Never ending scarf!

Spent a great day with friends at The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham recently. Loads of talent superb standards oh and those long arm sewing machines. Not much hand quilting these days but you wait... it will return and I'll be there waving the flag!
So I parted with some money and bought fabric as you do plus 'a kit' heck! From SewMeSomething.co.uk
So here is the end result... a scarf (obviously!) it was so easy to make and could be repeated with different fabric and baubles. Nice I think with a winter jacket.

Fran's Bag

You know how you feel when you have missed a friends milestone birthday?..well this happened to me recently....so how to make good? Why not make something personal I thought. As a result I have made this bag....Fran's bag. It is reversible too. Made from some of my favourite fabrics from my ever increasing stash of material. I hope she likes it. Here's it is.

Namaste

I've been going to yoga classes over the past year which I have surprised myself by really enjoying! At the end of each session we say a farewell greeting 'Namaste' so I thought what better name to call my latest quilt as indeed I use it for cover when we are relaxing at the end of a very productive hour!

I wanted to make something speedily......and this was completed over a weekend. Yes honestly! 6inch squares are easy enough to piece together but it's the quilting that takes the time and as I'm an old fashioned girl who still likes to hand quilt I decided to 'tie' the layers together instead. But to add a little interest I made double sided discs of fabric using a cotton reel as a template.....ironed two different random pieces of fabric together using double sided bondaweb.....cut round the 'pattern' using pinking shears and completed the quilt by sewing a 'disc'  to each corner of the 6inch squares (on the back) using full six strands of embroidery floss. Easy peasy and effective!
I feel inclined to make two more single bed quilts in this style to adorn the twin bedroom in our bed and breakfast (morgansbedandbreakfast.co.uk for anyone who wishes to have a peak at us!)
Hopefully I will post something again soon. It has been a while after all!!

Smile.....be happy

There's  a wee quilting/fabric shop on the isle of Anglesey called Copperfields and once a year there is a massive sale there. I say wee and I mean wee (being the Scot that I am!) The whole shop is no bigger than my garage but stuffed floor to ceiling with fabric and yarns! Fab. This is an annual day trip  for myself and a few friends. Spending money on fabric followed by a lovely pub lunch. My kind of day!! So I bought a pack of pre cut squares(not like me) (and other fabric for my stash!)and made them in to a couple of cushions. I embellished them with a little stitching.
Here are the end results. I stitched 'be happy 'on one and 'smile'on the other. The quilting pattern is a series of radiating circles. A bit of fun. Now gracing my sofa.

Wedding quilt

We have just returned from a family wedding in Glasgow. My nephew Craig married Emma and they both had a ball. We did too. Cerys my granddaughter was a flower girl too so what not to like!
Last Autumn I asked if they would like a quilt as a wedding present ( my daughter thought I was mad to ask. 'Of course they'd love one of your quilts' she said!) and right enough they were very excited at the prospect of a throw to drape over their sofa or snuggle under when watching tv.
I had been to The festival of quilts in Birmingham earlier in the year and was inspired by the colours in a miniature quilt I saw there. So that was good at least I knew the colourscheme roughly. For the design I thought 'checks' might reflect a kind of Scottish influence. And then a little bit of retro on the back of the quilt.....sort of Mary Quant flowers! There you have it. I completed the quilt two days before the wedding. They were delighted with the quilt I'm pleased to say but then again I don't suppose they would tell me differently!!

From this...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending an informal workshop on 'free machining' with a few quilting friends. We had a great if somewhat exhausting day. Most importantly though my sewing machine and I became good friends.
I have always been wary of lowering the 'feed dog' and throwing away(not literally) the sewing foot to experiment with free machining. I wasn't good enough. It wasn't perfect. But do you know....it doesn't matter. I can't draw. It doesn't matter. There are ways and means and that's what I learnt yesterday. So vroom vroom away I went stitching around my traced picture( that's why you don't need to know how to draw!) and then we 'coloured in' by using acrylic paints within the framework of our picture. Amazingly the paint does not 'bleed' beyond the stitched lines! Then we did more stitching on top...such fun. I think I was exhausted because I was really absorbed over a long period of time. Anyway here's a few piccies.  Mr Fox is the completed 'work of art' and the practice piece is....well the practice piece!
Have fun. Till next time......keep stitching.
                                                           

Mr Fox

So simple, so effective

so why can't I produce something like this!! Bought this lovely picture from a friend at a textile Fair recently. Just have too share it with you. Navy blue quilted background. House...natural linen. Love it.

