Back from my two jaunts – one wedding in Scotland which was great and one week on a narrowboat which was also great in a totally different way. I didn’t take my camera on either trip but there is someone else’s photo of the beach by the wedding here, and someone else’s bit of canal here.

Getting back into work has been a bit of a challenge, much as I love what I do, I think I love being on holiday more. I’ve started really panicking about Origin now, and am slaving away with my needle for many hours a day. (Five and half weeks to go)

There is another of these in progress, which will eventually be about 1 metre square. The tiny sample above took about an hour, so it’s looking like a 20-25 hour piece of work. Yes, I know it’s crazy, but it’s so fabulously blobby.

I’ve spent 4 hours making a different version of this, and then decided once it was finished that I didn’t like it, so will be unpicking tomorrow and starting the 3rd version. So there you go – progress and no progress. Despite all these madly time-consuming one-off pieces, the general stock levels of small stuff is growing nicely and is probably just about under control (remind me of that in a couple of weeks…). All I need now is to find a suitable upholstered chair to refurbish and design and build my stand. Maybe next week.

In the meantime, while in a kind of holiday-work decompression I went to the Festival of Quilts (no link because the website talks and I wont inflict it upon you). Some interesting quilts, some frightening ones and some (a very few in my opinion) stunningly beautiful ones. I totally fell in love with Bosna Quilt workshop quilts – of which it seems impossibe to find decent photos online. (the first link which at least has a good image). Really simply colour-block with hand quilting in red thread. I was hoping for some creative inspiration for a quilt I want to make as a present and they amply privided it.

More on the show and my purchases (oops) anon. There has been a whole week’s worth of writing and sewing already this week and my tired brain needs to rest.