Wednesday 30 March 2011

Botheration!

Having been a good girl and put off starting a new quilt until the last one was completed I got myself all nice and calm, zen like dont you know;) to begin. Fabric laid out neatly a little treasury of fabrics I had indulged in Kaffe Fasset all proper quilting fabric like the proper sewists would use.Oh yes I had everything set, why I even remembered to go slow enough to take the requisite yummy pile of fat quaters pictures.

Then what? I hear you eagerly enquire.


Then I discover that after a few cuts, 2 1/2 strips neatly rather reluctant to sever said strip form FQ I had to admit defeat my rotary cutter had decided that it longer enjoyed this cutting lark and it had decided that in the interests of driving me potty it would be blunt. Yes to put it bluntly in fact it is now a non-functioning non cutting rotary cutter. My zen like calm fled! Back to all systems normal then. So thats cars broken down shower broken down and now rotary cutter playing the "I want a new blade" game. It is a bad sewist that blames her tools so Im just going to pretend I wasnt ready to start today and cultivate more serenity. Oh and head for the shops to get more blades or an upgrade on my rotary cutter....I wonder can you get upgrades on life locally?

Meanwhile here are a few pictures to prove I'm not making it up that I did indeed finish my son's quilt!

Monday 28 March 2011

do you......

A/ Start a new quilt when you get inspired or B/ discipline yourself to finish the work in progress?

There is always the excitement of commencing a quilt then the rapid progress as blocks come together, then the quilting part...Its the quilting part I have a love hate relationship with...My brain and imagination is convinced I can do it but my hands say I am not accurate enough and as mistakes sneak in I get disheartened. It is around this point in the process I start looking round for my next attempt quilt design. This time though I have disciplined myself to press on with the quilting. My son was worried that hand quilting would leave the quilt I am making for him a little too vulnerable to timmy the rabbit and brambles the kitten, his children pets. I have compromised with machine quilting but risking as far apart as the Hobbs batting assures me is safe. Over all the result looks okay, and I'm at the stitching down the binding stage...But ohhhhh the siren song of uncut fabric desperately calling me to start something new!
Isn't he cute? I bet you were expecting a picture of a quilt:D

Friday 25 March 2011

Einstien

"Time is there so you don't do everything at once" OK I am probably misquoting but you get the idea. It was probably something about everything happening at once. Its not that I am putting off finishing that quilt binding, or starting to cut the next lot of fabric its just that there is all this time with stuff like broken cars to mend during it and cats to see and of course adorable grandsons to play with that well, Einstien and the quilts wont really begrudge me a a little time to play .....will they?

insert gratuitous picture of mrs Monkey.....

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Polar bears

My sister has a thing for polar bears and since she is one of the few I have yet to inflict grace with a quilt I'm thinking a little of this cool fabric would be just the thing.

I found it at http://www.etsy.com/listing/60905000/original-fabric-polar-bear-dots-4-fat No idea who the maker is Im not up on all that kind of thing yet but it could well just pass the must have polar bear fabric test ;)

Wednesday 16 March 2011

ebay toe dipping

I have just parcelled up my first ebay sale. It reminded me of the linnet and moss days. I'm not 100% convinced yet but many a mickle maks a muckle right?
The teapot and cups are by Andrew Hague and beautifully made. I hope their new owner enjoys them as much as I did!

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Spring will come

In my effort to look positively towards sunnier days I have made myself a dress. I was always a bit of a Laura Ashley fan with something of a hiatus when they went modern :( I know this fabric probably wasn't really designed to be dress weight but it works just fine for me. Look out for it in future quilts! The dress its self is a pattern from the V&A and can be found here Mine didn't quite seem to turn out as streamlined ....I was tempted to put the dress on Dolly, my ex-shop display dummy that with some jiggery pokers 2 rolls of duct tape and one hysterical afternoon spent with Em too on a more me shape. Much like a dummy version of Edwin Drood, Dolly is now weightier than I am although not by too much. Unfortunately it is enough that she is no longer any use for fitting my size. This is a good thing far as my own weight goes although I'm still well padded myself.....If you too are tempted to make a duct tape there are tutorials on the net.. To be honest my results were not good enough to really recommend, but still nothing ventured nothing gained, right?
As for the dress, as my dad would have said "It fits where it touches" ;) So if spring ever does come the dress might even see the light of day!

