Disconcerting Midweek Start

I was away at the start of the week, teaching and demoing at Barnyarns in NE Yorkshire. I had chosen to travel by train which was great because I could do some work on my laptop and read a book but not so convenient as having a car at the other end. The Premier Inn in which I was staying was a couple of miles out of town so nowhere to go out for food in the evening. The event was well attended by people keen to investigate purchasing a Q-Series machine or just curious or just tempted by Prosecco and M&S sandwiches;) It reminded me again that I really enjoy teaching people about the Bernina longarm machines. Unfortunately, I only took a photo of the folding table with one side down just to demonstrate how that works. 

Starting my week here on a Wednesday was disconcerting. I had caught up with customer quilts before my trip so it became a bit of a busy but slightly off-piste few days. I took Nessie for a radical summer haircut. I was sad that she no longer had the classic Scottie haircut but she was full of knots and tangles despite my best efforts of daily brushing. 

I finally began the piecing for the Tula Pink butterfly quilt, starting with the easiest blocks. The Facebook group had made a big thing of using a scant ¼” seam so I used the straight stitch plate, #75 needle, 50 wt thread and foot 37D, with needle nudged a smidge to the right. I am a fairly accurate but not obsessive piecer so it will all just fit together somehow. I have already decided to do the Drunkards Path blocks differently because I don’t have enough fabric to waste messing it up. The pieces in this quilt are all ridiculously small and I don’t really have the patience for it!

Having drafted a pattern for an art supplies case on the train, I decided to have another go at one where the lining hides the zip. I have now made 3 and have used different materials and finishes on each one. The answer is to keep the lower zip band longer, do a “fitting” then cut it to size. I will have to make a video or step by step photos to be able to explain…

I thought that it was about time I took stock of  my travel journal supplies so I got them all out of the basket and made a short Youtube video. I definitely got carried away ordering stationery.

It was frustrating that I had wanted to make a video of the stationery hoard but none of the cameras were charged, ready to go. I have all of the gear, probably too much in fact. I pottered around for a whole day working out which camera setup to use and when. Now I have an overhead setup with far more lighting than you would imagine and I might even need to order another one. Cameras and lights need to suspend from arms or booms - if I use a tripod you can see the legs. If I leave the blinds open then the lighting changes if a cloud goes over. A microphone is essential otherwise the camera sound is tinny. I am going to type up all of my notes for the next time and make sure everything is all charged and set up beforehand!