Lucky me!

Apart from crawling from one shady spot to the next, the last week has been spent, slowly working on my white quilt. All the hexagons are sewn together, and I've almost finished the 'barnacle' block which I'm outlining with strips of folded fabric to form ruffles around the main cluster of barnacles.

The ruffles make this barnacle
look almost rose like.

The EPP is complete.

I've made a start on another block: this one features kantha embroidery, and the tiniest bit of mola reverse applique – just a central velvet circle, surrounded by a larger silk circle, which sits on a raw edge linen circle (it's quite gauzy, so conveys the translucence I'm after). The subject is a couple of dandelion seed heads. So far, I've partially completed the first seed head, and I'm really trying to resist the urge to include some pale green for the stem – this is after all, meant to be a white quilt! I couldn't resist adding a halo of tiny gold beads however, so perhaps that's enough deviation from the main colour theme?

A nearly dandelion, and, patches
ready for sewing together.

Cutting the squares and rectangles that will form the main patchwork is taking much longer than I thought it would – there are so many of them – next time, I'll make bigger patches! But a totally unexpected, and very generous gift, from Kate, has got me itching to put my rotary cutter to work. Kate gave me a super pile of unwanted antique linens, including this gorgeous baby dress. Part of me thinks it's a crime to cut them up, but if the alternative, is for them to never see the light of day, then surely it's better they are used, rather than hidden in a stash box?

So pretty!

Look at the detail,
all done by hand too!

As if all this beautiful linen wasn't enough, Kate also gave me this fabulous indigo dyed fabric! I'm not yet absolutely sure what to do with it, but there's certainly enough to make a very striking pair of ceiling to floor curtains.

Now my friend may have a fabric stash to rival that of Liberty's, but this really is quite generous, don't you think? In fact, if it wasn't for the weather, I could almost believe it's Christmas.

Elizabeth,
x.