Snowing inside and outside

It's actually attempting to snow as I type this, a light almost-rain that is frosting the garden.  If we hadn't had the heavy snow at Christmas time, I might have been excited and even taking pictures.  It's been cold and damp travelling to work this past week, although I am encouraged that it's much lighter in the mornings and when I leave work, so you can imagine that spring will come eventually.  I need to get some more weeding done before that happens though.

It's been nice to stay indoors and work on crafts in this weather.  I finished sewing the binding on the Star Sampler Quilt and have hung it up in the hallway so I can enjoy it for a while.

I've done several passes on the Blue China Quilt. Even though I can only roll on three inches at a time, it feels like light speed doing this simple panto compared to the painstaking continuous curve quilting on the Star Sampler. It feels really good to finally be quilting this ancient UFO.

I'm trying to overcome my procrastination and get back to quilting my Snowman quilt on the sit down machine but I really do not enjoy pushing layers of fabric around under the machine and the constant re-adjustments of the quilting area.  I've got to get it done though, I've got two more quilt tops sandwiched up waiting their turn after this one.

I had temporarily moved the Snowman quilt off my sewing desk for what I thought would be a quick job.  My cross stitch Lapman lap frame has a beanbag cushion in the lid, so that the frame stays put on your lap and feels comfy.  Only the cushion was thinly supplied with beads and they keep sliding to the sides so it didn't feel very comfortable any longer.  I bought some more bean bag polystyrene beads so I could top it up.  I ever so carefully opened up one side of the cushion to create an opening without spilling any beads, but through some quirk of static electricity, found that the beads were defying gravity to leap out of the opening and cling to my hands.  Soon it looked like I was wearing polystyrene bead gloves plus they were getting all over my sewing table.  I shovelled in more beads from the new bag but every time I put my hand near the cushion opening, more beads were jumping out to cling to me.  It soon looked like it had been snowing in my sewing room. Once I had filled enough, I seamed the cushion shut then had to try to collect the loose beads.  Now my hands seemed to be repelling them, as I tried to brush the beads into heaps, they were actually leaping away in all directions.  I gave up and fetched the hoover (after brushing off my hands) and sucked them all up. A waste but then I still have most of a new bag if I ever need any more. I'm still finding the odd pellet here and there.

I did some work on my Bucks Point edging yesterday.  I'm still having trouble at one tricky spot but having finally got it right, I have now drawn myself a diagram which will hopefully help in future.  I've been getting a bit impatient with having this huge flat pillow (24" diameter) to work one narrow edging.  I had a Google and turned up a clever folding travel lace pillow that some French lacemakers have made themselves. 

I found a jumbled tutorial in French here and I've been translating and re-ordering it into something I can understand.  I've made a start by constructing my roller insert, made from a pool noodle wrapped in wool felt.

Also this weekend I have finished my second Chinese Theatre in a Box.  I'm glad I made the other kit first because this one is definitely cruder and less detailed.  It was still fun to do but as a dollshouser I feel annoyed by the non-functional stairs and the crude chairs etc., also the out of scale plants.   As a summer scene it makes a nice contrast with the winter scene I did first and I am still enjoying turning on the light switch.

I'm continuing to knit doll pieces during commuter knitting, and am knitting my second arm at the moment.  TV knitting was taken over by sewing on the quilt binding for a while, but now I am back on the GAA Afghan edging and approaching the next corner.

And that's it this week.  It's still snowing tiny flakes.  The cat has decided it's not worthwhile and has come back inside to sit on the windowsill and stare out at it. There is a little trail of wet muddy footprints across my desk (and paperwork) on the way to the window, yay.