What a Bind!

 I decided to concentrate on getting as much done on the quilts for FOQ as I possibly could before the school holidays. The first hurdle was remembering which panels I had earmarked since I made the entry forms so vague in case I had to make substitutions. Three Yurt panels are being entered as a "triptych" but I will work on four then decide which ones qualify at the last minute. I was pleased with the quilting on "Yellow on the Broom" but secretly prefer the reverse side. I decided to work in a slightly back to front way and bind them all first. Next I will attach hanging sleeves, tidy up the loose threads and finally will deal with embellishments such as crystals and buttons. This means that I won't have to worry so much about running out of time. I started off with good intentions of hand sewing the bindings onto the backs of the quilts but soon decided that I had sore fingers and was bored and since I am a machine quilter, I will do the whole thing by machine. I think I do it pretty neatly and the Yurt panels are not strictly show quilts; they are just getting an "outing" to FOQ to show the quilting world that I still quilt!

We had some serious downpours during the week so I did not feel guilty about spending as much time as possible in the workshop - I also had to fit in taking Freya to her grade 3 piano exam & school prize-giving, and Durris School's end of term church service. Tania and I taste tested the elderflower champagne. It is rather cloudy because I added yeast, worried that natural fermentation wasn't happening. It is extremely fizzy and tastes OK but could do with a stronger elderflower flavour, perhaps by adding some cordial.  Ginger could also be an interesting addition. I will make a note of these improvements for next year's recipe.

We are going to do some camping this week but I have packed up the crystals and quilts in case I have any spare time. I would like to make my own sleeping bag. I washed all of the camp bedding but some of the zips were broken. I cut one good zip off a very old nylon bag and intend to make a much nicer new one with some Amy Butler fabric if I see it on sale. I could even use an unfinished quilt top. First I need to decide what wadding to use. The expensive ones seem to have a silk filling of some sort. Perhaps it needs to be layers of silk or wool and cotton as long as it doesn't get too damp. As well as being cosy, it needs to remain lightweight, although if you take the car you can take extra quilts and pillows camping too, as well as the stove, coffee pot, lanterns, books...