Just a few things ...

Gosh it has been very warm and muggy in the loft but I AM back in the groove. Two more cushions and a new peg bag for Mum-in-law's birthday :)

For Pam at work, the centre square was paper pieced which gives it beautiful lines and I may use this pattern for 'USA #5' ... not sure yet. I was going to stitch in the ditch it but ended up FMQing in purple thread. Pam loved it:

 And for Caryn at work - in 'her colours':

And Mum's Peg Bag. She celebrated her birthday on Tuesday by watching the Olympic Torch relay pass through Chester so I thought it only fitting to make her a new Peg Bag with our Union Flag theme. After making the front, it felt a bit 'flimsy' so I decided to make it into a mini-quilt and stitched in the ditch down the white lines. Took my time and only bunched up a couple of times because I needed a new needle ... much better :) Then, I really wasn't sure how to put these two pieces together:

But I did it (no pattern!) just worked it all out and added some 2" binding to finish it all off. LOVE IT!!

 And the back:

 And a little close up:

I love making gifts for people!! It's been a fun week :)

Yay ... at last I'm back in the groove!!

... or something like that :) Life and having a new kitchen fitted has stripped me of any spare time and energy for W E E K S!!!

Anyways, I have finished USA #4, a thank you cushion for a colleague at work and have two other cushions nearly done and some firm ideas for the design of the final USA quilt! Oh quilting, I HAVE MISSED YOU!!!

First up: 'USA #4' for my dear cousin's wife, Jeanie. I started this a while back ...remember? But I just couldn't decide on how to piece the back because, yet again, I had left myself with not very big pieces to play with but then I found amongst all the stash more of the dark pink I had used on the front so that gave me the centre panel AND enough for the binding ... thank you for choosing great fabric ... and lots of it, Great Aunty Jenny :)

The final size is about 58" x 58":

I love the way my backs are turning out because I can't plan for them so I kind of get a surprise each time!

 I like to FMQ over my label but I hand stitched the edges as well just to be sure:

 No show without Punch (Nell!)

Posted on Saturday so it will be with you soon I hope, dear cousin #4 and I hope you love it as much as I do :)

And another cushion ... I DO love making cushions. This is for Lucy at work who covered for me when I had to take some time off when my dad died. I asked her for her colours - purple and orange - and came up with this little sweetie:

Another couple of cushions to come and then I will make a start on 'USA #5'!! SOOOOOOO very happy to be back into my quilting :)