Decisions, Decisions!

What AM I Going to Make Next?

Now that I've finished quilting these two lovely tops for Elaine, I am itching to delve into a big piecing project for myself.

I had fun with the detail on these!










You know what it's like when you've got so many ideas in your head that you can't choose what to do first?

So I have been dabbling with the little things while I think about it ...

I made this coaster from a little log cabin block I put together about 5 years ago, with inch wide strips leftover from my first Storm at Sea/Mariners Compass quilt. (I just loved this fabric range - Blueberry Crumb Cake by Blackbird Designs - and I saved every last Crumb!)




And here is small table centre I finished off while experimenting with some Dresden Bloom templates from Edyta Sitar.

Still, I can't decide what to do next. 
Both of these little projects have tempted me. I would really like to do a full log cabin - I've seen some interesting variations on Facebook lately. And those templates make lovely 'Blooms' if you make them in sections of four petals. I have some pretty summery colours I could use.

So I am still dabbling. I acquired a little plastic box the other day and, in typical Jan fashion, I spent an evening digging through my little triangle stash and started to fill it with 1.5 inch half square triangles, with several vague scrap projects in mind.

I'll just add it to the rest then!

[HINT: If you ever wish to give me chocolates - make it Ferrero Rocher!]

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Janet

www.englishquilter.co.uk   

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Pinky and Perky

Think Pink!

Every so often ... as you know by now... I need a pink fix. This little brushed cotton piece of Mary's was so sweet and soft, the flowers just flowed out.
  

It was so cosy to hold that I just couldn't resist hand sewing the binding on for her as well!








That set me up nicely to start on the first of two quilts for Elaine. Another pleasing colour combination of soft dusty pink and green. The slightly geometric prints and the layout of the pinwheels made me want to do straight lines, rather than curls and flowers. The whole piece was done with rulers and I'm pleased with the swirling effect.

Next up is her version of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt, 'En Provence' and that one will be flowery, I think. (My 'En Provence' is still at the bottom of the pile!) 




Meanwhile, I have been whittling down my 'crumb drawer' and I have been string piecing on to phone book paper strips and squares. 

My box is bulging and I'm saving them up for a charity quilt (or two).

                   How satisfying is that? 

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Janet

www.englishquilter.co.uk   

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Red Alert

 I have always had an aversion to the colour red ...

 With three notable exceptions:
. Nail Polish
. Stiletto Shoes and
. Ferraris

Although I rarely wear red, avoid anything  red in my home and would never make a red quilt for myself; I am attracted to them when I see them in magazines. It just seems to work, especially in the distinctive palette of 'French General' or '3 Sisters' fabrics, mixed with creams and beiges - like this beautiful top I've just finished quilting for Diane. 




It was another big one - it has taken me all week! 




A new variation on the curled ribbon and feather motif. 

Borders filled with petal feathers.

Meanwhile, in the wee hours, I have got up to date with Sandy's bag project. It made me think - if the sample piece Pauline showed us had been in red and black instead of those lovely blues and creams - I probably wouldn't even have decided to make it.


These are my colours!! 
I have added a twist to the pattern - for reasons I will reveal when it is finished.





Also, this week, I've started on another task from my friend Mary. She asked me to make a single bed sized quilt out of a 36 inch square piece of fabric! 

Hmm! There's a challenge.

So I worked out a larger layout and set about making some additional blocks with some co-ordinating fabrics. 

Don't you just love chain piecing? 

You cut loads of little pieces to make the units and then feed them through the machine one after the other and they come out the other end like this! 

20 star blocks down - now for the Flying Geese.

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Janet

www.englishquilter.co.uk   

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Patience and Persistence!

Tension!

I have finally come out the other end with Susan's massive 92 inch by 104 inch quilt. Lovely dramatic black, navy and tan with some gold and silver accent fabric.

After spending half a day just preparing it and carefully loading it on my frame, I took a deep breath and started quilting with the silver thread she wanted. I used Metallic by Superior Threads, the best there is - according to Barnyarns. Susan said she didn't mind If I did not quilt the borders as my machine wouldn't reach right up to the edge, so I set about quilting the main pieced area. It seemed to be going well - I set the stitch length to a slightly longer 8SPI to show up the thread better and it looked really nice. So I happily worked my way down with an all over curled ribbon and feather motif. 

