So... I'm no professional

And I am a little bit rusty but... I spent dribs and drabs yesterday working on the hopscotch and I am pleased with my progress. We started at the top of the number pile and worked out way down to 'Blast Off!'



Amelia got right into helping me. She was the official pin remover while I was sewing. A very important job indeed!


Amazing what a few pins and some off cuts of felt can be turned into! Kept her amused for about 2 hours last night!!




Tahdah!

Next step batting but I have to wait till payday... we kind of need some fruit and veges to fend off scurvey at the moment! 2 dodgy cucumbers, a pear that should have been eaten 3 days ago and half a dozen carrots aren't going to keep us healthy!

There are some things I will do differently on the next one which will hopefully give the next one a more professional finish.

• I would cut the nesxt lot of squares out with a rotary cutter - roll on Thursday this week and the Stitches and Craft Show!

• When I sew the numbers I would start with the inside of the 0,4,6 and 9. I think this will anchor them a little better.

• I will sew the finished number squares onto the backing fabric one and a time! I was so keen to have this ready for Amelia for when she woke up today that I sort of rushed it a bit and sewed them all in one big long row. The double numbers and the 6 are a little, shall we say, really bad! Or maybe I misread the instructions in the pattern? I won't be unpicking it, not the first one and not for Amelia. I am not one for following instructions so Blossom Creek will be a real test for this impatient soul!

I think that is all part of the journey, making discoveries and working out other ways to do things.

I am as keen as mustard now and have already used the scraps from this colour combo to place and pin the numbers for the next one. I think cousin Lucy in Paris will have one for her Christmas present and there could even be one as part of the major auction for the pre-school next year.