One and a bit

Another week of my annual leave is just flying by ..... I'm not sure where the days have gone. I certainly haven't managed to do all the things I planned to do this week! But I did get my tax done (and yippee, I may actually get a refund this year instead of having to pay more - although mainly because they have been billing me extra tax quarterly in advance this year, so I'll just be getting my own money back!) and spent a day cleaning out the vegetable garden and planting some seedlings.

I also finished another quilt. This was a simple quilt top I pieced a couple of years ago from Mill House Inn charm sqaures and a jelly roll. At the time, I hadn't purchased any yardage for borders or backing which is why it remained unfinished - as I had nothing in my stash that would do.

Luckily, a quick search of a few quilt shops online turned up the elusive fabric and I was able to finish this quilt.

I quilted this one quite sparingly ..... I am a bit over quilting ..... but I quite like the simplicity of it. This quilt is about 160 x 180 cm.

I also finished quilting this quilt top, made from a jelly roll quite recently, and plan to sew the binding on today if my raw fingertips will permit! The finger I use to push the needle through is all bloody and pulpy and the thumbnail I use to receive the incoming needle actually has a groove worn in it! I just can't use thimbles, although in more sensible moments I wrap elastoplast around my fingers like a boxer preparing for a fight before long bouts of hand sewing.

The bottom border looks a bit fluted in this pic although it looks ok when lying flat so I think it is just the way it hung on the line - the house is too dark and the ground outside too damp to photograph any other way. This quilt is about 160cm square. I think it really misses not having a narrow inner border but I couldn't find the right fabric for it so decided to do without.

Finally, I'd like to give a big thumbs up to The Fabric Patch and Stitcher's Cupboard. I ordered some fabrics to finish some quilts from each of these stores and the courier came 2 days later. Great service! I've bought lots from the Fabric Patch before but hadn't even been to the Stitcher's Cupboard's site before - it's great and has lots of Moda fabrics on sale at the moment. Postage was a little high, although I did buy lots of batting too so I guess my pacel was quite big and heavy. The service was so fast and the prices so good, I'll definitely be a return customer.