Monday Make and take

It is always difficult to come up with make and takes or tutorials for our monthly guild meetings. Sometimes you don't even need something new. Last month I used Lori Holt's instructions to make a design board. I have done this demo multiple times before but there's always someone new in the group. I made this one with sparkly binding and it will be added to this month's raffle.

I saw that Kylie and The Machine had a free pattern for a scissors case which seemed like another good demo. I definitely need to practise my binding skills on curves. Instead of Velcro I used a snap to close the pouch.

Friday finish - Zip n Grip bag

Lizzie chose the Zip n Grip for us both to work on at the Modern Quilt Club retreat in March. The designer, Sew yours estimates that you can make this in four hours including the cutting out. I have spent mor like fourteen hours on the project and it very nearly defeated me. Lizzie finished hers in a day at retreat, whereas I put mine aside.

I did find the perfect binding in my stash for binding the base. I bought it in Glasgow from Fabric Bazaar because I'd never seen two colour binding before. There were mounted policemen near the store which intrigued us. There was a match that day between the two biggest Glasgow football teams - Rangers and Celtic. The shop was located near the stadium for one of the teams but the game was being played away and the team local to the shop had won. 

I am very pleased to have this finished, now I need to work on quilting a customer quilt.

WIP Wednesday- 2024 Collector’s heart

Tomorrow is our second bank holiday - Liberation Day but today I'm busy with an appointment with the dental hygienist followed by a Covid vaccination and a quiz this evening. Busy busy!

This is how much I'd achieved on the 2024 collector's heart from Heart in Hand before we went to Nantes and it came back without an extra stitch having been added! The 2023 version came with the required thread, linen and button, but there were no threads with the 2024 pattern. However, in my small stash I did find all of the required threads apart from one which I decided to substitute for merlot by Weeks Dye Works.

I have made good progress this week but have now run out of red licorice so I need to place an order so that I can finish the piece this month. I can probably do an evening's more stitching and then it will need to be set aside.

This month's chosen UFO is Cast a Spell by Hands on Design. It will be a quick stitch which I'll start this week but first I need to review the DMC substitutions for the specified Cosmo threads to make sure I like the colour intensity on the black.

 

Monday make - quilter’s tote 3

Today is the first Bank Holiday of three that we have during May in Jersey. We have an extra bank holiday to celebrate the liberation of the islands in 1945 on 9 May.

You'd think I'd be taking it easy today, but this morning we're taking my aunt back to her house for a visit and I hope she decides to put the house on the market. An empty house is an expense for her. This afternoon I have a meeting which I'm told will be quick, I have my doubts!

You might think that you've seen this bag before! This is the third My Quilter's Tote by Zeriano that I've made so far. I quilted the panels for two bags at once which was very efficiently done on my long arm with a digital pantograph called Circuits by Anne Bright.

I even remembered to stitch a label from Sew Anonymous into the binding. I have taken out a monthly subscription to The Label Collective and the first month came with a lovely big sticky label. where to put it? I decided that the Aurifil box that I use to store the feet for my Janome Atelier 7 might be a good place as it might remind me to use a label in every project.

The humper jumper that came with my machine came in very useful with the thickness of the bag seams and binding. I didn't know what it was until someone did a demonstration at a guild meeting.

April 2024 achievements

Another light month for finishes but I have quilted four customer quilts, had a London hospital appointment which was a day trip, six days in France and I published my first pattern.

 

Our April project for our Guild UFO challenge was number 7 which for me was the September Cottage by Country Cottage Needleworks. I completed this early in the month.

I finished a class block from my trip to France into another mini quilt for SCBU. I need to follow up presenting our group's contributions again this week.

And last but by no means least, I finished a second sample of my Corbiere Cushion which will be released in my Payhip store on 1 May. If you sign up to my newsletter there will be a discount code for this pattern for the whole of May,

May 2024 plans

 I definitely achieve more when I focus on one project at a time, so here's what I'm planning to work on this month, allowing for a five day trip to Guernsey with my 96 year old father. There was no way we were allowing him to go by himself.

La Vie en Rose Nantes by Veruschka Zarate is completely pieced, so I just need to decide whether to make it into a wall hanging or a cushion.

I completed one of these Quilter's Totes last month and I have one which is quilted and needs to be put together. 

The Mave skirt which looks like a straight forward pattern which I need to trace first.

I have the Zip and Grip pouch still to finish, should be another quick finish, in theory.

I signed up for another sewalong, I was powerless to resist. The pattern is by Pen and Paper Patterns. I did have a polaroid style camera when I was younger so this spoke to me and it is perfect for featuring some Ruby Star fabrics.

Monday make - flower pop

I was inspired by this version of Flower Pop by Sew Kind of Wonderful to turn my one block into another mini quilt for SCBU.

I used up yellow scraps from my scrap basket and cut into a few fat quarters to make two scrappy vertical borders.

I then quilted it with straight lines on my long arm which I've not done before. I also realised that I need to investigate getting Prostitch Designer back on my computer after lots of programmes were deleted during an update.

I chose a pink fabric from my stash that picked up the colour of the pink flower petals for binding, which I stitched down by machine. I even remembered to add a tag into the binding.

La vie en rose with Veruschka Zarate

I took one further class on Saturday morning at Pour l'Amour du Fil on foundation piecing as I loved the class piece. Verushka explained the method comprehensively. Her top tip was to use liquid starch and allow the fabric to drip dry.

The class came with a full kit using Bella solids. Verushka also gave out the remainder of her kit and it was interesting to see how firm the starched pieces are.

I managed to stitch four sections and then three of the sections into one piece.

Veruschka extolled the virtues of prepping all of the pieces and fabric and then sewing. That is so not my way. I am too impatient!! However, we stayed in France until Wednesday, so I prepared three sections each morning whilst waiting for my husband to get ready for the day.

The benefit of this approach is that I've stitched eleven further sections in the past twenty-four hours. I had thought this would be a good piece to take to the retreat in July, but I think it will be completed before then.

Veruschka's trip was sponsored by Wonderfil and there was a small exhibition of Veruschka's work next to the Wonderfil stand.

The detail in these larger pieces is phenomenal. I dread to think how many pieces each contains.

I was very pleased to have taken two classes at the event this time and we stayed at the Logis, two minutes' walk away from the venue, which was much more convenient than the Ibis.

Pour l'Amour du Fil

Of course the boat was delayed on Friday. We made it to Nantes just on time as Helen Robinson hadn’t quite started the workshop that I had signed up for.

Helen distributed the kits which included Art Gallery fabrics and two rulers. An additional ruler was gifted during the class to trim the small units.

Everyone completed one block during the class and there was some background leftover. Helen caught me trimming my squares st an opportune moment as I had forgotten to cut the second curve. The block still turned out as expected. 

I will turn the block into another mini quilt for our special care baby unit.

Friday finish - folk art sampler

 

It is already week 15 of the Folk Art Sampler with Art East Quilting. I am over halfway through the schedule for the 26 week programme to completion. 

Last week's block was 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.

Week 15 is the mushroom with another fiddly star. I see a theme developing here. Fortunately, next week is a bird so less fiddly, just more different shapes to cut.

I am totally caught up now as I also finished the two squirrel blocks this week, and as with previous animal bocks, I managed to get one eye the wrong way up!

You can really see the quilt coming together on my design wall now. when I stitch the second dog block, I will need to fix the first block which is not at all square. I think I'll add some wider borders and trim the block down to the required size.

Time to go and catch the ferry. On our return I have a customer quilt to start and next week's folk sampler block to stitch.

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.