Distracted!

I was working away on my quilt - but when I trimmed the edges after quilting, I had a nice long strip that seemed perfect to make 'Herb' - pattern from RicRac - so I got distracted!

Then, as I was finishing it, my DD2 spotted it and fell in love - so I ended up making a second one, having thought that my great niece might like one, which is why I'd got the pattern in the first place!

Fun distractions, quite fast to make, even though I can see that I still have some skill gaps in how to make the perfect soft toy! (all down to me, not the pattern, which is great!).
 

It's Happening!

 I've made a start!  Here is the jewel box quilt (just 3" blocks sashed and on point) stuck to my living room floor, having just been basted.

Quilting, trimming and binding will follow.  It feels nice to be making a quilt!

Tutorial - A5 pouch

Need to make a simple pouch like this for A5 papers (or A4 folded in half)? Here's how!
Start with:
      1 x 7.5” x 21” fabric (outer – avoid directional prints)     
 1 x 7.5” x 21” fabric (lining)  or you could use just 1 x 7.5” x Width of Fabric (inside and  outside will be the same).
   1 x button or snap fastening.

How to make.
  Cut your fabric, and lay right sides together.
  At one of the short ends,  measure 1” each way from one corner, mark a diagonal line between them, and cut off the resulting triangle through both pieces of fabric.  Repeat for the other corner at that short end.  This will form the shape for the flap.
 Pin if desired and start sewing the two pieces together using a ¼” seam allowance, starting about half way down one of the long sides. Sew almost all the way round, but be careful to leave a gap of about 3” to turn the pouch through.

Clip the excess fabric from the corners and turn through.
  Press neatly.
 Top stitch along the straight short edge, 1/16” from the edge.
 Fold the straight short edge up 8” to create the pouch and pin. (if you are confident with the positioning you can add a button or snap to the straight edge before you do this).
  Starting at what will now be the bottom of the pouch, top stitch, 1/16” from the edge in one continuous line from the bottom of the pouch, right up and around the flap and down the other side to the bottom of the pouch of the opposite side.  You may wish to ‘forwards and backwards’ to reinforce the start and end of the stitching, and perhaps at the top edge of the pouch too.  This top stitching not only forms the pouch sides, but also seals the gap where you turned through the pouch.

 OPTIONAL: Measure a line 3” up from the edge of the flap and sew across this line.  It will help the flap to hang neatly but isn’t definitely required.
  Make the correct size button hole at the appropriate place on the flap, then sew the button to the pouch OR add the second part of the snap. (Just for information, when I make these I put one button in the middle, 1” to 1 ¼” from the top edge of the pouch, and the button hole 1” up from the lower edge of the flap).
Admire your lovely pouch!

 

Starting a new quilt

A quilting friend gave me some of her scraps. Lucky me!  I've cut them into the sizes that I commonly use, and have decided to use some of my 3.5" squares to make a simple quilt.

Sashing them with black is an unusual choice for me - I love the look but find it difficult to sew on sometimes.

Inside the quilt the sewing is all with white thread - easy to see and unpick if necessary!

After sashing was added on one side, I'd add a long strip / sashing to the top of the pieced, then it was ready to add to the quilt top.

It is based on an idea I saw on Pintrest, but I don't often make quilts with the blocks on point, so it's making me have to think about it!

Here is what I have so far, laid out on my 'design bed'!

Still more to do!
 

It's been a while.....!

I can't believe that it's two months since I last blogged!  

Not a lot of sewing since then - it's been the summer holidays, and I've also moved from my previous sewing space to a smaller one, which took quite a lot of energy!

The sewing things are all in the right place now (more or less) but my books and items relating to other crafts are in a different space and still need to be sorted out properly.  This will happen over the next few weeks.

So, what sewing have I done?  Well, there was this 12" block, which will be added to others made by my quilting group to make a group quilt.  This one was with a disappearing technique. and started with two 10" squares, but needed a border to bring it up to the right size.

I've also refashioned an item of denim clothing for another quilt group challenge.  This was a skirt, and you can see that I haven't done that much to it to re-fashion it as a beach bag that DD2 is looking forward to using next summer.

