Friday finish - Fancy sailor top

This month's Guild UFO challenge pick was the red heart fabric that I purchased from Rosenbergs at the 2023 Festiva of Quilts. Earlier in the year I made the Mave skirt but had some fabric left over so I wanted to make a matching top.

Of course, I didn't quite have enough fabric to make a top but bought a further metre of the same fabric also from Rosenbergs at the 2024 Festival of Quilts. I borrowed the sailor top pattern from my friend Jane but decided to go up one size. I have finished the top ready for our holidays, but I shouldn't have gone up a size. I will alter the top at another time.

I still have the same fabric with pink hearts to make up something for the Guild UFO challenge along with a pair of sneakers and two cross stitch patterns. I hope one of the cross stitch patterns is chosen for September!!

WIP Wednesday - Kaffe Fassett diamonds

 

You can't help but admire Gisele's fussy cutting in this diamond quilt. The quilt top was sold to a friend for Jersey Hospice Care as was much of Gisele's extensive stash. I love that where she didn't have quite enough fabric, the diamond is made from two triangles.

I used Glide in the colour bone for the digital pantograph Malachite from Urban Elementz. I love the texture that the pattern gives.

The quilt is 90" square so the only way to get a half decent photograph was from an upstairs window.

Monday make - Pyjama bottoms

 

What could possibly go wrong on a miserable bank holiday weekend when I decide to rethread my overlocker and make some pyjama bottoms for my upcoming holiday? Oh yes, and I have no idea where the instructions book for my overlocker is! Apparently, nothing can go wrong this weekend. I rethreaded it with some new navy overlocker thread and followed the instructions on the inside of the cover. I feel momentarily invincible.

I have made two full sets of shortie pyjamas before, so my pattern was already cut out and helpfully stored in an envelope. My shorts are based on the Stella joggers from Tilly Walnes' book on stitching with knit fabrics.

And here they are ready to be packed in my suitcase. So far, I have underwear, pyjamas and a pile of dresses. I will tackle toiletries and medicines later today. I don't know where I bought the fabric from, but it is pleasantly light for summer pyjamas.

Friday finish - Anna Maria Horner orange peel

Just as we are preparing to go on holiday, three new customer quilts have arrived to be long armed.  Two of them are the work of our friend Gisele, who sadly passed away. Quilty friends are finishing some of her many UFOs and the sale of her UFOs and stash have raised money for our local hospice.

This is a beautiful example of Gisele's craft and is made with all Anna Maria Horner fabrics with a backing to match. The backing is so lush. I went with a simple champagne bubbles digital pantograph in a dark grey so as no to distract from the beautiful applique and fabrics.

Another quilt is already basted and on my long arm, but I am just waiting to hear if the customer is happy with my choice of quilting pattern. I will get it started tomorrow.

WIP Wednesday - autumn squirrel

  

Autumn Squirrel by Barbara Ana Designs for Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher magazine is one of my 2024 UFOs for our Guild challenge. I thought it was a good project to take to my Wednesday morning group as it has blocks of colour to stitch. 

I am stitching it on 28 count cashel in light mocha / mushroom using the called for threads. If it's not finished this month, I would take it with me on our September river cruise. My plan is stitch to the top of the piece first and then to the left as her tail only uses two different colours. I love those mushrooms at the bottom.

Monday make - Ginger's kitchen bench pillow

 

I have at last finished the Ginger's Kitchen bench pillow by Kimberbell Designs. It is huge! It would accommodate two Ikea rectangular pillows, but mistakenly I only ordered one! Cristin Sohm's Youtube videos take you step by step through the project. Cristin also shows you how to tweak the instructions using Embrilliance software. 

I used my own choice of modern brighter fabrics for the project, which mostly worked. I learnt again by experience that you need to be very careful when pressing blocks and seams. The gingerbread girl's dress was originally red organza, but when I was ironing the sequin trim at the top of the dress, I melted the organza. Oops.

I am now keen to start the Pumpkins and Potions ladder quilt. I purchased the pattern and embellishment kit direct from Kimberbell Designs and will use my own choice of fabrics including Tiny Frights by Ruby Star Society for Moda Fabrics. I also have three customer quilts to complete and a dress and top I want to stitch for my holiday by 1 September!!

Challenge quilt

Caesarea Quilters members have been challenged to make lap quilts for the elderly by a former quilt shop owner, Fiona. She has provided blocks and fabric to use in the quilt. Any blocks provided must be used.

I think I did well with the selection I was allocated as the colours all go together. I decided to do a strippy quilt and pieced the four lone star diamonds into a strip. 

I eliminated all of the small pieces from the selection provided and made up the width of the quilt with simple squares so as not to detract from the lovely piecing of the strips. 

There's nothing better than a tight deadline to force me to focus on a project and I pieced the quilt top on Friday, ready to use it to demonstrate my long arm on Saturday afternoon. I loaded the quilt and stitched out one row ready for the event on Saturday. On Monday morning, I finished the quilting quite quickly as it was only about 40" by 60" and I had chosen the simple pattern - Malachite. Anything busier would have distracted from the perfect piecing of the fancy strips (not my work!).

Finished and before the mid October deadline!

The leopard print backing also came in the pack of fabric as well as the tone on tone binding.

I even remembered to add a label into the binding.