Then the first reel of thread ran out and I put the second one on and it was all down hill from there!
It started skipping stitches, shredding and snapping. I can't understand how 2 identical reels of thread, probably from the same batch, can behave so differently. By the time I had limped my way to the end I thought I might not do the border - it was going to be difficult anyway, as I would need to take the quilt off and shift it to get to the side edges. But it seemed such a shame not to show the metallic against the plain black, so I tried it on the bottom border. It was a nightmare - every time I moved the machine vertically upwards it skipped in exactly the same place. I spent 3 hours stop start, unpicking, tweaking the tension and eventually finished the bottom border. I was about to call it a day, then decided to try it on the top border, which went surprisingly more easily and I finished it in a fraction of the time! So I was now committed to moving the quilt to do the side borders and I finished them yesterday. Overall I am very pleased with the end result and I hope Sue likes it too. 

On a less stressful note I made some sweet little accessories last week, thanks to Sarah-Jane and Michelle from Connecting Threads.

The first is this cute little thread catcher which we made (hand sewing) at our evening meeting. The inside has a slice of Pringles tube in it to make it rigid and it just twists closed. These are definitely the new 'in thing'! (I told the ladies that I would still be checking that they weren't throwing any useful scraps away!) 




Then we had a day workshop to make this 'Tooly' . I added a padded strip on the inside of the spine as a pincushion and sorted out all my pink pins to put in it!

I also found time to complete this year's challenge for Studio Quilters, which was to make an apron with an applique pocket. My effort last year was pretty poor and I was determined not to leave it too late this year, so when inspiration struck I got on and made it. I can't reveal it until August but I am very pleased with it.
Now Sandy has started us off on another bag project and I have actually cut into 'virgin' blues and creams straight from the bolt!! Watch this space.

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Janet

www.englishquilter.co.uk   

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Shabby Chic

More fun with my treasured scraps

When I go to a show like the one at Olympia last week, I come home filled with inspiration to make something. I knew I needed to make a sample mini wall hanging for a workshop I am leading for  Studio Quilters in the summer. So I pulled out my treasured scraps (pink obviously!), buttons and trinkets and just improvised. I started with the heart shape, which was a cut-out saved from an earlier project, and built it up from there. The mother of pearl buttons are real antiques and the little cameo pendant was  saved from an old bra!! It is a bit bigger than I planned, but I was pleased with it anyway. This is how it turned out.

Then I decided to make  a similar one in blue, to hang on the back to make it reversible. I put buttons on the front so that I could join them together with ribbon loops. But in the end I decided to make two separate ones. I didn't measure them at all, but somehow they came out the same size. Such fun!

All set to start on Susan's over-sized quilt.

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Janet

www.englishquilter.co.uk   

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Cute as a Button

Only 3 Buttons?

Had fun at Olympia - Spring Knitting and Stitching Show on Saturday, but didn't go mad. I escaped without any new patchwork fabric but did buy some linen to try out some hand stitching for a biscornu project I want to try. (Think I may have got too close a thread count though, as my embroidery skills aren't up to much). I also got a bendy daylight floor lamp for working downstairs, when I need to, where my lighting is so bad.

But I just could not resist these gorgeous handmade ceramic buttons by Kate Holliday. Just too pretty to use right away! I think I've even got matching china in my kitchen - they are so me!!  Good job she only had these three, or I might have got carried away.

Talking of treasures too pretty to use; I had a very self indulgent day to myself on Sunday, just playing with odds and ends that I have hoarded over the years, and made this shabby chic wall hanging. Some of the buttons are genuine antiques. 
Yes it is pink - I know! 
I'm thinking of doing another one in blue and putting it on the back, which is why I haven't put the binding on yet. It will give me something else to work on alongside Susan's over-sized quilt which is next up, now that I have got the metallic thread from Olympia.

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Janet

www.englishquilter.co.uk   

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Bags More Quilting!

Victim of my own success!

Well Mary was so pleased with the 'London' Bow Tucks Bag, when I delivered it and the two cot panels on Thursday, that she asked me to make another one; this time in a cute dog fabric (as well as quilt two more panels). I just couldn't leave it alone and, alongside starting quilting the top for Lesley, I had it finished by Saturday lunchtime!

Then It was back up in the loft for a seven hour stint to complete this free-motion design, with a new twist on those flower petal feathers zigzagging down the open spaces. Val's piecing was superb and it was an absolute joy to work on - so pleased with the result.

(Followed by a long soak in the bath with a large Sauvignon Blanc!)

So did I give it a rest today?            No!!
  
I made a start on the other pieces Mary gave me. This is the first, a whole piece of brushed cotton which she wants as a playmat for a nephew. The front is patterned and doesn't photograph so well. But here is the back; it is a plain chocolate brown and really shows up the texture. 

Next up is an over-sized 'queen' top, which is technically too big for my frame. But I have agreed with our new group member, Sue, that I will give it a go. What's more she has asked for metallic thread (which I will look for at Olympia next week). So that's another challenge! If I go quiet for a week or so, you will know what I am up too!

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Janet

www.englishquilter.co.uk   

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