A Quilt for Ossian, a quilt for Katy and the last BQL challenge

My friend Laura now lives in Wales and last week had a baby boy they have called Ossian. They wanted something in green for their baby as they did not know the sex of the baby. I found this lovely fabric at Kisco which has some lovely sayings on it that I thought they would apreciate. My son did a good job of holding it for photographing but the camera has made it look more blue than in realityI quilted eash block with an outline of the character a frog, a snail, a flower, with connecting hearts and swirls. It is more of a floor qiult for a drooling babe than a cot quilt but I am glad to hear they like it.

I have some fabric left over and will make a Linus quilt and donate with a tribute to Laura, Stan and Ossian on the back

A quilt for Katy.

This is a quilt I made for my step daughter Katy for christmas who having unwrapped it put it to one side and didn't even open it up and look at it. My husband was a bit bothered that she failed to apreciate the gift, but I was not offended, it was not given with any expectation. That was not the spirit it was given in. I was pleased with the quilt, it went together well and I was happy to have made quite a good job of it. I liked the colour and quilted it very simply and would make another in a heartbeat. I used leftovers to make this little quilt the last challenge from BQL this year.

I am hoping to complete a quilt soon it is another that has been waiting for quilting for a long time I will start 2010 with no major project to complete!

Hope you all had a good christmas and have a happy new year Liz

Not quilty but a cause for celebration

I promise you will never have to see my feet again but I needed proof that I have done it.
When I got on the scales and I weighed 13st 13 3/4lbs I was a bit horrified and decided I did not want to be 14 st and had to do something about it.
I did do something (mostly not eat fattening foods between meals and use a small plate at tea time) and today here is the proof I have lost 3 stone. Yay When I started I could not have seen 3 st as an achievable weight loss goal (and I am usually really poor at sticking to diets) but first half a stone then stone by stone it goes. I am still only just inside "normal" weight for my height so I think 10st 10lbs will be the next goal by christmas.
On the fabric side of life I have made myself a dress this week from some fabric I bought on e-bay. I like t-shirt dresses at the moment, with plenty of stretch, I have given away almost all my clothes because they are too big and I dont have a lot of money to replace them so t-shirt dresses are a good solution. I would love to find a good dressmaker locally who could help me with fitting I would like to make some flattering trousers but I can't see the back and Hubby really won't do!
I am off to the model engineering exhibition today so I will have a good day, hope you do to Liz

Piecemakers show and a happy man

This is what I have been working on for the last few weeks. It is a birthday gift for my son who happened to come home for the weekend. He asked if I had finally finnished his quilt (as he often does) and was very supprised when I said I had, but not so pleased when he asked if he could see it and was told it was hanging in a quilt exhibition. He had to wait till the following day to see it. Thankfully he thought it was worth the wait.

I can't tell you how over the moon I was that some people had chosen it as their favorite quilt in the show. It is now living in Nottingham.

I was also pleased (and a little relieved) that the bag I had made for the raffle had some tickets in by the time I left on Saturday lunchtime. I wonder who liked it enough to buy a ticket and who has won it. I will be looking out for it. I might have to make another one.

I had made some fabric flower pins for the sales table, someone who bought one said thay had to undo it to see how it was made. How silly, I would have shown them first if they had asked and have since taken a worksheet to them. I was asked and might offer to do a demonstration at the AGM next meeting. Till next time Liz

Last weekend I was busy

Who is driving that loco, hiding behind all that steam?

Who is that hiding behind that drivers hat and underneath all those layers?

Honestly it is me, although my own father only recognised me by my boots! I did my driver training at Rainsbrook Valley Railway last weekend. Thank you Ed. It was a really cold day. I am glad I did it but will have to wait for next year now for the next part as sections of the track are due to be replaced soon.

Next weekend will be fun too! Till then Liz X

What a difference a needle makes

At the weekend I went to a quilt show and met the lovely ladies from Asding. We had a chat (as you do) and I was saying how I was enjoying a little quilting project and about how fab their quilting gloves are but I was having some bearding problems.

You need a topstitch needle she said. She was right. Will my photos do justice to the problem?

Here is an autumnal coloured quilt with quilted leavesHere is the center of the quilt back with significant bearding.Here is a photo of the back of the border, look no bearding.

Thankyou ladies from Asding for excellent advice and Topstitch needles.

I hope to have this quilt quilted in time for our quilt show in a couple of weeks time. It is a belated gift for my son's birthday. I am not going to admit how belated, but in a way I am glad because I know I have made a better job of it now than I would have done then. Thats my excuse and I will be sticking to it.

