Nothing quite grabs your attention like a collection of spotted and stripy dinosaurs, it seems. Checked elephants and spotty stegosaurus? Yes please.
Aren't they cheery? I bought this fabric from the lovely Stitch Fabrics in Wanstead as I walked past yesterday. They're both very light cotton lawn, and are going to be made into ruffle-butt diaper covers for a friend who is having a baby. I may keep some back for a little zip purse - you can never have too many dinosaurs in your bag.
I also picked up some rather charming country florals - £8 per metre! - which will be made into Something Very Special Indeed. These fabrics were all being priced and bundled up on their way to the Festival of Quilts. Fingers crossed, we make it there next week. I'm looking forward to seeing all the beautiful quilts and getting some patchwork inspiration!
But until then, I still have my Home Tweet Home stitchery to work on! I'm doing a little bit each night whcih is very non-committal, but I'm rather enjoying. It's coming along quite nicely. I've been tracing a single word or design element with my magic pen and stitching it up before the ink disappears; it's a great way to get it all done in manageable chunks without worrying about pencil marks.
Everybody should have a magic pen. It reminds me of when I was very little, drawing on things with (disappearing) ink in an alarming violet purple ... and then watching it fade from sight. Like spy messages sent in lemon juice. Although, this magic pen (by Madiera) is designed specifically for cross-stitchers and embroiderers, not code-breakers: you trace your design or free-hand draw on fabric, stitch over it, and voila! Perfectly stitched patterns without pencil or chalk markings. The markings start to fade within fifteen or so minutes, and they're completely gone within an hour.
Just a few more bits and pieces to stitch, then it's ready to be pressed and patch-worked.
The weather has turned, quite literally overnight: yesterday was the hottest day of the year, and today it's still hot and humid here, but it's bucketing down with rain and occasional thunderstorms. It's a nice relief from the sweltering heat, but some towns aren't faring too well with the flash floods, and my plants outside certainly aren't appreciating the sudden downpour. Still, the windows are open and it all smells rather wonderful.
The image above, by the by, is a bowl of Great Granny Shepherd's coffee buns. They're teeny tiny little biscottis of deliciousness, and have accompanied me through late-night stitching.
