Am I the only one among us who has just one pincushion? I haven't posted apicture before because it is just a pincushion, nothing cute, nothing fancy, but my Mum made it for me and it does the job. Having said that, I am desperate to make some chickens like Joyce, but that will have to wait until the weekend. This week I've hardly had time to do anything in between more parents evenings, making cakes for a charity coffee morning at work and ferrying the kids here, there and everywhere.

One thing I did finish last night was this needle case. I had bought the felt when we were in Carlisle with this in mind. Since making postcards stiffened with Timtex I had thought it would be ideal to stiffen a needle case. I always worry about losing needles so there's no excuse now for not starting a hand quilting project.

I feel as though I have accomplished something this week - a finished Take the Leap crib quilt and a bonus pair of red and white blocks for Clare at Dordogne Quilter. Now I'd better get back to my other works in progress. However, I am starting to feel a burning urge to tidy the sewing room - it's getting a bit too messy even for me (and I am without doubt the most untidy person I know).

Nothing quilty to report - I have meandered on the top of the Take the Leap Crib quilt and am now handsewing the binding down. It will definitely be finshed by Friday. Other than that the usual work week, interspersed with a parents evening at my daughter's Sixth Form College. So, just to have something to post, here's a picture of Frankie and one of our back garden. My friend can let her rabbits loose in her garden because it is completely secure but I wouldn't dare, there are holes in the hedge where foxes and cats wander through. That's why there is a grid on the top of Frankie's run - otherwise the foxes would get in - we move it round the garden so he can nibble on some fresh grass and he gets to come in the house too and he goes in the garage at night or when it's raining. What a life of luxury!

Completed top for the Take the Leap Challenge. I will sandwich it tonight and hopefully start to quilt it tomorrow. I was a bit unsure about it until I put the borders on but they have made a big difference. It is going to Clare at Dordogne Quilter for a leukaemia charity. Since the fabric for the borders for the blue scrappy top still hasn't arrived I should get it finished posted by the end of the week. I've enjoyed working on a small, quick to finish project this week. With any luck I'll be able to send Clare a couple of red and white squares too.

Okay, I'm going to give it another go. I've had foolproof instructions from Nancy and Judy so I cannot fail! Or at least, if I do, there's no hope. (It's looking like it just might work, so far.)

I've been run ragged at work this week so haven't done much sewing in the evenings but I have made another X and O block and a couple of four-patches to go with the wonky houses I made a while back and this will be the basis for Tonya's Take the Leap Challenge Crib Quilt. I've enjoyed doing them and I like the bright colours of these fabrics.

Lois has asked how I cut up shirts to maximise the yardage so I'm going to take a few pics of the next one I cut up and show how I use every little scrap.

I just viewed the published blog entry - the links worked - oh happy day!

Is this a picture of my extensive collection of green and orange threads? No - it's a fabulous carrier bag that my daughter's friend brought back from a holiday in France. I only have it on loan to take a photo but I covet it so much - why can't they make carrier bags like this in the UK? Incidentally, on the reverse side are rows of green and red peppers.


On the quilting front, whilst waiting for my border fabric to arrive I have made a start on Tonya's Take the Leap Challenge Quilt . This block is square, don't know why it doesn't look it. Did you also notice there, that after 50 blog postings I have finally worked out how to insert a shortcut instead of the whole URL? (I am ridiculously proud of myself - please don't laugh!)

AAARGH - have just tested the link on the uploaded blog - and it doesn't work. Now I have to ask you to STOP laughing!

And here we have ... a bigger blue top, now measuring about 52 inches by 69 without borders. I made so many extra blocks to get it bigger that I have enough left to make a bonus smaller quilt too.

I am going to have a dark blue thin inner border and a lighter and wider outer one. I have enough of a dark blue for the outer one but not enough of any lighter blue for the outer border so I will have to wait for it to come as I've ordered it by post.

I also finished reading 'Covered Wagon Women' which I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. I think that maybe I'm too used to reading fiction, where there is a beginning, middle and end, rather than snatches of lives, but it did bring home how very hard the women's lives were. Many of the women recorded the deaths of their children in their journals and it is heartbreaking to think of the pain behind those few sentences.

This morning I popped into a charity shop and bought a brand new, unused plaid shirt for £1 (about 50 cents I think). I had to go shopping because we had run out of fruit. There were major complaints last night from DS, who likes any kind of fresh fruit above all other foods and snacks on it right through the day. Give him a choice between a chocolate bar and fruit, and he would take the fruit every time. I would love to take the credit for this, and say, "Yes, it's all down to my wonderful parenting skills and encouraging a healthy diet". But I fear it may be a quirk of nature, as his sister will eat no fruit whatsoever unless it has been turned into juice.

My friend let me borrow this crib quilt back from her so I could photograph it on the blog. I made it a couple of years ago and it has handstitching on it. The ducklings wings, beaks and eyes are outlined in straight stitch. The pattern came from this book, The Little Book of Little Quilts by Katharine Guerrier. It looks a bit creased but it has been washed many times - hooray, that's what it was made for - it's great to know that it was used and not just put in a drawer and forgotten about.

I sewed some more strips for the recycled top at the weekend but it was mostly taken up by throwing 12 years of accumulated junk into the skip. Poor DH just had to leave me to it - he is a terrible hoarder and he knew that if he helped he would be tempted to keep all the half empty tins of paint, bits of wood etc., "Just in case they come in useful". Which of course, they never do. I am much more ruthless than him - once you get into the swing of chucking stuff away it's easy.

Thanks for all your kind messages regarding the missed start of term, DS is fine now, and getting used to being back at school. It's good to hear I'm not the only one who makes that kind of mistake.