Quilt blog inspiration

Thanks to a tip from someone on BQL I have been inspired to quilt by Leah Day. She has a blog and a challenge to create a new free motion quilt design every day for a year. Not only that but she shows a short film of herself doing it.
I have a quilt that has been thrown over my wall for ages, I could not decide exactly how to quilt it. I had an idea based on the fabric colours of autumn leaves but I could not quite get it together and make a start. This lady gave me the kick I needed and the results I am quite pleased with. I hope to show you soon but in the mean time please look at
freemotionquilting.blogspot.com

fabric flowers

I was asked at the weekend if I had given up blogging and it looked like it, but my mother told me if you have nothing good to say then say nothing. As I have not been very productive and have nothing I am pleased with to show, then I have nothing to blog about.

Saturday was spent at Rocheberrie Quilters and as usual there was plenty of inspiration. I took these flowers to make into broches and several people said they liked them so I thought I would try to photograph (with a new to me camera) and post about them. I made some a while ago and had to make a couple more to remind myself how they were done.

I bought a bag of buttons on Saturday and used some of them for flower centers. My sister says I have a bit of a button fettish which I deny but find it difficult to pass a bag without having a good look. Buying or even better being given old buttons makes me happy. I am smiling just thinking about them. Is there a club for people like me? My name is Liz I am a button addict.

Till next time, be patient Liz

Two things I am pleased with!

I am perhaps sad but I had to photograph this because I wasn't sure I believed it. Here is the proof that I have indeed now lost exactly two stones in weight. I have waited a long time to see 11 something. Only half a stone to go and I will nolonger be `overweight`.

Now quilty things. I made this bag because my husband is a koi keeper and we were going to the koi show in Newark. I found this fabric ages ago and finally found a use for it. The pattern is from a magazine the latest one with loads of bag patterns but I have lent it to a friend so can't tell you whch one. It is shown in neutral checks, but I altered it anyway by making the opening wider. I really like it and although it is not pieced it has got lots of free motion quilting round the fish and following the water pattern. It made a great swimming kit bag yesterday.

Pesky zips just for Sarah

I recently did a demo at a quilt group and have been contacted for help so I hope that as a picture is worth a thousand words these four pictures....
well lets see....


If you were not there then I should explain that at Dunelm Mill fabric shop they sell zip by the meter and separate zips but they can be difficult to put together unless you know one very simple trick.


I have used black teeth strip and cream zip just for contrast.



Cut away the teeth for a short distance. That is it that is the trick.

Thread teeth into zip on one side.

Just tuck the teeth of the otherside into the zip.

On a surface hold down both the fabric tabs and use your other hand to pull the zip. Ta Da

Hopefully you are now smiling at how simple that is.

Best wishes Liz X

June challenge

June's challenge for BQL was super quick and easy, I chose batiqe fabric which I love but my camera always make look paler than reality. I quite like the idea of making cushions for my sofa now but using silks in shades of cream and brown. Mmmm shopping today I think. Bigger seam allowance I think might be advisable. I am thinking/typing outloud.

It has been a busy month with a couple of birthdays (that I can't show you because I didn't have time to take photos) and a fab trip to a great private railway near Tamworth this was a particularly interesting little engine.

And how about this for a great maintanance vehicle. Yes they really have put bogies on a Landy. And here is the team that made it all happen. Thank you all, we had a great day.

I don't normally post about other aspects of my life but now you know because of my family I am also into trains and Land Rovers.

Till next time

Liz

Dying to try this again and May challenge

I spent a great day on Thursday with Muriel and Chris. I took a big piece of white fabric with me but look what I came home with, a rainbow of gorgeousness, is that even a word?

Both of them were quite suprised when I said I was patient enough to leave them over night before rinsing out (I was awake at 6am threw the reds in only to find that my washing machine decided to leak eek! new door seal on its way.) but I am very happy with the results, ridiculously happy infact. I keep rearranging them and stroking them. The greens are unusual but not quite as they appear on my screen. I have no idea if I will be able to use them, they are too precious but I am sure I will be doing it again soon.
I have a bit of a list of patterns I would like to do, New York Beauty, feathered star and Dear Jane.
Where do I start?
Still pondering....... till next time, Liz








This is my May challenge. I am not sure why I did not fancy the word 'May' that was suggested and why I thought 'Love' would be better but I did. I fancied lettering that reminded me of hippies I have no idea why or if this style fits the bill but I quite liked it. There are 3 hearts and swirly quilting. I went to the quilt museum in York and Mr chaos bought me Phillipa Naylors fab book. The colours she uses really make you want to say wow and she uses trapunto to very great effect. I would like to do more.

