Its Crazy

It's a crazy time of year, everyone is busy planning and preparing, making food lists, gift lists, 'to do' lists. Planning shopping trips, planning holidays and so the lists go on.  In all of your crazy life stop and spare a thought for those who are suffering in the run up to what is perhaps a normally happy time.  Stop and spare a thought for all the families, carers, and nurses looking after the terminally ill.  Just stop and have a moment for yourself!

I have now opened a tab on my home page offering some of my Quilts for Sale.  This is not a profit making exercise but a fundraising one.  All the quilts listed on this particular page are to raise funds and awareness of the charity Marie Curie Cancer Care.  The page has all the information needed should you wish to purchase a nice cosy quilt for the colder months ahead.  They would also make a loving gift for someone who has everything - except a quilt!  Please take a minute to have a look.

 

Crazy times, crazy minds leads  me to Crazy Paving a quilt I had great fun with, randomly picking and choosing fabrics willy nilly and piecing them into rectangular blocks not the usual squares.  I have used this pattern before a few years ago but it is such fun to do I thought I would try it again.  It's made up with  5 small patches with sashing in between.

Two  (3.5x4.5in), Two (3.5x2in) and one (3x 3.5in) all joined together with 1 inch sashing strips making a block around 9.5 x 7.  I used 20 of these blocks stitched together with a 4.5in border to give me a finished quilt of about 44 x 44 ins square.  Just a nice size for a lap quilt.  This will be added to my Quilts for Sale later today.  In the meantime I am off to get some crazy housework done. 

 

Crazy Paving

A Finish as Promised

Making quilts is a wonderful hobby.  I think I might have told you that before.  Why would I be telling you all about it on this blog if I didn't?  I am a quilter, in fact I have been told that I am a 'topper' as I love the cutting and piecing of the top most of all.  I make quilts - I have tried my hand at other quilted items but they just do not float my boat. Ladies at our class each week produce wonderful items, cushions, bags, wallhangings, pincushions, Christmas trees and decorations and so the list goes on.  Me, what do I do different -  eh! Nothing.  If you have a look on 'my quilts' page above you will find that very rarely do you find two quilts of the same pattern, I like things which are a bit different and unusual. I enjoy trying new techniques, and I need the variety of different colours and patterns to inspire me.  Although when you look at my quilts seemingly most have green in them.  

As I complete a quilt I wonder how many hours have been spent piecing it all together, but I never have the answer.  I start off with good intentions I take a note of the start date and write down how much fabric I have for the project.  How long does it take for each stage though? The planning, the choosing, cutting, stitching, trimming, more stitching, trimming, layering, quilting, trimming, binding, even more stitching, preparing the label, and finally taking the photograph still remains illusive as I usually miss timing a step as I go.  The stitching is the hardest to keep track of as I quite often dip in and out as my mood takes me, sometimes only for 10 minutes and more likely a bit longer.  As long as it all goes smoothly without hiccups it is a calming process and I love it!

 

I have been trying to keep track recently because I have a few quilts for sale. I will soon have another tab at the top of the page which will link to a For Sale page, I hope you will have a look.

Here is one of the finishes I promised you last time - Not Quite Union Jack

 

The Selected Fabrics

 

 

 

Making the Blocks

Sewing the Strips Together

 

 

The Finished Article - Not Quite Union Jack

A Finish To Share

At Class this week we were given a tutorial on foundation piecing.  Something I have had great difficulty with and had not quite grasped the concept.  The task was a Hunter's Star, no easy task.  As L was explaining the piecing and placing of the fabrics, I suddenly had as they say 'a light bulb moment'  it all just clicked and at last after many years of unfinished  thrown away efforts it finally clicked.  I look forward to completing this project very soon. Yippee! I have learned something new this week.

 

I  am delighted to be able to show you, at last, Harry's Quilt he came to visit me today with his Mum and Dad.  Needless to say he was really not at all interested in it yet and he slept all through the visit and allowed his Mum and Dad time to chat and have a cuppa.

 

I hope Harry enjoys playing with these animals when he gets a bit older

Class Tutorial

Some changes had to be made to our class schedule this month.  Nothing had been arranged for last night so I thought I would show the ladies how I made my cathedral window pincushion.  Good Plan!  Except I had left my new pincushion in Canada for my sewing box there so I didn't have the sample to show, only the picture.  Undeterred another sample was cut out and we all enjoyed (I think?) a fun night and learned something new. I look forward to seeing all the pincushions when they are completed, then we could have a group photo.  What would you call a collection of pincushions? 

This time I did find a sparkly button which I think finishes the whole thing off.  Had I thought about this for a little longer perhaps I should have added a little ribbon before sewing it all up.  Given the colours it could be hung on a tree later in the year. Oops I'm not going to mention that word just yet am I?

Festive?

I also have another finish - remember some of these fabrics, sorry I can't show you the quilt just yet.

Riley Blake - Life in the Jungle is the feature fabric

The first of the baby quilts is finished and will be heading off very soon to the first new arrival, Harry.  I will reveal the complete quilt when he has had the opportunity to try it out! Congratulations to the very proud parents  E and R.