Cushions

For some time now I have been attempting to make cushions to add to the decor in our guest bedroom. I love linen. That's a start. I'm enjoying embroidery again too so there's another plus. But what to to? The end result is so simple but satisfying. I copied a pattern from some fabric I had by tracing the pattern using baking parchment, gluing it on to pieces of card to then cut the templates (see below). I then traced round the templates on to my linen using a water erasable pen (brilliant!). Simple stem stitch completed the shapes. The cushion was completed using a strip of patterned fabric n the back. Not that I'm mean but the linen was a bit 'tight' so the fabric strip helped!! I was so chuffed I made another!

Bluebird

I have the great fortune to be surrounded by lovely friends. This was brought home to me when a few of us met up last week for a 'Workshop' Mandy Patullo style. A mixture of excitement buzzed around the room as the five of us dived into baskets of scrap fabric to make our 'birds'. We were superbly guided by Janet who made it all sound so easy and relaxed. And d'you know what.....it was. We chatted and stitched and ate cake all day. We shared moments of laughter and sadness. The power of fabric to bond people should never be underestimated. We had a ball. Here is some evidence of that below in picture form. This is my first bird but I don't think it will be my last. I have a notion to do a pheasant next. We'll see!
We had guests staying this weekend and we sent them off on a walk up Penycloddiau. They haven't stopped raving about it. They did not realise the depth of beauty in the area. Come see and stay with us at morgansbedandbreakfast.co.uk and find out for yourself. (we have a new updated website!)

Have a great week wherever you are

'Kit'

Here's  a picture of my 'kit' that I purchased at the Festival of quilts earlier this month. It's by Janet Clare, one talented lady!
 It was so easy to construct but instead of machine sewing I handstitched the birds. I don't trust my free machine sewing yet! I loved making it so immediately made another,  Finished size approx 12" x10". See you next time.

Festival of quilts NEC Birmingham

Spent a lovely day with friends last week at the NEC absorbing pattern and colour and fabric and ideas. Great. If there was one quilt that hit all the buttons for me it was this miniature quilt below. It has given me colour inspiration for a quilt I'm about to embark on for my nephew and his fiancées wedding quilt
I also bought a 'kit' for heavens sake!! By a great maker of lovely things...... Janet Clare. I spent a lovely afternoon yesterday making it and I'm so chuffed. I'll show you that in my next blog so keep watching.....

Vintage quilt

So this is the picture of my bargain bagged recently on a trip to Amersham. It's very frayed but I love it to bits for that. I'm guessing it's post ww2. A bargain at £20 don't you think?

This and That

Hello again
This.......So the Trilogy is finally finished and takes pride of place in the porch to welcome our guests(morgansbedandbreakfast.co.uk). I'm really pleased with the outcome.

That.... Making good progress with my hexagon quilt. I love the washed out hues of blues. I've completed 12 lozenge shapes so far. No idea of the finished size yet! I think this one will be called 'Cwtch' as that's  what it will be used for....to cwtch under when feeling cold or poorly!

Spent a few days with some friends in Amersham recently. Whilst there we pottered around some lovely shops including an antique emporium where I bagged a bargain. Will show you next time so hang on in there!

T

Number Three

Well at last this is the final of my trilogy. Very bright and striking for that reason. I made a similar smaller one for my granddaughter couple of years ago and I just liked the punchy look of it. Made using the foundation method (machine stitched over paper) it was a breeze to make. Again all fabric was randomly chosen from bags of scraps.....am so reluctant to throw out the smallest of leftovers.  What is it with me! Anyway hope you like it. Next blog I hope to introduce my hexagon quilt. This is something I've always wanted to tackle and I'm loving making it.....

