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Thank goodness for my sewing room where I can relax and let the world float by. We have been in social distancing mode for 6 weeks and have only ventured out to take our bouncy labradoodle “Oscar” for a walk to the beach or visit the local shops for necessities. So between sewing, reading and a little bit of knitting I have easily filled in my days.

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Being in stay at home mode I have managed to finish quite a few UFO’s that have been hiding in the cupboard plus participate in some on line ‘mystery quilt’ groups. These have been a lovely way to keep in contact with like minded quilters.
I finished the appliqué and quilting on the linen print of Gymea Lilies and it will be framed as a piece of wall art.

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I also quilted a UFO jelly roll top. It is a simple pattern and I have been experimenting with quilting rulers to create the quilting pattern.

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The mystery quilt helped to use up some of my stash of batik fabrics. It was an excellent challenge in selecting light, medium and dark value fabrics.
After foundation paper piecing 72 flying geese it was a nice surprise to see the finished design. I managed to find enough dark value batik fabric to add a simple outside border and am now in the process of quilting it, trying to use my quilting rulers once again.

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The same Facebook group have started another mystery quilt and being a devil for punishment I have signed up again. This time I have used some of my floral fabrics that have been lurking in the cupboard for years. I needed a good contrast between lights and darks….who knows how this one will turn out?

Well here we are , self isolating, staying at home and only going out if really necessary. No babysitting, no visiting family and all social gatherings put on hold.

The result….lots of time in the quilting room. It is amazing how many online sewing projects have started. I have started an online mystery quilt with SAQG which has made me look through my stash for suitable fabrics. A new step is released each week …..so far Step 1, using lights and darks to make a four patch.

I have also found a panel I bought a while ago…A linen Reece Scannell print of gymea lillies. Hopefully it will become a wall hanging for our foyer. It is very challenging finding fabrics from my stash which will enhance the design but I am having lots of fun cutting and appliquéing fabrics to the black and white design.

It is rewarding to see the design pop with each addition. Now to work on the gymea lillies, a little more challenging.

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‘Antique French Lace’ is all finished and has found a home on a wall in my sewing room.

Finally finished the quilting, here is ‘Antique French Lace’.
Only the binding and label to go.
Really happy with the way the linen highlights the quilting design. The pattern was inspired by a French lace handkerchief from 1875-1889.
All the fabrics are French cottons and chambrays appliquéd onto cream linen.

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It has been a big start to the new year, not a lot of sewing but many changes as we moved house in January. The last month has been filled with unpacking boxes and settling into our new place on the South Coast of NSW. The added bonus is I now have a bigger and more flexible working space with a lovely balcony and bush view….

We moved to an area that was ravaged by the bush fires, but fortunately our house suffered no damage, only the front garden and bush opposite were burnt…. and now 8 weeks on and after a lot of cleaning up it is all starting to regenerate.
We are part of a community that is recovering from lots of stress and damage with everyone being very friendly and supportive, helping each other get their lives back on track. We have an easy 10 minute walk to the beach and I have found a friendly quilting group which meets 5 minutes from home every fortnight.

Our new house already feels like “home”.

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