Thursday 28 November 2019
Free to Quilt: Sunglasses on!
Free to Quilt: Sunglasses on!: 100 Metre Dash So! I may have got a little carried away at the open day event at Makower Fabrics on Sunday! It was a lovely opp...
Sunglasses on!
100 Metre Dash
So! I may have got a little carried away at the open day event at Makower Fabrics on Sunday! It was a lovely opportunity to see what's coming up next year and to pick up some current favourites. Those metres really add up when you're buying it by the bolt. I went to bed with a head full of projects for next year.
Now I have filled in a few gaps on my shelves and have been busy adding them all to my online shop.
Why is it then, with all that lovely new fabric to sample, I revert to playing with the tiniest of scraps tonight? These mini log cabin blocks are part of my long standing 'Treasures' project. (And half of them are wrong! - out with the unpicker tomorrow).
Now I have filled in a few gaps on my shelves and have been busy adding them all to my online shop. 
Why is it then, with all that lovely new fabric to sample, I revert to playing with the tiniest of scraps tonight? These mini log cabin blocks are part of my long standing 'Treasures' project. (And half of them are wrong! - out with the unpicker tomorrow).Today I replaced the power adapter on my industrial bobbin winder, which had died when I went to start Jean's quilt the other week. I have been struggling along, just managing to load half a bobbin at a time on the Bernina.
I was so relieved to see that LED come on, as a new machine would have set me back several hundreds! I had managed to get my other jobs done; quilting one of my students' first project, ready to show her how to complete the final touches tomorrow; and quilting a lovely monochrome quilt for Toni to give her daughter.
Now I am ready to get stuck into Jackie's vivid Kaffe Fassett creation (above) which I have loaded and stabilised.
Wow - that's a lot of colour!
Here is one I can show.
Happy Quilting Everyone!
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Friday 15 November 2019
Free to Quilt: Heart Warming
Free to Quilt: Heart Warming: Inspiration Fulfilled When the challenge for next year was announced at the Connecting Threads party the other night it sent my m...
Heart Warming
Inspiration Fulfilled
When the challenge for next year was announced at the Connecting Threads party the other night it sent my mind racing straight away. Such a good idea - everyone was asked to submit a New Year's resolution, at the next meeting, for something they wanted to make or finish in 2020. Then, at the November meeting, they would be challenged to see if they had done it.
I immediately thought I should resolve to design and make a 'prototype' cover for the heart shaped hot water bottles I bought in 2018. I had seen a lovely felted one in a crafty shop in Bakewell and had sourced some to make one for myself and gifts. I do LOVE a hot water bottle!
But once the idea was revived in my mind, I just had to get on with it. By bedtime on Thursday night I had produced this plain sample in my soft calico fabric (and put it to the test). It worked out quite well, but was a bit tight over the lid.
Back to the drawing board today, I have tweaked the template a bit. I boldly cut into this gorgeous 3 Sisters 'Poetry' fat quarter and went for the real thing. Pink ribbon and all! I even lugged my Brother machine upstairs, (which I probably shouldn't have), because it has such lovely embroidery stitches on it for the edge.
It is a much better fit now. I might write up a proper pattern for it or maybe even do it as a workshop.
Now I shall have to think of another New Year's Resolution. So I am off to bed with my 'hottie' to think about it.
Night Night and Happy Quilting Everyone!
When the challenge for next year was announced at the Connecting Threads party the other night it sent my mind racing straight away. Such a good idea - everyone was asked to submit a New Year's resolution, at the next meeting, for something they wanted to make or finish in 2020. Then, at the November meeting, they would be challenged to see if they had done it.
I immediately thought I should resolve to design and make a 'prototype' cover for the heart shaped hot water bottles I bought in 2018. I had seen a lovely felted one in a crafty shop in Bakewell and had sourced some to make one for myself and gifts. I do LOVE a hot water bottle!
But once the idea was revived in my mind, I just had to get on with it. By bedtime on Thursday night I had produced this plain sample in my soft calico fabric (and put it to the test). It worked out quite well, but was a bit tight over the lid.
Back to the drawing board today, I have tweaked the template a bit. I boldly cut into this gorgeous 3 Sisters 'Poetry' fat quarter and went for the real thing. Pink ribbon and all! I even lugged my Brother machine upstairs, (which I probably shouldn't have), because it has such lovely embroidery stitches on it for the edge.
It is a much better fit now. I might write up a proper pattern for it or maybe even do it as a workshop.
Now I shall have to think of another New Year's Resolution. So I am off to bed with my 'hottie' to think about it.
Night Night and Happy Quilting Everyone!
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Wednesday 13 November 2019
Free to Quilt: Christmas Leftovers
Free to Quilt: Christmas Leftovers: Flying High What a wonderful quilt Jean M has made for her lucky grandson and I had the pleasure of quilting it for her. ...
Christmas Leftovers
Flying High
What a wonderful quilt Jean M has made for her lucky grandson and I had the pleasure of quilting it for her.
