Week one !

Well, week one of my summer vacation is over, phew! It started with an unplanned walk thru the local antique market. What luck!! Mother dearest had given me the Shelley "Dainty Blue" lunch plate many years ago. A few years later I picked up a Dainty Blue saucer somewhere for a couple of bucks. Well, on Saturday I picked up the teacup for $5! Disclaimer - there is a hairline crack in the teacup but I don't care, I'm just going to look at it and love it, 'cause I LOVE Dainty Blue! Woohoo!!

Then on Sunday we enjoyed a surprise visit from my Uncle and Aunt, mother's younger brother. Yes, that's a quilted wall hanging on the wall I gave to my b-i-l many years ago - wine label border fabric with yo yos as bunches of grapes, binding and inner border is cork fabric. It was kinda fun to make and I guess he liked it as it still hangs on the wall! The family visit was great :)

My next couple of days were spent doing "Spring" cleaning - might as well call it what it has become ... summer cleaning. I read a post by Leah Day recently about the health hazards/cleanliness of sewing rooms. All I really know is that I get the sneezes and can't continue to work in my sewing room until I do a major cleaning! For me that always involves stowing away all that new fabric I promised myself I wouldn't buy ;). I also got the basement cleaned out and bought a new dehumidifier which has been running non stop ever since! Got things ready there as a work colleague is coming over to relieve me of some of the furniture in the basement. I don't really use that room and his grandson needs furniture - so why not - win win for everyone:)

Next I hosted a girl's luncheon at the mater's. I decided I didn't need to hoard I mean keep my Raggedy Ann handmade doll - a gift from an old boyfriend. So here's baby Claire with Raggedy Ann in the background. Claire's is lying on a vintage quilt that matched her outfit, so she went home with that too!

Here's Claire being held by her grandma saying hello to her great grandma :) Back home for a Hell on Wheels day and a half marathon and couple of days of sewing. I am determined to get this done!

I already told you all how much I detest paper piecing. well, here they are all done, and I still detest paper piecing! 

None-the-less I am happy with the arcs and so grateful for having a design wall as I really wanted the various "neutrals" to be placed just so. I think the pic on the right shows the "random" effect I planned so well!

Piecing it all together was a fair amount of work as it wasn't just straight rows. Good thing I had a whole day  'cause I really needed it. I took my time and enjoyed the process :)

Asymmetrical inner borders and the beginning of the outer borders.

Now for the Flying Geese for the remaining borders!

Can you believe it, in all my years of years of quilting I have never made Flying Geese!!

Once that's done then onto to applique flowers. I think I'll enjoy that part ;)

2 more weeks of vacation - YEAH 

TTFN