In My Garden Quilt

Wow! What an exhausting day! I'm not sure whether I will sew this evening, think I may pay close inspection to the inside of my eyelids while the tv is on!

When I got home I took a cup of tea and my faithful hound out into the Orchard near my garden.
The trees look naked without their fruits now that they are all picked. We stood together and took in this lovely view. It was a real moment, I wish I could share the heavy dampening air as the mists roll in from the lake and the crow calls. Looking across this freshly ploughed field watching the setting sun I can feel the first chill, the air smells earthy.  As much as I like the bright sunny Autumn days I also long for the chilly evenings when the weather might be harsh and bleak but the fire is lit, my family is around me and I've got thick socks on!

I have been working on my Mammoth needle turn quilt project, In My Garden BOM by Hatched and Patched. (I have provided the link, have a look, really sweet little appliques and embroidered bits and bobs. ) This is not a new pattern design but when I saw it I just loved all the little images and folky style of the applique. But gosh, what a needle turn epic it is turning out to be. There is so much to do in each Block that I have completely fallen behind! Surprise surprise! I really enjoy stitching it though, the pieces are very small so it's certainly sharpened up my needle turn skills.

This is the pattern set for Block 6. Sorry the picture isn't brilliant. I had a nice collection of taupes and neutrals I have collected over time and I thought they would be perfect. I am glad to have other projects alongside though, as it can get a bit dull working in the same palette all the time. And that's not good for my attention span - which as we have already established- is not the greatest.

Here is a picture of 2 rows of flowers as seen in the bottom left area of the pattern. I am using freezer paper circles to gather the fabric circles around. Then I remove the paper and stitch them in place. That creates a nice round shape. I have to confess that probably what takes me most time is deliberating over colour combinations or fussy cutting. Far too long!

Here are my efforts so far. I just love the crooked birdhouse (It is meant to be crooked!) and the sweet little bird on top.

You can also see my little wooden roller. This is a great tool and was a gift from a kind friend. It's for finger pressing or in this case pressing the little shapes or edges under. It's very pleasing to use and means I don't need to work with an iron all the time. Great for travel.

Well that's it for now, I can smell my chicken casserole is ready! I will post up the other blocks I have done for this quilt next time.