Round Robin

The Round Robin I joined a few weeks ago with Cotton Robin has just shown pictures of the 19 quilt blocks submitted for the exchange. I am now keenly waiting for one to arrive that I will add the next border to. It will then be posted to the next person for the second border to be added.
Can you guess which is mine?

The girls in our family

I am always proud of my two grandaughters they bring me such joy.
Eleanor [10yrs] has taken an interest in basket ball and won three medals already.
Abigail [14yrs] continues to progress with her ballet and a few days ago went for a fitting for her first Pointe shoes. I love ballet dancing and especially when they are up on Pointe, so I was very excited to see Abigail had strengthened her ankles enough to be able to buy the shoes.

When did she get so tall !

I have two nieces who each have one daughter, no boys in our family!

Tess [11yrs] live with her Mum in Spain and I was sent this photo.
She is certainly going to turn some boys head when she is older!

Sewing Day

Four of us got together for a sewing day, we had not met up for quite a while so there was a lot of chatting before we all started on our individual projects.
I completely forgot to take any photos. Pauline was working on a couple of cushions, Christine showed us her "star" quilt which we all admired, and worked on a messenger bag. Penny made a very nice little bag for her new iPad while I too made a messenger bag.

I had cut out the fabric for my messenger bag, from an old pair of jeans I bought in a Spanish Charity shop for one euro, some time ago. It was hard to remember which piece was which plus I had forgotten to cut out some of the batting!   All was not lost I found the perfect remnant of Bosal for the gusset and it gave the finished bag just the right amount of stability. I used a much lighter weight of batting for the rest of the bag.

The completed bag

I added a hidden pocket with a zip inside and an open pocket, just the right size for my iPad on the back.

This will be the perfect size bag for our up and coming Land Rover / Scotland holiday.

Happy Room has had a take-over!

Chris has taken over my Happy Room !

We are planning an exciting long trip to Scotland and preparing the Land Rover Defender 90 has involved a few adjustments. One being sound proofing it.

Two large parcels arrived with sheets of stick on sound proofing that needed to be cut into a myriad of pieces. Starting with the bonnet, the easiest way was to use my sewing tables, so I cleared the decks and loaned Chris my paper cutting scissors that have seen better days.

First a deep clean of all the nooks and crannies.

I then left him to it! Maybe I'll make a quilter out of him yet?

Different box method

My manic box making session continues. This time I had a couple of pieces of fabric that I really did not think suitable for cathedral window style as the fabric design would have been lost.

I cut 5 pieces of Bosal foam [ I am beginning to sound like an advert for it!] 5 1/2 inches square and 5 pieces of fabric 6 1/2 inches square in the main fabric and 5 pieces in the lining fabric.

Ironed the Bosal to the main fabric pieces they joined them together by sewing a 1/2 inch seam starting 1/2 inch in and finishing 1/2 inch in from the ends. This makes it easy to sew all the pieces together in a box shape. Do the same with the lining fabric.

Ready for joining together

With right side out insert the lining into the box turn the top to the inside and match with the lining. Top stitch close to the edge... Bingo a box!

Love the flower fabric and the Row by Row 'number plate' fabric.
Two really simple to make boxes

More boxes

Three more containers cut out and ready to sew, so I thought I would show you how I make them.
Using the Cathedral window technique. I cut out 5 sets of circles [ each set is two pieces of fabric] about 1/2 inch bigger all round than the centre squares. In my case the centre squares were 5 3/4 inches in Bosal iron on foam, and 6 inch squares of fabric.

Sew around the edge of the circle an 1/8 inch seam, cut a slit in the centre of one of the pieces of fabric to turn it through to the right side.. press. This will not show on the finished box.

Iron the Bosal to one piece of fabric using a Teflon mat on the sticky side not being used, or you'll really have a mess on your iron! Place this in the centre of the circle and iron it down.

Circles of fabric and Bosal ironed to a square

Squares placed in the centre of the circles and ironed in place.

Match up two circles then use the edge of the square fabric to sew a straight line joining two circles together

when all four circles are joined, open out the seams and top stitch close to the edge except for the ends, leave them open.
Next join the last seam and top stitch as before [ it's a bit fiddly but possible under your sewing machine ]

Finally stitch the curves all the way around the base piece and hand sew to the main square.

I'm not really good at explaining all this but hopefully if you decide to have a go these instructions might help. There are a zillion ways of making these boxes.

