Lazy days

Another quiet holiday moment - but it is wonderful to be able to take time to smell the flowers, read, and sew. The weather the last couple of days was awful - rainstorms in July is not excactly what you expect... but at least it was perfect weather for sewing. I finished quilting my Café de Paris quilt - pictures when I've finished stitching the binding to the back. So that gives me something to work on while watching the box in the evening - I just don't seem able to just sit there and watch a film or whatever, I need to have something to do with my hands as well.
I got a bit stuck on that zigzag quilt, because it ended up narrower and longer than I'd thought. I pulled a few fabrics out of the mix and couldn't find any that blended in the way I wanted. I finally found a black with some brown in it to use as borders, though, so it will get borders along the two long sides. I also trimmed it a bit more, so it ends up at about 88" long. That's quite enough, I think. I'm using the offcuts to make some blocks for the backing. I have decided to be more creative with my quilt backings and not just go for one single fabric. With a bit of piecing I'll be able to use more of my stash. There are lots of fabrics that I'll probably never use in a quilt top, but will work just fine on the back. And then I'll get more room for new fabric...

And reading. What a luxury it is to be able to sit down in the middle of the day and read a book! I've worked my way through a whole pile of Jill Mansell's novels these last couple of weeks (a 3 for 2 offer at my local bookshop), the Barbara Erskine one too - although it was almost too exciting at times... and I still have Weldon and Trollope to go plus one by Mary Wesley along with her biography. We're having a sunny day today, but really, come rain or shine, I have plenty to fill my time!