Penguin Terrace

So here is what I did with the tiny improv houses that I showed you last week.  Last week it was all Jo Avery.  This week, after an inspiring talk by Anne Kelly, this is what it has become - with fabric, lace, gimp and lots and lots of stitching!

The additions were laid on as raw edge applique.  Tree-like flowers were added in front of the houses, along with a few penguins that I found in my scrap drawer.

I paid attention to Anne's stitching.  Not only was it dense, making good use of decoration stitches, but it also changed direction to add extra interest.

I did that too.

I may not have reached Anne's quality of work, but, my goodness me I had fun!

So, here are a few details from Penguin Terrace.

I hope you enjoy seeing how it has transformed from last week to this week.

Now hanging on my wall.  Approximately 17" x 12"
 

And now for something a little different!

I took an (online) workshop with Jo Avery last weekend, courtesy of my Miniature Quilting Group - part of the Quilters Guild.

It was called Tiny Improv Houses.  Great workshop, and we were taught how to make town houses, mansion houses, different roof styles, how to add chimneys, how to make an improv tree (I still haven't made one yet - but I've got lovely notes on how to!), and finally, how to turn projects into pouches!

It was quite a day!  Very productive and lots of fun.

I'm not sure that I'd call the houses tiny (but I was making ones that were fitting into a two inch square a couple of years ago, so perhaps I don't have a 'normal' view on this), and the houses were finishing between 5" and 7" tall.

By the end of the day I'd made this short terrace which will become a small wall hanging (I've got plans to embellish and stitch on this!), and two pouches.  The lower one was made in plain fabric to make sure that I was understanding the ideas as there are a couple of twists on how I'd usually make a pouch.  The upper one (you get to see both sides) used two of the mansion houses that I made.

I love taking workshops like this!

So much entertainment and inspiration in just one day, plus it feels like a luxury to tell the rest of the family not to interrupt me, and just play for a day!

 

The next four blocks

 The next four in my Bobbin Challenge.

These are my blocks for Lace, Gold, Crystal and Tea / Coffee.

The tea / coffee block is one that may change - as 'china' comes up in a few blocks, so this might be swapped for that.  I'm considering sewing a coffee bean for this block instead - I'll let you know if I change this one!

I'm almost half way through the challenge now!

Another Four mini Blocks

Still working on my Round Bobbin challenge.  These next four blocks represent Willow (a cricket bat), Tin (a tin can), Steel (thimble, needle, scissors) and Silk (mini silk pyjamas).

Fun to use a range of techniques - hand and machine stitching, applique and additions.

I'm off to work on a the next block now!

Happy sewing!

 

Frame Quilt Finish

Finished! Hanging on the wall!  And yes, it could really do with blocking to help it hang a little flatter......

 The centre is made up of my quilt group's Frame Quilt challenge

This is my centre block.  You can see the quilting, which I kept fun, with different patterns in each of the setting triangles.

The first border had an instruction to include squares.  I did mine seminole style, with framed squares at each corner.

The next border had to include triangles.  I went traditional with Flying Geese.

I was starting to run out of space - I knew that I wanted to insert this into a block challenge quilt that I'd set myself, which I'd started before knowing how many rounds of the frame quilt challenge there were going to be!

For that reason I combined the final two borders - with instructions for curves and stars.  The curves of gold bias binding give a little sparkle to the quilt.

Each border was quilted differently - linked 'eyes' on the squares, curves and 'eggs' on the flying geese, echo quilting on the bias tape and meander quilting on the rest of that border.

Working out from there I made a double line of 3" square blocks - these I quilted with oyster shells.

The final pieced blocks (6" square) and outer border with corner stones were all quilted with a meander - not shown in detail.

It was supposed to be complete when my DD2 completed her A level exams, but life got in the way, and neither the 88 batik blocks or the frame quilt centre were complete at that point!

I did manage to get it finished and on the wall in time for the results, though.  Phew!

And for anyone who is interested, she did jolly well, and will be off to Sheffield Uni to read Environment Science in September 2024!  So proud of her!
 

It's been a while!

 

I've been missing in action from my Blog for the last few weeks - but I have still been sewing!

Mostly it's been on a wall hanging quilt - lots of batik blocks, some of which I've shown you.  Next week I should be able to show you the finished quilt.

But in the meantime, here are the Round Bobbin challenge blocks that I've completed so far.

The first four are paper, cotton, leather and flowers.

The next four are wood, iron, wool and pottery (it's a ceramic button, which I'm sure counts!

I'm using my own hand dyed fabrics for the backgrounds, and then sewing / adding to them in order to try and get my idea for the theme accross.

It's fun - and at only 10cm (4") square, a very portable size!

Catching Up

A couple of weeks ago one of my quilting group members ran a mini-workshop on how to make this cute little 'origami' bag.

Isn't it fun?  A drawstring bag with two outside pockets, and really easy to make.

I remember making a couple many years ago, when my girls were tiny - and it was lovely to have a reminder about them and how to construct them!

 There is a very clear tutorial by Deb at OneLuckyDay right here.  Go ahead, take a look, grab two fatquarters and have a fun few minutes making one too!

I added a button to each side, but you could add any embellishment that you fancy - they could be a great vehicle for some lovely handstitching, for example.

Enjoy!

Back to my Blocks

I'm making good progress on my 3.5" square, mainly green batik, blocks.

Here are the next 16 blocks.

That's 32 down, 32 to go!

I'm tending to make them in batches of 4.  That way I have options when I'm chain piecing (although I only tend to work on two blocks at a time, otherwise I get confused!).

But I tend to choose and write out the cutting needed for each block in groups of four.

As you can see, I'm also choosing similar colours / fabrics for each set of four.  That way I'll have one for each side of the 'frame' that I'm going to sew.

