without the preparation / consequences.  Oh well!  Enough grumbling.  I'll be back at my sewing machine soon!

Totally Tropical

 It will only be people of a certain generation and geographical area that are now picturing a can of Lilt.... with the 'totally tropical taste'!

Not much sewing this week - just this block to keep up with the Aves BOW.  It finishes at 6 1/2" and is a very pretty and delicate design.

So this wasn't the tropical bit, the visit to the Orchid Festival at Kew Gardens was.

 My photos don't do it justice.  We had the pleasure of a sunny day and were able to enjoy the colours and shapes of the flowers and plants in the best possible way.

 It makes me so happy to enjoy the bright colours that nature gives us without any help at all.

 It makes me want to start flinging fabrics in gorgeous hues around!

 And then adding more fabrics as backgrounds to set them off....

 

 I'm pleased that the hive is staying at Kew for a bit longer too.  Magical structure - I love the look

and the sound of it!

We enjoyed a quick canter through the Palm House too.  We are so lucky to live nearby and just be able to pop in when we choose.

More half term excursions planned, so sewing will take a back seat for the week whilst family fun takes centre stage.

I hope that you are also enjoying your week!

Fun times!

 Just one 6 1/2" block to make this week for Aves - leaving plenty of time for other projects!

I may revisit this one at some point - I think that I could do better in trying to preserve the points of the Seminole bands.  I need to remember that I should just persevere with an accurate 1/4" seam, not be swayed by someone who found her block came up slightly short, and try to compensate in my own work by using a scant seam allowance.  Clearly not the right thing to do for me!

 On a larger scale I started the layout of my HST blocks.

 Can you see that it's mostly blues in the middle, then purple on the top left and 'warm' on the top right?

 After that it went slightly to pot - the delight of scrap quilts is that you are working with what you have in your scraps, of course, so 'brown' and 'grey' were quite loose interpretations in the lower corners!  In real life it seems to read OK though.  I need to get the backing and batting cut for this as it's now sewn together.

 I decided to use my small scraps from a recent mini quilt this week too.  Made as a 'quilt as you go' block I used what I had to make a mini quilt - scrap wadding, backing, binding....

It wasn't quite right though.  That top RH white triangle was too shouty - and was arguing with the focus triangle in the centre.

The solution?  Play with my Inktense pencils to colour in that top triangle.  It's close enough to what I want to make me happy!

The final touch is my 'maker' scissors - a badge of honour, I like to think!  One of several pins that I bought from Jodie Carleton of Ric Rac.

Another quilt (roughly 8" x 11") formed from the leavings of other projects.  Very satisfying!