Flying Geese: challenge accepted and completed

Less than a month ago I shared that I was trying out some patchwork Flying Geese blocks, and that my challenge for the next few weeks ahead was to complete the smaller size quilt top and find some material to back the quilt with.

Well, I’ve done better than that - I’ve actually finished the quilt.

And I mean completely finished.

Yes, I’m as shocked as you are!

I think it worked out pretty well.

While making this I have learnt and relearnt much - it’s been a very long time since I completely finished and quilted a quilt. And while I love the fancy designs that come from quilting by long arm quilters, I was happy to keep the quilting on this one simple, taking a ‘stitch in the ditch’ approach.

I found the grey duvet cover that I had in mind, and I think the colour works well and the narrow border frames the top nicely. I’ve also impressed myself with the scrappy binding, and took the same approach adding this as I did when I made my sewing machine mat earlier in the year. I’ve since read in an online craft group that many people machine stitch the binding on the back and do their hand sewing to attach the binding to the front. Thankfully in sewing there are no hard and fast rules (or not many anyway), and I think my version of doing the exact opposite works well for me.

Hand sewing the binding could be one of those tasks that gets put off and off; I was fortunate that the timing coincided with my monthly sewing group evening and that was the perfect project to take along and chat as well as sew. The fact that I made huge progress in those two hours - almost two sides sewn - and the compliments from other members were enough to convince me to finish this in just three hand sewing sessions. And I’m so glad I did!

My plan is to donate this quilt to Project Linus UK, a charity whose mission is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children, who are sick, disabled, disadvantaged or distressed through the donation of new, homemade, washable quilts and blankets. 

I was concerned that it wasn’t ‘perfect’ but I’m also not sure that anything homemade is ever really perfect, or as perfect as whoever makes it wants to be, and I’m also sure that only they will see many of the ‘imperfections’ too. And a quilt that is used and loved is way better than no quilt at all.

Are there more Flying Geese on the horizon?

The short answer is yes, but not quite yet.

I enjoyed sewing the Flying Geese and like how they turned out, though I’m not planning on repeating this pattern for my next ‘geese quilt’ - I’ve decided I want a lot more of the geese blocks instead. I’ve seen a couple of designs that I like, one which is made of solely of the flying geese blocks, and another which mixes plain squares. I’m currently deciding between the two, and wondering in reality just how many geese a king size quilt would need.

Well I know its lots, but how many and my tolerance levels are the question.

An interim plan

But as ever a new plan has formed.

I remembered that I had some blocks left over from my Great Granny Square quilt top (which while sewn together has got no further), even though I’d used some to make reusable kitchen towels by backing the quilt block with towelling squares, but I wasn’t sure how many.

It turns out I have three of these blocks left, which is also a third of a small quilt. So I reckoned that if I added another six blocks I could make another quilt and therefore have two to donate at once, so that’s what I’m working on. I’m trying out another new-to-me-block - the Drunkards Path block, no sniggering please!

It’s early days though, but as ever I have a plan for choosing these too - but all that’s for another day, for now I’m enjoying my perfectly imperfect finished flying geese quilt, and that new block.

An autumnal wander at Belton

After a pretty dismal and completely non-inspiring stop at a motorway services on our trip to West Sussex I was pleased when MOH suggested a detour to the Belton Estate on our return trip. While we stopped earlier on the journey back, we just took a quick break and avoided repeating the previous McAwful experience (something that tasted bland, yet was overly peppery at the same time!), and let’s face it a National Trust cheese scone, pot of tea and a slice of cake would always be a much more preferable option.

Plus we got the chance to properly stretch our legs, the sun was out and it was too good an opportunity to waste. And if I was lucky I’d be able to have a nose around the orangery and see how that had changed since my last visit, and see how it was faring in a different season.

Unfortunately my luck was out, as the orangery was closed for the day - ah well, as Belton is just thirty minutes from home it gives me the perfect excuse to head back another day, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Of course, that didn’t stop me peering into through the glass though as you can see taking photos was pretty futile - though I kind of like the effect, but only for a photo or two!

All was not lost though as Belton still has plenty of beautiful gardens (and a large estate) to explore, but we were only here for a short journey-breaker this time, so treated ourselves to a wander around the area at the back of the orangery where the roses grow up the walls, and there’s medlar trees in the quadrants.

It’s also an area of the gardens which have some intricate topiary designs, which you know I’m also keen on.

It’s probably a part of the garden I overlook in my keenness to check out the orangery, so that being closed for the day was really no bad thing. Next time I’ll be sure to head for this bench so I can admire the exterior of the orangery as much as the inside!

With the orangery and the small walled garden behind it checked out, we headed to a golden tree which had caught our eye as soon as we entered the garden with its leaves appearing to burn against the bluest of skies.

The leaves seemed to ‘burn brighter’ the closer we got to the tree.

Isn’t it gorgeous?

Google tells me this is a tulip tree and with the, what I presume are, flower heads it’s easy to believe this suggestion. Looking again, it tells me that the tulip tree is part of the magnolia family and again I can see the likeness with the bud/flower head. Either way, it’s a beautiful tree and such a beautiful colour - there wasn’t a tree around it that had the same vibrancy.

There really isn’t anywhere better to wander on a bright autumnal day - let’s hope there’s more days like this to come.

My garden in September

In my garden September has been all about fruition - finally the sunflowers flowered, and the tomatoes started to show the briefest hint of ripening, then suddenly boom! they were ripe, and quite literally burst with the influx of rain we had suddenly!

I’m surprised to find that I have no other garden photos this month - usually you’ll find pictures from around the borders, but I think that tells its own story and just how much the sunflowers took over, and while they were late bloomers they were so good when they got going, in fact it’s the middle of October now and they’re still going, just not quite how I thought they would be.

At the start of the month the height discrepancy between the two remaining sunflowers was huge, and as the month progressed it got even larger. Both did eventually make it higher than the wall, but only just in the case of the smallest one. That wasn’t any bad thing though as it meant I could quite easily check progress, and I was surprised to see a ladybird nestled in the flower head one morning.

Gradually though the yellow petals started to appear, and unfurl. It was a slow process though, and I was particularly impatient it must be said. I was also curious about the flowers growing on the side shoots and how they would turn out.

But we had a flowering sunflower, finally - and it was the smallest one that flowered first. Clearly it knew how impatient I was and decided to put its energy into providing a flower rather than height - and I’m glad it did, as I was beginning to think it might not happen at all.

Similarly the tomatoes had been keeping me guessing, but they too finally started to show the vaguest hints of turning colour. Though not all of them.

And just with everything, once it starts it starts and then the rains came and some of my poor tomatoes burst!

But during those rains the tallest sunflower also flowered, so I wasn’t too upset for long.

Finally we had two flowering sunflowers, even though the first one did well to hang on for the largest sunflower to do its thing. And not long after that the side flowers started to flower, but the winds also came - and that brought new attention to my sunflower watch, but that’s for next month’s update, where I might also have pictures from elsewhere in the garden, who knows?!