WIP Wednesday - packing for France

My Facebook memories tells me that 12 years ago we were getting ready to go to Nantes, so I have been going to this show for a few years. Usually, one day is sufficient to see the whole show and make some purchases, but this year, I decided to do a class and then because I got my days mixed up and we are travelling on Friday and not Thursday, I've booked a second class.

My first class on Friday is with Helen Robinson of Sew Wonderful. I have already emailed Helen to let her know I may be late if our travel plans don't go perfectly. 

Then on Saturday morning I am doing Modern Foundation Paper Piecing Fundamentals with Verushka Zarat. My friend Carol did a two day class with Verushka so it will be interesting to see how much we learn and accomplish in three hours! This class comes with a fabric bundle for the complete project.

I have assembled my kit for the two classes and one requirements list was not initially in English and the only item I didn't pick up was a light box, but it is now packed with a travel adapter for the plug and a giant mesh bag to put everything in. I've added a design board as that might keep me a little tidier!!

I have two cross stitch projects packed for when we are in St Malo for a few days next week. I am making good progress on Bee Farm for the stitch along.

I only have a small start on the 2024 collector's heart by Heart in Hand but it's good to have a choice of pieces to work on.

Fingers crossed we don't encounter any delays as there is not much spare time in our schedule to get to Nantes by 2.30pm. However, we know the route and the exhibition centre is just off the peripherique after a tricky set of roundabouts have been negotiated.

Monday Make - Quilters' tote

 

My Quilter's Tote by Zeriano has been getting a lot of love recently so I'm planning to make two for friend's birthdays. I think I'll give them as an unbirthday gift when we next meet for lunch. I pieced the side panels for one bag at Modern Quilt Club Retreat so didn't expect for it to take long to finish the project.

Yesterday I pieced the panels for the second bag with the plan to quilt all four panels at once on my long arm. Quilting them all together using a leftover piece of backing for the lining was so satisfying. I used the digital pantograph called circuits with Superior Threads' King Tut in Cleopatra. 

However, my machine was not playing ball in stitching the bag together and it took longer than I had expected. I need to buy a few more packs of Topstitch 90/14 needles. Once again, I used car headliner instead of bosal as it gives a firmness to the bag at a more reasonable price. 

As usual I forgot to add a label into the binding, so I added it before stitching the bag together. The label is from Sew anonymous.

Bee Farm SAL

I do enjoy a good Flosstube video on Youtube and one of my Favourites is Helen D who is East Coast Crafter on Instagram. The pattern can be purchased from Cobweb Corner and Helen has thoughtfully chosen a chart which the designer was happy to make available in PDF format for overseas stitchers.

The threads are all DMC which I can purchase locally, and I had all but two of the thread colours. I have chosen a 32 count fabric called eureka by Fox and Rabbit instead of the called for 28 Count. Everything is kitted up and I even add a hand cream to my project pouch as I have so many hand creams to use but forget to use them. The SAL officially starts on 23 April.

That bee was so tempting, and a centre start on the bee very appealing, so I gave in to temptation. I have worked to the top of the piece with the bee farm banner and will now work down to the local honey sign. It's not a big piece (70 x 70 stitches) and I am enjoying it but will be pleased to finish the black stitching first and move to the pretty mauves and greens. I am sure to mess up the wings with miscounting but will try hard to concentrate. 

We are off to France next Friday so plan to take this with me to work on along with the 2024 sampler which has also been started. 

 

WIP Wednesday - folk art sampler

It is already week 14 of the Folk Art Sampler with Art East Quilting. I am over halfway through the schedule for the 26 week programme to completion. This week is entitled Star Fish - not quite what I envisaged, but it is a fish with a star in it and another fiddly star at that. The green fish on blue should have been the other way around, but I can live with my mistake. I have also run out of the original pink fabric, so I have substituted a deep pink with paler pink crosses for my original choice. I think that if I can make three blocks from each substitute fabric, it should still look cohesive.

 

I haven't yet done last week's squirrels, but I did complete some extra bee blocks this week. The centre of the quilt is coming together, and I will also stitch one acorn block next week so that all of the acorns are complete. It would be great to get four more bee blocks stitched so that I can add the first row around the central star block. I have already started to stitch pairs of blocks together as that feels like I'm making progress. Next week's blocks are the birds towards the top of the quilt which together with the squirrels would complete another row. I can see more clearly from this picture of my blocks so far that there are a few more blocks I can sew together, and I use them as leaders and enders whilst stitching up the small blocks.

I think I need to be more focused and stitch the bird blocks first, then the squirrels and lastly the one acorn block. I have a customer quilt to work on this week, so I could cut blocks out whilst the Prostitcher works its magic. I would then have a few blocks ready to stitch on Sunday when the bird patter is released.

Monday make - September cottage

 

Number 7 was chosen as our Group's UFO to work on in April. Looking at the picture, I thought, it would be good to start with the big red house. I was surprised when I dug the project out of my UFO Challenge box, that I had already started on that house. That was a pleasant surprise.

I used the called for threads but ran out of the weeks Dye Works pecan so I did the bottom stitch in the top border in the DMC alternative of 435 and the top stitch in the remaining hand dyed pecan thread. The DMC was a good match for my skein of pecan.

I still have quite a few of the monthly cottages to complete but I think first I am going to start Heart in Hand 2024 collector's heart as I was surprised to find that I have some of all of the threads apart from one and the fabric comes in the kit with a butterfly button.

Friday finish - Corbiere Cushion

 

I paired charm squares from Helen Steele with a metallic Essex dyed linen from Sew Hot. I need to investigate what colour it is as it's not my usual fog, it has more of an iridescent metallic thread rather than silver.

I pieced together the cushion top at the Modern Quilt Club retreat and brought it home to finish. The plan was always to make it the right size to take an Ikea cushion pad.

I quilted the panel using a design called Fast Feathers with a white Premosoft thread. Quilting a cushion panel is the perfect opportunity to use an unloved fabric on the reverse as it is never seen.

I used snaps to close the back in a range of mauve and pinks.  I purchased the heart snaps from Amazon here or if you need the tool, you can buy a kit of the tool and snaps here (affiliate links) The pattern for this cushion will be released on 1 May and is beginner friendly.

March 2024 achievements

Well March was a strange month and I only finished one item - the Halloween Terrarium by Tiny Modernist, I have painted the finishing piece and plan to fully finish it this week.

In good news, I am up to date with the Folk Art Sampler with Art East Quilting which took some doing. All of those little pieces to cut out!!

This morning, I dropped my husband off to the local hospital for a day surgery op. He just wanted me to drop him off and pick him up later, so I plan to quilt a cushion front and work on this month's UFO.