Mojo is Back!

Well it seems I'm not the only one to have lost my quilty mojo.  Sometimes it's very difficult to get motivated when life is difficult.  Family always comes first but it's so difficult to get the balance just right. Everyone has their times of difficulties to overcome and we all have our different ways of working through them.  K came to the rescue again!  We have both had a difficult few weeks and last Saturday we had a day of therapy. A new, exciting, different for us, project in hand, we set off to Kaleidoscope for some fun.  A day of looking, playing and choosing fabrics.  I needed two sets of backing for projects which had been lying for a long time.  Anyway I digress.  

First stop coffee and scones as usual in Dobbies Garden Centre, yummy!  A trot across the car park to the delights of the fabric shop.  Susan was very welcoming as always and our plan was put into play.   I quickly chose my backing fabrics, a nice batik for the Oakshott Interlocking squares and a Moda Marble wide backing for Toes in the Sand (no it's not finished yet!).

The Two Backing Fabrics

Interlocking Squares - almost done just to finish the binding

Our joint project is a Craftsy Class, one K has had for a while, and desperate to start - I was not convinced - seemed a bit complicated and fiddly but I agreed we should make a start to it and hopefully my uncertainty would be banished.  We choose appropriate fabrics - K gave me that look - not green again?  Ok it was put back.  Choice no 2 was approved! We had a look at the books too and I made a purchase - lots of inspiration here and food for thought for the next project.

The second choice - burnt orange and grey. -  I love crackle fabric

A most enjoyable time and of course lots of encouragement to tackle a new project and blow away the dark clouds looming over us.  Here are some of my purchases.

Lunch at the Tickled Trout rounded off our day.

We agreed to make a start to this new project yesterday.  I cleared my diningroom and turned it into a mini classroom.  What a buzz.  We spent the first 2 hours planning, cutting and chatting.  A quick lunch and then the sewing machines started humming.  We did get a bit bored sewing strips so decided to call it a day and finish them off as homework.  

Progress so far

Hopefully my mojo is back to stay, I really enjoyed my sewing day yesterday and it's so nice to have a buddy to encourage you and push you to get things going.  So if you ever feel in a rut, find a buddy to sew with and embark on something new.  Thanks again K, you are a star!

As time creeps up on us and November is almost gone I hope you are looking forward to the festive season taking time to spend with family and friends and of course finishing off all those crafty Christmas gifts.

Another Hectic Week

Dad has now been discharged from hospital and seems to be on the mend.  It's been a very busy week visiting hospital each day which coincided with the worst November weather, cold, wet and windy. The surprising phonecall from the hospital telling me he was ready to come home and I could come to collect him on Thursday morning was a bit of a shock to me.  His house was not quite ready for him coming home but we managed to get everything back in place, his bed made up and the shopping done.  I think this UTI has been working on Dad for a wee while, but the antibiotics seem to have cleared it all up.   Today he was bright cheery and moving around much better than before.

I am in dire need of quilting inspiration - I have lost my mojo as they say and need a new project to make me think and get the grey matter working again.  I still have a few WIPs lying around but not quite so many.  I really need to find the opportunity to take a photo of my Disappearing Pinwheel Churndash which was completed last week to let you all see.

This week I didn't think I would make the quilting class due to hospital visiting but.......thankfully I managed to get there in time to take part in the tutorial Chris had organised for us.  Now as you all may know I'm a topper, a piecer,  a quilter and not a bag maker.  I don't think I have ever made a bag, this was a tutorial on making the One Hour Fabric Basket.  This uses the new fusible Bosal R form double sided fusible stabiliser.  Interesting stuff to use and I'm sure there will be plenty of uses for it found by the class.  I didn't quite manage to get it finished in the hour but I did finish it the following evening - I knew if I didn't finish it it would lie in the bundle of WIPs.  However little grandson now has a basket at grannie's house, to put his cars and books in.  I am sure it will find lots of uses over the years.

I hope you all have a quiet relaxing week - I certainly hoping mine won't be as hectic.

