I'm an applique addict.

When I'm away from home on holiday, I have plenty of time to ponder which projects I'll tackle when I get back. This was the one I was wanting to play with, the stars and sprigs. I've done two new blocks this last week and I enjoyed every single stitch. Applique is usually on the top of the list, I never get bored with doing it.

I made a few star blocks as well. Here's the progress shot,  it's looking mighty fine to me, I love it!

These ones were my practice blocks that I did before I settled on doing the quilt in Westminster fabrics.I'm sure the orphan blocks will come in handy some day. Gosh, that sounds like a seaoned hoarder talking.

My thread carrier is a bit large and cumbersome to cart around when I go on holiday or to my stitching group so I decided I needed a smaller, more convenient option. These prewound bobbins fit the bill operfectly. I wish I had got them a long time ago. I got these three sets from Piece O' Cake along with the donut to store them. You can also get them directly from Superior Threads. The thread is a  quality 50 weight, two ply and they perform beautifully for applique.

All 36 threads in the three sets fit in the donut, so transportable!

On an unrelated note, this past week, I decided to start up a new sourdough bug for my breadmaking. My new pet project.

I've never had a problem making an initial starter before but this one is being stubborn and lazy. It's showing slight signs of life but is still pretty dormant. I even put it next to a bowl of grapes to tease it into gathering more wild yeast spores. That didn't work so I draped some grapes over the top of the jar, lol.

A member of the family was a baker and he happened to stop by today and he gave me a couple of tips to try. I added some bread improver and some rye flour to give it a boost. I'll give you an update next time but so far I think I spy some shy bubbles under the surface. Because it is a living thing, a lot of bread bakers give a name to their sourdough starters. I think I shouild call this one bubbles so it doesn't get a complex about being a runt at the start of life.

If you want to obtain a starter, try asking at a bakery that bakes sourdough, they're usually happy to sell you some. I know Bakers Delight in Australia will. I'm not a fan of the really sour chewy bread but I love the milder flavour so I will adjust my baking to accomodate my tastes.

You can get a whole lot of information at Breadtopia.