Not much to report

Sorry for the absence of blogs but there hasn't been much I can report about I am afraid. I have been pretty run down and tired and so not much energy seems to be left for sewing, worst luck.

However I did manage to attend a day class on Machine Quilting with Sherry Jewson that my quilting group organised. This was day 2. Sherry is a very lovely, approachable and most important, patient tutor who travelled to Ballarat for us from Werribee. She is so talented. She came and did a day class with us last month and helped us to jump off the edge! Alas, I did not find any time for practice during the month between classes, despite being well intentioned! But none the less, I found myself much more confident this month with the second class, despite finding excuses why I couldn't be there prior to attending. So I did come away with a great buzz!! I still need a lot more practice but I feel I am well on the way!

The class was part of a two day sewing weekend, so on the Sunday I got our my 'secret xmas quilt' which I had basted after school one day in one of the classrooms. I made a start on the machine quilting, anchoring all the blocks by stitching in the sashing. I now need to go back and stitch in each block.......time?! I am not entirely happy with the quilting so far but hopefully the whole quilting the better it will look. I am a bit frustrated that despite using a 1/4" foot to stay an even distance from the seam, this was not what happened, and stitch length changed depending on how much stress was on the machine re the quilt being rolled up in the arm of the machine - I did not change the stitch length at all on the control panel!

No stitching was achieved during the week but I did pick up a BOM last night and continue the backstitching on the 'down in the garden' block 5, designed by Leanne House using Rosie Quinlan's fabrics.

Today I managed to finish block 5 of the mystery xmas block, thus being able to claim one ticket in "Joy's finishing stitches" challenge.