Rose Star blocks, hellebores and violets.

I've been plodding on with the Rose Star blocks - I really enjoy the hand sewing - and now   

have nearly eleven blocks completed. At the moment they're lying on the floor on the back of an old quilt as I've been dithering on what colour to use for the background. Suggestions have included  white, white with a spot, and grey,and at the moment I'm wondering about the fawn/beige in the photo as a possibility. So hard !  And should I stay with this 2-3-2-3-2 layout or change to a 3-2-3-2-3 arrangment.  As it is at the moment I will have to make six half blocks to fill in the outside spaces.

I don't do much in the garden.  It's pretty much left to look after itself as long as there's plenty of greenery and a few spots of colour. But I couldn't help noticing today that the violets are starting to flower already.  Surely ti's too early for that - it's still summer.  They've been there for donkey's years and have never flowered this early before, even if the flowers are a bit small  and insipid looking.

And then there's the hellebore, another long-time resident.    It has always flowered late winter- early Spring but lately it's been blatantly flaunting itself and it's still summer.  Perhaps it's trying to tell me something !

Fifties Dress No 9 and Rose Star Piecing

Finished Dress No 9 for the Dress Me Up quilt.  Three more to go.

And I've also had a dabble with the Rose Star block which I first spotted in  Possum Blossom's blog which led me on to some instructions at Summerfete .  I've only used hexagon-shaped templates until now so I was tempted to try out these different shapes.

Not too sure about the colours though.  The samples I looked at had myriad colours and I don't trust myself choosing so many colours.  So I thought let someone else do the choosing and started using a layer cake of Moda's Urban Cowgirl.  All put together in a quilt the sight of these bright colours is going to knock you over at a dozen paces !

One thing I discovered though is that I get on much better using cardboard templates instead of paper ones.  Much more accurate and much sharper corners.

I've also changed my philosphy on creating still more UFOs.   I don't think that way any more.  I am simply an adventurer dipping my toes in as many waters as possible.  Who can resist when bloggers keep showing us so many interesting ideas.  There are just not enough hours in the day to try them all. So thanks to all those bloggers.

Jacobean Leaves

I spend so much time reading and enjoying other people's blogs that I forget to write anything for myself.    I've been a bit lazy but recently on Feeling Stitchy I saw the blog posted by Mrs Lacer feauring Kelly Fletcher's Jacobean Leaves cushion.

I like crewel work, which is used to embroider these leaves,  so I bought her pattern and have started working the leaves as small individual panels to incorporate into a quilt.  I don't have any particular lay-out in mind so have no idea how many I will need.  But if I repeat any leaf shape I can use a different colour combination from within the colour range that Kelly chose for her cushion leaves.

One of these days I'll make some more of these.  In the meantime it's back to the fifties dresses.