Quilt A Long

We all know about the wonderful Quilt A Long and free Block of the Month tutorials that are available in Blogland at the moment, so many in fact that it's difficult to decide which one, or more, to join in.  The one that really caught my imagination was Julie K's   Plaid QAL, so that's what I've been working on and this is the finished flimsy

A change from my usual civil war fabrics, but lots of fun to make.  Bad news is that it's another for THAT drawer !

I'm still practicing on the Janome 1600 and feel more confident all the time, but still not confident enough to attack a quilt :-)

New Toy

I've been have some problems with FMQ and my last couple of quilts as the quilts seem to be getting bigger and more of a struggle, which meant the arthritis in my hands  played up more during & after the quilting  process, so after all the stress and disruption of the last weeks, I decided to spoil myself with a new toy as a pick-me-up!

Meet my Janome 1600P-QC aka The Beast ! A bit different to the Bernina to say the least, and so far it hasn't got out of medium speed mode as I'm quite keen to keep my fingers a while longer, but what a joy it is to have the extra throat space!  I opted for the 1600  rather than something with all the bells & whistles thinking that a straight stitch only machine fitted the bill,  as I very rarely use the embroidery stitches on the Bernina or the Janome 6260QC these days.

 It's taking a bit of time to get used to the side loading bobbin and having to change the needle plate for FMQ, but so far the benefits are far greater than the inconveniences.
There have been teething problems, aren't there always, but hopefully these are now sorted  and I am ready to try a 'proper' quilt with it rather than the continue with the evergrowing mountain of practice squares  - I just hope that it performs up to expectations!  Who knows, maybe someday I might even be pursuaded into buying a frame :-) 

I did manage a couple of totes with it during playtime which have turned out OK.  I am particulary pleased with the one made from two orphan blocks which is just the right size to carry around with me for my stitchery .

Where Did It Go ??

September that is -  it seems to have passed by this corner of the world without a whisper, or so it seems ! 

Perhaps it had something to do with DH going into hospital for his knee job at the start of the month for 10 days, followed by another 15 days filled with a parade of  hyperdermic-wielding nurses twice a day.  Not too bad you might think, except that the morning visit was 6.30 every single morning - but then I shouldn't really complain as it wasn't my nether regions they were playing darts with  : )

Add to this mix physio for the patient 3 times a week and throw in a couple of visits from our GP for good taste , can you wonder that September is just a vague memory ?  I feel exhausted just writing about it all!

Thankfully things are getting back to what passes for normal, DH is hobbling around without falling over his crutches, doctors and nurses have left to help others and only the physio is ongoing, so good job done by all!

In the middle of all this, I did manage one finish

and another UFO for that drawer!

Not too bad all things considered.                                                                  

I have some more news to share on the sewing side of things, but will keep that for another post, for the moment it's just good to be back in Blogland!