Playing with the birds

I've only had time for a quick play since I started this but have rejoined the three biggest chunks of fabric.  I won't get back to it until next week, so I'll know by then if I still like it (I did this morning). I'm trying to put some of the yellow/amber tones from the other bird fabric in early on.  Sometimes I forget a colour I want to use when I start and it's much harder to go back later and sneak it in!

Linking up with Off the Wall Friday and Anything Goes Monday.

Two hungry birds

Still quilting till my fingers bleed - I will finish that project this week, or perish in the attempt.  Last night I inadvertently sewed my underneath finger to the back of the quilt; a sure sign that I needed to take a break!

I am not one to ignore the signs, so stopped quilting and started cutting:  this is the beginning of the next quilt using my Charley Harper prints, for which I pulled the fabrics just over a week ago.  The Upside Downside fabric has such strong lines that I think I am going to leave it in quite big bits and try to keep the rest of the quilt relatively simple.  

First cuts:

Making the first cuts never bothers me - if I don't like what I do, I can sew them back together, or cut again, it's all part of the fun!

I am going to rejoin the 3 big chunks, maybe using these fabrics.  Watch this space.

Joining in with Show and Tell Tuesday at ihavetosay and Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh.

Breaking new ground - Sunday stash #7

I know it sounds unlikely but until now I have been a Kona virgin.   Hand on heart I have never bought so much as an 1/8th of Kona Snow, or Kona Ash or indeed Kona Sky Blue Pink with Polka Dots.  Not sure how that's happened, not a deliberate policy, but there you go.  So today I give you Kona's Amber and Grellow:

The amber is not strictly speaking stash, since it is to go in with the fabrics I posted last week, but the grellow is bona fide fabric-bought-just-for-the-hel- of-it (and because postage costs the same if you buy one bit or two).  

I'm a bit worried that there may be no going back and that in the wink of an eye I will have piles of Kona everywhere and will be compulsively hunting down colour 323, but I'll cross that bridge when I've over-spent my way to it.  (Before anyone who knows me plans an intervention - only joking; I do have some self-control you know).

No surprise here - I'm linking up with Molli Sparkles for Sunday Stash.  

Saturday photos

Autumn is nearly here.  The days are still, for the most part, warm and bright, but there's a chill in the air first thing, and a distinctive, but indescribable smell that tells me summer is done.  Not to mention the horse chestnuts falling by the score and the squirrels going a bit bonkers trying to bury all their bounty.

And I've been playing on palette builder again:

Don't worry, the novelty will wear off eventually!

Doing the chores...

Yup,  I am doing what, for me, is the quilty equivalent of dusting and ironing: making binding.  This is the one job for which I use a ruler and try to get everything straight, which is just going against human nature!

But my quilt with no name is nearly finished, and I want to be ready for it, so binding has been made.  

I've also been putting together a back for Little Elephant.  Sometimes no matter how much you want to play, you just have to get on with the nitty gritty.

Sharing the excitement today on Lets Bee Social 

Shopping from stash today

I can't believe I'm back at the beginning again. I'm working really hard on quilting my unblogged quilt this week, as it's creating a bottle neck, with two tops now waiting behind it.  Okay, I know there's people out there with cupboards full of UFOs but it's a new experience for me and somehow, I can't work out quite why, it makes me a bit uneasy.  Not that I'm going to let that stop me though.  So while I quilt like a mad woman I shall be contemplating the next piece I want to start, and to that end have been pulling fabrics from stash.

I'm going back to Charley Harper - but different colours this time.

I don't know which of these will make the final cut (so to speak!) but this is my starting point.  

Linking up again with Molli for Sunday Stash and ayliN-Nilya for Monday Makers

Photos for the Week

A walk on a sunny afternoon in my favourite place.  The trees here are truly ancient and I never tire of looking at them.