BQL challenge and a quilt sent to Australia

Here is my challenge quilt for last month made at the last minute as my origional did not work out as I had hoped. Here it looks a little pale, in real life it is better.

My second son posed for me last year at Carrisbrook Castle on the Isle of White. The fabrics were a christmas gift from Lutterworth piecemakers, a selection I would not have chosen myself but are just right for this, so thank you to the committee.

This is a quilt I made from a jelly roll given by Rocheberrie quilters at christmas. I quite liked the block, the sashing I felt was a bit too wide but used it to do some free motion quilting, meandering style which I had not done before. At the time I was doing it I was not too impressed but once I had done it and looked I could not see the areas I thought were poor.

This is another BQL challenge. It should have been 9 paper pieced bags but my printed died and the design did not really appeal so I made just 4 bags but mine are 3D so I can hide items in them but I can only think of chocolate items that will fit. I have a Bramble Patch bag similar to this one and my son has a P.E. kit bag like this, I made a cover for my camera out of another fabric and I am looking for something to hang from my copy of my Radley bag. I bound the quilt with a different colour on each side which is something I may do again.

I wonder what the next challenge will be?

Till next time Liz

Stitcheries and Bento Box

This is what I do when I am waiting at the station for my husband to come home, I sit in the car and stitch, now that Noah is done I found another generous designer to give us a block of the month. These are by Gail Pan Designs and I love them. I am now looking forward to March.

This is what I have been doing when I should have been quilting my stars quilt. I can't make a decision about quilting designs so I started another.

This was a jelly roll of batiks from fabric freedom. There was a thread on BQL about Bento box and I just had to do one. I wanted to play with colour but played safe with complimentary colours for the main blocks and had half a roll of strips that didn't have a pair so I put them together for the border I have a bit of this left and will probably make a bag. I used all of the fabrics in the roll and bought 1.3m for the border and my quilt measures 62" square. At the moment I have only quilted in the ditch and have to decide whether to leave it at that or do some more.

I have bought an ink pad to complete the stamping on my siggy blocks and have now made all 60 and got them squared up and trimmed so another session or two and they should be completed. In plenty of time too! till next time Liz X

Jennie Rayment

On Wednesday evening Jennie came to Lutterworth Piecemakers to give a talk about her quiltmaking style and life as a traveller and teacher. If you have ever met Jennie you will understand that she is quite a character and has a unique sense of humour that had everyone laughing till there sides ached.

On Thursday I spent a lovely the day at a workshop with Jennie. I did manage to keep up the pace and complete all 9 blocks despite

a.not having picked up a sheet of requirements when I booked the day and

b.going home and printing off the wrong set of instructions and staying up till 1am cutting out the wrong blocks. Lucky I was there early and my mistake was realised when Chris turned up with her blocks that were bigger, B*gger. Jennie took over and had the required blocks cut out in about 3 minutes, (from memory no cutting list) amazing lady.

Anyhow so now I have fiddled, twiddled manipulated and generally had fun and produced this. Don't ask what I will do with it.

Ciggy blocks are comming on, although due to some poor pressing I have had to undo a few because when it came to trimming I found they were not square. Interesting as they were early ones and mostly one fabric. Igave it a good dose of spray starch which should mean no repeat of that problem.

My Bento block quilt is getting it's borders soon but because it was a make it up as you go along not a planned quilt I need to find a little bit for the corners. I might get this done when my guys go shooting this afternoon.

Tonight I hope to get tickets to see my Dad on stage, Rugby Operatic society is performing Orpeus in the Underworld and my sister is playing in the pit.

Chuffed

I am pleased because I have managed to upload the picture of Noah's Ark to the Lynette Anderson group page on flickr. I did it all by myself after several failed attempts. I had to find out about geotagging and do that before it would upload, and now its done. Sad I know to be so pleased , but I had to tell someone and now it's bed time. Goodnight.

Noah's Ark

Noah's ark is now put together with a set of rainbow coloured batiks and some patterned batiks I bought ages ago. I am now looking forward to the last set of instructions to finish it off although I can enjoy it just being pinned up on my little pin board. I have done some more ciggy blocks in blue and white orientals and only have 8 more to sew then signatures for all 60. I do have an idea for how to do this and need to buy a special pen.
I have also been playing with a batik jelly roll and bento block.

