Back from the Wilderness

Oh my!!!!   It's been around nine months since I last posted on my blog!  Life got pretty busy and not much sewing was happening at all which was quite frustrating.   I did try and keep up with reading others' blogs, just to stay in touch with what was happening, so many wonderful inspiring projects and busy ladies, I was really missing being one of you all!!!!!   Lately however I've been trying to make an effort to carve some time with my beloved sewing machines and play with fabric again! 

My Quiltbee group will be meeting for the first time this year on the 1st Feb, and we have a new venue too, as our other quilt shop closed down middle of last year - owners retired - I think we all lost a bit of something when that happened as we had known the owners for so many years, at least 20yrs for me.   Another quilt shop had opened up across town and I approached them, they were happy for us to have our monthly meet there!  We'll see how things pan out for this year, they have some lovely fabric lines and a long-arm service as well,  yippee!!!!

I've started this year with a couple of small projects, not yet completed but heading in the right direction!   I was inspired by Lori's new project which I simply couldn't resist. You all know Lori from Humble Quilts
http://humblequilts.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/abundance-part-2.html   she offers some wonderful little quilt projects and this one was love at first sight!!!!  If you haven't visited her before or attempted any of her projects pop over and check out her blog!!!!

I've just got to handbaste this now and will be handquilting it!!!!  I can't wait to see how other people have interpreted this little delight!!!!

Kathy Tracy's online group SmallQuiltTalk http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smallquilttalk/  continues to have monthly small quilt challenges, so I decided to use up some small scraps and make some 4" x 4" logcabin blocks to make a small quilt inspired by one she had in her book 'Prairie Children and Their Quilts'.

This is Kathy's version

I made a small variation to the size of the centres and the width of the strips to accommodate the smallest of my scrappy strips, some of which I've had just waiting their turn for over 10 years.  Here is what I started with:

This is the result:

I'll be using a single layer binding using the same fabric as I used in the centres!

A couple of completions did happen around the Festive Season, one small quilt using the whimsical line of fabric 'Christmastime' by Anni Downs of Hatched & Patched for Henry Glass

and a delightful idea from Kathy Tracy!  A Christmas present pincushion!!!

I was also delightfully surprised a couple of days before Christmas to receive a small parcel in the mail  from Barbara Brackman!!!  It is her latest publication 'Civil War Sampler'.  

What a thrill to have three of my blocks selected to include in her book!!!  It's a wonderful momento of the year of sewing these blocks, which I'm ashamed to say still sit waiting patiently to be sewn into a quilt top!!
Oh dear!!!

Aside from a bit of sewing I also decided to create some small herb garden areas, this is the first one, the plants are quite happy in their sunny position!   I just love marigolds!!!!

It feels so nice to be able to get back into some sewing, we'll see if life allows this passion to visit upon me on a more regular basis this year.........here's hoping!!!!!

Take it easy,
Merilyn