Super Strips Workshop

Yesterday I enjoyed a Susan Briscoe Super Strips workshop at the Royal Hotel in Bridlington.  I used a Hoffman Bali Pop (Sherbet) and with Susan's help on what colour should go where it is taking shape well.  Next job is to make the piano key borders.  The colours are gorgeous.  Click on the links to see the other attendees quilts - one design, so many different looks!  Not complaining but the strong sunlight has made the colours of my quilt look a bit washed out - they are really much stronger.

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Japanese Circles and Squares

This quilt started at the Susan Briscoe workshop at the Royal Hotel in Bridlington is finished.

It was quilted the day after I went to the talk given by Ferrett in York - I didn't feel able to stitch in the ditch or cover it in straight lines after seeing her magnificent work so I thought outside the box..........circles, land of the rising sun etc and came up with a large circle in the bottom left corner with lines radiating out around it to the edges of the quilt.  I drew round a dinner plate for the circle and free-handed the lines using a yardstick and chalk.  I used a brown/cream YLI variegated thread on top and a brown/orange Gutterman variegated in the bobbin.  It needs a hanging sleeve then it will be on the wall somewhere in the house.

I used a Japan themed fabric for the back, rather bright but it's not on show on the wall and I'm beginning to wonder, with the rising price of cotton, if a quilt is being made for display then should it be backed with a quality calico.  It isn't seen and costs a fraction of what quilting cotton costs.

I'd make this quilt again.  It's not a difficult one and lots of different looks can be achieved depending on fabric / colour choices.

Susan Briscoe Workshop

I had a really enjoyable day with Susan Briscoe and her Japanese Circles and Squares workshop.  It took place at The Royal Hotel, Bridlington where there was lots of room and more than enough excellent food to keep us going all day.  You can find pictures of the day on Susan's blog here

Two Block Quilt Bound and Complete

The September workshop's two block quilt is finished.  I'm not sure why it's called Two Block - in fact I'm beginning to wonder if I've been using the wrong name.  Wouldn't surprise me at all - I sometimes forget my own.  There's only one block in the quilt and its orientation alternates to make the pattern.  Any way it's done and I love it.  There's Hobb Heirloom 80/20 in there and it's a lovely weight.  Not sure where I'm going to use it but it it wouldn't be too small as a overlay for our king size bed.

Two Block Quilt

This is the pieced top which was started at Quilts for All, Hutton Buscel at the September workshop.  It is a fairly simple project to cut out and put together and I like how the bright pinks and yellows have come together.  Need to buy in more supplies of wadding and have a trip to the qulit shop to choose a backing fabric to finish it off.

Another Binding Foot

Revisiting the Janome Life blog I came across the smaller Janome binding foot - I've wondered about it from time to time but never heard any rave reviews or seen it in action.  Here's some pictures and guidance which originally come from the Haby Goddess

You can watch a video to see the foot in action - I'm quite impressed, it would be a time saver for smaller binding projects - it might have to go on my shopping list.

Quilt Workshop

Here's a first, I completed the workshop on the same day!!  It took 30 minutes after I got home to put the last two borders on.  I have enjoyed making this pieced top, I didn't buy any fabric for it, just used bits and pieces left over from other projects - very satisfying.  It was titled Medallion Quilt.  You can put extra centre pieces in to make it into a bed sized quilt.  I made the straight forward square version today.  I took my old faithful 4900QC to the class but did miss the WOW factors of my new Horizon.  If I've got enough wadding in stock I'll try and quilt it tomorrow.  Maybe I will dare to free motion on this one, we'll see.

Brown and Teal top pieced

I really like it now and I'm looking forward to quilting it.  Will have to put a shopping list together of backing fabrics - I need some for this quilt, some for the Moda charm squares quilt.  There's another three packs of charm squares in a different design awaiting piecing, along with a further two packs of Moda charm packs in dark rich colours which I want to include sashes and a border.  That means lots of fabrics.

What a difference a triangle makes!

