Candlewick Fairies

Having bought a book by Margaret Upston I have started a set of twelve Candlewick Fairies, each will be in a different Perle 5 colour. Managed to buy 40 skeins of DMC Perle 5 on Ebay for £12, a saving of about £30. The hoop I am using is brilliant and available from www.nosliphoops.com/lap-stands.html

A day with Abigail

Granddaughter Abigail spent the day with me making lace after breakfast and then attending a Weedon Quilt meeting, where she made a picture frame and note book case from a sewing kit.

Back to the lace pillow when we returned home to make a few more rows of her snake.

I started work on a set of Candlewick Angels.

Bears in the Farmhouse

First requirement for the Quilt Along.. make 192 half square triangles !

I used the "inklingo" by Linda Franz CD to print 17 pages of 2 inch HST [using A4 paper I can get 12 on a sheet] and quickly made 204 [ thought some spares might be a good idea!].

I will leave the paper on until they are joined together.. it makes them easy to handle, no bias to worry about.

Bears in the Farmhouse Quilt-Along

Bears in the Farmhouse with Judy Laquidara.
www.patchworktimes.com if you want to join her [ and me!]
These are my choice of fabrics for the Quilt - Along starting on February 18th.

Four quilts quilted and ready to have their bindings hand sewn.

England, Snow and Sewing

While England is in the grip of the snow, schools are closed, roads remain ungritted and everything comes to a stop, I have been working on my quilts and have three of them ready to hand sew the bindings down.

The black and red one is quilted with a fleece backing as a little snuggly quilt.

The light quilt is single size [quilted by me] and will be one of a pair of two for our holiday home. The darker quilt was long arm quilted and I have attached the binding ready to hand sew it down. I will attach full size photo's when they are finished, but I like to save hand sewing for quilt meetings.

Windmills from Charm Squares

Windmills from Charm Squares.

A project I am working on to use up Laura Ashley charm squares given to me years ago!

Stash Busting February

January started with 620 yds used 31 yds and ended with 628 yds ! MUST DO BETTER!

Added this week 0 yds [ Sales are over!]
Used this week 10 1/2 yds
[Backings, bindings and hexagons]
3rd February balance 617 1/2 yds

Added this week 00 yds
Used this week 5 yds
[Bento Box [ see picture] and binding Mexican Star]
10th February balance 612 1/2 yds

Added this week 000 yds [ third week running!]

Used this week 10 1/4 yds

[ Snails trail and fabric for Bears in the farmhouse]

17th February balance 602 1/4 yds

Added this week 000yds

Used this week 2 yds

[Backing snails trail and windmills]

24th February balance 600 1/4yds

Sticky Mats [reminder from my Jan 2009 entry]

Having a problem with threads migrating from my Happy Room which has wood laminate flooring to the rest of the house, Chris came up with a great idea. Sticky Mats !
They come in a pack of 30 and stick to the floor near the door, as you walk on them the threads stay stuck! Brilliant.

I bought mine from http://www.cleanroomsuppliesltd.com/95 x 45 cm small 4 packs of 30 layers £28 plus post and VAT £41.64

Also available from
http://www.floor-protection-resources.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Sticky%2DMat USA supplier

Sewing day today started with Nine 16 inch blocks ready for machine applique, patterns from fatcatpatterns. Also cut out a sample block from a pattern produced by Judy Laquidara for two quilts I plan to make for our holiday home.

Having decided to quilt my Green and Pink quilt myself I changed my mind and Chris took out all the safety pins so I could take it to Oakleaf Quilters to be long armed, I just could not face all that fabric through my machine.

Basting and BOM Block # 9

With Chris's help I have managed to lay out my Pink and Green quilt with 80/20 batting and a backing made from fabric I no long like [ got to use up the old stash]. I now need to put a zillion safety pins in to hold it together ready for machine quilting. Decided to have a go myself at machine quilting a large quilt, not my favorite thing ! But the £100 saved means 20 yards of new fabric!!

My first Baltimore quilt block applique [ actually #9 ? why do I always work backwards ?] is ready for machine quilting, and I am busy cutting out the other 8 blocks.