It's a good theory, and I hope it will leave me with a good mix of colours and shapes on each side!

 Some blocks are easier than others - and some are more accurate than others!  Still, I'm sure that when they are all gathered together I won't feel too picky about the way that they are constructed!

Frame Quilt Progress

Each month at my quilting group we are being given a new instruction each month, until we have a finished frame quilt.

This month we were encouraged to add squares to a border.

I chose to use 'seminole' patchworking.  This is how I did it.

First I cut some strip sets across the width of my fabric - these were 1.5" wide and sewing them together.

Then I cut them into sections.

Can we gloss over the fact that I didn't really think, and cut them into 2.5" sections instead of 1.5" sections?!?

I then had to go back and cut them down.  And now I'm wondering what to do with my 1" sections that I have left!

Then I sewed them together offset.  I thought that seven would be the right number for my centre square, but I was wrong - I had to do some unpicking!

I also added background strips at each end, shown here on the right.

Then I trimmed it square - final width 2" - and added it to the square - see the photograph at the top of the post.  Oh, and I added corner blocks too.

A fun challenge!
 

Another Distraction!

I've had another distraction recently - an online 5 day challenge bookbinding course!  It was run by Ali Manning of Vintage Page Designs.

These three lovelies were the result - I'm thrilled with them!

Each book consists of 4 signatures - mine made from 200gsm watercolour paper.  Here they are folded, pressed and hole punched.

And all my covers were made of Kraft Tex - a paper 'fabric'.

This one was punched with my Crop-o-dile, but the other two were pierced with an awl instead, as the Kraft Tex was easy enough to get through.

The first book taught was with a chain stitch.

I used an elastic fastener.

Here it is from above.  Not perfect, but I'm pleased for my first effort.

On my third book I went for a different fastening - a simple strap version - but I think that I like the elastic better, as it keeps it more firmly closed.

So, chain stitch, wrapped running or long stitch, and running stitch.  Great additions to my number of little books!  

Many thanks to Ali for her clear instructions.  I'd really recommend her courses!
 

Side Projects!

 

I'm easily distracted, it seems!  Rather than getting on with either of my on going projects, I took an online workshop with Josie Dunn of FunkyNeedlework.com.

It was a fun class, and a good opportunity to use a little of the fabric that I'd won from Creative Quilting - the rainbow Dimples.

This is the wall hanging that I made (15" x 10"), where rather than actually stitching down each link, I opted instead to use a decorative stitch down the lines.

I wonder if I made it again whether I'd use fusible on the back of the fabric.  I can't quite decide.

This was  the piece before I backed and quilted it, with just the ends of the loops caught into the seams.

My next piece was made with the remains of what I'd already cut - so some loops made into a wave pattern (which I thought would be easier to quilt) and the 'inners' again trapped in the seams to make this cheerful fabric base.

This is the picture of the piece once it was quilted.  I just outlined the colour bits with gold thread and a straight stitch - nothing fancy!

And here it is made into a bucket, with a rainbow binding.  Approx 12" high and wide.

  

It feels like ages since I've made one of these, but I haven't lost the memory of how to make them!  I'm pleased to have these two little finished items.

Small - and getting smaller!

Not much sewing this week - I've been distracted (mostly by a short book binding course - I'll share more next week, perhaps).

These are the four 3.5" blocks that I've made for my batiks quilt - and yes, they are very much at the quick and simple end of the ones that I plan to make.  I guess that I just wanted to make progress on it, even if it was only a little!

 And this is the 'smaller' project - a micro mini quilt of just 1.75" square (well, squarish - I'm not pleased with how the corner flared out when I was binding it!).

I remembered to reduce my stitch size for the quilting, so that it was in proportion!  And the binding strips were cut at 3/4" wide, so not much fabric to work with!  

Every year Berry_Birdy runs a micro mini stitch along in May (on Instragram).  This has been my only part of joining in so far this year.  Perhaps I'll manage another before the month is out!

Why stop at Two?

Why stop at two new projects if you can have three?!

My quilt group (Richmond and Kew Quilters) have started a Frame Quilt challenge.  

Over the next few months one of our members will give us instructions or key words to trigger then next round.

 Above is my start point. I'm told that if I was making a medallion quilt it would be like this, but for it to be a traditional style frame quilt, the centre block should be on point, how its shown on the right here.

Difficult colours to show properly.  This photo is probably closer to the real life colours, but the contrast is better on the first photo!

So, project three underway!

Also underway this week in the UK, are A level exams.  Good luck to all the candidates and their families!

Another New Project

 Why only have one project on the go?

This is a Europe wide project - and I like to do anything I can to retain ties from the UK with Europe, however tangential it might be!

These are my first blocks for a challenge called 'Round Bobbin'.  The Swiss quilting guild were given some wooden bobbins when a textile factory was decommissioned.

They have given the bobbins to people who applied for them, along with a series of 35 prompt words, and are encouraging people to make 4" squares, eventually sewn into a length, relating to those words, that will use the bobbin as the hanging mechanism.

Here are my first four.  Paper, cotton, leather and flowers.

My base squares are all from my small stash of hand dyed fabric, dating back to when I dyed some as part of my C&G Patchwork and Quilting course.

The deadline for completion isn't until February 2024, so I've got plenty of time!

New Project Part 2

Here are the next twelve blocks for my latest project.

All will finish at 6" square, and are based on blue batiks.

A right old mish mash of ideas for blocks - just as I wanted it!

Some of the fabrics are a little close together in terms of value, but it does mean that there is still more to look at when you get close to the quilt!

So these are finished, and the one from last week that I spotted had a patch turned around, has had it corrected!