Jean had been inspired by the black, white and grey strippy quilt that Studio Quilters made as a group project a couple of years ago and wanted to try a version of her own.
She incorporated several themes and fabrics that would mean something to her grandson. He is going to love it!
Strippy quilts are a nice alternative to sampler quilts. It is a good way of experimenting with different designs and techniques in a single project. That touch of red makes it look so classy.
It was a nice opportunity for me to play with different shapes too. I had fun with this paisley border.
Now that the Connecting Threads Christmas social evening is over, I can show my entry for the 'Recycled Denim' challenge. 
Now I am back to my busy self; with classes starting up again, mentoring beginners, preparing for my workshop on Saturday - I have only just had time to make a last minute contribution for our table at the NSPCC Christmas Fair.
These two little sets of coasters are made from triangles I cut off from the diamonds in Elise's Christmas tree mat.
Well you have to use up the leftovers at this time of year!
Happy Quilting Everyone!
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Saturday 2 November 2019
Free to Quilt: Pocket full of Posies
Free to Quilt: Pocket full of Posies: Match Point It's good to be sewing and blogging again and I have so much to catch up with! This is the Christmas tree mat my ...
Pocket full of Posies
Match Point
It's good to be sewing and blogging again and I have so much to catch up with!
This is the Christmas tree mat my daughter Elise asked me for. I couldn't reveal it until now as she has only just seen it. She wanted a mat, rather than a skirt, but left the design up to me. So it is my fault that it was so tricky!
I needed to buy the cream and gold fabric, which I got at the Knitting and Stitching show the other week.
I spent the night before the show wide awake mentally designing it. I love working with diamond shapes and matching up all the angles - it's really challenging. My new pink cutting mat came into its own, as it is so hard to cut dark green on my other mat. (So that justified that purchase!)
And this little seam roller (free with Today's Quilter magazine) is my new best friend. So useful for pressing as you go, it really helped with matching the points. Viv and I spotted the Clover equivalent at Duxford for the outrageous price of £16!
I did minimal quilting on this one, so there was no need to go up in the loft.
I did minimal quilting on this one, so there was no need to go up in the loft.
Stitch in the ditch is actually harder on the long arm machine and the pointy shape wouldn't have been easy to lay out on the frame. So I pin basted it the old fashioned way - I forgot what a chore that is- but it wasn't very large.
The quilt measured about 50 inches point to point, so I inserted a strip to widen the backing. Then, to make sure I had it centred accurately, I loosely sewed a small bead to the middle of the backing so I could feel it when I had the wadding and top all laid out.
Then there was the binding around three different shaped points (32 in all). I had to study a few videos on YouTube to learn how to mitre the inverted angles and I think I've got the hang of it now. Two days work, including all the hand stitching.
It was worth the effort as she was really pleased with it and can't wait to put her tree up now!
Now she is visiting for a week and we have had a lovely time sitting and hand stitching together, (like we had planned to after my op!)
I found a lovely book of stitches for her at Ally Pally, with really clear diagrams. I'm a novice at embroidery myself, but we did quite well I think. Mine are the roses of course!
It was worth the effort as she was really pleased with it and can't wait to put her tree up now!
Now she is visiting for a week and we have had a lovely time sitting and hand stitching together, (like we had planned to after my op!)
I found a lovely book of stitches for her at Ally Pally, with really clear diagrams. I'm a novice at embroidery myself, but we did quite well I think. Mine are the roses of course!
I've dabbled with a few other projects since I've been home. There was the 'denim challenge', due for the Connecting Threads November party.
That one is under wraps for now, but here is a little teaser. Can you guess what it is yet?
Before that, I thought a bit of hand stitching was in order and I started on this block for my Laura Ashley project (again from Today's Quilter). It would have helped if I'd read the instructions properly, as I assumed it was English paper piecing. Half way through basting the pieces on to paper templates I wondered how the curved pieces would fit together. Then I looked at the photos and realised it should just have been hand pieced with a quarter inch seam, and I had cut it all wrong. So I went to the machine and 'fudged it'! A bit wonky, but I will be able to quilt it out (I think). 
My latest creation came about as a consequence of the Christmas tree project. I found that I was losing my seam ripper and other small tools all the time, with so many pieces on my work surface. (I'm really untidy when I'm engrossed in something!) So I decided to make this pocket/ arm caddy for my bar stool. It will also help to protect the arm covering which I keep catching on the table when I swivel. A visit to the Duxford show (and the self indulgent purchase of some '3 Sisters fabrics') inspired me to use some of my pretty fabrics for the flowers. 
But, true to form, I couldn't bring myself to cut it up. Instead, I dug out some little scraps of fabric, with fusible web already attached, which I had salvaged from Claire and Tom's wedding quilt from 4 years ago. Well I used a few bits up and it kept me up for more than the extra hour we got when the clocks went back.
Now I am feeling nearer full strength again, I have even been up in the loft to finish off a quilt for the NSPCC Christmas Fair on 17th of this month at Allum Hall in Borehamwood.
Come along if you can!
Happy Quilting Everyone!
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