More crochet... and another project underway

As usual when I'm travelling, my crochet hook travels with me. My latest journey included bus-train-bus-plane-bus-train-hotel-bus - so plenty of hooking opportunities. One striped beret was made, followed by a sparkly ripple pattern scarf - and then as there was yarn left, I decided to make another beret to match the scarf.

My travel bag was also full - with a new quilting book, and several fabrics brought from London to my French home, to be used in the latest project just started (I know, I know, I planned not to start another until I'd made more inroads into the UFOs - but that's me). The latest project is a sampler quilt and so far just two blocks have been pieced together - "Tumbling Blocks" (paper pieced and appliquéd) and "Spider's Web" (machined strip patchwork). Both of these are from Lynne Edwards "The Essential Sampler Quilt Book", as is the method of sashing used on each block. I only have a small sewing machine, so I found machine quilting a complete quilt was quite a challenge. This time I plan to quilt the blocks individually before joining them. However, although I have backing fabric, I haven't yet got the batting so can't start quilting them straightaway.

Having looked at all the quilts photographed in the book, I decided that my personal preference is not to mix straight lines and curves - so for this first sampler quilt I won't be tackling any of the latter designs. In fact the blocks which I like best are the ones with a 3D effect; I may search out some other ideas for 3D blocks to include. Maybe the curved designs can be tackled for another quilt later!!

I've not completely ignored my UFOs over the last few days - I've bought a cushion pad and added the sashing to my latest cushion patchwork (the "Tour Around the World" one) - piping, zip and finishing still to be done.

Travel sewing kit

No UFO's finished recently... yet another new job started (and finished, though!): I wanted something to carry my sewing bits and pieces around with me. As I belong to craft groups in both UK and France, I needed one for each country. This is what I've produced, mainly following a free pattern found on the internet. Apart from the felt for the needle case, everything used was scrap material.

Another baby blanket

One of the new pieces started last week is now complete - I've crocheted through a couple of meetings, and on the bus, and my baby blanket is ready to be posted off to the new parents.

Work has also started on some soft furnishings for our bedroom in London; about a year ago I restored an old chair, and at the time bought enough of the upholstery fabric to make matching dust covers for my office equipment and a box cushion to sit on top of the blanket chest. A foam pad was bought for the blanket chest at about the same time... and has been sitting uncovered ever since, whilst the fabric lurked in a drawer in the living room. I've now started to make the cushion cover. I began by making a cover for the foam pad from curtain lining, and then started to tackle the plan for a zipped and piped cover. (In fact it was searching for the piping fabric which kicked off the clear out I tackled a couple of days ago.) I've investigated various ways of making the box cover, have decided on which one to adopt, and have made a start on construction by setting a zip into the back section of the boxing.