Spring has gloriously sprung!

It's been the weather for long walks. My photography skills aren't up to much, so this picture doesn't do credit to how lovely the view was from this bridle path. Deep blue sky, masses of dandelions everywhere, cowslips, daffodils still blooming. The sharp yellow of a field of oil seed rape. Blossom on the trees and birds flitting about, gathering material for nest building.

This second photo was taken at RSPB St Aidans nature reserve. Easy to reach from my house, and ideal for an early evening stroll. It's not only what's visible that I like about this site. It's the sounds too. You get the birds squarking and calling out as they swoop and dive through the air, but also the rustle of masses of reed beds and dried grasses as they sway and shiver in the breeze.

Such pretty blossom.

Once back indoors, I've been studiously ignoring the DIY type jobs that need doing - everytime I go into the bathroom I'm looking up at the ceiling thinking 'It'd only take me a morning to paint that' - there's even a tin of paint and a brush in the bathroom, all ready to go! - instead I've been playing about with these improv blocks. Sewing strips together, cutting 'em up, reassembling. Once you start, it's addictive and all kinds of patterns emerge out of the chaos.

I'm alternating that playfulness with another task. Quilting this backing on to my scrappy quilt. It's made up of remnants of material, plus some orphan blocks and a couple of pieces of hexagonal patchwork that would've been made up into cushion covers, if I didn't already have way too many cushions. I suppose some people might think it's a shame to have these handmade hexies tucked away on the reverse, out of sight, but I rather like the idea of a quilt having a hidden surprise.

I'm looking forward to getting this quilt finished, and I think it'll end up being a favourite that I'll use for years to come.

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How to make these decorative birds

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I had a few requests after posting this photo on Facebook, people asking if I could explain how I made these paper flowers. Your wish is my command, and here's the info. It's all very simple and you don't need any advanced drawing skills. So grab a stack of gell prints, a pair of scissors and off we go! The type of print that seems to work best is one where there's a fair amount of detail, rather than a block of solid plain colour. Prints where you've maybe channelled your inner Elizabeth St. Hilaire and 'layered layered layered' as she's always urging us to do. POPPIES If we start with simple poppy seed heads and stalks, they're cut freehand from paper that's mainly shades of orange and brown. I glued those on to a sheet of white copier paper, then cut them out, leaving a narrow border around each. Backing the gell print with the white paper adds that contrasting border, but also strengthens the piece, especially the thin stalks. I

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I'm typing this as snow's falling, and has been steadily all day. It's not settling to any great extent, though I bet by tomorrow morning the paths will be slippery with ice. Which always makes me paranoid about falling over and at the very least looking undignified, but at worst breaking a bone or twisting an ankle. Oh well, it's ideal weather to stay inside and craft, isn't it? I finally got around to listing packs of sari scraps on Etsy this morning. I only made up six bundles as I've no clue whether they'll sell or if I've set a reasonable enough price point. Time will tell. This is a link to the listing, if you're interested. This vaguely pink fabric isn't from one of my Etsy packs. It's from a bit of experimenting I was doing yesterday. I'd seen a post on Instagram showing how a DIY version of batik could be done without using hot wax. The Instagrammer used PVA instead, and I wanted to try this out. The glue's su

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