Back to the Drawing board

Over the last couple of weeks I have been exploring the 'pieced' block as part of my G&G quilting course and hopefully I shall never have to make a quilt like this - I am totally pieced off, and full of admiration for those who achieve perfection in stitching blocks.

The sketchbook pages exploring the effect of different patterns was easy. However stitching this block took me hours with much cursing and use of a stitch un-picker.  However the finished result was not too bad with all of my points and corners nearly all lined up. This was made with purchased patchwork fabric and the yellow was home dyed.

 However things got worse when I tried to make a block using some hand dyed fabric to match my paper sample above.  I am not showing the back of this as the seams vary from a hair's breadth to well over the quarter of an inch you are supposed to use. Neither does it lie flat.  I suppose I may be able to quilt it with a nice thick layer of wadding.

I was much happier practising some free motion stitching.  I must say that Leah Day's blog is a great source of how-to's and patterns

I am probably finding this part of my course the least enjoyable - and I have some more piecing to do.  However I appreciate it is a skill that is useful to know.  I want to get this module over with, but I also want to do something more creative as I feel I have been coasting along for a couple of months now.

Meanwhile August has been and gone and as you can see calendar page soon gained some embellishments...

and here's September, ready to go...

A little story to end with

Yesterday I heard a commotion in our conservatory and found a wood pigeon behind the flower pots trying to escape through the closed window.  I confidently went to rescue it, firmly holding it round its middle, they are quite large and I could not pin down its wings, so I put it my other hand round its hindquarters hoping it wouldn't leave a warm deposit in my palm. With one movement I swooped round and held my arms up at the doorway, and it flew off - leaving all of its tail feathers in my hand!! It fluttered to the fence and then clattered into the trees.  I felt awful, but as the feathers had come away so easily I wondered if they were meant to do this ... and thanks to the wonders of Google, I found out that this is a defence mechanism that wood pigeons have. I have never heard of it before, and it was quite alarming, although more so for the pigeon I guess.

(One from my photo archives)

Have a good week, I guess it's back to school for some. So nice not to be involved any more!

Jill