I've not posted for a while but that is because all my crafting has been focussed on my City and Guilds course work and specifically my  household accessory homework.  It has proven to be a bit of a challenge <<understatement alert>>.  Right from the design phase, through to the sewing and construction bit it has been slow going.  I have finally got it sewn together but it was not quite what I expected when I started.  This is the top before I put the border on.

The theme was holidays so I wanted to do something that reflected the sea.  I decided that I wanted to do something that had graduated colour, from the pale colours of the beach, through the shallow sea by the shore to the dark greens and blues of the deep sea.  It took me ages to chose a technique to do this. I like the folded patchwork technique so I'd have a go but it was probably a mistake.  I ended up having to stick through layers and layers of fabric which my machine couldn't cope with initially until I found the heavy duty combo of needle and walking foot.  It was only after I had spent hours sewing and unpicking and had finally got it together that I realised that in the book I had been looking at for ideas, the folded squares weren't sewn together with a seam, the raw edges were butted up together and zig zagged together.  <<sob, sob>>  That would have made it so much easier.  However, I had the worlds most fray-able fabric so maybe it wouldn't have helped.

Anyway, the border is now on and I am about to do some quilting to keep the roll over folds stay down.  I have a lovely hand dyed quilting thread for that.  I will also quilt the border and put some beads at the corners of the squares to hide where they don't line up properly to add interest and keep the quilt, wadding and backing tied together. :-)

And when I have finished that I have to do some more knitted squares for MN Woolly Hugs.  I have desperate to have a go at some knitting but didn't think I ought to whilst this project was on the go but now I have a very good excuse.  Lots of ladies from Mumsnet, the parenting website, contribute towards making blankets for those who have lost children or partners before their time.  We hope that as we can't be there with them in RL we can at least contribute to sending a great big woolly hug.  These are some of the blankets that have been done in the past. http://www.woollyhugs.com/  Please feel free to have a look.  I haven't contributed to them all but I am really proud that I have been able to help out on some of these blankets over the past year or two.

So lots to do.  Better get on with it!

Thanks for reading.