Contrasts....

I'm missing but very much in action quilting, getting caught up with deadline quilts but can't show any just yet till they are picked up or delivered to my clients.

I've been on the phone on a few occasions to call centres in Mumbai, well, at least somewhere in India, trying to get some help with my abominable broadband connection. I could only get a connection on my iPad, it must be able to connect to a weaker signal, although it still wasn't possible to do much, couldn't upload photos or download attachments, definitely couldn't book a courier parcel collection. I was lucky at times if I could open my emails???? On Friday, I spoke to a young Lady who promised she would help....I told her I wanted to believe her but had been suffering with this problem forever it seems.  We have never had a fast broadband connection but we can usually get by. Unfortunately since our telephone line was struck by lightening in July we have had intermittent problems with the line here in our valley. After the lightening strike I installed a new router, here was where the problem was found. This new router has a dual band connection so that it can switch to which ever signal is the best but the router needed to be adjusted by the broadband technician and switched to auto.  It is amazing what can be done over the phone line, just a shame that it has taken so long.

So, I worked on clients quilts during the day and while I couldn't surf the internet in the evenings I made a pact with myself to finish a few UFOs before I move on to drawing up and finishing a couple of quilts that I really want to get to.

First up was this lone block that has been pinned to my design wall for what seems like years. It's a feathered star block that I pieced in the traditional way a few years back, the block didn't get pieced into the quilt I was working on. I decided to de-construct it a bit and add some paper pieced inserts....trust me to try paper piecing with such small pieces. The finished top is only 18 inches square.

It is interesting to see the finished result. The feathered star was pieced some years ago and may not have been pieced well but the paper pieced sections definitely have sharper points, I like the more precise piecing.


In contrast the next quilt top was started in a class I took at FoQ, Birmingham, it's kind of a slash and burn (err...learn) type technique, supposed to be liberating....do you have any 'PIGS' (projects in grocery sacks)? I found this one as a complete quilt kit, it had very little work done to it apart from maybe four sewn strip sets. A couple of evenings and the quilt top was done. Strangely though there was enough cut fabric to make nearly another top, I had to cut more background fabric but I even had more of that too. So that's two beanstalk quilts.

So there are now another three projects waiting for the longarm.....

Next to get some attention are these colourful strips sets....I can't remember what was intended for these as they seem to be 60 degree diamonds so maybe I'll be inspired by them????