New Quilting Fabrics and Jan Patek Patterns

Hello Tuesday and Hello new fabric!!

I am a very lucky person indeed! I have received some of my long ago ordered fabric from America. But first these lovelies

These are my low volume fabric choices for my next quilt. I am really interested in working more with modern designs and fabrics and here is the beginning of my next project. It's going to be a tile layout with varied sizes of rectangles. These fabrics are all neutral ranging from grey through to beige and include some linen and Japanese weaves. I need to reduce this pile to around twelve and add one punchy contrast fabric. I am waiting for the shop sale in a couple of days time! So I will be back with my final piece, it's from Rowan so there's a clue. I can't wait to start this quilt. 

In other news I have received these fabrics from America. Ordered some time ago they wait until my husband can bring them back in his suitcase. He is allowed to take progressively less to wear in each trip, why can't he just keep clothes in his desk drawer in USA, then I could make use of a whole suitcase!

The bale is Kansas Troubles, Token of Friendship. What lovely earthy colours. The pattern book is from Jan Patek. I really like her applique style and love, love, love the quilt design on the back here! Why does it just take so long to make everything?! These fabrics were in a sale so I got a great deal but now I feel glutenous admitting what I have bought, some sort of compulsive fabric buying disorder I think!  There is, I am ashamed to say, more in someone elses case! So there will be a further update very soon!

But first these patterns

More Patek patterns, the top right little table runner is so nice. I have some linen and classic muted floral prints for that one.  Ha Ha Ha! I am rich!

Basting a Strip Quilt for Walking Foot Quilting

So just one more picture for today. I have this little Jelly roll quilt, made some time ago. Today I sandwiched it up. I will quilt this using my Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2. Using the walking foot. My favourite wadding for this kind of quilting is by Quilters Dream, Select thickness. 

How different this quilt could look with an alternate colour value placement. When I quilt with the walking foot, which is my intention here, I like to use starch on the top and backing. A light spray with 505 adhesive spray and then a very light press. That produces a really smooth piece which stitches up with little trouble. I haven't decided on the thread yet, either Isocord or Aurifil.

I will be back with my quilt deign and a progress report.

I have lots more to tell, The ladies visited today and they have some progress to report and I have made progress with 2 projects. A great day, but I have run out of time so I will just have to report back!

Bye for now, and happy sewing

(at this point I shall slink back into the shadows to stroke my new fabric!)

In My Garden Quilt

Wow! What an exhausting day! I'm not sure whether I will sew this evening, think I may pay close inspection to the inside of my eyelids while the tv is on!

When I got home I took a cup of tea and my faithful hound out into the Orchard near my garden.
The trees look naked without their fruits now that they are all picked. We stood together and took in this lovely view. It was a real moment, I wish I could share the heavy dampening air as the mists roll in from the lake and the crow calls. Looking across this freshly ploughed field watching the setting sun I can feel the first chill, the air smells earthy.  As much as I like the bright sunny Autumn days I also long for the chilly evenings when the weather might be harsh and bleak but the fire is lit, my family is around me and I've got thick socks on!

I have been working on my Mammoth needle turn quilt project, In My Garden BOM by Hatched and Patched. (I have provided the link, have a look, really sweet little appliques and embroidered bits and bobs. ) This is not a new pattern design but when I saw it I just loved all the little images and folky style of the applique. But gosh, what a needle turn epic it is turning out to be. There is so much to do in each Block that I have completely fallen behind! Surprise surprise! I really enjoy stitching it though, the pieces are very small so it's certainly sharpened up my needle turn skills.

This is the pattern set for Block 6. Sorry the picture isn't brilliant. I had a nice collection of taupes and neutrals I have collected over time and I thought they would be perfect. I am glad to have other projects alongside though, as it can get a bit dull working in the same palette all the time. And that's not good for my attention span - which as we have already established- is not the greatest.

Here is a picture of 2 rows of flowers as seen in the bottom left area of the pattern. I am using freezer paper circles to gather the fabric circles around. Then I remove the paper and stitch them in place. That creates a nice round shape. I have to confess that probably what takes me most time is deliberating over colour combinations or fussy cutting. Far too long!

Here are my efforts so far. I just love the crooked birdhouse (It is meant to be crooked!) and the sweet little bird on top.

You can also see my little wooden roller. This is a great tool and was a gift from a kind friend. It's for finger pressing or in this case pressing the little shapes or edges under. It's very pleasing to use and means I don't need to work with an iron all the time. Great for travel.

Well that's it for now, I can smell my chicken casserole is ready! I will post up the other blocks I have done for this quilt next time.

Crochet one, Knit one, Sew one

So the end to another week. Look at these lovely sunflowers growing in my garden!

