Halloween mice

Set out taken in the morning

As the children can't knock on doors this year our residents' association is having window displays (27) for children to tick off on spot sheets obtained from the local shop. At the end they can receive a quarantined  packet of sweets in the church hall. I've had to prep this today as I shall be out until after the smaller children turn up tomorrow. My husband will light it up When I get home it will a rush to turn on Judi's Zoom trial run of her talk at 5.

We shall have pumpkins at the top of the drive and this will be illuminated in the window. I don't have any halloween bits and pieces so this pincushion given me by my daughter will have to do. I hope a mouse being impaled by pins and saying ouch is sufficiently scary.

The little quilt on the stand (made by Eric Martin) is by Carol Mowat donated to the Guild tombola at Festival of quilts years ago.

Photographed outside after nightfall

Queen Beez Day

 The Queen Beez had a lovely socially distanced day of sewing and talk at Maggies today. I took the tulips quilt top (to be called Tiptoe) which I had finished the day before. I'll sandwich it at Lower Hardres on Saturday. I also took some light fabrics to cut into 3" HST's on Maggie's accuquilt machine. 

Then I marked three more sashing strips on the dining table which I handquilted during the rest of the day. 

Maggie was hand quilting her diamonds piece and on the wall can be seen her shimmer top awaiting longarming at some future date. I have pattern and fabrics for this quilt but have got no further.

Mary's brother bought her a pack of themed batiks on his Canadian trip and now she is making a quilt from them for him as a memento of their trip. 

She also sewed the binding of her "Suburbia" quilt.

Mary's pretty version

Tulips

Inner top

 I have finished my inner tulips top and started to add borders, I decided to add an inner green border as just adding the blue didn't look right. I cut the borders to the size of the sides so will add cornerstones. Because I want to add a four patch of yellow and blue I'll trim the borders down to match. The binding will be red check.

Starting to add borders

Back in the flow

Sewing room

It was good to be back in my own sewing space and it's set up with the Janome at one side for walking foot quilting my BOM blocks and Pfaff at the other for finishing my tulips top. I am determined to finish the projects I took to Belsey with me and not put them away. 

Chartham Hatch once a two classroom school

Best of all was getting back together with three of the Usual Suspects  plus two other good friends to spend a day together at Chartham Hatch. In the photo Stephanie is sewing without a table because we took three to lay out a quilt for glue basting and tacking.

Maggie's wonderful Star Rose quilt based on Tracy's workshop using lovely fabrics and colours. She painted the bees.

Stephanie's blocks from one of the Farmer's Wife books

Detail: showing the expert quilting Maggie did on her long arm machine.

Sandra's hand pieced and hand quilted half apple core quilt

 

  

Wind Up

 

On the last morning I did some more work on the tulips starting to assemble rows, modeled my mask and admired Heather's motley blocks and her improvised log cabin.

Heather Hasthorpe

Detail

Detail

My tulips

Heather Hasthorpe

Last full day

My tulips from a long ago
Janet Goddard workshop

Kathy's Carolyn Forster WIP

Julie's WIP

Yvette's quilt top

Carrie's quilted top

Julie's lovely quilt

Detail - Edyta Sitar pattern

 

Retreating Friday

 

Not so much to show today. I took a morning picture of my quilt top and then worked on a long ago workshop project which I'm not so keen on now because of the blue background but I'd already cut out all the pieces so need to realise my investment of time - by spending more time! Photographs in due course. 

I forgot to to say most of the morning our bubble had a mask making session and lesson with Maggie. I'm pleased with mine - photos to follow.

Meanwhile . .

Yvette's blocks

Maggie and her quilt top - she matches!

Isabel's

Detail

Retreating Thursday

I went for a walk before breakfast. The light was dazzling and I snapped this mulberry tree in the drive sparkling in the early morning sun.

Lots of activity on the sewing front with projects coming along thick and fast. I worked on my tessellation quilt all day finishing just before bedtime. Time to clean out the machine and change the needle ready for a new project tomorrow.

My Elementary quilt

Detail

Here's more from the group: 

Julie's Quilt of the Crosses EPP

Detail

Julie's I-Spy

Carrie's crosses

Mandy's Woolies

Detail of Mandy's

Heather's tiny beach huts

Sue's

Marigold's lovely wall hanging

Marigold's

Debbie's Christmas quilt

Chris's

Heather's teabag piece WIP