Friday 11 March 2011

I had to smile seeing Coronation street this evening, baby Hope is home from hospital and the factory give Fizz a quilt! Each choosing a strip of fabric to make up a whole baby quilt. So quilts really do get everywhere. I find now when I watch anything it is the fabrics in the back ground that draw my eye. I think they say thats the sixth sign of addiction!

Thursday 10 March 2011

Stina over at http://kviltstina.blogspot.com has begun an adventure into bobbin lace making. cats and bobbin lace dont go together very well as anyone who has had to unravel the tangle of threads left behind by a playful cat will soon tell you much the same thing.
this pic is of some of mine, actually this piece turned into the handkerchief edge for my daughters wedding.

Tuesday 8 March 2011

DIY

when it comes to machine quilting the drag of the stitching as you go along can really cause problems.Since my Toyota is not equipped with an extension I realised I would have to make one myself.

I used polystyrene and followed the instructions found here

It also is doubling up as work space because I still shift my machine to the workbench when I want to do any piecing or general sewing.
here it is holding the entire quilt.

Monday 7 March 2011

silence

I didnt post anything yesterday, I tried to start a lone star and just depressed myself...oh well..the trouble was it was just too mathematical for me to "guess" how it is done. So the result was less than stunning. Having read a few blogs that placed perfect point high on the agenda I was rather disappointed in attempt. It reminds me of school music lessons, no matter how hard you tried if you didn't have the magical "perfect pitch" you were some how a lesser order of being. If you hadnt had piano lessons from the age of 1 you were highly unlikely to meet the grade (piano or otherwise)

I stepped away from my sewing studio....AKA the laundry room with the sewing machine in it. Today Im tackling yet another project I have had in mind for a long time. Details will eventually follow I hope.

Saturday 5 March 2011

what would you do?

I am troubled. I came across a post on a blog tonight about some bargain embroidered piece from India an influential quilter/blogger had found. My first thought however was that it reminded me of this quote "Rough estimates show that there might be 5000-7000 embroidery units functioning in Delhi, with each unit employing around 25-30 children. Most of the children working in embroidery and zari workshops are trafficked from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The children, who had been rescued through our raid and rescue operations, reported that they got as little as Rs. 20-30 a month and worked for more than 12-14 hours in small crowded rooms with poor lighting and ventilation. As a result many had eye problems/infections and skin allergies."
does that make me the bad fairy at the party if I comment ?

Friday 4 March 2011

Thursday 3 March 2011

be afraid be very afraid

quiltycat


he looks a bit cross to me.
I am also thinking
I like how the fabric bleeds the dye, I used setacolour. I think I will have to do a lot of work to get to where I think I want to take this.



For now you will just have to use your imagination.

thinking

A while ago I had a few ideas for embroideries. I'm still trying to decide exactly how I want the finished things to look. Colour? redwork? a mix of appliqué and embroidery? I'm still thinking.





Wednesday 2 March 2011

Finished the brown and white quilt top. That makes 5 so far this year.





Black and white fabric maybe?

or maybe blue cats?

Tuesday 1 March 2011

scribbled cat


What a fantastic tool!
http://www.zefrank.com/scribbler/scribblertoo/


This is Mrs Monkey, she has 2 siblings, though only one of them was made by me. That one is Mr Monkey and he headed off to live with friends as part of a thankyou for a very very kind gift to me. Today Mr Monkey visited the seaside. I hope he gets to see lots of exciting places and keeps sending us tales of his adventures...would that make them Monkey Tales?
And in other news I just have to show this link and she quilts. Quilty vicars every parish should have one you know Caroline!

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/looking-and-feeing-good/meet_the_vicar_of_dibley_with_ambridge_and_camberwick_green_1_3121367

Make it sew.

quilt or embroidery?

When does quilting turn into embroidery?
Yesterday I decided a little break from my work in progress was required.So I played, I'd acquired a box of thread recently so I played with machine quilting. A small practice piece to explore a few ideas that are tumbling round my head. This little bird gave me appliqué practice, I usually do either raw edge machine appliqué or needle turn this time I ironed down the edge and machined round the piece. I think this is how most folk do it by machine. I have not used the freezer paper technique yet. Then a little playing with feathers lines pebbling etc.