Sorry

Apologies for not posting last week and no sewing news today either.  Last weekend was rather hectic to say the least.  Dad became unwell and was admitted to hospital on Sunday evening.  He is responding well to antibiotics and hopefully it won't be too long before he is on the mend.  

Needless to say there has been no sewing done, naturally I have been spending most of my time visiting Dad in the evenings as no visiting was allowed in that particular ward in the afternoons.  He has now been transferred to another ward and life is not quite as manic.  I have managed a few late evenings after visiting trying to switch off, sitting under my Autumn churndash pinwheel quilt sewing on the binding.  Very relaxing after very busy days.  I know we are not out of the woods yet but I'm hopeful things will continue to improve this week and I might just get another quilt sandwiched.  No photos I'm afraid - maybe next week. 

No Sewing This Week

Gosh where is this year running away to - I cannot believe it's November already.  I hope you all had fun last night - don't gorge yourself on all the sweets, apples and peanuts left over from the guisers.  We had a quiet night, not my favourite night of the year and thankfully the children have all grown up and no longer come around trick and treating.  I did have just three of my pumpkins and gourds on display in the hall though.  Hubby brings them from the market mid October and they bring a nice bright splash of colour to the house 

.......... they usually last right through till Christmas until it's time for the festive decorations.  We will be counting down soon I guess.

As it says on the label no sewing this week but as I sit typing this I realise that's a lie.  I finished sewing down the binding of my Racing Minis at class on Tuesday night!  This is a bright easy and very simple pattern, the top has been finished for ages and has been waiting to be quilted.  All done now and will be a good teenage boys gift.  It's quite a big one measuring roughly  50 X 70ins

I did also manage to sandwich another of the tops sitting in the bundle waiting for the final push to completion.  This one first appeared here way back on the 1st of August!

It's another biggish one for me around 70 X 70 which was pieced with the practice blocks for a tutorial I gave at class.  This is another Missouri Star pinwheel design which used up a lot of my autumnal scraps.  The sashing background strips are Kona espresso and sets off the blocks quite nicely.  Sorry not a great photo.  The backing for this one has been pieced with lots of biggish scraps too - I had gathered a lot of brownish fabrics from my early days of fabric collecting so I took the opportunity to use them up in this very autumnal quilt.  Now the next challenge (always an issue for me) is to decide on the quilting.  Again watch this space!

It's a beautiful day today the sun is shining and making the Autumn colours glow.  It's been a challenging and very busy week for me and I know it's been a difficult week for my friends and family too.  As we start another busy new week hopefully you will find a little down time for yourself to sit and sew, craft or read or indeed just time to stop and look at the lovely colours of nature before they fade for the winter.

One, Two, Three and nearly Four

Our Sew-in was a great success the other week at class and I forgot to report on the progress here last week.  Everyone joined in and I think we managed enough blocks on the night for about 4 tops! I will try and get photos of each of them as they are completed.  As we were running short of the background fabric I decided to improvise and changed the pattern slightly.  I have been working on quick and easy projects for some time and have completed these two.  As requested there is no batting in either of these, only a fleece on the back - more easily washed and dried for the recipients.  Sadly in my opinion i would rather put in the batting as I feel it gives more body to the quilt, but thats only my view and I know I'm in the minority on this one.  They will keep a little child cosy though I hope during the colder months ahead.

and the Reel Time quilt is finished too all bar the label.  I still haven't quite mastered the Photoshop programme and I need to install new ink cartridges before I do any more printing.

The fourth quilt is my Racing Minis which has been sandwiched and quilted this week, and now is just waiting for the binding to be cut - but that's where the decision making lies.  Should it be a red binding or a black binding......or maybe both?  Watch this space!

I feel I am in a bit of a rut - I need a challenge I think, looking at the quilts I have been sewing recently are all quite straightforward, and while I have enjoyed making them they have not been all that challenging.  So......I'm looking for a new project and will set out this week to look for something a wee bit different.

I had a lovely parcel of fabrics arrive today and I've spent some time playing with it, refolding it and wrapping it around the cardboard comic boards in readiness for stacking on my bookshelves ....what fun!

