Time for a catch up!

Hello there, thanks for stopping by. Pull up chair and make yourself comfortable as I've got lots to tell you! It's hard to believe that three weeks of the summer holiday have already gone. Half way through and I've been trying to keep myself busy so that I'm not dwelling too much on things.

Last week, after the buzz of Fibre-East, it was good to escape up onto the North Norfolk coast for a walk with some friends. The weather was beautiful - plenty of sunshine and blue skies which seem to have been a bit lacking here considering that it's meant to be summer! This part of the coast has shingle beaches with salt marshes between the beach and the road. There was a sculpture exhibition on the beach; I particularly liked the one you can see in the second photo. It was called 'Stranded' I think and reminded me of a washed up whale or an upturned boat.

I also went over to Cambridge on the train to meet up with a friend. As the forecast wasn't good, we decided to visit the Botanic Gardens first. I love walking around gardens, trying to name the plants and being inspired by all the different planting combinations. 

The heavens opened while we were eating lunch, so we headed for the Fitzwilliam museum. There's so much to see there, including a great collection of exhibits from Ancient Egypt. Shortly before we left, we discovered a wonderful exhibition of samplers and wished that we had come across it earlier. The quality and finesse of the stitching was astonishing, especially when you think that most of them were made by children.

Last weekend I went to Devon to stay with Diane, a friend from Uni days. We had a lovely time together and managed to pack a lot into the weekend; a country walk, lunch at a Michelin starred pub, an afternoon in a pottery studio, a guided walking tour around Exeter, discovering the Medieval underground passages that used to bring a supply of fresh water into the city and of course a delicious clotted cream tea! We spent some time crocheting and knitting and it was a lovely, relaxed break.

This week, I went to the Festival of Quilts. I know that I don't need another hobby right now, but there is something very appealing about taking lots of pieces of fabric and stitching them together to make something beautiful. The exhibition of quilts was mind blowing and massive. You could have easily spent a whole day there just looking at all the quilts, let alone have time for shopping! Here are just a few of my favourites - I think it's clear that I am drawn to colourful geometric quilts, don't you?

My haul was pretty modest - a signed copy of Stuart Hillard's new book, a 6" square template, some fabric to sew a top, a panel of fabric that I couldn't resist although I'm not sure quite how to use it to its full potential yet and a zipped pouch that I made in an hour's class!

Amongst all of this, I have been busy knitting and crocheting, but most of it I'm not able to share with you yet. I promise I will as soon as I can though. With the prospect of another Opal Advent calendar looming, I have been hooking away on granny squares. I want to make a cushion cover like my pal Snoopydog's as well as finish off the socks.

I also spent a little more time spinning. I want to do some drop spindling too so that I don't forget the basics.

I sewed a cushion for a friend's birthday too. I love free motion sewing, it doesn't matter if you go a bit wonky. In fact, it adds a bit of character to what you're making! Just as well in my case!

Are you still with me! If so, well done. Give yourself a pat on the back and go and have a cup of tea and a biscuit, or perhaps a cheeky glass of wine! I'll try not to leave it so long next time. xxx