I'm back!

Fans of Julia Cameron will be familiar with the concept of an 'artists date' - basically in her book The Artists Way ( which I read aeons ago) she encourages you to take a couple of hours each week and go and do something fun to 'fill you up' as an artist. We have been going down to the same flat in Bath twice a year now for a number of years and often wonder why we don't get bored. It occurred to me this time that this trip was like a giant fortnights artist's date for me.

There are lot of bits to share but I shall do so in tidbits. So first - the productivity aspect.

I pieced this log cabin top while I was down there. Shamefully only the borders did not come from stash. (Thank you Hannah's room Beatutiful Batik Club!) . It is 72 x 72. ( Yes, square - the photos never are because I had to hang it over book cases with Kathy Reich and Ian Rankin novels to weigh it down one the edge of the border!)

The scraps went into this center piece. I was amused to come home and find that Down Under Quilts had a lead article on improvised quilts as it is certainly my favourite way to work. Given that I spent 6 hours today on my return tidying up the house, which was mostly to do with quilting stuff, or chucking other stuff to making room for it, and still I can't get the lids on my scrap boxes, I am also sticking to my new policy of piecing scraps as soon as the main quilt is finished. The green was also scraps from another quilt I made whilst away which will be in later blog.

This centre will be going together with these fabrics to make a fun 'liberated quilt' with lime stars all around the outside to finish about 60 x 70 I think.

I made this piece of Somerset Patchwork in a class at Midsomer Quilting. Its a bit rumpled from the journey in this photo! We were given a piece of paper with the guidelines printed on which you transfer to the base fabric. Only I was not listening when the teacher said not to transfer all 32 lines. Normally you work with 8 0r 16. She was a bit concerned when she saw me midway through with 32, having never done that many herself before. It worked though I think! The result is much more circular than if you work with fewer lines.