Finding the positives in life

Is it me or does there seem to be a positive vibe in the air? Maybe it's the great weather or England's young footballers in Russia... But with the world going through so many upheavals and constant change, I find it difficult to hear the good things in life, one of the many reasons I no longer read our national press! But I went on Facebook the other morning to find so many happy stories to brighten my week. A friend who had had a pretty serious fall and broken her neck was well on the mend and able to look behind her for the first time since the accident. Another friend had completed her first triathlon at the young age of 69 while another had just completed a charity cycle ride from London to Cologne. These people are all amazing!

These achievements also reminded me of a wonderful lady I meet sometimes at my local quilt group. She's a friend of a friend really, and comes whenever we have a fabric sale. After introducing me to Mable, my friend then said, "guess how old she is... 90!!" I couldn't believe it, she looked amazing, if that's what quilting does for your longevity, then I'm all in! That was 3 years ago, and Mable's still going strong, in fact she told me that she's just tried English paper-piecing for the first time! Now this really made my day and just goes to show, it's never too late to try something new, be it running, swimming, cycling or EPP :)

Talking of EPP, my latest addition to my EPP Cushion Kit collection is now available in the Sewmotion Shop. This Diamond Star Cushion kit is a great hand sewing project using English paper-pieced diamonds to create this striking star design in Makower's Bloom fabrics. And of course, not only does the kit include all the fabric you need to complete the front, including binding, there's also a Sewline glue pen, an Aurifil thread, and a whole pack of pre-cut papers!! No more cutting your own, yay! 

So if you're looking for a holiday project, why not treat yourself to some relaxing mindful stitching with an EPP kit - you can see the whole collection here.

A lovely customer contacted me a while ago to ask if I could make up one of my quilt kits, but in different fabrics, and I said, of course I can! So we went for the Novelty Nine Patch cot quilt in Happy Day fabrics, and I have to say, Gillian's quilt is so pretty, and the backing is perfect - I love how she used the block left over from the front for a label. 

I'm sure this quilt will bring years of love and joy to its recipient. Thanks so much for sharing Gillian. You can see the original kit for this quilt using Let's Play fabrics here, or this design is actually one of my free patterns on the website, which you can see here.

Wishing you all a happy sewing week.
Linking up with Let's Bee Social, Midweek Makers and Needle & Thread Thursday.