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I’ve just finished my latest bag (on the right in the photo), another one from By Annie, as usual. This is actually an updated version of one I did way back in 2014 (on the left) and which has done heroic service since then. The new bag has a few refinements, including the way the […]
read more I’m moving along quite nicely now on my Woodpecker from the Year in the Woods series.
I think I’m back in the groove for cross stitching again, which feels quite good. The outlining of the wings is almost done, as is the tail. Then I can go back and start filling it in. I have seen lots of people lately talking about the Pattern Keeper app for cross stitching. I’ve never closely investigated it because it wasn’t available for iPad and that is what I had. However, the battery in my iPad won’t hold a ...
Good morning, my friends. It's a rainy day today, and we're expecting rain for the remainder of the week. Possibly the Big Dark has arrived. We're not planning our usual Rainbird trip south this year, and so I guess we'd better get used to it. It's good sewing weather, though. I'm hoping to get a lot accomplished today.
We had errands to run in town yesterday, but errands will always take a backseat to slow-stitching. Before we left, I made a little more progress on the second block for the "Pieces of the Heart ...
read moreGood morning, my friends. It's a rainy day today, and we're expecting rain for the remainder of the week. Possibly the Big Dark has arrived. We're not planning our usual Rainbird trip south this year, and so I guess we'd better get used to it. It's good sewing weather, though. I'm hoping to get a lot accomplished today.
We had errands to run in town yesterday, but errands will always take a backseat to slow-stitching. Before we left, I made a little more progress on the second block for the "Pieces of the Heart ...
read moreWe celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving this month with the family here as usual. The neat bouquet in a real gourd they brought me is hanging on.
Outside, the colours of Autumn certainly rival those of the summer season. Though scarcer and beginning to curl, pinks are still to be found.
Welcome back to our Classic & Vintage Quilt Series! Today, we’re piecing together a flock of fun quilt blocks with the Hens and Chicks Quilt, a timeless quilt pattern for intermediate quilters. Don’t let all those points ruffle your feathers! Just flock over to our FREE quilt block video tutorial to see how to piece each block with precision.
The Hens and Chicks Quilt Pattern

DOWNLOAD THE HENS AND CHICKS QUILT PATTERN
The Hens and Chicks Quilt Pattern is available as a lap quilt and a runner, and it’s perfect for ...
read moreIt is such a fun design! I love every detail. ...and who doesn't love the huge scary black cat on the side of the house?!
The ongoing patchwork marathon.
If this is new to you there's a post here which will update you on what I am doing with this patchwork piece.
It's definitely growing but I am resisting measuring it.
I'm just going to keep going and keep going.
I am using almost exclusively Liberty Tana lawn and there are a couple of close ups so you can see the pattern mix.
Also....it looks like a map of the world ha ha.
That isn't intentional!
Sorry I've been missing.
Illness is the culprit.
I'm hoping to be ...
read moreI am on day 6 of a nasty Covid infection and it is the first day I think I am finally feeling a bit better. Things like doing a load of laundry or cooking dinner exhaust me but I am able to at least get them done. That is an improvement.
Thankfully, I already have some photos of some finishes ready to go for this post.
On our last day of Fall Fortnight, let’s have one more fun post of ideas, this time in the garden and the kitchen. Then we’ll wrap it up with some special sale announcements!! Last weekend, before the temperatures got chilly, I went to the planter box and picked the last of the tomatoes.

I brought in the last of the parsley and basil to clean and use fresh as much as I can. I freeze the rest. The leaves will crumble easily when frozen, yet the flavor is bright when used. It is closer to a fresh herb ...
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Have I set up my quilt machine?… Not quite. It’s such a palaver and I really must try next week.
I had a couple of extra days working for Singer and I went for a wee wander in Norwich, taking myself out for a cup of tea so I will claim that I was busy.
The garage is still a disaster zone where I dumped all of my possessions and I can’t find a thing, including any jumpers for this blustery weather so it needs a big sorting session.
Freya and Fergus both came down from Scotland for ...
read moreNo change in the numbers.
I haven’t spent much time in the sewing room this week. Work got really busy, which I expect will continue through the year. The evenings are short on week nights.
That means quilting on Tropics proceeds slowly. All the white strips are quilted.

The checked sections are also quilted but it doesn’t show up very well, even in person. The plan going forward is to squeeze it in when I can.

Fabric Added: 17.875
Fabric Used: 10.625 yards
Net Fabric Added: 7.25 yards
How did you do this week?
!--> read moreOH, Elle just proposed something unheard of and HARD. She suggested that I do NOT refill the Visual To-Do list until ALL the things on it are done! ACK!!!!! While I think she is right, it would FORCE me to face some projects that have been hanging around way too long, don't involve just me, and, well, it's going to be very hard. BUT she has a valid point: if I could clear that board, refilling it with "new" projects would be a joy.
OH --- should I, shouldn't I?? That is the question.
I wonder about her ...
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It was a good week. My allergies have been hit or miss the last couple of weeks. A very painful sinus headache kept me pretty subdued on Wednesday. Even so, I still managed to get in a bit of stitching time each day.
- 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
- 15 minute days/Oct = 23/24 days
- 15 minute days/2026 = 283/390 days
- Success rate = 97.64%
I got a few more new fabrics cut for the pinwheel blocks. I even got 2 sets of the 3" triangles cut. I thought I would have time to sew a few but I changed over to the binding instead.
This is the shape left over from some of the fabrics (center). I can cut a 2.5" triangle from one section, and the portion left (right) is large enough to cut 1.5" triangles. Maybe there will be some 2" pinwheels too.
I got the binding fabric pressed, cut and pieced together, ready to work on last night.
I ... read more
Were home! It was another fabulous retreat where we were very well catered for. I think it's safe to declare that everyone fully enjoyed our 4 luxurious days of sewing time. Projects from toy elephants, hand pieced hexagons to huge patchwork quilt tops. It's really interesting to see the different projects and colour choices. Inspiring!
I did take a few pictures so I'll just post them all. Not the blurred ones though, I had a few of those!
I met my daughter Nicky and son-in-law Robert for a birthday lunch. We were meeting at a favourite cafe, Robert Harris at Foxton, about the halfway point from our homes. On the way up I called in to Lewis Farms, it is asparagus season again, and the sorting belts were clattering away as the workers did their thing. Some of this asparagus is exported overseas, and some of course is for the local market.
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