PHEW!!!!!!!!!  
It has been an AGE since I was last here and finally I have made it back.
I have several stories as to why I have been absent, but I would bore you with what is essentially LIFE. We all have it and we all juggle and manage it so in that way I am just the same.

However will say I would have been back a little sooner but as I just sat down to post a story a couple of weeks ago, the computer stopped, blank screen.....and now its fixed, all good.

I lost my confidence a little in my photographic skills, I have struggled and struggled to take a good shot of this quilt.

It was one I also struggled to finish! The original recipe called for strips of old tablecloth needleworks with a strip of light organza and raw silk and satin ribbon. I blithely carried on and sewed these various materials together, laid it on the bed and everything shredded! Yeah like who didn't see that one coming!.....me obviously.

Lesson 1: silk will shred, hmmm maybe I can stabilise it...which I did and it worked a treat. 
Lesson 2: organza will shred too, replace with good old cotton.

Then I tried and tried and tried to find the main material in which to highlight the green silk, tres difficult....no really......white was a shocker, which I only realised AFTER I had sewn it up.

Lesson 3: don't assume white goes with everything, sometime it just doesn't!

Finally to my surprise I found a pale lilac which made the green silk work well. "Great" I said now we are getting somewhere.

Then I tried to quilt it with a cross hatch.....

Lesson 4: cross hatch requires accuracy, don't free hand it.......lots of unpicking.......and lots of accurate 45deg marking and sewing its finally done!

 The backing was a vintage sheet which picks up the pink in the front, did well there.

I knew that the needlework would look great but I was really surprised as to how much better sad, tired and worn out pieces can look when chopped up into smaller pieces. No new and wonderful cloths were destroyed to make this, it was all old and torn pieces where I could salvage the stitchery.

So there you have it folks. The quilt of dramas, I must have made, unpicked and made this quilt three times over, and then I just couldn't get a decent photo of it!!

I sorta gave up then, packed the camera away and went and did some other things to clear my head a little.

                         One of which was this little beauty. 

It is a DMC kit by Isabelle Baird, the most magnificent painter of flowers I have come across in cross stitch. This is the second one I have done of her roses and can I just put this out there......if anyone has the anemone kit....can we talk? These kits sold out and I would just love it if someone wanted to sell it on, or any other arrangement we could come to.

And this, 2 ply wool is perfect for a soft dense pom pom.

Bit of this, work in progress, odd balls of 8 ply wool, every now and then when I feel the urge.

And this, large 2 inch sided hexagons for my ongoing Brigette Giblin creation.

So life is ongoing, it may stop me talking to the blog now and then but not forever. I mean who else can I share my exploits with than other bloggers who get the craft thing.

Well its good to be back, hope the next break isn't so long and my camera will sing to me again.