A little bit behind...

I'm running a little behind with the quilt along. I had meant to sew up my pieces this weekend, but a short notice visit from my parents on Friday night/Saturday morning, shopping and a bit of a hangover on Saturday afternoon and a job to apply for on Sunday and it just didn't happen. Sunday was definitely supposed to be the sewing day, but it took me about 5 hours to sort out the personal statement and a new version of my CV for the job application that had to be done by today, that I just didn't have the energy or time in the end... *

What I did manage to do, however, was work out the arrangement of the quilt top. I used our bed as I'm not sure how clean the floor is and I didn't want to totally disrupt Flâneur who was trying to write some lectures, and started roughly in the middle, as it seemed to be the easiest way... I tried to do it in a considered way, trying to make sure that none of the edge fabrics repeated in any rows or columns, but in the end held a pile of squares in my hand and stood thinking, 'Right. Where will this one go...'

This is the final layout I ended up with:

I didn't quite manage to get all the squares in the picture as our bedroom isn't big enough for me to stand far enough back!! But you get the general idea...

When I see it like that I'm rather pleased with it. Up close some of it does mess with your eyes a bit, but I must say it's turning out pretty well for my first go at a quilt that isn't just made up of ordinary squares!

*I don't want to say too much about the job I applied for, other than it's a permanent one, which would trump the temporary one I have at the moment. Fingers crossed eh?

All cut up and ready to go...

The diet can take a back seat for the next few weeks (I'm bored bored bored of it). I am mostly going to concentrate on the sewing project. I am still trying to lose weight, as ever, and still logging all the eating and exercise, but it just bores me to talk about it at the moment. On the sewing front, joining a quilt-along, I have realised, is fantastic motivation not only to do more sewing, but also to do some fabric/sewing related fun in the evenings and not just at the weekend or on a day off. Hurrah, just what I hoped.

This is week 1 of the quilt-along and that means cutting up the fabric. Something it often takes me some time to get round to plucking up the courage to do! But I have followed the instructions and my lovely Moda jelly roll (Hello Betty) is now ready to sew:

(The lovely jelly roll bought in New York on our Honeymoon 1)

(All the pieces cut up - 12 2.5 x 2.5 inch squares and 8 2.5 x 6.5 inch rectangles in each fabric)

I'm loving the colours, the teals, the reds and browns. Hmm... lovely! (That dark solid colour is brown, by the way, even though it looks black).

I think I need a bit more practice with my camera though - it was new before going away in March and I still haven't quite got the hang of it beyond auto shooting. It was a total lust object, an Olympus Pen EP-1 , a micro four thirds interchangeable lens, retro beauty. Ideally I'd like to do a beginners digital photography course so I can learn (in a class room based environment) how to use all it fabulous features, but I am scunnered by there being no such course in central Manchester. I don't want to rant, but this town is so rubbish for interesting evening classes. The art school has decided that it's too good to do that sort of thing and the local college is only interested in getting you back into work. What happened to learning for the sake of learning? Honestly... If we lived in Didsbury, there might be more going on, but that's a half hour bus ride from us, and after the train ride back from work I don't want to then head off somewhere on a bus!

Anyway, so I need to practice more at the moment, at the very least. Meantime, roll on next week and the start of the sewing!