French polish fail

 I attached the refinished table top to my antique sewing table.

Unfortunately, it became clear that my  attempt to finish the top with French Polish was a complete fail.  Not only is it patchy and streaky, with visible brush lines, but it hasn't dried properly.  Just handling the top while I screwed it on was leaving big fingerprints in the toffee-like finish.  I looked it up online and apparently this is likely due both to the brushed on coats being too thick, and the French polish I used being too old.  Apparently old French polish may never dry, ever.  A week later and mine is better than it was but still imprinting with finger prints.  So the duff polish has all got to come off again from the top.  I've ordered a different French polish product called Finney's Finpol Easy Polish which is supposed to be a lot more foolproof.  Also a polish mop which is a special brush that isn't supposed to leave brush marks.  Sigh.

On the happier side, I finished quilting my Australian BOM vintage needlework quilt and I'm pretty pleased with it.  These are pictures straight off the frame, so it hasn't been trimmed up yet or bound, and there are still a few more embellishments to stitch on to it.  I learned a lot doing this quilt, about using rulers and pantos, and stitching around applique, and got much braver about trying freehand filler designs. 

Once the frame was empty, I loaded on the Tilda Pinwheel small quilt and easily quilted it with a pantograph, much more straightforward!

Another finish this week was my Iceland Lettlopi hat.  A rinse in lukewarm water has fluffed up the yarn nicely, it should be fairly warm.

I have been trying to shingle my dollshouse roof and ran into trouble, and had to re-do parts of it a few times until my son helped me with the math.    I still need to finish the ridgelines.

I made myself a gluten free afternoon tea as a special treat, just using GF products purchased from the supermarket aisle.  It was quite fun and I enjoyed it, but it did still upset my stomach - probably from xanthum gum which I am also sensitive to, which is used by a lot of commercial GF food manufacturers as a thickener.  Still felt like a treat at the time though. Fun to break out the good china, and my handmade patchwork tea cosy.  And the quilted  autumn placemats that I made up from a panel I bought in the Cinque Terres on my Italy trip.