Red Manor House Block of the Month :: Pattern Tester

So much has been going on in our lives and I have severely neglected this blog.  But why?  I really enjoy writing and I really enjoy looking back at past posts.  I plan to remedy this and in fact two things have just happened which have motivated me to get blogging again.  But more on that later ....

Rather than try to fit everything into one BIG post I am going to do little and often ... hmm let's see how that goes shall we?!

The first thing I have to share is that earlier in the year I was asked to be a pattern tested for The Quilters' Guild first Block of the Month.  The Red Manor House BOM has been designed by Jenni Smith and Kay Walsh and is based on the vintage coverlet the Guild owns of the same name.

The block I tested doesn't come out until 8 months into the BOM, but I can share my version of it with you now.

The petals were from a fat 1/8th pack from Sugar Bowl Crafts and the background is Kona

The BOM is to be launched at Festival of Quilts on Thursday 01 August at 11.30am on the Guild stand.  I hope to be able to pop over there for that and meet the designer and other pattern testers - I have been in great company for this testing!!  If you fancy seeing what other testers ahve made head over here.

A week of finishes (again!) :: Day 2 :: Pears (Gillian Travis workshop)

No 11 on my 2017 FAL Q1 list is finished!!

Now, I'm not sure I really like this but a finish is a finish.  Let me explain.  My local quilt club had organised for Gillian Travis to do a workshop (January 2015) and, having seen her work at Festival of Quilts, I signed up.  It was the Pomegranate Workshop, but the technique is the same for any shape.  I had wanted to do my own shape but then, under workshop conditions, I realised I could spend far too long coming up with a shape that works for the technique and then run out of time to get anything done (it does happen!).  So I went with one of Gillian's shapes - pears!  

The requirement list called for batiks, which I had never used before and had none in my stash.  None of my local shops stocked batiks and I had to send away for some.  I liked the look of this charm pack, Moda Fire and Ice if I remember correctly, and they duly arrived in time for the workshop.  But do they really say pears?  No, not really but you have to carry on because you are at a workshop and I had nothing else to work with.

Whilst I love workshops for the teaching, camaraderie and, let's face it, having a day to indulge in your passion, I don't usually like what I come away from the workshop with.  Does that happen to you?  I enjoyed the day, I enjoyed the process of Gillian's teaching and I quite like the technique but do I like this piece?  No, not really.

However, I decided to quilt and finish it.  It was good practice for free hand guided quilting, some pears worked better than others for this!   Now, what to do with it?!!!

Pick a letter, any letter!

My Mum turned 80 in August.  What do you get for your Mum when she turns 80?

What do you get someone who has most things and has just decided to start decluttering after 30 years in the same house?

What do you get for someone who, after a few hard years, decides to buy herself a soft top sports car a week before her birthday?

What do you get, or make, for someone when there is only a week left until their birthday?

Why you make a Scrabble mini quilt of course!!

My Mum and I, and indeed all the children, often play Scrabble so it seemed appropriate.

My daughter, 12, now plays with my Mum, 80!

I loved the way this turned out in the end .... although part way through I was beginning to worry it wasn't going to look as good in real life as it did in my head!

I used twin needles to attach the white grid fabric and decided to use those as the quilting lines aswell.  It gave a zig zag appearance on the back of the quilt, which I actually quite like - speed, efficiency and good looks too!

Now the question is what to make her for her 81st?!!

Linking up to Finish it Up Friday today.

WIP Wednesday ....

Being worked on in my studio at the moment ...  There are three projects that are on my 2016FAL list:

1.  This is for the Rainbow Mini Quilt Swap Round 2 over on IG

 

2.  The black and silver strips are for a quilt for my eldest daughter.  I bought my first ever Jelly Roll back in November and the quilt was going to be for Christmas - the flu put paid to that.  The upside is that she can be involved in the process because it's now not  a surprise.  It was lovely being in the studio with her on Monday evening and picking the fabrics.  The majority of fabrics are from the jelly roll but there were 4 strips she did not like.  We then pulled some blacks, greys and silvers from my stash and picked some.  These have now been cut so it really shouldn't be that arduous to get piecing!

