Heaven knows I have UFOs

Penelope. She sure is pretty. VBG. That's why this quilt is named "Pretty Penelope".

Mum quilted it in a floaty-sort-of-feathery design, which is perfect.

Ah, perhaps now this quilt is finished, I will be able to breathe??? Sometimes a project just makes us breathless, and we run around, and sew fast in order to finish it quickly. Why is that?

Maybe we want to enjoy the finished quilt on our bed, or finish it before we lose interest... or perhaps it is because we want to finish it quickly because another project has made us breathless??!!

Whichever way it goes, it is pleasing to enjoy a fast finish every now and then. Heaven knows, I have enough UFOs to keep me going...

Pretty Penelope takes the lead

It's like calling the races at the moment, Pretty Penelope has overtaken Garden Song in the "I am more important!! Pick me!!" stakes.

Mum quilted it in a soft, floaty design that looks fantastic with the border print. It adds a soft French feel.

I have machine stitched the binding, just need to hand stitch it over to finish.

In the meantime, I am sleeping under it before the binding is complete. Is that allowed?

Okay, now Pretty Penelope is in the lead for hand-work, but I am about to machine some more on the Garden Song blocks. Let's see which wins by a nose.

Pretty Boho

I think there is smoke coming out of my sewing machine!! I just sewed and sewed.

I really should listen sometimes. I ran out of bobbin twice while sewing one particular seam (How do you do that? I finished one bobbin, then put in another with only a bit of thread left on it. I wanted to empty it so I could fill a few bobbins at once - not enough for the whole row of sewing though). So, onto the third bobbin for that row.... then I had to unpick it all. Sewed it in the wrong place, silly me!! I should have listened - the machine was telling me something!

Now the centre of the quilt top is all sewn, I can sweep the floor. Yuck! All the threads and fluff that drop when handling fabric! It's a very dusty occupation, this sewing caper.

I need to audition borders, then sew them on. Now the quilt pieces are off the floor, I think I will leave it for a few days. I am exhausted!! (but a very happy kind of exhausted!!).

Pretty Penelope is developing her own Boho sort of feel, and I am loving it!

Avoiding housework in more ways than one

I am finding "Pretty Penelope" (as I have nick-named this quilt-to-be) to be an absolutely addictive plaything. To design the quilt layout, first I had to make as many blocks as I want (at least to start with, I could always make more or exclude some if necessary).

Then I arranged all the strips before doing any sewing.

Next I made the cornerstones and laid them all out. I had to avoid placing the black cornerstone with a black frame as the four-patches were totally lost where that occurred.

So, the entire quilt is currently laid out on the "design floor" (i.e. the floor, in lieu of a "design wall"). You can see only the first couple of rows are assembled. There is a lot of sewing to do before this floor can be swept!! Hmm... avoiding housework by making quilts works in a few ways, doesn't it?

Pretty!

Just starting something else new. I hope it will come together almost as quickly as the Java quilt top!! Although, as I am designing this quilt to suit the fabric, I expect it will take a little longer.

It's just so pretty! ... from the fabric range "Penelope" by Lakehouse.