Finally, I put together blocks that a fair number of us had made from my quilting group, then finished the quilt and entered it in the Kew Horticultural Show.  We were pleased to win Third Prize!

It's a cute baby quilt that will make a lovely donation.

Not oodles to show for the summer, but lots of lovely memories with my family, which are more valuable than anything else!
 

Stars in my eyes

I'm a member of the UK Quilters Guild, and, in particular, the Miniature Quilt Group.

They have asked for miniature quilts up to 8" square for a display.

Unfortunately, when I made this, I managed to make it just a little oversized - doh!

I may still send it along, but I'm not sure.

 Whether I do or not, though, I had a lot of fun making it and thinking about how to quilt it, and then doing the actual quilting.

Isn't that the joy of the creative life? Enjoying every step of the project from start to finish!

I've even managed to work on a few larger than this projects - photos to share soon!

Sewn Presents

 Not much to show still - but when a friend invites you to a retirement party it seems a shame not to sew a few bits and bobs in her favourite colour!

Squishy basket, tissue cover and zippy pouch - the old favourites are favourites for a reason!

Hope that you are managing a bit more crafting or sewing than I am at the moment.  It's just taking me longer than I thought to get back to full sewing strength!

The Missing Month

 These might not be a great deal to show for my 'missing month' - but my DH shared Covid with me - and stitching has hardly happened.

Like so many others, I felt poorly, then tested positive, then (eventually!) tested negative, and then..... I've still felt even more worn out than usual.

So, I watched a few short stitching videos, made a couple of tissue holders (yes, these ones with the hand stitching on), and have managed nothing else.

I'm hoping that I'll pick up even more soon, though, so I hope to be back with regular stitching updates in the not too distant future!

Hope that you are all staying safe and well!

Another Start

I've started another quilt top!

This time I'm making another MSQC one - their Wallah! or Voila! pattern.

It started off with me needing to cut a lot of 5" blocks.  I cut 96 background and 96 mixed others - the background from yardage, the others from smaller pieces of fabric, although I guess that you could make it with just two colours if you wanted to.

These were my piles.

There are two 'sets' of four patch blocks that you need to construct.  One has three 'background' squares, the other has just a single 'background' square.

When they are made, you need to cut across the odd one out in each set, from corner to corner.  Then make a 2" strip with your next cut.

After that, swap these strips around.  I found it easiest to make these in pairs.... then I knew where I was!

You can see how little triangles start to peep out in this 'magic' technique.

When you sew them together, you end up with a block with a stepped edge.  Don't panic  

Then you need to trim it to 8.5" square, as shown here.

When you have four of each type (I called them darks and lights in my head - but you don't need to call them anything, just count them!)  You can lay them out into 'big blocks'.  

You can see the light star in the darks block and the darks star in the lights block.

I won't sew them together until I've made them all - that way I hope that I can get rid of too many places where the same fabrics in my mixed part end up next to each other!

Plenty more cutting and sewing to do before I have a quilt top to show you.  I shall work my way steadily  through my pile until I'm done!
 

Homework!

I came away from my quilting group meeting (I'm a member of Richmond and Kew Quilters - if you are local come on down and join us!) with several bits of 'homework'!

First there was this fabric postcard to finish - it felt like cheating, as I actually did nothing but machine stitching on it.

Then, the lovely Benta had stitched all the committee members and hangers on (like me!) fancy felt 'starter' patches.  I wanted to make mine a little sturdier, so mounted it on a couple of extra layers and added a brooch back to make it easier to wear at meetings.  It will help make me more visible to other members so that they can approach me if they have a question or suggestion.

Lastly, another Benta initiative, was to make some covered corner blocks with teal squares that Benta provided to us.

Next month we will gather the squares in and turn them into a quilt top ready for donation.

So, all my 'homework' is done for the month, and I'm ready for our May meeting!
 

Improv. Nine Patch

A few weeks ago I took a Zoom workshop with Brenda Gael Smith, on improv. crosses called 'The X factor'.  You might remember the tiny 4" quilt that I made at the time.

