New fabric.....new project!

I haven't done a lot of patchwork and quilting over the summer, my enthusiasm for it has been replaced by hand sewing and of course crochet!  But there is nothing like the birth of a baby to make me want to create something very special.  Baby Milly was born to my brother and his partner on Monday and I knew as soon as they had a little girl that I would do a 'Don't Look Now!' pattern.

I made this quilt for DHs grand daughter when she was born several years ago and am more than happy to do it again (after all it will be different fabrics!)

Today in town was a sale of fabrics in the local school, so despite having enough fabric to open a small shop I couldn't resist popping in....after all I have a new quilt to make!

I ended up buying only the flower fabric on the right hand side for Milly's quilt and the cream and red fabric to back it with.  Truthfully I do have plenty of delicious scraps that will make wonderful flowers and I already had a two metre piece that I got in another sale I went to at the beginning of the summer!  The red fabric it to back an advent Christmas stocking garland and the rest will be for fold away bags for my friends for Christmas presents. I'm very pleased with my purchases!

Granny squares

I've started to join my granny squares together.  I can do them while watching TV fortunately. I have 81 squares to join and ideally I should have completed a line and then made some more squares (I think this bit might end up being a bit boring) but as I am using up left over wool I didn't want to end up with the dreary colours at the end....not that you could call any of these colours dreary! 18 squares done....63 to go!

Binding and slow Sunday stitching

I've just finished sewing the binding on this little Christmas mug rug so thought I would add it to Kathys Slow Sunday Stitching blog where lots of hand sewing has been going on today!

I've had a busy week going up to my folks place to help out my step mum who has a nasty fracture of her shoulder.  Wednesday morning I got up to let my dog and their dog out into the garden when my cocker spaniel decided to go walk about (she escaped under the garden gate). DH and I spent nearly an hour and a half searching for her - of course it was pouring with rain (isn't it always when a crisis occurs?) She had been rescued by a lady up the road who also has cocker spaniels and she posted a photo of Lola on line and sent it to dog walkers in the area.  It just so happened that it was seen by step mums dog walker who said it might be ours as we were staying over at the moment!!!!!  And Lola was driven up the road to us (next stop was the vets to see if she was micro chipped) to be reunited! It was a scary, horrible hour but we were so lucky she was taken in by a kind person who returned her to us!

I've also managed to get some sewing done during the week and as you can see I decided I really couldn't live with the navy blue border and it has been replaced by a rather bright blue.  I'm much happier with it now.  I'm undecided whether to change the navy in the centre - that should all be the same colour.  I'll live with it again and then decide!

Canvas embroidery

It's been another busy week, but today after a lovely walk in the forest with Lola, DH and I vegged in front of the TV and watched a Cary Grant film (our favourite 'Operation Petticoat').  I've watched the film so many times I can easily work on something else at the same time! And here are the fruits of my labour! I was particularly pleased to discover that I've counted correctly and the fourth square is in fact in the right place - YAY!

I have linked up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching where you can see what others are sewing today!

Canvas work embroidery

I've managed to add a bit more to my embroidery this week, although the week has been fraught!  My DH has had a nasty chest infection, and my poor, poor step mum fell in the park and has broken her shoulder, so all in all not a good week!

The tricky bit of this embroidery has been getting the next square in the right place.  The pattern says complete each corner but I think I'm going to work up one side just to check its right!

I'm still not happy with the dark blue outlining the centre and rather than ripping it out I'm living with it (and then I will probably rip it out!!)  To be fair the photo doesn't do any of the colours justice, they are lovely and vibrant in the 'flesh'.  I'm off to do a bit more and I will link up with Kathy's blog HERE tomorrow so you can see what other people are sewing at the moment.

Crochet update

We have been home from our travels for a week now and this is the first opportunity I've had to post a photo and make an entry, what with getting on top of all the inevitable washing from a four week holiday, food shopping, my nephews 18th birthday party and of course taming the garden (the grass was jungle like - I'll say no more!!!)

But here are some more granny squares - it doesn't look like many, but I have been beavering away at them and I think I should probably start crocheting them together (they might look more substantial then).  I am following Attic 24s pattern which you can see on her blog HERE.  I love her colour combinations and she writes a great blog so hop over if you can.  Until next time. xx