A few hours at the machine, catching up.

 

One major disadvantage of my current living arrangement (there aren’t many!) is that I don’t have good sewing equipment/arrangement at the place where I work and spend more time. I was assuming I would be doing a lot of sewing at my husband’s accommodation and not have too much time for it anyway where I live for work. This summer, however, I spent a lot less time down south than had been the original. It felt like I hadn’t done any serious sewing in ages.

 Two weeks ago I picked up my son in Amsterdam, first spending a day in that beautiful tourist-ridden city (yes, I was one of them, I know).

Amsterdam at night.

City of bikes... this one looks like it hasn't been used in a while!

Not the typical tourist photo subject!

  I went to see the Banksy museum and the photography museum.

 

And picked up some batting at the quilt shop which is conveniently located a mere 5-minute walk from his nice (and outrageously expensive) apartment on one of the grachten. Students these days do live rather differently than I did when I was in that stage of my studies! Not that I needed a quilt shop back then.

The next day we drove south-east together and then spent almost a week at my husband’s place.

View from my sewing room - and when my son is home, 
I also sleep in this room on a small mattress on the floor.

 

There I finally got to sit down at my sewing machine again. I managed to proceed pretty far with my contribution to the next 20 Perspectives challenge which will be revealed in the group next week and then visible on the 20 Perspectives Blog a few days afterwards. Although mine won’t be entirely finished by reveal date because I decided to start adding hand-stitches (French Knots) in addition to the bit of machine quilting I used.

There used to be a time when I said 'I don't do appliqué'.
That seems to have changed.

 

I also managed to get ahead with the 3D-piece we were supposed to have finished a while ago – was it June? But I also decided that I will try to enter it in a call for entry so won’t publish a ‘finished photo’ until I receive notification of acceptance or rejection.

 

Made a decision about two quilts for Voyage, too, so right now I am only two quilts short for that group commitment, but those two are the ones that need to be finished earlier and I really need to get going about them. I do have an idea, but…

It definitely felt good to be back sewing, after all that time. Almost like going back after withdrawal symptoms. Certainly the urge to be 'making' with one's hands can be a kind of addiction. When I pack my bags for train travel I take enough knitting supplies to last me at least twice or three times the length of the journey. After all, the train could be delayed. Or we could be hijacked and I would be caught in there without having something to keep me occupied. Better be prepared.