A merry band of visitors have joined me to stitch this week. We had a fun day, the cabin was silent as we all concentrated on what we were doing. The furrows in my brow got deeper as I had another go at crochet when I wasn't needed to teach. My Auntie taught me how to make a Granny Square last year. I made some lovely squares which I have misplaced. Where on earth they are I have no idea. But in searching  I have found another 3 unfinished quilts!! I am laughing as I write this! So I better get those photographed and added to the slideshow/ confessional.

Anyway, I was making this little square and I know the middle isn't quite right but I'm not going to worry, just make another. I'll get better at it. The wool is Aran, predictably I love these Autumn colours.

Knit & Crochet a Wool Blanket

So we have had a knit and crochet day this week. Here's Chris, she is knitting up squares in the same colours as my crochet.

Mum was here knitting too, she's making an Aran cardigan.

It was quiet in the cabin as we were all concentrating, so I put the radio on, BBC Radio 2 churned out some oldies - everyone was singing along. They wanted to take a picture of me concentrating on my crochet - thankfully nobody can operate the camera! That's one skill I won't be sharing!! I'm sure the process of crochet makes me look older!

Charm Square Quilt

Jean finished getting her Charm square quilt together. This is her second square quilt. Learning to join squares seems like a simple concept but matching seams up and stitching so the quilt will lay flat and be simple to sandwich together doesn't happen without a fair bit of work. The Eureka moment hit today and Jean was just so pleased to get a row of squares joined on with matching seams, particularly after a fair few frustrating near misses. It is so rewarding when you can put your knowledge and skills together to solve a problem and achieve something to be proud of. I know you will read this Jean, well done you've got it worked out now!

There's going to be a little embroidery on this quilt next week..

Building Blocks Quilt Along

I have managed to get these done too. I fussy cut the flower shape image, and added 3 leaf shapes. These blocks go into the 4 corners of the quilt, so I have another 2 to go. These are a bit traditional looking but I think with all the other blocks they will look nice.

That's it for now. I am excited as I am expecting 4 packages all to sooth my sew fevered mind!

Building Blocks Quilt Along

Autumn time has to be my favorite season - until the next one starts! This morning I was woken by the screeching sound of a large flock of geese travelling in to the Island on the Lake. They come every Autumn, so many, that they really do mark the season. It's such a spectacle if you are out walking when they fly overhead, the sound of their beating wings seems really close. I often flinch in case one of them decides to send me a "message"!

I have been picking blackberries from the hedgerows and harvested lovely apples from my trees. There are shiny red rose hips and hawthorn berries at every turn. I have even made 2 batches of jam and a spicy plum chutney! Domestic goddess until you observe the dust! The surrounding fields are now being ploughed and the landscape is changing. I haven't ever been so aware of the seasons since I moved to the countryside.

Basket Blocks Applique

So I am still trying to catch up with my quilt along project - of course lack of progress has nothing to do with my jam making! I see some people have finished their quilts ahead of schedule even. So this week I have been working on this little block among other things. As I am free motion quilting these blocks the seams are pressed open to reduce bulk.

The pattern just calls for a handle now and then the quilting but for some reason I want to plonk in a flower. I think it may be a bit twee but never mind. When I have 4 of these to make, why am I adding extra work?!

Freezer paper applique

So handle first. I used freezer paper to trace the template and ironed it onto the wrong side of the fabric. I cut it out with a generous 1/4 inch seam. (I can always trim it back some more if I need to)


As this shape is a curve I have positioned it across the bias of the fabric and that will make it easier to turn under the edges for a neat shape.

Clipped edges on the inside curve also helps the fabric turn under.

Having sprayed a little starch into the can lid and used  a brush to apply little dots where the fabric will fold over the shape, I ironed it, pressing the edges over the paper to create a neat handle shape. No Steam!


Freezer paper can then come out.

I hand stitched this down with a fine silk thread but Aurifil is good too, 50 weight, something fine so the stitches are less visible.

Needle: Size 10 Milliner. For me the longer fine needle makes it easier to manipulate the fabric.

Thread Conditioner. It is very annoying when thread begins to knot or spiral as you work it. You can reduce this by keeping it quite short and a little wax or thread conditioner fixes the problem. Running the thread across the conditioner once or twice then once through your fingers to smooth and the problem is rectified. Have I said before how I love tools and gadgets?!

I held the shape in place with just a couple of pins. People basting glues, tacking or short applique pins. In this instance pins were fine.

Stitching
So you just secure the thread underneath or on top under the shape you intend to apply. Needle up and through the very edge of the shape then straight back down into the background fabric. This is where the long needle is handy. Next I travel along the back a little way then back up through the background and into the very edge of the shape again. The stitches need to be puled tight but not so that they pucker the fabrics. Mine looked like this on the back.


