Need to catch up

No blogging - just been doing other things. School is in its last week and a half, holiday is close and we've been taking Logan for all kinds of tests and examinations to find out what's wrong with him. Last week we went to Cologne to see a dog internist and he has recommended an appointment today with a dog neurologist. Meanwhile, a colleague has suggested that it might be a thyroid problem, so I need to check today if that has been tested before I pay another whopping medical bill. He, of course, lets everyone prod and poke him, stick needles into him, electrodes etc, with the patience and good nature of a saint. When I quake at the bills, I remember all this little chap has done for us and all he has given and don't feel so bad.

Quilting when I can but no time to take or upload photos - next time.

Quilting and pondering

Quilting away at the crescents and stars - nothing revolutionary but I am enjoying it and liking how it looks. Pondering, however, what to do in the big white spaces in between... The crescents and stars are would not look good next to feathers or anything too complex or pictorial - the small blue crescents would get in the way even if I did want that. I have a couple of quilt books which show a spider web in this sort of situation but although I can see that it is simple and effective, I don't like the look of it and my daughter hates spiders anyway. I'm tempted to do rows of outline quilting 1" apart which would be simple but would emphasise the unusual shape of the white bits. Maybe I could stop this with, say a 3" circle at the middle, which could be the 'O' for Olivia and then wait until I finish to see how everything looks. If the middle needs something later, I could perhaps make some more fabric applique buttons and put one in each? Any opinions on that or other suggestions would be VERY WELCOME!

I'm very keen to get back to the Nearly Insane blocks but really need to push towards my deadline with Olivia's quilt as long as my fingers keep going. Having a most relaxing half term.

No quilting yesterday but Gay and I had lunch with Barbara, our new friend visiting from California. Our meeting with her a few weeks ago and this farewell lunch were like bookends around her trip with her husband. Again, we talked and talked (and ate, of course) and feel we have known her for much longer than two occasions would normally justify. It's good to know we have a quilting date with her when she visits again this time next year.

Dancing and quilting!

As I'm on half term holiday this week and we're not going away, I've been starting the day with a dog walk, then 30 minutes on the balcony in the glorious sun (not to go brown but to take away the white!), then 30 minutes of Zumba dance/exercise, then shower, emails and coffee. Then an hour of chores and the rest of the day I can quilt to my heart's content - or at least until the ends of my fingers give way and I'm down to using the pinkie on my left hand, which is really going too far and even I couldn''t do that. The weather's lovely, the quilting looks good - photo tomorrow maybe - and I'm sleeping really well. Stuart, on the other hand, is working all hours on a new project and even when he is here, we are really only able to talk properly at dinner. So, a restful week for me and a tiring week for him; at least it is work that really interests him. We are going off to Brussels in a couple of weeks to spend a long weekend with old friends from England so he will get a nice break fairly soon.

Crescent and Star top finished

It's been very hot here the last two days and so I've been sunbathing, zumba dancing and reading instead of finishing the university graduation quilt-top for my youngest daughter, Olivia. This afternoon, though, I finished off the last 15 of the fabric 'button' circles and appliqued them on. Now I'm in the middle of sandwiching. Satisfied. But hungry. In the middle of the asparagus season here and we're having some organic green asparagus tonight with melted butter, some very good ham and steamed potatoes. Had late breakfast and no lunch, so I think this will not stay long on my plate...

Grrrrrrr!

Got to the point yesterday evening where the quilt top had all the swags done except for the four corner ones - these are a different shape and couldn't go on until I'd mitred the corners of the border and could match the crescents exactly. Decided that they and the rest of the little button circles could wait until I'd sandwiched the quilt because the sandwiching was my goal for Saturday. I'd already washed and ironed all the backing fabric and got my batting ready. Oh, yes, really organised. Except that my batting was too small and it is the largest piece I have at the moment. I mean inches too small - really frustrating. And quilt shops aren't open on Sundays, hence the Grrrrr! I don't even think I'll be able to get any tomorrow as I'm working and have to rush back to walk the dog since my husband is not returning from Scotland until tomorrow evening. At this rate, I'm not going to get started with the quilting until Tuesday evening.

And so to bed...

Grey, damp Saturday - who cares?

Not me! Stuart has gone to visit family in Scotland for a few days so I am having one of those weekends when I have only myself to please as to when I eat, what I eat and what I do with the rest of the time. This does not mean that my husband is in any way obstructive or difficult - it's just that being totally alone has a potential for selfishness that isn't always there. Apart from walking the dog, I plan to sew, sew, sew and make real headway on Olivia's quilt, hoping I will be finished with the applique border and have it sandwiched and ready for quilting by the end of today.

What might interfere with this progress is that I also want to watch Series 5 of The Wire at the same time. Stuart and I have been thoroughly enjoying this series but he has opted out of Series 5 because he's too depressed about the corruption and negativity in it. So this is the perfect time for me to watch it and hand it back to the friend who lent it to me. I already cooked a lamb pilaff yesterday evening and there's plenty left over for dinner tonight, so I don't even have to cook. The appartment is clean, too. Of course, there is the little matter of the ironing but as it's behind the laundry cupboard doors I can allow myself to forget that's there until tomorrow...

So away with the internet and off to my one person quilt retreat!

New Face

Some weeks ago I received an email from Barbara, an artist and art quilter living in Santa Barbara, who had found my blog when researching 'quilting' and 'Bonn' online. She was accompanying her husband to Bonn on a business trip and wanted to contact some quilters. We invited her to our group 'stitch and lunch'.

By the time the date arrived, our group of six had dwindled to two of us - our Thursday was a public holiday; one was in the US, another in Switzerland and two had other commitments. When I collected Barbara, we drove to the ferry, parked the car and went across the Rhine as foot passengers as my friend only lives 100 metres from the ferry on the other side. But we two (complete strangers) were chatting so vigorously and happily that when the ferry slowed down and we prepared to get off, I realised that we had talked right through the landing on the other side and had arrived back at our beginning again - we skulked in the little cabin and went across again. By the time we came back to the car we had done four crossings instead of two!

That really was the tone of our session - Gay provided a delicious lunch (I even managed a piece of cheesecake, which I usually hate) and the talk didn't stop. Was it the quilting link, the fact that we were women of approximately the same age or just plain luck - no idea, but the three of us got along famously and we would really like to see Barbara again when she returns with her husband this time next year. Thank you, Internet!