 

3.  The purple strips are for a my quilting club's Secret Challenge and have now been pieced and are ready to iron and cut.

 



I have also been working on my longarm machine and trying out some freehand designs.  These are now off the frame and waiting to be neatened up and put into a sample book.

 

Only one extra block done for the Farm Girl Vintage sampler.  I am now behind in my self-imposed challenge of a block a week and need to make two this week to catch up!



 

 

And finally a piece I started at a recent workshop with Gillian Travis, which I still haven't blogged about.  I have got as far as I can at the moment until the felt batting arrives (hopefully today) but am determined to get this finished and hanging as soon as possible.  I find that projects from workshops tend to get set aside and languish on my shelves for  months, if not years!

 

 

But I had one outline left so I thought I would have a go at quilting it on my longarm.  I am not yet sure whether to quilt on my longarm or on my DSM.  I think the feel of the felt batting may make that decision for me.

 

 

And that's it!  I am linking up with Let's Bee Social and WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced today. x

 

PS If you fancy some blocks which will be made into quilts for Project Linus then please head over here to see what I am asking for!!





Smaller than imagined!

When I added a project from Welcome to the North Pole to my FAL Q4 list it was with a rather large end product in mind.  Well life has a funny old way of changing your plans and idea doesn't it?!

So I did make something ..... in fact I made three things, all fabric postcards for Christmas.  This was inspired by a swap over on a FB group I am a member of.  The size requirements were minimum 6"x4" to a maximum 7"x5".  Mine finished up at 7"x5" and are made up of 4 layers:  the top layer which is applique with Heat 'n Bond, wadding, very stiff iron on Vilene and finally a piece of calico for the back.

 

 

I really like how this turned out and it was hard to send it off!  Luckily my swap partner loved it too.

 

Two other people loved it aswell ..... my daughters!  So, of course, some more had to be made for them for Christmas.

 

They got to open them on Christmas Eve, along with a Christmas decoration.  They were really happy to have one of their own each and they looked lovely on the mantelpiece over the holiday period.  Now I just need to start my 'large project' sooner rather than later in order for it to be done in time for Christmas 2061! x

The puffin has landed!

At the beginning of the year I taught some classes to children from a Home Educator's group - my children included.  The brief was for an appliqued bird.  Miss M chose a puffin and drew the design initially which was transferred to fabric using applique with bond a web.

 

It got to an almost finished stage and then it was left on the shelf.  No amount of encouragement, motivation or support (or nagging!) from me would get her to finish it.  It languished there for 7 months until the annual Flower Show came round.  Miss M was never sure what she was going to turn it into but decided to enter it into the show as a picture in the Something You Have Made category.

She was delighted to win First Prize in that category!!  But the frame had come off the wall and needed to be put back on the wall with the original picture in.  In the end she decided she would like it as  wall hanging but didn't want to do anything else on it herself.  Cue Mum!

A little bit of binding later and it was all done - finally!!  It is now hanging on her bedroom wall and she is justifiably rather pleased with herself!

 

This is another project to be ticked off my rather long list for the Finish Along 2015 Q4 over at On the Windy Side. x

Not much sewing ....

It feels like a long time since I have actually been in my studio and sewing.  I have spent some time this last week sorting, tidying and cleaning which is great and makes for easier and quicker sewing but it's not much fun!

 

I finished the last house on my Italian Houses which I started last week.  I then had to put it back on the shelf because none of the blue fabric I had worked as the sky .....

 

Cue a Quilt Show at the weekend - Malvern Autumn Quilt Show to be precise.  Whilst I have lots of lovely images of that but they will have to wait for another day.  But the roll of handyed fabric I bought from Farne Designs did not disappoint.  The softest blue at the top works perfectly as the sky!