Bit Bag day with IAM group

Once a month 8 of us meet in my Happy Room to make lace, knit, cross stitch and quilt. Today we had a workshop making Bit Bags, two members missed the fun, but I'm sure they will catch up at the next meeting.

We named ourselves IAM because I am going to finish this and that!

L to R Maureen, Jenny, Clare, Dorn and Shirley I'm behind the camera. Ann is sunning herself in Australia and Penny is not well.

Woke this morning to snow, first of the year.

Here's my back garden.

Joined a new patchwork and quilting group, Truly Antique Angels. They are a very friendly informal group and I look forward to getting to know them all.

Managed to complete one of my many UFO's, twisted long cabin in Amish fabrics.

Also made the first BOM produced by the yahoo group BQL. Every "poached egg" is a different fabric from my scrap bag. I have used insulated batting so I can use them as table mats at the end of the year when I have 12 !

January Stash report

Tuesdays will be my weekly report day
Starting Stash 620 yds
Added this week 14 yds
[7 yds cream a jelly roll and Layer cake]
Used this week 8 1/2 yds
[ Pink & Green quilt, bit bag & mug holder]
Donated this week 12 yds to GD's school
30th December balance 613.5 yds

Added this week 0 yds
Used this week 6 yds
[Backing for Pink & Green quilt, BQL challenge block]
6th January balance 607.5 yds

Added this week 5 1/2 yds
Used this week 5 yds
[Baltimore blocks, In a swirl blocks, another Bit bag]
13th January balance 608 yds

Added this week 17 yds [ the sales are on!]
Used this week 3 yd
[ In a swirl quilt started ]
20th January balance 622 yds

Added this week 14 1/2 yds [last week of sales!]
Used this week 8 1/2 yds
[Star block quilts & charm square blocks ]
27th January balance 628 yds

Pink and Green Quilt

86 x 86 inches, this pink and green quilt was based on an idea in an Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine Vol 17 # 2. I started it a few days ago and now have the top ready, just need to find something suitable for backing and get it along to the long arm quilter when she opens after the holidays.

It has used 7 1/2 yards from my stash... yippee

STASH BUSTING START

STASH BUSTING START

Starting as I mean to go on... I've made a Bit-Bag and mug holder to take to workshops, only used 1 yard, but every little helps!

I have now cut out and started a quilt in fabrics and colours I never use, greens and pinks. Watch this space ! I scribbled a plan on a note pad and that is my design, quick and easy.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONEHEALTHY NEW YEAR
I found this photo in my parents house, while clearing out. It is 54 years old!!
I am Mary age 10 years and my sister Debbie is the angel singing on the stool age 7 years.
The innocence of childhood, when we strung cotton wool balls and paper chains for decorations, and put balloons on the tree. Sadly I do not know who the other three girls are.

Stash and UFO busting

Decided today was THE day.. time to start preparing for 2009 "Stash Busting" plus thought it might be an idea to UFO bust while I was at it !!!

I weighed 14 metres of fabric converted it to yards and found the weight worked out to be 4.3 oz per yard [ I refuse to measure in metres and weigh in grams ] I then emptied my fabric cupboard and weighed all the cotton quilting fabrics AGH ! Horror ! 2708 oz which is 630 yards. This will be my starting figure for 2009.

THE PLAN is to reduce this to below 500 yds and only buy what I cannot live without.

While I was in the sorting out mode I then thought I had one or two UFO projects so I'd add them to my list.. see seperate entry, but when did one or two UFO's become 20 plus ?

Sandie Lush Colonial Cushion

While attending a quilting workshop a few weeks ago someone mentioned Sandie Lush and her wonderful work, I said it was something I really fancied having a go at. Next thing I know a person I hardly know sent me two patterns and a kit she no longer wanted and had not touched.

Although I am not know for hand work, [ give me a sewing machine anyday!] I started the kit and could not leave it alone. I just love making the colonial knots and have now started my 2nd kit. Thank you Julie.

December First 2008

December First and another BQL challenge bag to make, so I set to early this morning and have made a Ballet bag for my 5yr old granddaughter who is performing in a concert on Friday and Saturday for the first time.

I have been very busy making Christmas presents but cannot put pictures up as family might see them!