And here it is done :-) 3 more to go and some applique flowers! I better go get on with it!

A Woolly Blanket and Quilts Galore

It's Thursday already! Well, it was and now it isn't!! Ha! The problem with this whole blog idea is that my world seems to move faster than I can post about it! No great problem but then I have soo many things to put on here it turns into an epic.. Oh well, here we go!

How quickly a week can go by. I have had a very sociable week and I have a finish to report! Here it is, the wool applique cushion I was working on - another one down! 

I love the colours and couldn't resist picturing them with these autumn gold Rudbeckia. Of course My first picture take was obscured by Mister Brown. I am afraid I have to include his pictures because he is such a huge part of my daily existence and he does closely monitor everything I do. (Yesterday he plonked his head down on my keypad and refused to respond- I don't think he's that impressed with the time I have spent on my laptop) Even when I struggle out to the washing line with a mound of leaning washing he will trot along behind me collecting up the

odd socks I drop enroute. And with a dog that is willing to participate in the laundry, how could I not include him? I'm sure he would be upset... (really Lou?!)

So this week has been superbly productive and I have really enjoyed some good company.

My sister, Jo, visited and we spent the morning in the cabin. I haven't managed to turn Jo to the Dark Side yet, and by that I mean stitchery, but there is still time! Jo, was painting some beautiful folky birds, practising for the front of an old set of drawers she plans to upcycle. More on that another time. We had such a great chat.

I was working with these lovely fabrics - what a creative mess of material! ( Not a great picture but I am sure I'll get better at taking them)

I'm using them for The Building Blocks Quilt Along with Leah Day. It's been running for a good few months now. With a downloaded pattern and online videos you can learn how to piece and then quilt as you go. There's a great community on Facebook too so we are all sharing our progress.... Needless to say I have fallen behind. But this week is about catching up on that... maybe next week too! I am enjoying learning to free motion quilt and I have made some new blocks.. There's one part finished lurking in that picture....

Here's my progress so far, not in their final arrangement yet.

Today, I had 3 lady visitors to my cabin. Mum came again. She has proposed a new project! EEk! But that's ok I have been knocking them off steadily.

New Project: True Blue Quilts

Mum wants me to join her in making 2 very simple quilts for my Sister's boys. Mum doesn't make patchwork, so it will be an absolute pleasure to teach her and work alongside one another. I am really excited by the idea. We have both bought some fabrics and today I spent hours cutting it up! Both boys appreciate hand crafts. Oscar has even visited me to make a patchwork cushion - Batik fabrics are his favourite so I better find some of those.

Here's Sally working away on my little Pfaff machine. She's a confident sewer anyway, having made plenty of clothes. These are some of the fabrics we are using, pretty bold!






Jean came today too. I have taught Jean to English Paper Piece. She has made a beautiful blushing pink hexagon quilt. Jean enjoyed the process so much that she is now learning to machine piece and quilt with me too.  It's the most rewarding thing to be able to share what you know with others. She has bought a new Janome machine and is happily machine piecing now, a special little lap quilt for a special person at Christmas time.

Jean chose a Minick and Simpson Moda fabric called Grant Park. Its lovely with some beige blues and reds, very classic prints. I want some if it now!

Chris has also visited. Chris loves to knit. She adopts the position in the rocking chair and off she goes. She makes blankets and jumpers and has just completed some little hats for the premature baby unit of the local hospital. I am going to buy her some Aran wool and she is going to knit me a cosy blanket for winter time. With no central heating here at my house it does get pretty chilly. My mum knitted me bedsocks one year. I felt like an extra from the Scrooge movie! (My pic of Chris didn't turn out so well, so I'll snap her next time.)

Its been a hive of activity. There has been some reverse stitching and searches for the elusive 1/4 inch seam but lots of laughs.

Once they left I put together this 9 patch block. Each block will be 18" finished and then we will sash them together so that I can quilt as you go.  Otherwise I can't be confident in myself getting two identical quilts quilted in one go without a couple of years gap! And No, that won't do, will it? We are just going to keep it simple as it's mum's first patchwork experience. We are not going to get hung up on accuracy either, just making something for people we love that they can use every day. I hope they turn out ok, This is quite a departure for me. I am looking forward to the quilting bit.


You know, I woke up today and somehow it feels full of possibilities - I get those days sometimes and they are just SO exhilarating -feels like the sky is the limit and I can achieve anything! I rarely achieve much as I have too much energy to stay focused on one thing on days like this! It's very Autumny here now, the air is thick with the sweet heavy smell of ripe crab apples. Today I have a big roast chicken to make for family so my energies are going into cooking. I have red apples ripe on the tree and raspberries too, There's ripe juicy blackberries out in the hedgerow, wont they all make a glorious berry-licious Autumn crumble!