I have to say that this quilt has not been one of my favourites.  In the shop, when choosing the fabric, the browns and teals looked good to me but as I began to piece, it got browner and browner.  I did leave one of my fabric choices out of the quilt.  A very pale duck eggy sort of teal which just did not look right on the cutting table.  It was still the right decision to leave that one out, but it should have been replaced by another darker shade of teal. 

Anyhow, all is not lost.  I am determined to add this one to the pile of "pieced and ready to quilt" before my Horizon arrives.  I have been putting off checking the calculations for the setting and corner triangles for a little while.  I did it yetserday and it is so easy - why have I put it off for so long??  Not only was it easy, the dark splodgy teal fabric I have used has totally transformed the look of the quilt - Now I like it - what a difference it has made.

What's on the sewing table?

This quit top has been pieced using three Moda Charm Packs from Land of Oz Fabric Treasures  I love this Ebay business and have used them a lot - the size of my fabric stash can evidence this!  The prices are great and postage is often less than what I pay to mail order within the UK.  It is currently 45" x 54" but I intend to put one or two borders around when I find the right fabric.

Going back to the Jelly Roll quilt, which is still under construction, I have been feeling guilty about the huge pile of off cuts there were after putting the quilt top together - I like the pattern, but it is a wasteful one.  I plucked up the courage to put the carrier of scraps into the bin last week.  The following day I retrieved them from the bin, got my embellisher machine out and punched them into a cushion sized piece of calico.  Photo is just a small shot of the entire piece.  There's still enough scraps left to make a back for the cushion.  I'm going to put some wadding behind and  free motion all over it to secure the bits of fabric and ultimately this will make the cushion cover washable, along with giving me lots of free motion practice.

Just for interest, this is the back of the calico after having the brightly coloured fabrics punched into it.  I haven't punched it intensively, firstly because I didn't have time and secondly I knew I was going to free motion embroidered over it.  I might use some of the preprogrammed stitches on my 4900MC too.  There's quite a few I haven't used yet - over 500 to choose from so even after 3 years of owning the machine I can't be blamed for not getting round to all of them.

April Quilt Workshop

Off Centre Log Cabin was today's workshop at Hutton Buschel.  Turquoise and brown is the colour theme I've chosen.  Made half a dozen blocks at the workshop and the rest of the time I concentrated on getting all the fabric cut.  All I need to do at home is sit and piece it together.  It's an easy one, don't think it will take long, then it can go on the pile waiting for my new sewing machine to arrive and be quilted using all those bells, whistles and gizmos it has.

Jelly Roll Quilt Update

Having only the first page of instructions for the jelly roll quilt, putting the strips together has been a bit of a challenge.  Thanks to the Crazy Shortcut Quilts book I managed to work out what to do with the strips, but I was a little disappointed to find that I would have to hand stritch all the strips at the back.  This is not necessity, but it will look better than me trying to machine in the ditch and hope the underside is caught in.  Better take longer than rush and spoil it.  I really love the colours here and it is a big quilt - bigger than intended but there was enough fabric to make an extra strip so why waste it.  I think this will be going on our bed and it will really brighten the room up.

The photos are of the front - the back is unfinished - there's a lot of handstitching in front of me.

Out of Africa

Well Tim will soon be out of Africa - he's flying from Johhanesberg this evening - might even be airbourne now.  Not sure what time his flight is but had a text this morning to say it had been "awesome" and he would telephone tomorrow when he is home in Brighton.  His trip has been at the back of me mind all week, trying to imagine what he is up to and how he is feeling.  He has been abroad many times but not outside Europe, so the feel of Africa will have been amazing for him.  Paul and I are going down to see him for a couple of days next week.  We're looking forward to hearing all about it and seeing lots of pictures.

I don't think he reads my blog so I'm safe in posting these photos.  This is a printed fabric panel, I saw it a while back, advertised in Fabrications magazine and ordered it last Sunday, along with some backing fabric.  Have put it together today and have done some straight line quilting on it.  Then I've been really brave, covered the feed dogs and I have free motion quilted the fire - I'm so proud of myself, it went so smoothly.  There's more free motion to do, but the light has gone.  Will finish it tomorrow and it will be going to Brighton with us next week - a special Easter gift for Tim.

