Progress and Pillows

The temperature here has plummeted in the last 24 hours, which is a great incentive to stay indoors and sew! It is also the beginning of a new month so time to reflect on the deadlines and goals set for January, and I am pleased to find that things are progressing nicely.

The Shades of Green patchwork cushion/pillow that was to be the first in my set of Rainbow Cushions has not only been completed but has been joined by the Fleur Blue cushion I started at the weekend. Shades of Green is also the second of my 12 WIP's  in 2012 to be finished, so I have a really early start on the next one as this is finished on the first of the month! If you are looking for more inspiration for cushions and pillows check out Pam's link party here

Sewing supplies are here in Riga, but not always easy to find especially specific items, so imagine my delight yesterday at finding a supply of quilt basting spray in a small, tucked-away, sewing machine shop. Needless to say I snapped it up along with blue machine embroidery thread and used them both to finish off the blue cushion. Basting spray has been on my "wish list" for a long time as it is something I cannot have sent nor can I bring it back on the plane, as we usually only travel with hand luggage to avoid the long wait at the airports for baggage, so this was indeed a find.

I have a question for those of you who use the spray, is there a limit to how big a quilt you can use this with? I suspect that there is given that it is described as temporary. I have a king-size quilt pieced and waiting to be basted and quilted, and it has been waiting over a year for that to happen, could I use the spray on that to hold it together whilst I use my brand-new microstitch gun, or does that defeat the object of the micro-stitch? Another question too, whilst I am thinking of this will using the microstitch on a wooden floor, mark the floor? All advice gratefully received!

Whilst rummaging around my fabrics looking for blues for the cushion I came across an embroidery that I had completely forgotten about, probably because I didn't have an idea what to do with it once I had finished it. Now, however, I think I might turn it into a lap quilt for my mother, who has just undergone a hip replacement and is also a great tea-drinker!

I have some fabrics with teacups, teapots and cakes and thought I might try using a couple of the blocks from the Sew Happy QAL around the embroidery, as I have really enjoyed making them so far. I have also seen in a French Quilting magazine a teacup block but it is paper-pieced and we haven't got to that yet in QAL!

Starting this might have to wait until next week though as the next block in In Color Order's HST BOM is due this week and I have printed out but not started the 7th block in the Sew Happy QAL. More than halfway in the QAL, what a surprise:)