New Project, a Star a Day.

 

I am still doing the other quilt but this one took my fancy. I bought Karen Styles Star a day pattern and templates but I just could get the precision I get with English paper piecing. I like the idea of committing to making a star a day however so I am doing mine in English paper piecing, from here on in called EPP. There are 66 pieces in each block unless I have miscalculated so it's quite an undertaking. Each 60 degree diamond measures one inch long the sides. So the finished block has five inch sides. There are many ways to assemble these Seven Sisters blocks. I am slow at producing these as I am doing about 24 stitches per inch. I know a lot of people do 8 stitches per inch, but I love the perfection of more stitches.  

At the rate of a star a day, it takes a week to have enough for one Seven Sisters block.  but it takes me another couple of weeks to turn the stars into a block. 

As I am working on the applique vases on the other quilt, I am prioritising those, but still committing to a star a day. 

Happy Valentines Day. 

Lost my mojo for quite some time..... but it's coming back

 This is block 9 of 25, 8 inches square. I stopped stitching quite early in lockdown and only finished it last night.  I would sit down in my chair ready to go, but couldn't. I have been trying to fathom out why and the only thing I came up with is my stitching is my thinking time and it is all so overwhelming.

We were lucky to have our daughter up to stay. We rented a holiday cottage in the village for her to isolate in for two weeks. During that time she came over in the evenings for a socially distanced glass or two of wine in the garden. 

Sometimes it rained, sometimes it didn't. Thank heavens our parasol is huge so we could socially distance in the dry..... And then after the two weeks, we could hug. Never has it felt so good. She stayed another two weeks, working in my bedroom, Monday to Fridays whilst my husband did the same downstairs. I felt like we lived in an office building.

We've had an odd summer. very hot in April and then cooler. Much cooler, I had the heating on in the mornings to take the edge off it. Then August hit us with a heatwave. That ended in lightening storms for days, in fact over a week and we are still getting the odd one now.  The flowers are rotting whilst in bloom on their stems.

One hollyhock has bucked the trend and looks fabulous.

We are still shielding and will be until there's a cure or a reliable vaccination.