Another quilt almost finished!

I've been quilting like a demon this week and I'm happy to say that all I have to do is add a hanging sleeve to 'The Messenger' and he's ready for our next exhibition of 'Orientation' at The Bramble Patch next month. There have been a few obstacles to the quilting, not least of which was Toby deciding a quilt was a perfect place for a nap in the sunshine.

I did manage to persuade him to find another place to snooze so that I could finish the quilting!

I rather like the final effect if I'm allowed to say that myself! When we accepted the challenge to work with an oriental theme I really thought it didn't have anything to do with me or my work. I've been surprised to find there are actually quite a few objects around my home that suit the theme. None of them are old family pieces, they are just things I've acquired because I liked them. Oddly enough, I did have a Japanese aunt and so there is some sort of a connection with the culture. Yoko was married to my mother's brother and they lived in Australia. I met all the family when I visited Oz for a few months in the 70s and we've kept in touch over the years even though both my aunt and my uncle have now sadly died.

Here's my most recent 'oriental' acquisition - we spotted this lacquer red cabinet last week when we were browsing a local antique and collectables shop. Couldn't resist so it had to follow us home! I've justified the purchase by placing it beside my armchair and filling the drawers with all the hand sewing bits and bobs I need when I'm working in the evening. A few weeks ago I started to restore an old screen for the same room - this might help me decide on the design and the colour scheme. So there you are, if justification was needed - it's obvious I had to have it!

I've also spent a bit of time this week painting the final details to 'Broken'. This is a detail from the top of the quilt, members will be able to see the whole story on DMTV very soon. It'll also be displayed at the NEC next month when we have our stand at Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch. We haven't done a big show since last summer so I'm really looking forward to it.

In the midst of all the quilting and painting it's important not to neglect the inner man. I've enjoyed my usual Sunday morning baking session. A warm kitchen is the best place to be on a cold February day and aerobic kneading is pretty much the only exercise I get these days! Today's bread is massive - should keep us going for a day or two!

Thanks for reading - hope you're having a peaceful and productive weekend too - Linda