March in Isolation!

When we were told on the 12th of March that schools and colleges were closing, I had no idea we would be still off now or how strange the experience would be.

I must admit I was looking forward to a break and a rest and was not expecting the anxiety, sleeplessness and worry, and I count myself as one of the privileged lucky ones. 

I have all I need right here and am very grateful.

Getting carried away with my list making, as usual, I have lists for everything.

Getting through them is another thing, but what hit me was how my priorities have changed.

Very, very slowly the house and studio are getting a spring clean.

These felted wool cushion tops got backs on them, (they're only waiting for the last 15 years or so, shame!)

Wool skirt is a toille for a divine Gucci cashmere wool fabric with moths purchased from Rozenbergs at the Knit & Stitch show in the RDS last year. It's cut and started.

Two dresses were started last year sometime after I'd dyed the jersey. I took patterns from dresses I already had that were worn out and ready for recycling.

Spotty top is made from a lovely John Rocha cotton I bought in Murphy Sheedy's yonks ago (maybe 10 years!) and I adapted the pattern from a Yoko Saito pattern book purchased at the Tokyo Quilt Show in January.

Piece of indigo shibori hand dyed cotton sateen backed with hand dyed silk from India, hand quilted with indigo dyed thread from Japanese master dyer and gold stranded embroidery thread (nightmare to stitch)

Have made a start on my Quilters Guild Contemporary Group Journal Quilts for this year. They're based on my travels and these four are from photos I took in Jordan over the Christmas Holidays.

Getting back to the longarm quilting with a few customer quilts lined up and squeezing the odd one of my own in between!

This is my "Emoture" quilt, a version of a temperature quilt but with emotions added. For my 50th year, I decided to make a quilt, one block a day for the whole year. I record the high and low temperature of the day and emotions at the start and end of the day and they are represented by different shapes and colours. I have only one week more of recording and should have the top finished by the end of next week. 

Then I start my COVID-19 quilt which has been brewing in my head for weeks now and the method jumped into my head last night as I was drifting off. 

Happy sewing and be kind to yourself and others xx