Still little chilly, but the sun is out more often and it does feel like spring at last!

We even get to sit outside with our coffee now and then and watch the blackbird feeding his young.

He isn't very happy for us being there, had the garden to himself until now. 

Trip to Lytes Cary Manor gardens (NT), our regular at this time of year, just to see the wonderful show of camassias and cowslips together, a couple of weeks earlier then usually, probably due to our mild winter this year.

 

At home I have been carrying on with same projects, Cherry Picker's Garden quilt is still being hand quilted and as for Crojo Retro blanket - is taking time to fill in all those gaps between flowers. 

I will be glad to see the end of that one - one day!

Wanting some new applique to sew,  I joined Katrina Hadjimichael's "Amelia Rose quilt" (pattern of the month). 

This is the first month, central panel.

And this where it ends for me; while I like Katrina's designs, as I was sewing it, 

I realised that this is not "me", too busy. 

I will probably border, back it and quilted it at some point and it will stay as a small quilt.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2024

Happy Easter!

I hope you are all having a nice Easter weekend; 

mostly dry and even sunny in my part of the world,

 so welcome after all that rain we have been having.

This morning we even managed to have our coffee siting outside, 

enjoying little sunshine.

Spring has arrived in my garden, 

so many blossoms opening up

now.

 

The last few weeks had been so wet, 

there was absolutely no incentive to venture too far out.

I used that time to finish all the blocks for Cherry Picker's Garden,

 

make up final borders,

and put it all together - ready to quilt.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2024

hope of spring soon

It has been very mild (but very wet) in my part of the world. Looking outside, one could be fooled into thinking that spring is very close. 

Pair of Blue Tits seemed to have already claimed a nesting box in our garden, and there are another signs that nature just can't wait to burst into spring.

Spending lots of time indoors, I decided to tidy my work room (again, from which you can tell I am bored, 

although I have been reading a lot); 

that is when you come across past projects hidden somewhere in the corner, 

like this Crewel embroidery, long forgotten. 

It is a welcome break from crochet and quilts.

Back to my quilt project ( "Cherry Picker's Garden") 

shown in my last post: 

I have now finished the last two 10 inch blocks, 

it is time to choose border fabrics.

I am still trying to use my stash.

The final green border is actually much nicer colour in reality,

and it was the inspiration for this quilt.

So, back to Crojo Retro blanket. 

I have now joined all the parts together, but because the flowers and leaves are different shapes, you can see what the problem is now - big gaps! 

The solution to that are more flowers, small ones this time.

Many of them!

Yes, it will take some time to fill in all those holes!

-------------------------

As I do every winter, I made some orange marmalade,

enough to last us until next year.

But this year I have also come across Bergamot lemons, not seen normally in our local supermarkets.

They are very small and actually look more like very small satsumas.

Apparently used often for preserved lemons, so having only 4 of them, I experimented:

one small jar of preserved lemons,

and the rest to make lemon marmalade.

I made this marmalade before, using supermarket unwaxed lemons,

so I knew we would like it.

The recipe 

( which includes a spring of rosemary - yes, it does work) 

comes from this book.

Of course, the result was a very small yield, just one jar!

But it was worth the effort, it is very nice.

I have managed too buy some more Bergamot lemons,

so I will make some more,

 and mixing them with normal lemons will surely work

and will make a larger quantity.

So, that's me for now.

I hope all is well with all of you. I haven't been very good blogger again - life just gets in the way,

I am sure you know what I mean.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2024

new year, new projects?

After weeks and weeks of very mild and extremely wet weather in our part of the world all is calm now and even sunny; what a difference little sun makes! 

Even my work room is not as gloomy now and I can enjoy being here again,

 although I still find difficult to take a decent picture here.

So - new projects?

Not quite; I have been working on some stuff for a while now. 

"Crojo Retro" blanket (design by The Mercerie ) has taken me a year to get to this point, but I now have all the flowers and leaves, ready to be joined together!

So, long job yet, but I am on the case now.

When I finished Butterfly's Ball quilt I could not wait to get lost in another applique project.

I started to play with some new blocks - 

I am calling this "The Cherry Picker's Garden" (for now anyway).

And some new inspiration -

Santa brought me this lovely book, 

"Welcome to the House of Quilts" by Janine Alers,

published by Quiltmania.

I had already made one quilt featured in the book, "Surrounded by Flowers", in 2021. 

The pattern was previously published in Quiltmania magazine.

The quilt is now hanging on my workroom wall.

There are other projects in the book I am itching to make.

That is not all - another present from Santa is this bag of Scheepjes yarn,

to make "Macaroon Blossom" blanket.

As it is mostly cotton, this will be lovely summer garden project -

I can't wait!

Busy year coming up................

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2024

To all my followers and occasional visitors - 

thank you so much for another year of friendship and wonderful comments.

I wish you all prosperous and healthy and peaceful 2024; 

I wish you a good life and lots of crafting! 

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2023