Monday make - Guild event

I took over as chair of Caesarea Quilters at the recent AGM. Instead of a demo, we did some brainstorming on what demonstrations members wanted in the coming year. One of the suggestions was to see how my long arm worked. A quick word with the outgoing chair and we decided to have an afternoon tea and long arm demo at my home last weekend. 

Small groups of members gathered around to see how I work and were hypnotised by the undulating pattern I'd chosen. I had quickly pieced together this quilt on Friday for a group challenge that I hadn't even started. I gave a few tips on preparing your quilt for quilting whether at home or on a longarm. 

• Stay stitch around your whole quilt 1/8" from the outside edge. This is particularly important when you have bias edges on your quilt as this stabilises the whole piece.
• Use a spray such as Flatter and press your quilt top and backing well.

As well as scones with jam and clotted cream, members brought a delicious array of home baked goodies. I rented a box of mixed vintage cups, saucers and plates. Yesterday we took leftover scones and banana and cherry loaf to my 96 year old father's flat and enjoyed afternoon tea with him. 

I have finished quilting the challenge piece this morning so plan to get it machine bound today as ell as visit my 94 year old aunt.

What inspires you?

We were at the Festival of Quilts last week, in Birmingham and I've been looking back at the photographs that I took. What caught my eye and why? It's a combination of awe at the technical expertise, humour, colour and work by friends.

Impressive use of colour.

This is a whole cloth and the design is all thread work.

Beyond my capabilities and imagination.

The colours shine and the precision of the circles.

Simplicity, perfectly executed.

By Paula Steele whose work is always colourful. This will be released as a kit with Modern Quilt Club.

A brilliant use of grunge fabric to produce a footstool in the shape of a Tunnock's caramel wafer. Apparently one of the Scottish airlines hands these out to passengers.

The winner of the contemporary category and a bargain at £800. One piece was for sale for £30,000 but we heard this was to do with insurance.

Are pigs in blanket, a British thing? Sausages wrapped in bacon. I like the humour and the execution.

A steam punk cat!!

The use of colour is fantastic and so precisely pieced.

Highlighting the effect that bees have on our world.

I am not a fan of quilted jackets for myself, but I loved this piece in the free wearable art catwalk show on Sunday.

Winner of two prizes by Helen Creasey and very different to Helen's usual foundation pieced beauties. As a steward we are allowed to show the reverse of pieces to show attendees and Helen had introduced batons into the points of the mandala so it would hang perfectly.

From Carolina Oneto's Gallery. Now that Carolina's daughter is at university in Edinburgh, she is spending more time in Europe. Carolina is a lovely person and a good teacher; I did a class with her in Nantes in 2022.

One of many samples in a lass with Vendulka Battais. Very inspiring.

Selvedges and a temptingly comfortable chair. The ribbon was there to stop visitors sitting down on this lovely piece. It is so tempting to touch all of the exhibits, which is why stewards are so necessary at the show.

Which piece caught your eye?

August 2024 plans

I think my brain is a lot like my design wall at the moment, too many things going on and no focus. I am going to take down the Folk Sampler blocks again and just focus on the bench pillow.

The bench pillow will be my first priority as it is close to being finished and I'd really like to start on the Pumpkins and potions ladder quilt.

My UFO challenge piece for August is the red hearts on navy fabric. I have finished a skirt in the fabric and was able to pick up another metre of the fabric at last weekend's Festival of Quilts to make a matching sailor top. This needs to be finished by the end of August and will be a perfect outfit to take with us on our holiday in early September.

I have also started another of my UFO challenge pieces which is Christmas Tiny Town. 

Then there will be just three more challenge UFOs to complete:

Sneakers

Pink heart fabric

Autumn squirrel by Barbara Ana - I might take this one on holiday with me

Festival of Quilts shopping

Last night I returned home after four days at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham. On Thursday we stewarded and on Saturday we ventured into the city for some extra shopping. We stayed on site at the Moxy, which is conveniently close to Resort World with its many dining options. We adopted our usual plan of Thursday and Saturday at Vietnamese Street Kitchen and Friday at Karaage. We enjoyed meeting friends, looking at the quilts and a little shopping. Most purchases were on our shopping lists which was satisfying.

I bought two boards from The Works to use for mounting cross stitch pieces and one cross stitch pattern.

My quilting cotton fabric was bought for several reasons:

Pumpkins and Potions Halloween quilt

White on white fabrics which I am very low on

The Ruby Star star fabric for a Christmas stitch with my daughter

The pink fabric was ordered in advance for my Folk Sampler

Tula Pink diamonds - just because!

We only did one class which was with Vendulka Battais on glitter painting which we loved. We bought a few supplies, and I will look for some more of the German produced glitter pens when we are in Germany next month.

Only a few bag making supplies from Purple Stitches. A gorgeous floral strapping with the matching lobster clasps. I also succumbed to the cute needle minder in Ryman.

More white on white fabrics from my friend Helen Steele. We were pleased to have made purchases on the first day as Helen's fabrics were selling like the proverbial hot cakes.

And finally, free stuff from Aurifil, Sewing Street, Prima, Schmetz and What the Fabric. I always pass on anything I don't want from goody bags to my Guilds for raffles. 

My suitcase is now put away for four weeks, but my bed is still strewn with goodies so that's my next job, if I want to use the bad tonight!