 

Some crochet has been done .... these whilst watching the second semi final of the RWC.  Of course watching the first one, All Blacks v South Africa, was not conducive to crochet!!  These require one more blue round and then they will be made into badges for the street collectors for Gaga UK.  I have been helping with The Remembering Tree and thought it would be fun for the street collectors to be wearing a rather bright crochet motif!  If anyone out there who knits or crochets would like to donate a square or two there is still time.  All the information can be found over here.  If you happen to be Home Educators then please get in touch with me and you can send squares to me because we are going to be yarn bombing our own HE community tree!  My square total now stands at 28!

 

This one has come all the way from ....... Canada!  Isn't it amazing?

 

This weekend saw the end of British Summer Time with the clocks going back an hour.  An extra hour in bed?  No, don't be silly!  But it did mean that I got all the dinner prepared before 8.30 in the morning .... all under the watchful eye of Smiggle.

Garlic and lentil soup which felt suitably autumnal and body nourishing ......

 

and apple crumble - always a failsafe recipe in this house.

 

And finally I made it down to my studio last night.  Whoops I got side tracked and this is what happened .......

 

 

My eldest daughter would like a black and white quilt.  I had very little in my stash so some fat 1/4s were purchased at aforementioned show and together with a few reds (I'm not sure I want to make just a B&W quilt) they are looking rather good together.  She requested a cat quilt ..... still not sure on that either.  The Dog Gone Cute quilt I made for my other daughter was gratefully and enthusiastically received for her birthday and it's my turn to shout out it on the Blog Hop tomorrow.  Thank goodness my day is here I've been almost ready to burst with wanting to show the finished quilt!!

 

Here's a sneak peek ........

 

 

Be sure to pop back tomorrow to see the finished quilt.  It's worth taking a little time and visiting some of the other participants because there are some lovely finished projects - and all so different.

 

Linking up today to Let's Bee Social over at Sew Fresh Designs and WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

 

A new project started ...

Yesterday I went on a course run by Gillian Travis for her Italian Houses.  I have seen these at various shows and was intrigued how she got such detail.  Now I know however, as can be seen from my photo below, there's not much detail on mine at the moment ...

In fact I can't quite believe that this was all I did in a whole day workshop ... I guess you get quicker with practice!  The threads above were on sale and so I bought some lovely bright colours to do the all important free machine stitching  which will transform it into something like ...

My mind is already whirring with the potential designs for different houses and buildings that I love - watch this space!

 

The other things I have been working all were all put down on my Finish Along 2015 Quarter 4 list.  It's pretty long but I have already completed some and well on the way to ticking off some others rather soon!

An almost finished mini for the Schnitzel & Boo Mini Quilt Swap going on over on IG ...

 

With a label made on my vintage typewriter - which I love!!

 

Made a couple of extras but still have something else in my mind which will hopefully be created tomorrow and may just make it to the Finish it up Friday party. 

 

Last but not least I have been working on hand pieced hexie project.  I decided just to do one more round of hexagons to what has been on my shelf for nigh on 4 years.  Then I think it will become a cushion - hopefully by the weekend!

 

 

All this goal setting and sharing progress is definitely working for me.  I was just thinking last night about what I have achieved since starting my Straight Line Bow quilt back on 08 August.  Having a photographic record is really rewarding and great look to back on when I feel that I'm not achieving much!  x

 

Linking up to Let's Bee Social and WIP Wednesday today.

Off in the post this week ....

.... a couple of blocks for two different causes. 

 

The first one is for current challenge for Quilts for Comfort NE.  I have only recently become aware of this great cause and thought a block for a storytelling quilt for using on paediatric oncology wards was definitely doable.  My daughters loved the idea of The Gingerbread Man and so this block came to life!

 

The second is for this year's Project Linus challenge.  They are requesting house blocks which can be handed in at the Festival of Quilts next week.  The blocks will then be made into packs to be sent to volunteers who will piece them together and make a quilt. 

 

So wonderful to be able to donate these blocks for such worthwhile causes. x