My Great Quilting Expedition

We had a lovely two weeks on the Celebrity Eclipse.  I took a small envelope containing thread, needles, paper, scissors and some cotton fabric scraps with me.  EPP is perfect for sea days on a cruise.  I've no idea what I will use the flowers and stars for, but I really enjoyed making them. We visited Malaga, Cannes, Rome, Florence, Pisa, Genoa, Gibralter and Lisbon. I have discovered that having begun patchwork, I see inspiration everywhere!  Mike and I took hundreds of photos.  I have copied a few below: Malaga, Spain Rome Florence   Pisa Obidos, Portugal We had a lovely time, and managed to enjoy a few Mediterranean sunsets.  It was raining when we arrived back in Southampton!

I have made some good progress this week.  I finished piecing the front and back of a throw for my dear sister Heidi.  She asked for a quilt in red, white and blue that incorporates a Union Jack.  She has lived in Canada for 30 years now, but likes to remember England.  I have sandwiched the front, batting and backing and it is now waiting to be quilted.  No photos for now, as I would like it to be a surprise for her.  I am busy packing suitcases at the moment...so am all a dither.  I have a list...so what's the big deal?!  I am always sure I will leave something important behind!  One of the first patchwork projects I ever made (Dec 2012), was a paper-pieced Mariner's Compass cushion cover.  At the time, I never quilted it, but just sewed the block into a cushion cover.  I just didn't have the skills to quilt it.  I decided this week that the time was right to quilt it!  I carefully unpicked the seams of the cushion c...