How many ........

......... attempts does it take to make one unit like this when you're trying to do it without having to make a template?

Answer?  Quite a lot. I got there in the end though. 

Mind you, I would rather not hear anyone saying they think it would have been quicker with a template.  I know it would, but my middle name is Stubborn.

Have a Happy .........

...... International Quilting Day.  I hope everyone manages to get some time with their fabrics and threads today.

International Quilting Day isn't celebrated much here in the UK, but I think it's quite big in the US and I'd love to hear what other people are doing to mark the day.

Poor(ly) me

Had you noticed how quiet I've been lately?  That's because I've got bronchitis and shingles.  To add to that, I've reacted badly to 2 different asthma inhalers recently, fingers crossed it'll be third time lucky, and I went for my annual eye check last week only to be told I'm developing cataracts in both eyes.  Just not my week/month/year so far is it?

Anyway, hopefully the antibiotics will sort out the bronchitis, paracetamol for the shingles, a new inhaler and carrots for the eyes will get everything sorted out.

Meanwhile, Happy St Patrick's Day.

and the moral of this story is ..............

First I'll set the scene for you.

I have had my Big Brother sewing machine for about 7 or 8 years now.  I do love it, but I have always wished it had a seam guide to help me sew a nice, straight 1/4" seam rather than having to eyeball it whilst keeping my fingers crossed, which I can tell you is not an easy way to feed the fabric.

A couple of days ago, I was looking through the instruction book to check something, and guess what I found?  A picture and some words about a seam guide.  What?  Have I got one of these?  So I start rootling through the bag of extra feet and accessories that came with Big Brother and guess what I found?  A lovely seam guide.  So now I'm a happy me.

The moral of this story?  Always read the instruction manual.

Shhhh, it's a secret ..........

...... so I can't tell you what I'm working on at the moment, so I thought I'd show you some pictures of a quilt I am especially proud of.  It is hand quilted and the design started from the Sanderson Star in the centre, and I just made it up as I went along from there on.  It's a queen size quilt and it took me about 6 months from start to finish in 2004 - 2005. It was difficult to get good photos, but I think you can see it fairly well in these pictures if you click on them to get a larger view.