Cutting a rug

or at least a ton of fabric. I'm working on my mystery quilt, and have cut :- *ahem* (clears throat)

13 each of big squares in purple, red, blue, yellow, green for 26 each HST (65 total so far)
30 same size squares white (95) with another 35 to go
60 each small squares purple, red, blue, yellow, green (395)
over 150 white pieces of various size,

which means I have cut over 550 pieces of fabric, for a quilt which so far only exists on paper. Crikey.

So far so good. Now all I have to do is finish the white, and do a mammoth amount of sewing, making sure that all the squares are sewn together in the right rows, that all the HST work out to the right size, and find a floor big enough to lay out all the rows in the right order (gulp) without the cat or the offspring climbing all over it.

No small task then :)

Here's some nice colours and a really cool idea!

Washing day blue-greens

This is what I have been doing the last few days - washing the fabric stash. I have been meaning to do this for MONTHS and the lack of washing has been an issue in a quilt or two, so it had to be done. Rookie mistake, I know, but have been far too enthusiastic to get started on things before now.
This is the second last load to go on :-

Now imagine this in yellow, red, pink and purple, blue and green. Lot of green. More than I would ever have imagined or guessed. I seem to like green. Who Knew?!

It has been fantastic to see the garden filled with gorgeous colours, especially as the flowers are fading and the leaves starting to crisp. The yellow wash was particularly cheery, cant think why I never took a photo.

In other news, work is continuing on the mystery quilt, with some red and green (ha!) squares being cut ready for use. Still the yellows, and purple to go, though may be revising the palette yet, not decided. May be feeling indecisive and wobbly due to folding over 200 pieces of fabric.....

Blue for you ... for you!

TADA! One blue and white squares quilt, ready for my latest craft show at Ayr Town Hall  on Sun 7th October 2012. Quilt measures about 3 ft x 4 ft, and is a variety of cotton fabric scraps and white sheeting with cotton wadding and thread. Machine washable, and diagonally straight line quilted, which is a change for me as I like to meander :)
I am very chuffed with it (and apologise for the overcast picture but it is Scotland in September). Have some more pics :-

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!

Carve this into my forehead, please...

Do. Not. Use. Red. Fabric. Without. WASHING. IT. FIRST.

This is important.
Sigh.

Siblings Together

Lily's Quilts is showing an example of some small thing that can change people's lives. I've never been in care, never been anywhere near The System, grew up on a small island with loving parents and a cheeky annoying fantastic younger brother. The idea that you can grow up without parental love, sibling affection, or even a home to call your own is mind blowing in its awfulness. Was I inconsiderate in that it never crossed my mind when I was young, that I took it entirely for granted that I was loved, cared for, had food, clothes, games, education, friends, stability and the feeling of being part of something bigger?

I dont suppose I ever needed to worry about that. I was, and still am, very very lucky. My daughter is growing up as part of a family who loves her,  watch over her and help keep her safe. She is also very very lucky. There are some children in our society who dont have the luxury of a community, family, parent, sibling; who grow up, or at least grow older, all by themselves. That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard.

So I would like to declare myself part of this initiative; to help a child by giving him or her something of their very own. To wrap them in comfort if not love, to help them cope with the hardships of their life. I dont want this to be patronising, although I know very little about the difficulties they face daily, but if I can give some crumb of comfort to another human being then thank you. Let that person thrive just a bit, knowing they have been brought a little bit closer to another living being.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.swimbikequilt.com/p/100-quilts-for-kids.html" title="Swim, Bike, Quilt"><img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z420/swimbikequilt/100quiltsbutton2011.jpg" alt="Swim, Bike, Quilt" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Ta-Dah!

Finished! With washing and drying and everything!

Here's the whole quilt, in not brilliant detail, because the camera has decided it is not long for this world. Hmph.

Really chuffed with it though (the quilt, that is). Have taken the Irish Chain to the corners and placed the hearts in between, 7 blocks x 7 blocks, so 49 in all - 24 Heart and 25 Chain. Plus a 4 inch border and pieced striped binding, which I love.

 This one on the right shows the backing. I pieced a colourful strip down the centre of the quilt to make the back a bit more interesting. Duck egg sheeting. All over stipple quilted.

The whole thing shrank by about 3 inches after washing, which is ideal really - the quilt looks textured without being too crinkled. Finished size 89" square.

I dried it indoors - this is a Scottish summer after all - and it took a couple of days laid out on a sheet on the floor.
Even managed to keep the cat off it :)

Detail of the quilting, and a heart. I love the wee owl print here, though I can't remember where it came from.

Note the wee label sewn into the binding - Handmade by Fankle. That's me!












