A stew of a quilt…

Left: an overview. Top right: the backing.
Bottom right: in the quilting hoop, with a little more stitching.

Crazy times call for cozy comforts.

We've been eating plenty of stews lately. The sort you can add to and make last for several days by throwing in extra morsels of this and that. Not that we're short of provisions, but a bunker mentality has set in and we've become more conscious of the need not to waste food.

I looked at my fabric stash and realised that that too is a kind of waste, if it's not being used, So the impulse took hold to make a quilt and put the stash to use. A cosy one made from brush cottons, Japanese taupes and some fabulous Paul Smith cashmere suiting fabric for the backing.*

There is very little plan to the quilt, just random squares and rectangles mis-matched and patched together then quilted by hand. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that this is the most higgledy-piggledy, hotch-potch, messy stew of a quilt I've ever made. It doesn't even have batting as I've run out of the stuff and there are only so many online purchases I can justify at times like these. Fortunately, the natural softness of cashmere and brush cotton means that the quilt is quite warm and squidgy enough, even without batting.

In the near future, I will do some patchwork that has more of a plan to it; definitely some bojagi and a star quilt made from Patrick's old shirts (hurry up and wear them out Patrick!). But after months of producing projects and techniques for a book that have to be spot on, it's a pleasure to just stitch aimlessly.

Since putting my book to bed, I've also got back into dressmaking. It's not the sort of thing I show here as what I make is usually very plain and a repeat of something made several times already. But, with more time on my hands, I've been adding to what I'm darkly calling my 'Corona wardrobe'. So far, I've made one pair of trousers, a pinafore dress and a kagool (all Merchant & Mills patterns) Next up, are more trousers and a trio of tops.

I hope you're all managing to stay cheerful, healthy, solvent and sane.

And rather randomly, here's a pic of a soppy white cat. She's looking less solemn than usual in a bid to cheer everyone up.

Elizabeth,
x

* Discount fabric shops often seem to have plenty of Paul Smith end of line fabrics, and I'm never sure why. Is it because too much fabric is produced in the first place? If so, how does this affect the price of Paul Smith's clothes?