Nostalgic Sewing

While having no internet at home it frees up so much time

I looked out this pattern the other day, another that has been sitting in the drawer for 7 years

 He was so easy to make up, I am now thinking about making up a few more to add to my stall.

 something else I have been playing with is English paper piecing

after drawing around the templates onto an A4 sheet

I photocopy a load of them and cut them out

 I then tack all my bits onto there paper backing

a nice easy task to do while sitting there in the evening

Then I can piece them together as and when I feel like  it,

nothing to taxing to think about and all very random.

Dont have any plans for it yet, just happy to piece it all together

also another great use for all those scraps I seem to gather.

45 Done 35 to go

Unless I miss counted I now have 45 blocks of THE QUILT done and 35 to go 

 Got another three done today so headway is being made, I might even get another done tonight yet.

I also made two fairy doors for my daughter, they are made from air dry clay using a mould.

She wants them plain so she can paint them herself.

Air dry clay is very lightweight they will be easy to post.

Her idea is to put one in the little ones room fixed to skirting board so she thinks the fairy's live there, I have some little key charms I am going to send with the doors as well.

The second one is for her friend.

THE Quilt Again

 Two more blocks done today on the quilt

 This quilt is becoming a bit of thorn in my side

 I really really want to get it finished, but now I am bored with it

 I have got half the blocks done now, I need to just pull out the stops and get it finished

 At the quilt show I got this kit for a wreath, I had in mind to do it for Christmas but having looked more at it I don't think its Christmasy enough, I still like it very much.

 It comes with everything and is in gold and red,

I did also buy an extra wire ring so will have to give some thought to a Christmas wreath.

Quilt Festival 2015

It was a lovely day out at the Quilt Festival held in the NEC, one day is not enough time to get around it all, there are quilts from all round the world on display as well as lots of stands selling goodies, everything from fabric to pins and much much more.

 This just a very small selection of some of the wonderful items on display.

I didn't buy a lot this time a couple of books, sewing needles a lovely kit to do a Christmas wreath and few bits of fabric, I always take my shopping trolley to events like this to save having endless bags and usually my trolley is bulging but this time my purchases sat sadly on the bottom, there was a lot of things I could of bought but was sensible this time, I have so much stash I really need to make an impact on it before buying more :-)

Chocolate Box Quilt pt2

All the cutting out got done and the squares cut top and tailed and re-stitched, then it was time to start laying it out 

After laying out all the bits I don't really like it, there was still another three rows to be laid out but there wasn't enough room on the table.

these seven strips have been assembled, once all the strips have been assembled they will get stitched together then the borders can go on. When it comes to the top stitching I am going to go for a dark brown thread I think.

When I had all the squares laid out on the table Martin popped into the cabin looked at it and said have you got to sew all those little squares together? when I replied yes he then said but why cut up big bits into small bits just to sew back together? I don't think he understands patchwork.

I have been following the Sewing Bee on TV and thought Matt was a worthy winner, its a shame its finished, I have the Walkaway dress pattern on order along with some other 50's style dress patterns, I don't get many an opportunity to wear dresses, I would like to make a few then perhaps make the effort to wear them on days out.

Today I am going to finish the assembly of all these strips so I can move on to another project.

Chocolate Box

There has been a lot going on the past few weeks but I have been sewing

I wanted to start using my collection of jelly rolls, they ave been lingering around for some time.

A jelly roll is 40 strips of co-ordinating fabric they are 2.5 inches wide and are cut the full width of the fabric, the great thing is all the colour co-ordinating is done for you, there many many books out there on making quilts from jelly roll strips.

This was the first quilt I ever made from a jelly roll a long time ago now

It was made from a batik roll and I have this quilt hanging on my living room wall.

It was made from this book and is called Bars of Gold.

The quilt I am doing now again comes this book

They call it Blue Lagoon mine I am calling Chocolate Box as its a mix of browns

It is really easy to do, a light and dark strip sewed together, then cut to 2.5 inch rectangles then turned top to tail and stitch together to make squares they will then be stitched to plain colour to make up strips again, strips joined into a quilt top.

I have been working on it in the house, as many of you know my dog has been poorly at the moment she struggles with the step into the cabin so I brought one of my other machines up to the house so I can sew and keep her company, Martin has now re-done the step so it is easier for Kara to manage so we can now craft back in the cabin together, well I craft she sleeps :-)

Patchwork In The Cabin

A very cold wet day today so I popped into the cabin for a bit of sewing

I patch worked the fourth block of Le Jardine I am doing with them at the craft group

 The four embroidery corner blocks are now completed

The next five blocks include some applique work, I am enjoying doing some hand embroidery and its going to be  lovely quilt when its finished.

Another block done for the Art of Quilting quilt

This one is called Clarke's Choice, you had to build up the star in the middle first and then add the frame, precision and was needed I must be improving on my point work as this time I didn't have to do any unpicking.

I was looking at some of the ex shop stock that has been arriving, I have decided to start selling it on Amazon, I listed my first items today, I am also booking a table at our next village sale, they have them every month, I really need to make inroads at moving some of the stock.

Duck And Ducklings Block

I love the names they give patchwork blocks, the block I did today was called Duck and Ducklings, another one added to the pile of completed blocks I think I am at the half way point now, I plan to get the blocks finished first then add the sashing, the part work gets you do the sashing every so many blocks, as I have all the parts I am leaving the sashing for now, although I did sash  about a dozen blocks when I was doing them as they arrived.

I did get all the fabric cut for the ladies at the craft club who are now starting block two on there embroidered block, so its all ready to take with me tomorrow.

I think we are in for a wet week so I will get stuck into lots more blocks if that is the case.

2 Blocks Done

A short visit to the cabin today resulted in getting another two blocks completed

this one had been hanging about for some time as I had cut the green fabric wrong the angles were in the wrong direction, so I left the block to one side undecided what to do, they only send you enough fabric for the block.

I then came to this block that used the same fabric, 

the same shape was needed but the angles were in a opposite direction to the one above so I swapped them over and managed to complete both blocks.

The second block was a bit tying to do and unpicked several times, you had to do the star in the middle first then put the frame together and ease it all together, not by far the easiest block to do.

so that's another two of the list.

Sewing and Mending

Firstly mending, it was only a small job but it has been hanging about for ages,

 I made this Cath Kidston bag about a year ago from a kit that came with one of her books, I had lost the button off the front months ago, at last I have now replaced the button so I can once again close the bag.

Next up today was patch working the third block on the embroidery quilt I am doing with the Monday craft club

They ave just finished there first block and I am just starting the fourth block I need to keep a couple of blocks ahead of them

here are the three completed blocks, there are nine blocks in total.

Next up today was this little cute dangling heart decoration

It was a little kit that came with a magazine, the ribbon wasn't included I picked some out from my stash, there is also an owl in the kit but I didn't feel like doing that at the moment

That rounds up my afternoon of crafting.

Now Making Inroads

I feel like I am making inroads on the patchwork blocks

Got another 5 done today, hopefully I can keep it up and the quilt will soon be finished.

My setting on point is improving and now when I look at my earlier blocks I am thinking should I re-do them or leave with little mistakes to show how improvements have been made as I go along.

ANother 2 Bite The Dust

This afternoon I managed to get another 2 blocks done for that quilt

so now makes 29 completed blocks.

Another 5 Blocks

This afternoon I got stuck into doing another 5 blocks from the Art Of Quilting partwork I collected

It seems to be taking forever to do but that's my doing, I didn't keep up with getting the blocks done as they were sent out 

I now have 27 blocks done in total

I think there is another 47 to go I will get there just need to keep plodding on with it.