New skills

Just back from a run/walk ( one min on one min off) around the local playing fields. After yesterday's blog I decided to set some goals so I have entered the Walk for Life in Heaton Park Manchester (having missed more local dates). Please look at my sponsorship page at www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/helenconway

Why the photo of a pink and blue thing? Well - new skills. Uploading it was the first one ( easy peasy when you actually bother to try) but also its one of the new things I intend to blog about - the new obsession of my life: quilting.

The above quilt is not my first attempt because that is not actually finished: the patchwork is fine but a defective walking foot on my brand new machine chewed up all the backing when I attempted to machine quilt it so it is banished into a box until I can face the disappointing mess again. However, the above was my first finished attempt which has gone to my mother-in-law in Ballymena. For the uninititaled it is a log cabin design which traditionally has a red plain square for the center design. I though I'd be different and use stripes which was fine until I came to rotate the bocoks to make the secondary pattern of the crosses. I forgot that the stripes would also rotate and some be verticle and some horizontal. Doh! In the end a quick rethink made the alternating a design feature rather than fault - but lesson number one was swiftly learned!

Since then I have greedily absorbed much internet material on quilting but for those fancying a bit of surfing I will send you to just two links today, both from the same person:
www.serendipitypatchwork.com.au and http://www.serendipitypatchwork.blogspot.com/The sites belong to another exlawyer who deserves to be today's link becuase I emailed her today having found her in a magazine and got a reply in minutes despite being a stranger on the otherside of the world - don't you just love the internet?!