I love quilting

I really, really do. It's what I think of when I wake up in the morning. During my lunch break. On my way home from work. I can't wait to get dinner cooked, and then my night is my own to stitch away.



It can be a lonely business though - you can lock yourself away in your sewing room for hours at a time and forget you have a family until your husband kindly makes you a cup of tea.

It's probably why I love English paper piecing so much. I allows me to be creative and de-stress, with company. Before I started hand piecing seven years ago, I did a lot of redwork and hand quilting. I love redwork. I once redworked from the bottom to the top of the US West Coast and back again (I probably should dig that quilt out and finish it).



Today I found myself at a bit of a loose end. The plans I'd made for the afternoon had been cancelled and the weather was too feral for gardening, so we decided to drive to the south side to my favourite quilt shop. I didn't really need too much - just some thread and maybe a background for a baby quilt I'm in the process of planning.



I love my design wall. This is the quilt I'm planning. I'm using charm squares I bought in Townsville and adding a little sparkle with some white fabric. I think it's going to look pretty specky when it's finished. Probably should get onto that - I promised the quilt a year ago and the baby is almost one ...



At the quilt shop the unthinkable happened - I came across the perfect background for my Hexy MF quilt. I wasn't looking for a background yet - I though I might sew the flowers together first and then take the whole kit and kaboodle out shopping. I didn't have my quilt with me, only photos so I was taking a chance. But I knew it would be perfect, even if it was purple (and we all know I don't do purple).

Well, it's a dusty aubergine. Which is still purple in my book.

The Olympics Lotta Jansdotter hexagon quilt ambles along. Here's where I was during the men's 100m sprint heats last night.



I have no idea where this quilt it going, but it might be two big strips like this with some grey horizontal strips in between and on the top and bottom. I don't know. I know I don't have enough of that grey fabric and there is none left at the store, but the quilt store owner took a swatch today and is going to talk to the rep in a couple of weeks. My chances aren't good though - it's not a consistent solid like Kona or Moda Bella. But that was so nice of her to offer.