Jelly Roll Workshop

It was rather like a journey to the North Pole, as Jenny drove North the snow got heavier.  Anyway, she did a grand job and got us to Hutton Buscel safely.

Here are pictures of the finished blocks laid out - I'm trying to make sure none will end up next to a similar coloured one.  It is quilt as you go and it will look completely different once the sashing is in place.  I was worried about the bright coloured jelly roll, but now it is cut up and pieced I have changed my mind and love it.  More photos when I have the sashing completed.

FMQ Journey begins

I've made a small table topper with the squares left over from the Christmas quilts and cushions.  This is the first real piece I have FMQ'd (free motion quilted).

I have found the first steps to FMQ extremely hard.  There seems to be a battle which has to be fought between getting your sewing machine fine-tuned in every area and your own mindset and posture.  You approach the first steps with fear and tense muscles and a sewing machine which is determined to object to this new mode of operation.    Success only comes after your initiation which can include broken needles, zillions of snapped threads, taffles, knots and aching neck, shoulder and wrist muscles.  The number of hours this has to be endured varies from person to person, but when the FMQ spirits decide you've done your apprenticeship, suddenly everything works, your muscles relax and your stitching flows smoothly.  There's no clue to what you were doing wrong all those hours, it just works.

Now the festive season is behind us I need to get back into quilt production so I have somewhere to practice my newly acquired (novice) skill of FMQ.

Back to Quilting

Illness delayed completion of our quilt, but here it is now.  Completed on 27th December, only a couple of days late!  The leftovers are currently being made into a small table topper.  Pattern is a Magic Nine Patch using nine different Christmas fabrics.  Quilted in a simple diagonal pattern with gold metallic thread.  80/20 Hobbs Heirloom wadding.

Embellisher Christmas Swaps

I've sailed very close to the wind with these, my eye illness has meant lots of hospital trips, some treatment and a lot of campaigning and lobbying for NHS funding.  This wiped out two weeks of December which meant no time for sewing projects or other Christmas preparations.  I've taken a few hours out today and put something together, one Christmas tree decoration and one Christmas card.  Not as fancy as I would have liked, but what I could manage in the time allowed.  Hope Royal Mail can get them where they should be before the big day.

Simple idea.  Felted a piece of dark red wool tops with a sprinkling of Angelina.  Felted a piece of dark green, cut into tree shape.  Small piece of brown felted for trunk.  Free motion embroidery over the top depicting a stylised Christmas tree.

Tree Decoration

Topper for Card

Finished Card

Christmas Quilt Workshop

The Christmas Quilt workshop was a nice, relaxing day.  Here are some of the things I have made, started at the workshop and finished at home.  I've made quite a few of the little batik notebooks using dark coloured papers from my cardmaking supplies, put a beaded string around and clipped on a white gel pen.  These are for secret santa pressies at my work night out tonight.  Hope they like them.

As well as the notebooks there are little gift sacks that look great filled with sweets, cards made from quilt panel fabrics and a homespun tree decoration.  What I haven't done yet is a Christmas table runner, but I'd like to get one done before the big day.  If not it will be an early make for 2010.

The workshop, which was at Hutton Buscel was tutored by Beryl Frank.

Free Motion Quilting - Machingers Gloves

The Machingers gloves have arrived from http://www.asding.com/ and are definitely useful in gripping and moving the fabric - I like them.  It's taking longer than I thought to tame my sewing machine and make it do what I want it to do with FMQ, but I think I'm getting there.  This sample is definitely the smoothest and best I've done so far.  The back looks as good as the front too.  If you like using YLI Soft Touch thread for piecing (I use the grey for piecing everything!) ASding have it at the great price of £3.50 and their P&P is next to nothing!!

Aids to Free Motion Quilting

I've decided my Christmas/Birthday money will buy me some Machingers quilting gloves and a Supreme Slider  I might also get a pack of  Little Genie Magic Bobbin Washers 

I'm in two minds about investing in the Janome add ons free motion feet set (£39) and bobbin case (£25).  It seems like a lot of money to make your machine do something it's already supposed to be able to do, according to the manual........  Are they add ons for the sake of add ons?  Or will they really make life easier?  If anyone knows, please share.