This is my full size quilt with my resulting blocks.

Although I have one 'x' in the very centre, most of my blocks are actually nine patch crosses, which were more economical with the fabric.  Several different techniques used.

I was using fabrics from my stash.  As I ran out of the paler background fabrics, I decided to stick with  the number that I'd made and add improv strips to two sides to make it roughly square - almost 60".

On the back I used some pale blue chambray, made to the right size with a floral strip.  I was pleased that this worked, as this gives it a link to another quilt that I made earlier in the year when the floral was used as the backing.  I wanted this, as it is destined for another friend - the third leg of a trio that dates back to when I was eight, and moved house and school.

I think that it's worked out OK.  I just hope that my friend likes it too!  It's quite a random gift to arrive out of nowhere, I realise!

This is the only 'flat' shot that I have of it (from when I was about to baste it).  You can see that I was aiming for a darker cross shape within the block layout, then with filled in darker corners too.

I'm just about to take it off to the Post Office.  Safe journey, latest quilt!
 

Scrap Cutting and Fab Hab

My scrap drawers were starting to groan with the number of scraps that I'd been adding to them.

You know how it is, sometimes when you finish a project you just want to get on with the next one, instead of sorting out the scraps properly!

It's time to sort them out!

I'm cutting to my usual 'recipe'.  10" squares from the  scraps that are large enough for them, then 5" squares, 3.5" squares, 2.5" strips, 1.5" squares, 1.25" strips.  Anything else that appears (for example 2" strips, for some reason!) is put into a colour coded bag of scraps.  

It all packs into the drawers a little better, but reminds me that I need to start planning some more scrap projects!

And my 'fab hab'?  This darling little mini cupboard (it said on the box that it was a tea box) that DD1 gave me for mothers day.  Perfect for storing / displaying my coloured threads - the neutrals will stay in the cupboard!

Not the vintage haberdashery display counters and drawers that I lust after on the auction sites, but a mini nod to them!
 

Fun New Little Project

I've made a couple of notepad covers.

Fun! Quite fast!

I watched a 'Quilting Platter' recently - a set of 15 minute mini classes with a whole variety of textile artists.

This was my favourite mini project.  A notebook cover for a 3" x 5" notebook that is made from a 10" square of fabric and some wadding.

It is designed by Lisa Shepard Stewart of Cultured Expressions.

You start off by folding your 10" square into an envelope shape and using it as a template to cut your wadding.

Then it's time to quilt the item - I had fun with this!

Then the 'flap' is folded up and two lines of stitching, about 1/4" off the centre point, are sewn to make a spine (or a space for a pen - I've ordered some short pens for this purpose!).

Then, short seams up the sides in order to provide some support to the pad when you add it in - and to make a little pocket that could keep business cards or receipts in.

I thought about it, and then added an elastic to keep the notebook closed.

A line of zig zag on the back of the notebook to hold it in place.

I liked it so much that I made another, trying to use the selvedge that says 'little darling', but knowing that it would be upside down!

Still, another little gift for someone made.  I will dig out my 10" squares and see what I'll make next.

 

Delectable Mountains for Good Friends.

A striking design!

I have some very good friends who got married, so obviously, I wanted to make them a quilt.

One wanted rich, dark colours.

One wanted something brighter.

They compromised on 'New England Fall'.  My photos don't do justice to the red, but despite wondering if I should dot the colour blocks around the quilt, like different trees colouring at different times, I went with stripes, moving out from bright to dark.

The quilting - in rich yellow - was mostly a meander, but with leaves and a few flowers included.

Some simpler than others, but overall I was happy with the effect.

The bulk of the top is made of 'delectable mountains' - a 'disappearing' block that starts with half square triangles.

This was my chosen block as they live within sight of Snowdonia.

The backing was some mad owl fabric that was in my stash.

And the final blocks might just look like a counterchange block to you, but I'm hoping that they will be able to squint and see it as a D (gold) and J (brown), which are the initials of the couple.

Here it is thrown over the sofa in my craft room, just before it was packed up and sent off.

Hope that they enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it!

Approximately 60" square.