Skirts and applique

What a roller coaster of a day in my tiny sewing world!

Yes, I have a finish! The skirt is complete and I am happy enough with it to wear it, so that's something. 

My mum joined me in my cabin today and we have had a giggle, the ups and downs of me not really knowing how to sew a blind hem but having a go anyway and wrestling with excess fabrics, dropping pins and thread reels running out. There has been a number of "it's going in a bag in a minute" threats...there were certainly tension issue's and I am not just talking about my machine! Slowly folding the hem back having stitched it, to see if it was any good, was like peeling back a plaster! Maybe I need to get out more..

I confess, I have spent a large part of the afternoon in just my tights and boots while I stitch and try on the skirt! NOT something for those with a delicate constitution! We have laughed.

So here is a pic. Yes, its not a great illustration of my work but Charlie dog stole the limelight. Conclusions are: 

• I would make another one (but not just yet)
• work more on getting a better fit through the side seams,
• needle cord would make a great fabric choice
• I am not as slim as I thought I was
• It would appear that I have inadvertently chosen to dress in the same colour as my dog!

Mum, here she is, Sally. She has been making a set of funky little birds as a gift, she uses beads from old necklaces for the strings between the birds and threads with fishing line so they are good and strong. The bells on the end are fun and also make them hang well. She made me a set for my birthday and used some beads from a necklace my dad gave her years ago. As he died some years ago I think that's a nice sentiment.

She finished them today, aren't they great!

 

I also finished stitching this little wool applique. It's from a Maggie Bonanomi design. The wools are from Canada. I used bondaweb just on the outer edge of each piece to stabilize the edges and then just whip stitched them to the background. It was really nice stitching through wool, satisfyingly soft and quick. Next time though I will use pellon lightweight fusible as its a bit more robust. I really like these colours, I love primitive folk quilts and applique. Maggie Bonanomi's designs really strike a chord with me.

I have several of her books. I think I'll make a cushion from the panel as is suggested in the book, Buttonwood Farm. But no one had better dare sit on it! I guess this isn't finished until its made into something, so can't tick this one off just yet.

It's been a nice day. Autumn is coming, the geese are noisily arriving in great flocks and although it's not too chilly the sunlight has changed. Soon be time to bring in the timber and light the fire...

Simplicity Skirt 1717

Well hello there!

I'm sat here at my little table in the kitchen. Yes, there is a pile of washing needs to be done, the washing up too. My Labrador friend is sat sleeping by my feet. I've got homemade tomato and lentil soup bubbling away on the hob and a fresh coffee right here. BBC Radio 2 is playing  in the background. I could be my mum years ago - except she would be stood beside her twin tub washing machine for the next couple of hours - not Me!

I am here to post some pictures of the skirt I am trying to make. I haven't made clothes for years, and my body shape has certainly become more ... urm...characterful over time and not so standard when it comes to fit. So I discover!

The Skirt
The skirt itself is quite easy to put together and I have really enjoyed the new terminology (being used to patchwork and quilting) a fresh challenge. But between you and me I am bored with it now and fighting the urge to shove it in a bag! But maybe blogging about it will force me to complete the waist and hem. Or maybe it's just a distraction..

Skirt Particulars
So here is the pattern. I chose a suede effect fabric which feels nice and will be good to wear in the winter. It was also only £10 a meter and there is enough left for a bag.

I have had this jug for years but liked the flower design for an applique pocket using the rusty red and woven green fabrics - which are both patchwork materials.

Designing the Applique
I took a photo of the image and printed it in a couple of sizes. Then just laid some thin white printer paper over the top and re drew the image in black. I simplified the leaf area to make it easier to cut fabric shapes. For the flower itself I wanted to cut one piece of material and use dark stitching to outline the detail of individual petals.

Using bondaweb I applied the appliques. I really like the shading on the leaves from the woven plaid.










TIP For Suede effect fabric

• Blue tip Janome machine needle 75/11  is thin, sharp and has a shaft to protect thread as the needle punches through the fabric. 
• Use a cloth to protect right side of fabric when ironing, otherwise iron will mark the surface.

Free motion embroidery technique
I used the same needle, lowered feed dogs and tension to 3, I also swapped the presser foot to a darning foot. Using the same brown poly cotton thread already in the machine I stitched an outline a few times. It was quick and lots of fun. This technique allows a margin of error too -which always helps.



I like the folky kind of look. Makes me think that barge art images might translate into some nice applique designs..

Split stitch hand embroidery
The little tendrils I am not so pleased with. I would use chain stitch next time as it's neater and gives a similar effect. I should have used 4 strands instead of 3 as the thread doesn't split evenly either side of the needle. But overall I like it enough not to change it!

My next skirt post will have it finished!