An Unexpected Result

I have been a bit under the weather this week, unfortunately a head cold appeared from nowhere and has made me feel miserable most of this week.  However it is only a cold and although my poor family have had to suffer my grumpiness more than usual this week I think I have turned the corner now and I'm feeling a bit better today.  Needless to say my plans for the week were all shot to pieces.  I had to phone Dad to postpone our weekly lunch and shopping expedition.  

I didn't get as much sewing done as I had planned but Tula Pink's blocks were easy they were sewing up quickly and didn't require too much thought or concentration. The smaller pieces of fabrics I was using quickly disappeared.  I managed 20 blocks and pieced together they have given me a fair sized Lap quilt 42x35ins or there abouts.

Tula Pink as some of you may know is a modern quilter, fabric designer and writer.  I decided I would use some of my quite traditional fabrics but make modern blocks and have a layout with a modern twist. This was what I was aiming for with the blocks offset.  Well.........

 

Tula Pink's Sliding Scale from her book 100 Modern Quilt Blocks City Sampler

..............  my mind obviously went down a different track the other night and this is what I ended up with. A very traditional block layout with traditional two inch sashings!!! 

Not quite what it should be

Oh dear I suppose it was meant to be.  The moral of this story has got to be, when you are not feeling 100%, think twice or maybe three times before taking on a project involving thought processes.  My mind was certainly addled or maybe as usual I just didn't think!  This is another charity quilt but I was hoping for something a bit different.   I quite like it now it is almost finished, I have just the binding to sew down, a few threads to darn in and a label to make for the back.  Even although it's not the result I was planning at the outset hopefully someone will love it. 

 

Today has been dull, dark and drizzly.  I will need to make winter arrangements for taking photographs.   I feel a tutorial from Techie coming on - maybe next week.  

Take Over

My quilting space came under attack last night.  Techie decided he would see what all the quilting fuss was about.  Having decided a couple of weeks ago he was going to make a Christmas quilt, he chose a pattern there and then.  Last night he rummaged through my box of Christmas fabrics and pulled out a few suitable pieces.  We had a quick run through safety procedures - the rotary cutter is really sharp etc etc.  "It's ok Mum it's just like cutting my mount board for my photos!" I showed him how to thread my sewing machine and he was off.  Cutting,  sewing,  trimming.  A natural, will there be another quilter in the family? Who knows.  I look forward with interest to see if this project  continues or whether it will fall by the wayside when something more interesting comes along.  I don't think there was anything to interest him on TV last night!



Note the phone on the table - can't be apart from it for long

 

Watch the fingers

Didn't he do well - Sorry apparently I've got the block upside down

 

Needless to say I don't have much to report.  I am still hand stitching the binding on my HST quilt but another evening should see it finished.  Four more Tula Pink modern blocks are in the basket, and I really need to get my thinking cap on for the last of the baby quilts which needs to be finished this month.  Hopefully my quilting space will still be available now and again so that I can get these ticked off my list.

Happy stitching everyone.

A Quick Sunday

Wow where has today gone!  I was intending doing a bit of sewing today however only managed about half an hour, but that's life isn't it.  This was birthday week in our house so instead of birthday cake I promised I would make a cloottie dumpling for hubby who had a milestone birthday on Wednesday.  So the task this morning was to make dumpling.  This is a Scottish tradition, a rich fruity, treacley, spicy steamed pudding like cake, the mixture is tied in a muslin cloth and is steamed for hours and tastes quite delicious served with whipped double cream or icecream. While this was cooking I also made some pancakes which have disappeared quite quickly today even before they had cooled.

My half an hour of sewing was spent making a couple of Tula Pink blocks.  Yes I am a glutton for punishment as these are once again 6 inch squares.  You may remember I bought the book recently.  The fabrics I am using are pinks and purple tones with a green thrown in for good measure.  These fabrics are from my stash and smaller pieces they are all less than half a metre, which is ideal for this project.  The blocks I have made so far have been really quick and easy and would be ideal for a beginner.  I won't be making all the 100 blocks for this project but I will just keep going until I use up all the fabric.

Hmm - the colours are not quite right in this photo - left hand side royal blue is in fact purple



The First Block

 

Almost dinner time now so I am off to enjoy some of the dumpling for dessert.

P.S.  The dumpling was yummy, I had it with a dollop of cream.

Have a good week.

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 Christmas Project

I am now working on the fifth of my Christmas projects for this year.  You may remember way back I made a little cathedral window pincushion with festive fabrics, it was really too early to start mentioning Christmas so I called it festive.  Wouldn't this be a lovely gift for a quilting friend for Christmas?

Cathedral Pinushion

I also made two festive table runners (I am counting this as one project as I did them together) with the idea of raffling them for Marie Curie Cancer Care.  They have been given away for this purpose and hopefully will raise some funds and brighten a table somewhere this Christmas season.  You can see them if you have a look in the tab above in My Quilts. 

We had two Christmassy tutorials at class earlier this month. One was a quick and easy coaster which was done in cool blue snowflake fabrics.  It's pieced on the front and has an appliquéd snowflake on the back.  The challenge was to get it done in an hour - yes we managed it!



Cool Blues Coaster

 

The other was a more complicated, rather striking Hunter's Star block.  I struggle with foundation piecing but thanks to a good teacher I managed to produce this.  We certainly didn't manage this in an hour, but the basics were taught in class and we finished it off at home.  It may be transformed into a cushion later.

Striking Star

Every year since I started on my quilting journey I make a quilt to decorate the house for the holiday season.  This year is no exception.  I don't usually start working on or thinking about Christmas and all the trimmings and trappings until after my birthday.  So last week I got the appropriate box of fabric out and had a rummage.  I talked about half square triangles a few blog posts ago and thought this year's design should incorporate them.   

I was unsure how this quilt was going to turn out, however I started cutting 5" squares from my reds, greens and festive fabrics.  I pieced them together with a gold/cream fabric which reminded me of snowballs or raindrops on a window, and low and behold the HSTs began to grow.  100+ blocks later and lots of trimming I was ready to make use of the design wall.  Oh what fun!  After many aborted attempts I finally decided on the design and took a photo.  Then techie came into the room and suggested perhaps it would look better with the opposite colour in the middle - oh oh!  Here we go again, we tried it out together, stood back and decided .....that we didn't like it, glad I took that photo!  It was much better the other way around.  All change again.  However techie has decided that HE would like to have a go making a Christmas quilt??!!!  Watch this space, I don't think he will have time to do it for this year but you never know maybe 2015?

It came down off the wall row by row and it stitched up quickly.  It is almost done now, here is a photo of the binding going on.  

The Binding

I hope you all have a good week hopefully I will have this finished to show you next week.

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

Missed Opportunity

I missed a really good quilt photo opportunity this morning when the sun was shining.  Time overtook me again.
 

I have another two finishes to show you apart from the ones below but they will have to keep for another day when the sun shines and I can get the photographs taken.  Unfortunately I have not found an ideal place to take photos indoors. That would involve me learning a little bit more about my camera, flash and appropriate lighting, and I am not quite ready for that just yet.

I am delighted to report that two more babies have arrived this week.  Twin boys, I only know them as hiccup and trouble! The names their Mum gave them before they appeared into the big wide world on Monday.  These were the little quilts I was delighted to make for them, commissioned by their Grandmother, a very special lady who helped nurse Mum.  The remit was pastel shades, not identical, small and suitable for car seats and bouncers.  These were a joy to make.  I used the same fabrics but made the placements different in the split nine patch pattern.  I am sure they will help to keep the boys cosy while travelling in the car.

 

 

Hopefully I will be back later in the week with photos of the Crazy Paving quilt.  Have a good week ahead.