April Start

Hygge is now finished.

As you can see, it’s just over 6ft long and 12 inches wide.

I enjoyed making it and the cross stitch over the crochet is a nice effect.

I’ve just to back it with something now, it’s supposed to be a shawl but I thought of a table runner from the minute I first saw it. Can you spot the little bird?

Being on lockdown seems to have spurred me on to finding out some UFOs and to see if I can finish some. I don’t have a huge amount to be fair but it will be nice to clear them! These is from the dark ages, 2003. A time when I didn’t have a sewing machine any more and no studio to keep me quiet!

I’d picked up the Lynne Edwards book and some fabrics as I was going spare with nothing to make and started the hand piecing. John took pity on me and went and surprised me with a sewing machine, which I still have. It even briefly went to Elsa but now it only has straight stitch so I use it for dirty donkey work like paper and metal shim.

The 10 blocks were just about all done, just three needing their hand quilting finishing off so I chose the 9 that went together and pieced them.

I know I could have made two more for a larger quilt but this is to complete projects not add to the pile! As it’s a quilt as you go (QAYG) the front seams were machine stitched but the wadding and back seams were stitched by hand then just the binding.

Now it’s washed and the cotton fabrics have done that lovely scooching up they do, which would have been better had the wadding been cotton and not the lofty polyester it is.

The next project I’ve dug out is a Block of the Month, Magical Minis, I did in 2009. A lot of sorting to see what needs doing and where I can go from here on this one! These are 4 inch finished so will need some bulking out!

The table is growing! If you Instagram, I’m Amo107, I’m hash tagging #wipingufos which is work in progress UFOs if you’re wondering. Not much there at the mo but I’m adding to it, feel free to use it too.

The second new vegetable bed has been filled now too.

That one is 4.2 x 3 metres and took 27 150ltr barrows PLUS I found a secret stash of lovely stuff in a corner of one of the front lawns. It’s where John stashes the lawn and leaf clippings so he doesn’t have to go all the way back up to the top even on a ride on! I filled the huge 250 barrow easily and there’s at least that again which I’m saving for the next bed.

You may have spotted the big mistake. I didn’t check the tyres and by the time I had filled it they were very flat and it was very hard work pushing up the garden to the garage where it could have them pumped up again! I could have saved a lot of effort by fitting the trailer to the tractor mower but it wouldn’t have fitted near enough to the new beds so would have been extra work in the long run.

It seems I have a few bits to be getting on with. Meanwhile Willow, #we❤️Willy, is taking it all lying down while saving us from the nasty tissue infestation she has found.