The Arrival of Penelope

Well English Paper Piecing has drawn to a sudden halt. I packed up everything in my hospital pouch thinking I would busily sewing away during the first stage of labour where contractions are miles apart but that stage didn't seem to work out for me and within 5 hours from start to finish, out came Penny. Penny's favourite thing is to be held so all sewing is OFF. Just eating and drinking is a major breakthrough! I have had some lovely homemade presents though.

Some lovely mini bunting. I love the colours. They're from a jelly roll Rachel and I bought years a go at Birmingham which we have always wanted to use. Mine is more purple and is still in its wrapper!

I have been in love with these clouds for a long time. My Pinterest boards are littered with them

These shoes are amazing! Penny has not ventured out of sleepsuit yet to be honest. They are just so soft and so easy to put on. She is 10 days old today and everyday she is a little bit bigger and more rebust. I hope all these lovely newborn outfits fit her when I finally get her out of sleepsuits.

My mum made me my very own babyball. I am so pleased. It is her thing she does for all babies and I have waited a long time for my very own one.

I have also had so many lovely quilts from my mum and from Rachel. I mean loads! I am so pleased. They are all beautiful. When life quietens down a bit I plan to take photos of each one. I planned to take photos of everyones presents next to Penny, but life is moving so fast and my babybrain is definitely not keeping up!

Hexagon Progress

So I was hoping to be able to finish this project before the new addition to the family arrived but as my mum tells me, slow projects are suposed to be slow. This represents a month of sitting on the sofa so far. It's amazing how small it looks for all the time invested in it. I'm not quite sure how big I am going to make it. I am worried I will put it down and never finish it. At the moment I am set on adding 6 more horizontal rows. Then I will stand back and assess how I feel about it. I definitely enjoy the process so if I get the time then I might well continue with it.

Here's the back. It's a bit messy because my seams are 1/2 inch not 1/4 but it works for me. It still seems to lie pretty flat. I also put lots if knots in it when I reach a corner to make it tight and to help if any of it should unravel.

I reuse the templates a lot as it seems to save time. You can see I only take the ones out which aren't open at the edges.

They're a bit bent but it doesn't seem to make any difference to the end result. So I have got a big stack of them ready to reuse and I have cut lots of fabric ready to be tacked down.

Here is my bulging travel sewing kit. I could really do with a tin, but this will do. I have created a mini filing system out of bits of cut down old envelopes so I can keep the colours in some order. I have bought a new reel of thread and loaded up with sharp needles. I am going to pack this in my hospital bag and try and get some tacking done during my sejourn in the maternity ward from Monday. We'll see if I actually feel like doing any. I just thought that then this whole quilt will hold the memory of this very memorable time. I do like it when objects hold memories.