Home Alone!

My latest guests have departed on Monday, my DS has gone back to Boston for his last year at university and DH is travelling, so I'm having the house to myself for a few weeks! Bliss! I have big plans for this solitary time. Lots and lots of sewing among other things!

I've finished a few more of my hexagons rounds; just a couple more and I can start appliqueing them onto the background fabric.

I've also been reading a lot. I just finished the newest book by Barbara Kingsolver; The Lacuna. I really enjoyed it, as I did her previous books. It's a work of fiction but set in true historical background. Not an era of history I knew very much about and I had to google a few names, places and events to find out what was fact and what fiction.

I'm a big fan of Alexander McCall Smith books. I've read them all (with the exception of  his children's books) and I'm now in the process of reading the second book of the Corduroy Mansion Series The Dog Who Came In From the Cold. It's very entertaining while the characters are highly believable. McCall Smith is indeed the master of "feel good stories".

Back to the couch where I'm sewing and watching TV! Not a thing I normally do on a Saturday morning when people are around ;)! So don't tell, OK?

Vreni

How lucky am I???

Very lucky indeed! Because I got one of my top choices in the "ALQE4" and I couldn't be happier. This little quilt came all the way from the US, from Tennessee to be precise. Carol designed and made it and she calls it "Flowers in my Garden".  This is the front of the quilt.....

and this is the back! Isn't it lovely?

Thanks very much Carol. Would you like to see more of the things this talented lady makes? Then head over to her blog and pay her a visit here.

I'm still plugging away with my silk quilt. I'm now in the process of machine quilting, nothing too fancy, just in the ditch. 

I have also been fussy cutting more hexagons. There's quite a bit of wastage but then I do have loads of fabric, so why be stingy, right?

I hope you are having a good weekend.

Cheers

Vreni

Another "Good Bye" and other stuff

This friendship quilt was given at a farewell dinner this week to one of the members of our sewing group. She is leaving Singapore to return home to the UK early next month. It's always sad to say good bye but luckily she will be coming back from time to time as her son is still living here. All the best Carol, we will miss you!!!

I had a blast with my Dutch friend. We did a bit of shopping, a bit of sight seeing and a LOT of talking. This is her before the final of the world cup; as you can see, she still has a big smile on her face. After she left, I found the orange t shirt in the rubbish bin ;).

I haven't been very productive the last few days. I've played a bit with my hexagons (taking over the dining room table)

In case you are wondering how I prepare my hexagons, I will show you:

1. Cut your fabric (I fussy cut mine) and then cut a piece of aluminium foil (can be reused many times) a bit bigger than the fabric. Layer the foil, fabric and paper template.

2. Fold over all sides, taking care to get neat corners.

3. Press with a hot iron on both sides (be careful not to burn your fingers as the foil will get very hot).

4. Wait until the foil is cool to the touch and then unwrap the "parcel" carefully.

5. Press again on both sides.

6. Voila, you have a very neat hexagon and if you are careful, you don't even need to baste it.

I leave you with this picture of a sun set taken a couple of days ago from our house. Doesn't is look like the sky is on fire?

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Cheers

Vreni