Hope you've all had fun this week doing something you enjoy.  

Sew Saturday - Sew Everyday

Today is Sew Saturday, a nationwide uk day to raise awareness of sewing and local sewing and fabric shops.  The last thing I need is more fabric so no visit to our local quilting supplies shop, but  when hubby asked me this afternoon what I was going to be doing today the answer was of course sewing - its national Sew Saturday today!  .........the reply?  Well everyday is national sew day for you!  Yes indeed there is rarely a day goes by that I don't manage to do something with needle, thread, fabric and my trusty sewing machine.  Call it passion, obsession, relaxation, addiction or whatever you like but I just love it.  It's an escape, it's chill out time, it's tidy the dining room time but most of all it's my time and we all need that now and again don't we.  My frustration is that I feel slightly guilting sitting in my sewing/diningroom sewing when I could be doing housework, cooking, cleaning windows, dusting etc etc.  Chill out time is needed though for all of us and it's good to accept we need it now and again.

This morning was spent running around doing errands (for other people) and this afternoon has been me time.  I have been putting the binding on my Reel Time quilt.  I am now sitting comfortably under my quilt and my daylight lamp stitching said binding down listening to a selection of lighthearted tracks from movies, can I guess which movies?.....eh well not all of them.  

Even my top and cardi are co-ordinating with my quilt

Dear hubby has just brought me a little bowl of olives and a gin and tonic....... Heaven on earth what more can a girl ask for, sewing in her own space, peace and quiet  (well relatively).  I might even sneak a wee piece of my favourite chocolate later which I've been hiding from Canmore!!  Bliss.

Hope you have had a good sewing day too.

Scrap Busting Again

I was determined to get some sewing done this week as well as getting to know my new computer.  so I have spent a bit of time doing both.  As well as the usual visits to Dad for our regular lunch and shopping trips I had a really lovely day with our little grandson.  His Mummy will be returning to work soon and she had to go to a meeting so Grannie was in charge.  What a great time we had.  I was a bit concerned that the old tricks wouldn't work after 30 years but I needn't have worried.  Yes it was a bit like riding a bike - once you've mastered it, it all comes back in a rush.  We played, we read stories, 

Lift the flap to see the cows - Moo!

We even managed lunch without too much of a mess, he even settled for me quite quickly at nap time - but and there is always a but isn't there …….I had forgotten how much an almost 10 month old can wriggle and squirm when it comes to changing a nappy!!!  

I suppose sewing and knitting are very similar in some respects, what we learn from our mothers, teachers and mentors in our younger years sticks with us - once shown never forgotten.  I remember being taught sewing at school.  Starting off with the binca and the thick wool doing cross stitches, then moving on to our lapbags  [mine was yellow with blue and green embroidery]  This was my first real sewing project and was used throughout primary school to keep sewing and knitting projects in for our weekly lesson.  The lasting memory I have is Miss Smith standing over me as I struggled to thread my needle.  Wet soggy thread all frayed at the end just wouldn't go through that tiny eye .......and woe betide anyone who lost that precious needle.  Ahh memories.

I finished an I spy charity quilt this week, scraps and leftovers, the top is one of a few that's been lying waiting to be quilted.  This one is all done just a label to go on.......but I'm still trying to fathom out the label printing process on my new Photoshop - for some reason it is insisting on printing in the middle of the page which I don't want!  Techie needed again to sort it out I think.

I bought a charm pack called Reel Time a few months ago which I have lifted and moved quite few times not quite knowing what to do with it.  It has now been transformed - a very quick and easy project combined with just under a metre of the new Lewis and Irene Bumbleberries in cream as a background.

And on the wall 

We are going to make one like this at class on Tuesday, using our scraps and stash, no new purchases allowed, so a good stashbuster.  We are having a 'sew in' I'll let you know how many blocks we manage to complete in the evening.  They will eventually be made into children's quilts for charity, a win win situation for everybody. 

So until next week enjoy your stitching.