Blue for you

It's late and I should be in bed, but am chuffed after finishing all the machine sewing on my latest quilt - blue squares on a white background. It has looked good over my rail the last few weeks, and I'm surprised and pleased that the basting spray has held it together that long. Pics to follow.

Cutting continues on the mystery quilt, with the blues (bit of a blue theme developing just now, am like Picasso but with more hair) almost done and have started on the reds.

Def needing my massage this weekend :)

PS have just bought a blade sharpener - Truecut Rotary Blade Sharpener. Anyone know if its any good?

Magical Mystery Tour...

... because I'm working on a pattern I have designed myself. Because I have no idea how this is going to turn out, other than some colours I have been messing around with on squared paper, this will be a bit of a challenge. Especially as I am assuming totally accurate quarter inch seams while sewing. Ha.

However, if it works, out, not only will I be chuffed as hell, I think the pattern will be really, really good.

So far, I have cut:

75 - 3.5" squares
36 - 3.5 x 6.5" rectangles
22 - 3.5 x 9.5" rectangles
21 - 3.5 x 12.5" rectangles in white for background.



Now I have to cut 275 coloured squares 3.5" square, and make up 130 HST at 3.5".


(picture from Sunflowers and Dragonflies)

That'll keep me busy for a day or two :)

Mind the Gap!

Spaces appearing in my quilts to sell collection - Yay! Have sold this cute wee one:

(About 4 feet sq, fabric is Freebird by Momo)

And now I need to get on with making some more. Ideas yes but not been able to concentrate long enough so far. Hopefully now the household is back ion a routine again, I will feel the muse inspiring me and the mojo working. 

I wonder who the muse for quilting and patchwork would be?
Hmmm...

Failure to Launch

Hmmmm. Hard to get started in this weather. Trying to get into stuff, but lots of everyday life getting in the way of serious crafting. Not bad everyday life, I mean friends coming to visit, little'un starting school, hubby not feeling well, going out for an evening or two, is pretty good really. But am not getting my head together for some concentrated making. Ach well.

Plenty of time coming up for that. Have done a couple of wee things, coasters, hearts, some place mats. Pics? I think so.....

The Little'un wanted a gym bag with Hello Kitty so this is what I managed to rustle up with some IKEA fabric and ribbon. She liked it, and I think it turned out well. Not bad for some unpracticed sewing and bad interfacing hehe. You're not getting a close up thanks to the crap camera, but excellent from a distance :)

Festival of Quilts

Festival of Quilts, NEC Birmingham, this weekend, 16-19 August.

Wish I was going.

*Sigh*

Workshop space / craft partner wanted!

Anna Maria Horner's craft space - WANT!

















Just putting feelers out - anyone know of a crafty person wanting to share some workshop/craftroom space? I am looking for an out-of-house crafting space to share with a like-minded crafter because it is always more productive in similar company, I think.

Know anyone, or of a space going begging?

Anything would be helpful, ta X

Shades of Grey

NOT the populist soft porn tosh 50 Shades of Grey, but the brilliant, thought-provoking, first-in-a-trilogy novel from Jasper Fforde.

Its a story about a young man in a future world where people's lives are dictated by what range of colour they can see, the politics of that world, the Grey underclass who are no better than skivvies to the Reds, Blues, Greens, etc. Its the little things I love about this book, the small throwaway details about coping with life, how they supply colour via pipes to the gardens, how if you don't pay for yellow you get grey custard, the moving Perpetualite is a revelation! but is just one part of the backdrop to the story.

The man is a genius.

Please, please Mr Fforde, write the next one!

In other news, there is cutting and slicing occurring on the cutting mat but the housework is sadly taking up too much of my time right now, and it does need to be done as we are wading knee deep in yuck in the sitting room rug. Gah. Hate housework. If it wasn't for my MP3 I would never get any of it done. Yay for music and fab comedy as we work! on the boring hellish housework (boo hiss).

Small things

I think after the drama and sheer size of the big quilt and bedspread, it is time to shrink my horizons and focus on a few small projects for a while. I have looked out some of my blue scraps - picking blue because my blue scrap box is fit to burst - and some odd pieces of white, and ironed them to perfection. I am gong to do more tomorrow, because returning this afternoon from our week long holiday and going to a friend's bbq has left me a little tired. Especially as I drove all the way home, then there and back. In the meantime, have some pics of my quilting space :)

As you can see, the room is in the eaves of the house, so I have to be careful when I iron that I don't bang my head on the roof! The fabric collection has expanded slightly, and the shelves to the left (just seen) are now full of backing fabrics, sheeting and various bits and pieces. And over a dozen wee turquoise boxes of scrap fabrics. Lots of floor space for laying out the blocks too. Love the brightness of it, although want to paint the walls a slightly cheerier colour. Now if only I could get the aeriel on the radio to work properly I'd be made - depending on where I am in the room the signal crackles! Who said digital was supposed to be better??

ummmmmmmm......

I have finished the bedspread, which is as good as its going to get. I am annoyed that I made some rookie mistakes,

    (Image from sodahead.com)              











and that I had so much extra work to do on it, but it is finished, it looks pretty good overall, and hopefully its recipients will think its ok.

Now I am wondering what to do next.

(image from imageenvision.com)

I'm away from my fabric stash right now, on holiday, and have some knitting with me, which is great but sore on the elbows. Stupid, stupid tennis elbow. Knitter's elbow. And am I the only person to have sprained an index finger from too much knitting? I remember one Xmas my hubby was away and I knitted loads with all my spare time, and when I was at work I coudn't pick up things because my index finger was so tender. Hmmmm. Just me?

Anyway. While I wait for the last bit of wool for my throw to be delivered (lovely, lovely internet shopping!) I am pondering the next quilt. I have a blue and white square one to quilt, its been basted, but I need a start of something new.

Baby quilt?
Throw?
Double bed size?
Table mats?

Am going to be at the Stair Community Fete in August (date??) and will need some little things for that, so I may indulge my need for quick, easy projects and make some table mats and doll quilts. Yes, sounds good.

Now for some inspiration:

Check out Hillary Lang's wall on Flickr :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hillarylang/531878280/

Lovely!