Tidying

or not... I'm trying to sort out my fabric collection (never sure whether there's enough of it to qualify as a stash).  Sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better.

It's a good thing I have a friend to keep me company.

The great thing about sorting all this stuff out is that it gives me the opportunity to revisit and gloat over my precious hoard from the Stitch Gathering.

Thanks to all very generous sponsors: Avery Homestore , Frixion pen by Pilot, Frister & Rossman thread box from sewingmachines.co.uk, assorted buttons and thread from buttoncompany.co.uk ,Coats Crafts UK for a collection of goodies including Millward needles, Hexagon Flower Block by webfabrics.net, Liberty Art fabrics, Nairn Oatcakes, Beechwood Quilting, Groves, Robert Kaufman fabrics, Aurifil - and to Ali of Very Berry Fabrics for this lovely scrap pack.

I am a bit of a Liberty hoarder having already been tempted several times by fabric in Ali's store, so I had brought along some of it for Sheila Donnachie's crazy patchwork class at the Gathering.

I love the way that Liberty combines with other fabrics, and this class was good timing as I have been thinking about the relationship between Japanese boro fabrics and English crazy patchwork and have a plan for a little project which combines a bit of British/Japanese inspiration.  Ali had very kindly sent me some fabric earlier in the summer so that I can try out this idea - and since I plucked up courage to throw financial caution to the wind and bought my lovely new sewing machine there's no excuse not to post more about this very soon!

New baby!

Weighing in at 8kg...

More about the new arrival in another post as it was bought just in time for (ie the day before...) the Stitch Gathering which was brilliant - Jo Avery and co did such a good job.

The day started with tea and coffee and a nametag swap where we all had to hunt down the person we had made it for.  This is the nametag I made for the swap.

Because I left buying a new sewing machine to the very last minute I had to make the tag in haste the night before (like writing homework essays for school class outside the classroom door.) It was my first stab at using a free motion foot too, so it doesn't look anything like as professional as the beauty that Nikki made for my MIL (sadly no pic) or the lovely one made for me by Marilyn who makes quilts and bags from recycled materials on a 40-year old sewing machine,

As well as the name tags, there were fabric tickets for the Gathering which each holder embellished for handing in - a genius idea. This was the result which is being made into a quilt to display next year.

There was a fascinating variety of styles, and they were all beautiful.

The gathering was so well organised, and had views like this of Arthur's Seat and the Castle.

There was also a phenomenally generous goodie bag:

thanks to the Sponsors - Ali at Very Berry Fabrics, Aurifil, Beechwood Quilting, Groves, Pilot, Robert Kaufmann, Coats, Liberty, the Button Company, Webfabrics.  It even contained biscuits from Nairns to fill in the gaps around the good lunch which was laid out in the classroom so that people could continue to chat.

There was a really friendly atmosphere, making for a great day spent sewing in good company.   I took classes in crazy patchwork with Sheila Donnachie and in jelly roll quiltmaking with Fiona Calvert, who were both lovely, and came home with two new WIPs.

So the Gathering really did live up to its motto SewQuiltLearnEatChat and I am looking forward to next year.

Back to reality and before finishing the SG WIPs I have to get back to the projects I was working on before my last sewing machine broke and that's going to be a bit difficult because I have lost my sewing train of thought on them. Does that happen to you?

(A bit of) what I did in the holidays

Back to school today for the sprogs after an unusually fantastic summer. There was no sewing for me - when you are up to your eyes in small children it's not so easy getting a broken machine up town to be repaired, or even considering a new one in the shop to a chorus of "can we go yet?".  Lots of scenery though.

Three generations of the family clan met up on the isle of Bute and had a day on the beach.

These are the mountains of Arran, seen over the sea.

The youngest member of the party...

and the oldest (Grandpa, in his wellies).

Castles and moats were built, dodging the jelly fish - so many of them.

It's always so exciting getting the ferry there and back.

A lot of other pics are on my laptop which started making an occasional noise like a cricket chirping, and then progressed to full-on motorbike revving every time I started it up.  So I'm blogging on the dodgy old one temporarily.  I wondered what I'm doing to my technology, but some of it was explained when I came into the living room to find one sprog using the laptop to squat on while drawing a picture.  "Gonnae no dae that" is not what I said.

Sewing and blogging properly to be resumed as soon as Brother/laptop are fixed or replaced.  If you have also been a very slow blogger over the holidays do link up with Fiona at Celtic Thistle Stitches, who is hosting this month's Slow Blog Linky tomorrow, and check out her fantastic Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition too!