Showtime!

Had a really good show today. Was up at the crack of dawn and arrived early to set up table. Had remembered everything except string! Duh! But was able to improvise with four stranded embroidery cotton though string would have been better. Thought it was going to be a washout at the beginning but then it got really busy and business was brisk. Sold out of my Crazy Patchwork packs which was totally amazing and two thirds of the fabric went. So will need to a mammoth dyeing session soon; especially as lots of people took my card intending to call later. Well if only a couple do that it will be good but will need supplies so back to the dyeing. I think I saw more of my students, both current and from the past, in one spot than I have ever done before. One student reminded me that it had been thirteen years since she took one of my classes. Where has the time gone! The show was really well advertised and hats off to the organiser for this and for the hard work she put in on getting it up and running. All in all a most enjoyable experience which I really wasn't expecting though I did set forth this morning intending to have fun!

I was determined not to buy anything! After all the whole point was to make money! But succumbed in the end and bought a book. I'm a sucker for books. Bought Ricky Tims 'Convergence Quilts'. Not a new idea but a nicely written book and will be a useful addition to my collection. I arrived home to find that the adaptor for my Bernina had arrived so now I am able to use the Curve Master foot I bought. Although not the most well crafted of feet ...well not compared to the Bernina feet....this foot makes light work of sewing curves and I like using curves so hopefully we are going to have a good partnership from now on! The other foot I bought was the closed applique foot. It occurred to me that this would probably be very useful when sewing thicker threads and wools onto free form pieces as they wouldn't get caught in the prongs as they do on a normal foot. In the past I've been merrily sewing away only to find that the wool has snarled round the foot without me noticing and I have to resort to cutting it away.

The pictures are a) A Magic Square quilt made from my hand-dyed fabric and which my daughter has aquired! and b) a hand embroidery of lilac which I did on a RR block. I really enjoyed doing this as I don't often do hand work and when I do its a therapeutic change. The Magic Squares quilt is part of my repetoire of six hour quilt tops which I do with my students. It is so quick to do and looks marvellous when done. I tied this one using four strand crepe cotton. I am better these days but I used to hate the quilting part! Now I often do quilt as you go quilts and it makes life easier. I do like stipple quilting.