Back again.

Above is the small top I made from the Provencal charm squares. As I said before, totally outside my comfort zone and I found it quite exciting to play with bright colours and not quite know where I was going with it. I'm not usually so adventurous (although a lot of quilters would not see this as particularly adventurous!). If I were making a large quilt I know I would not have been able to go without a plan so this is the second time that charm squares have freed me up to be a little bit looser.

I cut all 42 squares in half and used eighty of the eighty four rectangles. I saved four rectangles, one of each primary colour, to make the flower middles - this left me a little short in the strips but I just filled in with a few white blocks. Then I drew very quickly and loosely the petals and backstitched them. I did feel the temptation to use a symmetrical petal template but gritted my teeth and resisted. I do like the result as it is bright, happy and naïve in a childlike innocent way. I've almost decided that my next quilt is going to be a 'tree of life', very traditional, so you can see I'm already reacting against my phase of relaxation. I think there are just two sides of me, one that adores Handel, Mozart and Haydn with their beautiful symmetry and sense of order in the world, and then a side that loves the wildness of Cajun music and (some!) improvised jazz. In my quilts, it's Haydn who wins nearly every time.

Haven't been posting mainly because I've spent the summer holidays enjoyably wasting time, doing chores and looking after guests; youngest daughter, two of Stuart's oldest friends from Scotland, and eldest daughter and partner. Naturally, I put on some of the weight I lost because I was cooking for them and eating out as well. I'm back on my 'good' regime this week but we have more guests coming up; Stuart's brother and his new wife are coming next week - they are about to begin a two-year part-world-tour in a yellow Unimog (like a cross between a four wheel truck and a camper van) as an early retirement venture.
School starts this week, too.

We had beautiful weather in May and June, indifferent weather in July and pretty awful weather in August. I am wishing for an Indian summer to please all my sun-deprived friends.