Done!

Maritime Beauty is finished - berthed - safe in the harbour.  Colours of the sand, sea, rocks and sky......I haven't been to the maritime provinces of Canada, but this is how I imagine their shore looks.

 Shells to collect, and ripples in the sand.

Thank you very much, Karen!  Karen very generously gave me this pattern, one of her own designs.  It's very well written, easy to understand and to follow, and I can highly recommend it.  Should you wish to see Karen's designs (and perhaps make your own Maritime Beauty) you can do so on her website.

Wiggly quilting on this block is easy, and fun.  Just imagine that the spikes are hills and the backgrounds are valleys.  Starting at the top of a hill wiggle your way down to the bottom of the valley, then wiggle up to the top of the next hill......across the top........wiggle down the next valley, up the hill on the other side, across the top.......all the way round the block, or in this case round the whole quilt.  The spikes are left unquilted, but of course that is optional.

Later this month Maritime Beauty will be in an exhibition, an annual quilt show which is held to raise money for a local charity; it was dropped off this morning, so sadly I can't have the pleasure of looking at it here until it comes home again.

The current project under the needle is a cardigan in a very lightweight knit fabric, and for a bit of light relief I may start cutting pieces for the grandkid's quilt because the last weekend of this month is my quilt group's UFO weekend.  The chosen block is Economy Patch or square in square, easy to piece and effective in bright fabrics, so that will be a good project to take along - although it will be a USO because it is not yet started, so it can't be a UFO.  There is always a lot of talking on these weekends, but we manage to get quite a lot of sewing done too!

Life is going to be quiet here for a couple of weeks, uke group is on holidays and so is Thursday night choir as the musical director is overseas.  I shall really miss the music, but the uke can be (and is) picked up and strummed at every opportunity.  Playing guitar is getting easier too, my left arm is able to manage the stretch along the neck a little easier and the strength to press and hold down strings at the end of the stretch is slowly.......very slowly, mind you.......coming back.

"A call should not be less than fifteen minutes in duration, nor should it be so long as to become tedious.  A bore is a person who does not know when you have had enough of his or her company, and gives more of it than is desirable.  Choose a time to leave when there is a lull in the conversation, and the hostess is not occupied with fresh arrivals.  Then take leave of your hostess, bowing to those you know as you leave the room, not to each in turn, but let one bow include all."

Indeed.

Enjoy your days!