This and That

I have been sewing, but not so much on my own projects!  Its the pre-Christmas time of year when I tend to help my girls with the sewing for their mini businesses:  if you want fabric gift bags and wrapping look HERE for Georgie's shop, and if you want fabric cleansing pads then look HERE for Frankie's business.

As well as topping up the stocks of actual products, I've spent a little time making this bunting style banner for the stall that Georgie is going to have at the Orleans House Gallery Christmas Shopping Weekend (it doesn't trip of the tongue, does it?!?).  If you are local to Twickenham and want to pop and see her (or me), she has a stall on Saturday 4th December.  Entry to the show is free, and it looks like there will be lots of lovely things to buy!
 

Improv Complete

Finished!  Fully quilted and bound (although I confess, no actual label yet).

I'm pleased with how it's turned out.

The large scale blocks from the workshop (thank you again, Brenda Gael Smith!) I quilted with diagonal lines.  The jury is still out on whether I should halve the space between them to give a denser fill, but I like the handle of the quilt how it is, so I think that I will go with feel over the look of it....

You can just see at the edges here that the border blocks were quilted with a loose meander.

Floral backing from my stash.  Not perfect, but the right size (well, with a 10" blue insert strip that I forgot to take a photo of!) and at least the blues in it work from the front to the back.

The binding was the same printed fabric that I used for the insert strips on the front to make everything fit.

This is how it looks now that it's complete.  It was great for using my home cut 5" and 10" pieces from my scrap drawer!  I even managed to get enough contrast in most of the border blocks without cutting any extra or pushing the colour paletter from the centre blocks too far!

And what decided me on this block layout in the end?  

It was this coverlet!  Made by an unknown maker, but associated with the marriage of John and Elizabeth Chapman.  This part of it was made in England in about 1829 (with printed borders not shown here added some decades later).  It was displayed at the V&A museum at their quilt exhibition several years ago. Much more detail about it here on their web site.  Makes me laugh that the story of it says that the papers used in the 'jockey cap' blocks were supposed (by tales in family history) to be the couple's love letters, but when looked at, they were random ledger sheets, adverts or anything else that came to hand! Far more prosaic, but it really doesn't detract from the quilt, does it?

Off to pull some fabrics for another quilt now. Maybe I should add a secret to it, or just start rumours about it.  The chances for fun are endless, aren't they?!
 

Improv Progress

 I've made good progress on my improv circles this week - and completed the 80 curve blocks, which I turned into 20 4-patch blocks and used to surround the original workshop layout.

Two things strike me.  

1) I was relaxed enough with the improv to accept that I needed infill strips to make the border blocks fit the centre medallion.

2) The border blocks aren't quite 'improv' enough - they are all too similar to one another.

All good to learn about it in practical ways!

This flimsy is approximately 50" square.  I need to make a backing, cut the batting and get this basted!

More Improv

There has been a lot of this going on!  I've decided to add a simple improv border, using the techniques that I  learned on Brenda Gael Smith's workshop.

Which means that I've had a lot of this coming through the sewing machine....

....leading to a lot of these on my cutting mat ready for trimming.

With 80 small blocks to make, it's going to take me a little while, as I'm still a bit tired after half term last week.  Slow processes are still enjoyable though!

I also made a few masks - I felt very out of practice - some with ear loops, some with head loops.  Straightforward once I'd got my groove back!