Archie The Wonder Dog

...but I do need a bit of help! Once again I'm going to have to work some ATWD magic and make it look as though I've been productive this month!  I think I'll show you lots of photos to distract you from lack of substance sewing.  I've got to admit to being really, really tired at the moment.  To give you an idea of what really, really tired looks like I can tell you that in the last seven days I've spent six afternoons in bed, fast asleep for at least three hours each time.  And that's after at least ten hours sleep on a night so it's not as though I'm going short!  When I'm awake I'm not necessarily awake and doing - you're more likely to find me flitting from thing to thing, not really able to settle on one thing but not able to just sit on the settee and watch telly either ('too tired to do anything, too tired to rest' would be a good description).  If it wasn't for my need to publish my Fresh Sewing Day post on the firs...

I don't feel as though I've done much sewing in July - I've mainly been concentrating on painting my garden fence and shed and as a result I'm too tired to do much else!  I have managed to do a bit, though (when I haven't been napping or complaining about the heat) so I'm going to attempt, as my title says, to make a little look like a lot(tle) - as I do for most of my FSD posts! I've managed a bit of machine piecing: 1.  Blue and white progress , 2.  Blue and white progress , 3.  Blue and white progress , 4.  Blue and white progress , 5.  Blue and white progress , 6.  Blue and white progress None of these short rows (five blocks in each) have been stitched together yet, that's the next job!  I'm afraid I'm finding this quite a tedious quilt to piece - I've developed a pinning strategy that gives mainly good results (only two seams had to be unpicked and re-sewn through all of the block joining I've done this month) but it...

It's time to declare my finishes for quarter two of the Finish-A-Long - I feel a bit of a fraud writing a new blog post when I haven't replied to the comments from the previous one but instead of spending time on the computer (I'm also way behind with other emails and reading/commenting on blog posts) I've been spending a lot of time crawling around my front room floor, listening to/watching six episodes of ' Broadchurch' and a fair few of 'Party of Five'  and tackling this: Hexy quilt top, wadding and backing, ready to tack and I'm pleased to say that late last night (with blisters on both index fingers!) I finished tacking my quilt and can now start to experiment with threads and choose which I want to use.  Oh, and I suppose I'd better give some thought to exactly how I'm going to quilt it - that very much depends on the threads I choose, though... I'll reply to comments soon (honest!) but I need to post my FAL Q2 finishes s...

I'm not entirely sure what I've done since I last blogged so let's see what I can find in my 'June' folder, shall we?! I got the backing sorted for my hexy quilt .  There was a bit of a problem when I discovered a small hole  (which I knew I hadn't caused) in my first order (after I'd washed and ironed it) but the wonderful staff at The Cotton Patch sorted it out in a jiffy and sent me a new piece of fabric (and kindly allowed me to keep the original piece, I suspect because I'd already washed it - their customer service is wonderful, I've shopped there before this and will definitely be going back!)  This is how it's been for about four weeks: (A big piece of fabric folded in quarters and laid over the back of a settee!) Isn't it pretty, though?!  It'll be even better when I get it layered and tacked - I've got as far as finding the masking tape and tacking thread/needle tin but not much further, I just haven't had the...

Yes, you read that right - my hexy quilt top is finished!  I actually finished it a week ago but haven't managed to blog about it until now!  I've had trouble getting photos of it because I can't find anywhere outside where I can hang it and take a photo.  Here's a photo of it outside, before the borders were added: Hexies on the fence but it's now too big and trails on the ground!  Once it's been layered and tacked (and so has a bit of weight to it and somewhere to put stones without hiding the hexies) I might try laying it on the front grass and leaning out of my sewing room window but it's a bit breezy today to try that with just a quilt top - it'd be off down the road before I got upstairs!  Right, that's enough chat, let's show you more photos!  (I copied Hadley and hung it in the conservatory - it's a good place to take photos and you don't risk dangling your pale quilt top in mud.)  It took 21 months and 12 days...