So...what do you think?

Light at the end of the tunnel

The heart chain quilt is lying in a crumpled heap at the end of the sofa. Looking for all the world like a neglected unloved pile of fabric. But this incarnation is a good thing, actually, because this means it is nearly at the end of the journey; the binding is about 1/3 sewn on with a little more being done each time I sit down to watch telly. Once I get the cat off it, and persuade my daughter she really doesnt want to use it as a tent.

The Union Jack bedpsread is languishing upstairs, however, although it will also be finished soon (honest, guvnor). Future plans involve making little things for a craft stall in Stair, Ayrshire in August and starting the Swoon quilt, which I am really excited about! Have also seen a gorgeous and ridiculously easy quilt in the latest issue of American Patchwork and Quilting

by Malka Dubrawsky of A Stitch In Dye, which I have fallen in love with, despite not usually liking the block. Who knew something could appeal so much with a simple change of scale?

Anyway. Going to wend my weary way to bed having not done any sewing, oops, but have got the shopping, put it away, and been totally engrossed by the last book in Celia Friedman Magister Trilogy. Good stuff.

99% success!

Only 99% because after I'd finished quilting the mammoth, I turned it over to discover a couple of wee puckers in the back. Rats. But they'll hopefully be all but unnoticed after it's been washed, so it will all work out ok. Apart from that, grrr, it looks really good. The binding has been machine stitched on too, so just the sewing in of the ends and stitching the back of the binding. Yeah, that's all (ha!)

This is my next project for us, using some darker colours I have been saving for my hubby. Cant recall where the photo came from, many apologies, but the Swoon block is from here.

Cool, eh? And only 2 years after everyone else :)



 

Have discovered a few things about me and my sewing:

1.  Use good quality thread for quilting. I used my piecing thread, in a fit of inattention, and it kept breaking. I hope there is enough goodwill in the quilt to counterbalance the loud swearing as it was being worked on.

2.  I can quilt better during the day, when I am less tired. Even though I am a night person.

3.  Quilting is more relaxing listening to Ken Bruce than to Jeremy Vine. (I wonder why?!)

4.  You use more thread than you think when stippling. I went through 15 bobbins on that baby, all 92" square, or thereabouts. Phew!

4 hours of quilting so far

That post title first came up as 'wilting', and after 4 hours I reckon I have had enough for just now. Going well so far, no puckers or folds (touch wood, cross fingers, chuck salt over shoulder, kiss the cat, etc) and the stipple effect is looking good.

I'm quite happy to stay stippling for now, although I do have an occasional foray into straight lines. I like the overall background effect of the stipple, how it looks like a scribble but doesn't detract from the main theme which, for me, is the colour. I LOVE the colours in quilting. The richness, depth, bouyancy and life of a mix of colours is what it's all about, I reckon.

And here's some shots to document the process:

Light slightly blue on this one, not sure why, but work going on. The machine was red hot by the time I'd finished today!











My sewing machine feet :)




I like to sew barefoot.
It seems I can work the pedal better.














More of the quilting. I use ordinary rubber gloves to move the quilt around, they have good grip and are inexpensive. Only trouble is, they give your hands a horrible rubbery smell. How we suffer for our art!

I've used 7 bobbins, with less than half of the quilting done. Stippling is heavy on the thread, but worth it in the end. I should have some more bobbins really, but find that by doing 3 at a time, I can have a good break when winding some more on.

I also sit on a gym ball when at the sewing machine, which really helps during a long session. When you start ot stiffen, just lean back and roll around for a bit, it really helps :)

More later then, peeps....

How do I grow my blog?

How do I grow my blog?

Just found this fantastic blogging entry on Lily's Quilts, an amazing and colourful blog I read. Ideal advice and relates to anything you blog about, not just quilting. 

For example: Do it because you love it, do it because you have something to share, and dont be afraid to tell people about it.

Sounds like common sense, but for those of us just starting to dip a toe in the water, invaluable.


Thanks Lily!

Really am still here...

Plugging away at loads of stuff - brother and family down for the Jubilee weekend, where we did absolutely nothing relating to the queen at all. We did go to Blair Drummond Safari Park on the Monday, and had a great day - maybe the lions would be considered Royal?
Spent the week before gutting, cleaning and sewing, spent this week cleaning and organising my month. Honestly, why do so many people have events in June? Plus making two cakes for the wee one's party tommorow, shopping for the load of people we have staying over, trying not to think about the wedding next month that the quilt HAS TO BE READY FOR...

But it is basted and just needs some quality quilty time, which is next week. Am looking forward to it actually.

Here's a wee something to keep you going till the finished pics: