Freemotion Fankle

I've shown you Fishy Fishy before it was quilted a few weeks ago but realise you haven't seen it completed nor have you seen Loopy and its big brother which is not so tightly quilted.

Fishy Fishy

Loopy

and his big Brother

 

Yes I've been doing a bit of freemotion!   I had got myself into a right fankle - tension not right, loops on the back, uneven stitches etc etc.  having taken advice and read lots of blogs and watched lots of YouTube videos I think I finally have turned a corner as they say.  Topstitch needle, polyester threads, fast speed on the needle but slow hand movements.  I now need to work on getting my stitches more uniform and even but I think I'm getting there but ........yes there is always a but isn't there.  I hate doing all the practice pieces that can't be used for anything else I just hate waste.  So I decided to use up odd pieces of fabric and  batting I had lying around - did you know batting is so easy to join? Cut neatly and sewn with a zig zag or similar stitch, butting two straight edges together the join is not seen when sandwiched between top and backing.

I have also been using cottons from that Scandinavian shop, yes you know the one - cheap, cheerful and ideal for trying out my freemotion.  It often has a looser weave and it's not quite as good quality as proper quilting fabric however just look out for the better quality pieces, some of it is wider than the 42" too and therefore good as a backing.

......and the back

I turned these EPP (English paper pieced) pentagons

pentagons a change from hexis

Into this little ball for S.  our little grandson who is now 5 months old and sitting up quite steadily all on his own on his playmat playing with his toys.  This ball is a smaller version than the one I made at Christmas and has a rattle inside instead of a bell.  I hope he likes it.

I will continue with block 6 this week - here's my little mousie in the making she's not stitched down yet

Miss Mouse

 

And I hope to continue with A's bunting quilt which now has its borders on and is ready to be sandwiched and quilted

Hmmm - I think I've done pretty well this week again. I hope you all have a productive week whatever you are planning.

A Good Week

I'm feeling quite proud of myself this week. I have managed this

And this

And this 

And have only got this 

Left over, a handful of scraps which can sit on a six and a half square ruler - that's an achievement!  And I know somebody who could probably use them for her EPP project too so that's a bonus.

In the still of the evening I took the photo of the Midnight Lace T Intersection Quilt, it was cool but the colours in the garden in the fading light were lovely.  I just had to take a shot of the  Rhododendrons which are just about to burst into a riot of colour. Hopefully a little bit of heat this week will make them open even further.

I feel as though I have achieved a lot this week, the summerhouse has been swept, clean and tidied up ready to sit in and enjoy the garden. (I have to confess hubby cleaned it out this afternoon). Toes in the Sand has been put away meantime but the left over scraps may be forming a plan in my head.  The Bunting Quilt has been returned with a lovely supply of fabric for the borders, backing and binding.  I have a request to make another pentagon ball, so it's being hand stitched. Of course I need to press on with Block 6 too.  Plenty projects for me to choose from this week.  How about you? Do you have crafty plans for the week ahead?  If you do enjoy the peace sewing brings, have a good week.

Whew - lots of progress, oh and I nearly forgot,  I even made R a cushion to go with his quilt.

Two Tops Complete

Two tops complete this week!  And if you are reading this as one of our class members, don't read any further as they will be part of my Show and Tell on Tuesday this week.  

I was shamed into finishing the Toes in the Sand top by C, well not exactly - it was time, she too has the pattern for this quilt and was keen to hear about its progress.  Well........this was a block of the month kit I bought way back in October 2013. 

My Finished Top with the Pattern

I mentioned it here and here.  It started off very confusingly with a big mix up - not blaming anyone but I thought I was buying the block of the month kit which included the pattern book Eh no! So that was an extra purchase, I did know though that I had to purchase separately the specialist Hex and More ruler.  (Which I can recommend for all sizes of hexis, half hexis and triangles of various sizes). Then there was the mix up over the amount being taken each month from my bank account which had to be sorted out too.  As the monthly packages dropped though my letter box each month I was getting a bit more disheartened.  They were neatly folded and packed in little cellophane bags all very nice but......

The Little Cellophane Bags - not so neat now but with all the left over scraps (what will I do with them?)

 

...... as the months progressed I had the feeling I had bought something I didn't like.  I was enjoying making the triangular blocks - but I didn't like the fabrics.  Liberty prints were mixed with ditsy prints, voiles with heavier fabrics, oakshott type woven with whale prints and primitive snowmen, sea urchins and batiks. A very eclectic mixture which in my eyes just didn't gel together.  However I had started and too late to change things around or swap out the materials. I eventually pieced all the blocks but then all 24 triangular blocks lay in the basket.  Frequently I would look through them and return them to the shelf.  Yes here it is on the second shelf, next to the Farmers Wifey blocks and above the Night before Christmas WIP's

My WIP Baskets

I took the bull by the horns this week and ran into yet another issue when cutting the white background triangles.   I think most quilters cut their shapes with double fabric as it comes off the bolt and I'm no exception.  Beware!!  I started cutting and very quickly realised I was not going to get the number of triangles out each strip as required due to a rather large printed black name on the selvedge.  To do this without a huge waste of fabric and also running out of said fabric supplied, each triangle had to be cut out individually!!  There have been a lot of pitfalls with this kit but I may do some of the individual triangles in the future - I also think it will make a lovely scrappy quilt or perhaps a multicoloured rainbow one to use up some of the smaller pieces in your stash or even a Fat eighth bundle.  It's now all squared up and will probably go into the display case until I summon up enough courage to sandwich and quilt it - it's only taken me 18 months so far to get to this stage.  I don't think I will buy a block of the month kit like this again.  I have just proven to myself (as if I didn't already know) that I like to choose my own fabrics and colour combinations.

The second top was produced using a piece of fabric found on its own in a package at the bottom of my wardrobe.  Now this fabric is old, I think I made a cushion for my elder son when he was younger and long before I started quilting.  I fussy cut the fishes and turned it into a quick Exploding Block.  Yes I know I had had my fill of this block but it was just crying out for this fabric.  Result! teamed with a nice bright stripey yellow fabric for the border yet another Linus quilt almost complete.  It's now sandwiched and ready to be quilted.  I am sure it will be treasured by a little one. 

I didn't manage the spring clean of the summerhouse this week and it looks quite forlorn this morning in the cold, damp and wet.  The acers are beginning to burst their leaves, bright against the grey sky,  hopefully the garden will soon have some colour again and it will be warm enough for us to sit in the sunshine.

Until next week, enjoy what's left of the holiday weekend.

   

A Quilt For My Nephew

My 11 year old nephew was due to get a new quilt.  I have made a couple for him in the past, both of which he still has and are still used.  They were both made as  playmats for his cars and construction vehicles when he was much younger.  One stayed at home and the other was left at Gran and Papa's.

I thought it was time he had a change.  He is a big fan of Transformers and has a few of the characters which 'transform' into cars.  Although I am not an expert I believe there are films, games and all sorts of toys.  I was lucky enough to purchase some fabric recently.  When the lady from Linus visited our group to collect some quilts we had made for the charity, she brought along some fabrics and quilts which had been made especially for boys.  Transformers was one of the prints and as soon as I saw it I knew I just had to make a quilt using thus fabric for R.

I am really pleased with the outcome, I fussy cut Optimus Prime and Bumblebee I used bright solids sandwiched between black and grey to break things up.  R was delighted with the cosy quilt which has a nice red fleece on the back.  He immediately wanted to take it to show all his friends.  The only disappointment was I hadn't included 'Ratchet' who apparently is the mechanic who fixes the others when they are broken.  Oops!  I'll need to see if I can find a picture of him to print on the backing of the cushion cover I am in the midst of making with the leftovers. I even managed a photo outside this week.

The Zandra Rhodes Midnight Lace fabrics are coming together nicely using the T intersection pattern as shown on the Missouri Star Quilt Co Tutorial.  I added another solid teal fabric from my stash  to break things up - too many patterned fabrics were making me dizzy.  The blocks were put together totally randomly - not an easy thing to do if you are a quilter.  It's a well known fact quilters don't do random, we always try to match things up.

The top is almost complete so I might manage a photo of it for next week.

We have been lucky this week and have been able to enjoy nice bright days and glorious sunshine.  I even managed my morning coffee in the summerhouse, although I was sitting amidst the winter debris and cobwebs.  That is this week's project - to give it a good spring clean, dust down the cobwebs and return it from the winter storage dumping ground to what it should be - a nice place to sit in the garden for morning coffee, afternoon tea, or a quiet half hour stitching or reading.  

Enjoy your week ahead.

Using Up The Confetti

Where are the weeks disappearing to?  I've had a good week although busy, a little bit of spring cleaning, the usual lunch and shopping trip and an outpatients visit for Dad.  So my own activities have been a bit curtailed.  I seem to be getting my own house in order very slowly and hope to start very soon on an exciting and long over due, long term project. Maybe in the next couple of weeks.

I did manage a few more Farmers Wifey Blocks - but as I said last week I was running low on the layer cake fabrics, don't want to buy more but I have lots of left over scraps.  Hmmm what to do?  Light bulb moment!  15 minutes of play.  Do you remember this post and this one shows a finished quilt (4th photo down) using the blocks?  Perfect for all those little bits of confetti.  I am very pleased with the results and three more unique blocks to be added to the mix.  You know I'm not one for throwing things away.

Kim Higgins of Biggar Stitches came along to visit us at class as arranged on Tuesday.  What a fun night!  A lovely lady with a fantastic quilty vision for the future.  Kim has a newly developed business plan and an online shop.  She is based in the next town and it's good to have a local presence for quilting notions and fabrics.  Kim brought along some of her stock and a few samples, she spoke of her dreams and how they came to fruition and plans for the future and how they are gradually falling into place.  We were all focussed and enjoying her chat and the time passed too quickly.  We had the opportunity to buy some of the pre-cuts she had brought - mini charms, charms, jelly rolls, layercakes and fat quarters, all of which she is selling online here together with all kinds of quilting notions and supplies.

I thought you might like to see my purchases  - 6 little fat quarters. Yes I know, I know, you know my mantra -  I don't like buying fat quarters -  and there were a few comments by the ladies,  but I do have a plan in mind and it is fat quarter or layer cake friendly.  Kim had not (understandably) brought bolts and I needed a solid to compliment these little attractively folded and stacked fat quarters.  Aren't they cute!  

Kim agreed to send me the Bella solid I wanted, and this little package arrived yesterday

all neatly folded, wrapped and packaged with a little note.   I don't normally advertise here but I wish Kim at Biggar Stitches all the very best and I am sure she will have a few more customers from our group. 

I best get on now and get the never ending bundle of ironing done.  I hope you all have a lovely week whatever you are doing and have time to stop and enjoy the lovely spring flowers which are appearing in the gardens.

Sunshine After The Storm

............ is finished.  

Block 5 is finished too (with a little bit of artistic licence) apart from the embroidery so I am pleased with my efforts this week and it's done just in time for the allotted timescale at class.  

I have just realised though I have a reprieve.  Normally we show our Night Before Christmas progress on the second week of the month at class.  This week we are having a visitor though.  A lady has set up an online quilting shop in the next town and she is coming along to class to talk to us and show us some of her stock - how exciting I'm really looking forward to this.  As I have said before we don't have a fabric shop in our local area so this might be a bonus for us.

A couple of weeks ago at class we started chatting about threads.  Which thread do you use?  Have you considered changing?  Why does one manufacturer's thread seem thicker than another?  This got me thinking and I am about to embark on a trial using different threads by different manufacturers.  There are so many out there but which one is best for piecing and is it all that important.  Gutterman, YLI, Robison Anton, Superior, Aurifil and so the list goes on.  This may take me some time but I will give you an update when I have the results of my findings.

I have also managed to sort out the fabrics I brought home from Canada, that was fun!  Nothing here that I could make a complete quilt with but a lot of blenders and binding fabrics to add to my stash.   I also bought some novelty prints to add to the pieces I have been collecting for some time  to make an I spy quilt for my little grandson then I will use up the leftovers for linus quilts.

This week I hope to do a few of the Farmers Wifey Blocks - I think I mentioned before I am getting towards the end of the layer cake and I'm finding it more difficult to find enough for each block.  I might manage another two or maybe even three blocks if I'm lucky.  I am no where near finishing all the blocks in the book but I knew that before I started, I have a good selection to make up a lap quilt which will do me just fine.

Have a good week whatever you are doing.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter 

It's all in the preparation, or so we are always told.  Prepare well and you will do well, hmmm I'm not so sure.  I'm still struggling with this block No 5.  To be honest I will be glad when it's done and that's my problem - procrastination again.  I need to get this behind me, so I am forging ahead with it this week so that it will be finished for the 2nd Tuesday of this month when I can show it at class with everyone else's.

So as well as completing Block 5 I need to get this binding on and a label for Show and Tell this week at class..........two more sides to go!  Then Sunshine after the Storm will be finished.

Short and sweet this week, sorry I missed last weeks post - let's put it down to jet lag!  I hope you have a lovely long weekend and the Easter bunny leaves lots of lovely chocolate - but don't eat too much at once.