Lots to show you

Unfortunately some work in progress photos will have to suffice. My sewing machine was making funny noises last week so it is headed off to Bernina UK, hopefully today at the latest. I was making good progress with this quilt, but the machine I've been loaned is not playing ball, so I'm going to put this to the side until my machine returns.



I have finished quilting lines in the green striped fabric. Some of the red / blue areas have been stitched with freehand feathers in a variegated green thread. All I have drawn onto the quilt are lines for the veins of the feathers and the corner diagonal for guidance. These lines will wash out once the quilt is completed.

May crop

Yesterday was our May prize crop. The date changed by a week because I had another event last week. This meant some of the regulars were missing, however had I kown in advance, we could have moved the crop forward by a week, if that would have suited more people. We did have a lovely but quiet day with Jennie and Liz winning the top prizes.

Here's one of my layouts from Sketch Support one page sketch 8. Unfortunately I left the sketch at home so had to go by memory and I hadn't uploaded it to my ipad. I replaced the 2 by 2 photos with flowers. The photo is actually a thank you message which is written beautifully on the reverse. I picked out the green from the vegetation and the blue from the girls' clothes.



Time to continue tidying my desk upstairs. Tidying the floor will be for another day. However I did finish the Ferbuary quilted hanging this morning. I've now got a week to complete the one for June. That might be a good project to France this weekend to quilt when we're in the hotel.

May 2011 FNSI

I started this yesterday for the FNSI (Friday night sew in) and have done a bit more of the hand quilting at 6 am this morning. Just need to finish the quilting and sew up the bottom of the piece. This is from a book Claire brought over called "Count on It" by Nancy Halvorsen. I ordered the book on Tuesday and it was delivered on Thursday with the hanger. I also have the June quilt to do next. I think this would be easy to prep at a Wednesday quilt group meeting as I can iron on the Bondaweb and cut the pieces ready for doing the buttonhole stitch on the machine at home.

Another busy weekend

Also a busy week. I haven't watched any television all week until the Great British Menu last night. It's been a good week in parts as Claire visited for a few days, we went to two quiltig groups, ate lunch with Lucy at the new cafe at the zoo. We also did a lot of talking and I was treated to a pedicure at The Spa. On the flip side, Dad is being operated on at the Enfield Hospital at 9 am today.

I finished a needle case I demoed on Monday night as Claire hinted it would be a lovely present for a treasured friend. So it has now left the island in Claire's suitcase.





After a busy week comes another busy weekend:

Today Friday Night Sew In. http://handmadebyheidi.blogspot.com/ I had planned to start on a bag I'd cut out but I was distracted again by a book Claire brought over. well my copy arrived yesterday so I'll work on a June mini quilt instead.

Tomorrow our monthly crop with prizes

Sunday a RIB trip to dolphin watch and go to the Minquiers.

I hope next week is quieter.

Basic Ease week 2

QBC month 1 week 2, a photo by libertyjsy on Flickr.

My book is still on its way, but the preview of the book is of this quilt so I have made a start.

The blocks are sewn, I now need to work out how to place them as I have scrappy reds as well as the blue / cream combination as I realised a stripe wouldn't work for the red.

Confirmed - I have no self control

I was innocently looking at the blogs I regularly read, oh a new post at the Moda Bake Shop, click I wonder who designed that, click Quilt Book Club of the Month, ooh that looks interesting, click through to Amazon, book on order. Oh dear in less than an hour, I've taken on another project when I said I'd finish some that are in progress, ordered the book, chosen the fabrics and uploaded the choices to the Flickr group. At least I have chosen from fabrics I already own and need to use up, but probably only because there are no quilt shops open at 7am. I needed instant gratification so an online purcahse wasn't going to satisfy me either.



The only fabrics I had in sufficient quantities were the green and red stripes so I picked up the floral fabric to go with it. I don't have sufficient of that fabric so have added in the cream floral which will give the quilt a more scrappy look.

My favourite blue Thimbleberries fabric will be used for the binding.



I am using up my stash so will piece my backing from Thimbleberries bieges and browns and I even found a block I can use as a label.

Right, I'd better go and work on my Sketch support guest designer assignments, Sketch support DT call and perhaps put some stitches in the many other projects I have in progress.

NSD challenge on Elle's Studio

Using an old Gogo kit and some Elle's Studio digital tags which I printed onto white cardstock.

Who knew

that sewing was an extreme sport? I spent a lovely day sewing with Lorraine and Jenny yesterday but boy was my neck and back hurting by the end of it. Next week I'll use my proper chair rather than a dining chair. Despite my injuries, my quilt top is pieced and looking good and I will prepare it ready for quilting once it comes back from Lorraine who is using it as her placement guide. Jenny cut her squares yesterday so I'm sure she will be doing some piecing over this third long bank holiday weekend. Many quilting bloggers piece their backings so I will have a go to try and use up some fabrics rather than buying more.

I couldn't help myself

I spotted this quilt over at the Fresh Lemons blog. So simple but so striking. I had promised myself no new project until I'd finished three old projects. Well I've only finished one, another is being professionally quilter, but Mavis is having problems with her machine and my third project is nearing completion. I've also tempted Lorraine to join me so I'm cutting doubles of everything except the background.




I found a white backing fabric in my cupboard, so cut about 100 strips of the 112 background strips. Then started by cutting some Sunkissed fabrics I bought a couple of months ago along my my favourite Moda spots. Then everything has been pulled out of the cupboard to look for the perfect elusive fabrics. I was certain that I had more fabric than this. Then I remembered letting Kathryn have free rein on the bright fabric. Damn. Our local quilt store is only open Fridays and Saturdays or by appointment so I have an appointment tomorrow with Lorraine for us to select some fabrics.

Of course, I couldn't resist sewing up a few blocks!! Just to test out the pattern of course. However this does mean it'll take a little longer to work out what I still need.