Really I don't dislike to cook, but what you cook is eaten so quickly. When you sew, you have something that will last to show for your efforts. ~Elizabeth Travis Johnson

And sew it came to pass....that at the weekend Alison had time to sew.

Over the last twenty odd years it has been my favourite way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, listening to Sport on 5 on the radio (although the most common news of another goal being conceded by Sunderland is less welcome) whilst seated at my sewing table. When we lived in West Hoathly I had an old kitchen table that we chopped a bit off of so that it would fit under the eaves at the end of our loft bedroom.

Now I have the big end of the conservatory which runs along the east wing of the building. The width of most of the conservatory is only about four feet for most of it's length so we use the space to hang the sheets, duvet covers and table-cloths before they are ironed. But at the end nearest the main part of the house it is an extra couple of feet wider which is just room enough for my trusty, slightly shortened sewing table and a few stacks of storage drawers which are full of fabric, all colour coordinated or stored according to themes e.g. Christmas, flowers, animals.

It's been a bit chilly to sit and sew there over the last few months and rather than heat the conservatory I have found myself spreading out into our den, which is very cosy when the wind is howling outside.

I have always worked from to-do lists as a way of ensuring that I get everything done or at least it's a way of me knowing what I should be doing. At the moment I have five lists on the go, one for The Old Bakery business, one for my Gladstone coaching business, another for my coaching studies, one for my personal stuff (which doesn't come under any other list) and a quilting list.

This last list is subdivided into two; the quilts I am in the course of making and another list for all the other quilt stuff I need to do. Over the last few weeks this has included getting set up on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook (find me @norfolkpatch) and things that I need to do to start getting some work as a quilt teacher.

Mike has often suggested that I should make quilts and sell them but the economics of doing so just don't add up. The cost of materials for the front of a quilt, wadding for the inside and the backing material are likely to be £80-£100. Machine quilting (by a professional) would be another £80-£100 and with a quilt top taking anywhere between 20 to 60 hours to make, depending on the complexity even if you added in labour at the minimum wage cost it would make the real cost of making a quilt prohibitive.

If you look on Amazon there are single bed-size quilts for sale at £25, probably made in China from cheap fabric but it makes you think.

So I've decided that if I'm to generate any income from my hobby I should teach others how to quilt instead. A couple of weeks ago I emailed our local bird reserve, The Hawk and Owl Trust at Sculthorpe, suggesting that I could run a workshop for them on an owl theme (owl fabrics are very popular at the moment) and they immediately responded saying that they wold love me to do so.

I'm now hard at work creating owl themed samples to go and show them in about 10 days time, before I run a workshop which is planned for early June. Both Stephen and Mike have drawn me owls for me to convert to patchwork patterns and I'm busy trying to turn fabric into the different native species of owl; Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Little Owl and either a Short of a Long-eared owl (I'll decide what it most looks like when it is finished!)

In between the owls I've also been making raggy baby quilts and various christmas projects which will be separate workshops that I want to pitch to some other places in the next few weeks.

I had planned on making patchwork quilts for all of the B&B and cottage bedrooms over the winter (sometimes my plans are a touch optimistic!) but I have finished the quilt which is now on the bed in The Miller's Room.

This is the quilt which we photographed in the garden.

Here's the quilt on the bed along with the cushions I made.

All of which, I hope, will suffice to explain to both Stephen and Claire that the quilts I started for each of them before they went to university are still on my list to finish, but what with the samples for workshops and quilts for the B&B rooms, don't hold your breath, I may be some time!