Outside The Box

Having been an avid quilter for more years than I care to remember I have never strayed beyond  classic designs and colours until this past couple of years. Let me tell you I'm loving it but  I do lack confidence sometimes in pushing myself 'out there'!
This little quilt below is the second of my trilogy. It's around 30" square. Old shirts and blouses feature as well as new fabrics. It is called 'Outside The Box'

Whey hey!

Well ......after a long absence here I am again blogging about my quilting activities. Just couldn't work out how to do various bits and pieces on my iPad but am sorted now so let's not waste time!
I have just finished making three small quilts....all about 30" square. This one is called Tall Ships and is a very traditional quilting pattern. I love the soft colours but my choice of fabric left a lot to be desired. HINT.....when using linen be prepared for some bad language and frustration! It stretches! Originally this quilt had a border but as it stretched to form lovely waves (in keeping with the title of the quilt of course!) I abandoned that idea otherwise it may have ended in the bin!
Another tip don't be afraid to use the 'wrong' side of fabric. I'd bought the binding recently at a quilt fair thinking the colour matched ....which it did. It wasn't till I got it home and unfolded it that I realised the reverse side was even nicer! Of course it doesn't work with all fabric but with those it  does its just a bonus.
Next time I'll show quilt number two......but keep watching as I have a plan with what to do with all three....dum dum dummm!

little stitched flower

Maen brav heddiw yndydy? (something like ...it's sunny today isn't it?... and for any welsh speakers out there I haven't got my dictionary to hand to check spellings! )
I really enjoyed making this little flower. Embroidery skills are a bit rusty but french knots do add texture....so easy to do too. Thank you Sarah for giving me the inspiration to have a go. Just looking at my quilt these days. Must get on with it! Tan tro nesa.

fabric flowers

Bore da everyone
It's been a while since I last posted a blog. Things happen! However I am still quilting the massive purple quilt and I'm getting there.
My latest interest is in fabric flowers. A great way to use up tiny bits of fabric. The photo shows where I am up to. I stitched the petals by hand.
I was at a Spring Festival yesterday in our village Llanasa trying to drum up support for a new Craft Group that a friend and I have established and was able to carry on stitching. It's the sort of thing you can put in your handbag and pick up when travelling or watching telly. If you would like to see a completed flower got to www.folksy.com and  press on accessories. Type in humblecraft and Sarah Meelans gifts should appear one of which is a lovely fabric flower. Whether mine will look as good as this when completed who knows but when I have finished it I'll show you!!
Cwm'wch ofal and tan tro nesa
Kate

Happy Easter

Well this is my first blog for a while so apologies to my loyal followers! all four of you! The heather coloured quilt is well on its way to quilting completion but getting to that point has not been without its problem. Having begged borrowed and stolen umpteen quilting patterns, nothing jumped out at me so when faced with choices my view is to just keep things simple so the piccie below is the pattern I eventually  came up with. Simples!!

The supermarket bag of scraps quilt

I thought you might like to see my daughter's first attempt at quiltmaking. Kirsty was brought up surrounded by scraps of  fabric and sewing yarns but never showed much interest in picking up a needle...more interesting things in life to pursue at a young age, but now, out of the blue in her thirties  a  creative urge has erupted. Brilliant! The remit was to make a quilt solely from a supermarket bag full of scraps (in case she didn't enjoy quiltmaking!) and the photographs I reckon reinforce the notion that one person's scraps are another persons treasure. Stunning for a first attempt.Da iawn Kirsty!

You could say the quilt was pieced in a day (Construction actually took place during her daughter's afternoon  nap time over a perion of 5 days ). I think she found the informal construction and relaxed ' precision' of the patchwork appealing. Cut and sew and go with the flow sort of approach.She is making this for a friend for Christmas. Lucky friend!