In July 2015 I finished my blue Split 9-patch.

I had a lot of HSTs left over, a whole box of them, and they've been cluttering up my table ever since. I thought it might be cute if I made a little quilt using the same layout as the Split 9-patch, so that's what I did.  

 It only took a couple of nights to finish, and now that box of leftovers has been dealt with. The Wild Goose Chase blocks above it are on my design wall to see if I'm inspired to make more of them.  I'm not reallly.  I think they're destined for an Orphan quilt.

But I'm away from my sewing room for a few weeks, helping with an especially busy start to the school year.  There have been a lot of doctor's appoinments, school committments, trips to the hairdresser, and a hens party for a family wedding. I babysit whichever boy doesn't need to go out, so Shonny isn't dragging reluctant, screaming children all over the city, and I minded all three of them the weekend of the hens party.  As Thomas said, "Nanny, you got angry eyes!" after he'd run around shrieking with excitement for 15 minutes. A movie marathon fixed him, Frozen 2 calms them all down.

 Finn turns 1 next week, there is a birthday party this weekend at a kindergym.  He is going to love it, he's a born climber.  He gets onto everything, and will go and fetch a box or chair if he can't reach something.  

He's heart-attack material.

It's a good thing he can get himself down from these positions, he's much more careful than Thomas ever was, but I still stop him climbing whenever I can. I don't want any accidents.

This is what happens when Nan changes the baby without turning the light on.  Sigh.

I came out of the kitchen to investigate all the noise and found them doing this.

Amazingly they all survived without injury, but Nan put her angry eyes on again.

So no sewing, but lots of fun and games.

Quick finish

I made these blocks last year while I was clearing out my 2.5"strip drawers, and then put them aside. I sewed the blocks together at the start of this year, and then they just sat needing borders. A few weeks ago I needed a quick finish to boost my spirits, so I pulled them out and in one night I had a quilt top.  That certainly made me feel better.

I have 63 of these Spinning Rectangle blocks now, they are a brilliant leader-ender.  

I need at least 80, so it will take only a little while to accumulate the next 17 blocks and then I'll have another 'quick' finish.  Except it's taken many months to get these blocks done, but it took so little conscious effort that it will seem like they just appeared..

I need another project that uses quick blocks that I can sew and set aside for later, so I think I'll do another 16 patch.

I tried to make this quilt 12 years ago, and it morphed into something entirely different; maybe this time I can stick to the plan.  Although I'm thinking it could look nice made in shirt fabrics. Heaven knows I have enough of those.  

Just recently Mereth and I had a  session watching Youtube videos while we cut up my stash of op-shop shirts.  It was great fun, and after a few episodes of Hoarders we'd 'deboned' 31 shirts and reassured ourselves that our sewing rooms aren't hoards. No food on the floor, no piles of newspapers, no dead animals or live vermin.  Except a mouse I call Mr Ratty, and Mereth assures me he's history now, got too casual about the trap. And he was promptly disposed of in the bin, not left for me to find weeks later when I finally get to go home.  I understand a hoarder's grief at having to give up things they treasure, that bring them comfort, but I don't understand letting those things rot and get ruined.  A quote I read once has stayed with me; the price of beautiful things is loving care.  I hope I can always give my things the care they deserve.

I have been home so rarely this year, but luckily it hasn't been a hot summer and my little garden is surviving so far.  I planted this tub of petunias last year, and it was the work of minutes to do it.  Every time I go home they are still beautiful, still cheerful, and I wish I had planted even more of them. Maybe next spring I can do that, but to be honest they're only doing so well because of the rain and low temperatures.  Who knows what next summer will be like.