What a difference a day makes

Yesterday the garden was still covered in snow, but I had a visitor... a Jay.  He came to use the bubble bath and seemed to be enjoying himself looking for bugs and having a drink.

Looking for bugs

Is it too cold for s bath?

Today the snow has gone and a Blue Tit was busy checking out the bird box.

Is there anyone home?

I'll just go and have a look inside!

Snow snow and more snow

The snow continues to cause havoc for vehicles, trains and flights.
Chris has been called out most of yesterday and left at 5.30am this morning to rescue hospital staff together with many of the Northamptonshire 4x4 volunteer rescue service.
Armed with sandwiches, drink and lots of blankets he has battled the roads with drifts of snow as high as his Land Rover in places. I am very proud of him for doing this.

In the meantime I stay here cosy and warm in my Happy Room wearing my new fleece lined waistcoats.

The pond in our garden has stayed unfrozen in places, where the pumps keep the water moving and the bubble rock continues to bubble. The birds love the water and come for a drink and a bath!
I could spend all day watching them.
While eating my porridge for breakfast I just had to grab my camera. I must point out I have a fairly cheap camera but it does have zoom so I took the following photos through the window... much too cold to go out!

Mr Blackbird waiting his turn

Who's next for a drink and bath?

I'll just have a drink

I'll race you to the bubbling water

I need to eat something first!

Boy oh boy this water is cold said Mr Robin

I feel so much better for my shower!

Round Robin Block One

In a moment of madness while in Spain I joined a Round Robin group organised by Julie who blogs by the name of Cotton Robin.  If you want to read more about it just click on cottonrobin

I duly sent off my centre block with $2 to help with the postage she incurs.

Julie then sends the centre blocks she receives to the members taking part and we add the first border. The next step is the centre block and first border are posted to the next person, and this continues until there are three borders, the quilt is then sent back to the original owner for backing and quilting.

I have never taken part in a Round Robin before so really look forward to seeing what happens.
Obviously I cannot show you the block I sent but here is a taster...

You, like me, will have to wait until it finally come back home to see the completed quilt.

More snow sewing

The project for the sewing day I was due to go on, on Wednesday, was to make fabric boxes. I had cut the fabric out ready to attend the meeting. Due to the snow I decided as I was going nowhere I would have a go at making the boxes even though I did not have the pattern.

Approx 6 x 6 inches, made using Bosal foam to give them some stability

For a long time I have wanted to make a row of fabric boxes for one of my shelves, so the three I had cut out are making a great start to that project.

The start of my fabric box collection happy at home on the shelf.

March 1st

Here we are in a new month, and boy oh boy is it cold, and we have snow from Siberia!
This country seems to have come to a stand still, with roads blocked, trains and buses cancelled, many schools closed and worst of all the sewing day I was due to attend yesterday cancelled and todays IAM craft meeting also had to be cancelled.  No point risking life and limb for our hobbies.

The garden looks nice covered in snow

On a brighter note I have been busy busy sewing...

Made a waistcoat from a printed panel and lined it with fleece

Another printed panel lined with fleece front view

Back view... I hasten to add since making this one I have not taken it off it is so nice and warm.

Two pretty Easter bags

SEVEN BAGS

Some time ago I went on a workshop to make a batik table runner. I managed to finish the top but that was as far as it went. I decided when I got home I did not like it as a table runner so it sat in the "I will do something with it" pile.

Table runner before cutting into six pieces

After all my de-cluttering I fancied an easy sewing job and took the table runner apart into six double block pieces. With my fabric now easy to find in its new order I quickly located suitable fabric for lining and completing the new bag idea I had. I also needed a bag for a set of game pieces.. so I prepared seven bags and have spent today making them.  For cord I used thick Kumihimo braid that I already had. So no expense was involved.

Six bags from the table runner and one extra for the game pieces

De-cluttering BIG time

I have spent almost all day working on de-cluttering my fabric cupboards... I need and deserve chocolate!
Maybe they are not as neat and tidy as they could be, but I can work on that. I have everything sorted into colours, novelty prints, Christmas, Japanese, plain etc etc.. also all non quilting cottons sorted into silk, leather, netting etc...

Cupboard THREE

Cupboard TWO

Cupboard ONE

Three extremely large and heavy bags ready for donation.

I will NEVER buy another piece of fabric, well okay I better not say NEVER, but hopefully not for a long time.  Maybe next week I'll start on the unit full of drawers and the many boxes... but not today.