Out of the box

You probably wouldn't believe how restrained I can be. I'm one of those annoying people who always reads the manual - every single word of it. Not sure where that comes from, certainly not my mother! So, once the machine was out of its box and onto its sturdy table I resisted the impulse to switch it on right away. Patience and restraint are not characteristics Laura has inherited and I know she would have made a quilt by now but I prefer to take my time when I get to play with a new toy.

Next morning I had a few minutes on a practice piece and then moved onto the latest crow quilt. It's a good feeling to finally get this digital print of one of my gouache and Indian ink paintings under the needle. It's been sitting around waiting far too long. I need to get a move on and finish it before Laura arrives. We have promised not to argue over who's turn it is next!

At the moment the machine is not in its intended place. I'm having new flooring in my room soon and since everything will have to be cleared out for a couple of days I haven't bothered to plan properly yet. With luck I should have this quilt finished before I have to empty the room. With all the stuff I've accumulated over the years that's not a task I'm looking forward to but I guess I'll enjoy putting it all back after the refurb!

 It's a miracle there's any time for quilting when the tomato crop is now at its height. We're loving them fresh every day but the surplus has to be roasted and sieved for freezing. It's a tedious job but we'll be glad of the sauce all through the winter months.

The tomatillos have excelled again this year too. This heap are halved ready for the grill.

And these are part cooked. Once they begin to char they're cooled and then blitzed in a processor with loads of chillis, a little lime juice and a big bunch of coriander. With the addition of fresh oregano it makes a wonderful cooking sauce for slow cooked pork.

Sunday is usually my day in the kitchen. I've made 4 loaves of bread, a huge vat of roasted tomato sauce, many portions of tomatillo chilli verde so, domestic chores taken care of it's back to the quilt!

Talk to you again soon - Linda x