The strips were nowhere near 2 1/2 inches so required a lot of trimming which at first made me a bit narked but I soon came to view this pile as another excuse to play. I have to think of a border for this now. As it is half term I may not have so much time this week but I have thursday with Jennie Rayment which should be fun I will post the results of our workshop.

Till then Liz

B.Q.L.quilt some signature quilt blocks and jelly roll blocks

I have completed the BQL February challenge, just got to upload it to the site. It is foundation pieced onto starched fabric with red and oriental fabrics as it is not only Valentines day but our wedding anniversary too this month. I think that although paper foundation piecing is tedious to pick bits of paper off, it is easier to fold accurately.
I had tried to use a metalic thread to quilt but the thread kept breaking. I think I have read about a needle for metalic threads, I will have to investigate. I used lots of fancy stitches to quilt although they don't show in my pictures, you know the ones your machine has that you never use. I have done some signature blocks (but not trimmed them yet, I thought I would leave that till last) also from oriental fabrics, but I need to shop for more fabric before I can make anymore blocks.

These blocks are made from the jelly roll we were given for christmas at Rocheberie I need to make two more blocks then think about sashing and borders, another shopping trip needed as I have not got a fabric stach to speak of, I keep using it up.

Lutterworth piecemakers block is also done but I have not photographed it yet.

Lynette Anderson has just relesed her last Noah's Ark block so you know how I will be spending this snowy day.

Till next time, Liz

Siggy swap

I have been persuaded by a post by Jane to join in a signature swap http://cootiebug2.blogspot.com/2009/01/international-siggy-swap-sign-up-starts.html

I will look forward to receiving quilty mail instead of bills.

There is the small problem of the deadline to get my signature blocks done but there will be a maximum of 60 participants so that should be achievable, shouldn't it?

Hoping I have not taken on too much.

LIZ

Crazy Mom Quilts

I have had lots of good comments and interest regarding the vinyl pouches and I am going to see if I can do a link to Amanda Jean's site http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/ I think that worked.

Thank you http://janeweston.blogspot.com/ for the blogging instructions but how do you get just the name to appear not the whole blog address? Always more questions than answers.

I read with interest that Amanda Jean is planning another quilt along. I will be among her followers for sure. I must however, complete the quilting on the star quilt I made last year first before starting another project. I have been working on it this week and am nearer to making a decision, I think.

I went to Dunelm today and found a quilting idea to explore, a sort of whole cloth with the floral design just left blank and the background closely quilted to make the design stand out. I should have taken a photo. I may have to pop back tomorrow.
Good night Liz

Gail Pan Designs

Has anybody else found this lovely site, Gail Pan Designs. On offer is a lovely redwork stitchery that I am working on and hope to show you soon. It should be finished for next christmas. LOL

And as promised the project I was working on yesterday is done.

This is my bag to take to quilt related events, groups, shops etc.Here is my matching note book and pouch to keep in it. (Back view)Here is the front view of the note book and vinyl fronted pouch with pen and pencil, it will soon have polo mints and kleenex added. I have a very small binding on the pouch as I was running out of fabric but I am really pleased with them all and hope it will contribute to being better organised this year. Another thank you to Amanda Jean for the idea.

The free motion quilting I am quite pleased with and was done following a tutorial I found on U tube something to the effect if you can count to three you can FMQ just make a tear drop shape then another a bit bigger and then another one. So simple even I can do it, although I have to confess this is not my first try I think this is possibly the 5th.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Rocheberie tomorrow perhaps another posting to show more swag and projects. Till then, take care, Liz

Fabric baskets from Pink Penguin and BQL challenge

I made these baskets after seeing a tutorial on Pink Penguins blog. I bought a little bundle of fabric from a trader at Rochberieages ago, I cant now remember who, and I kept getting it out and looking at it and loving it but had no clue what to do with it untill this tutorial. The size is just right for the four threads for my overlocker. Thank you so much for a great idea and a fab tutorial.

This is all the swag that I came home with last Rochberie meeting, everyone attending was given a jelly roll which I plan to use to do borders on my Noahs Ark stitcheries (the last part of which is available next month and I can't wait) I was given not just one but two kits to make fabric shopping bags for one of our regular ladies who runs a charity shop, and a friend brought lots of ribbons and zips she no longer wanted which I snapped up in a jiffy. I came home on quite a high, am I easily pleased or totally sad? I really thought christmas had come early for me. Here we are and it is Rochberie again this weekend both bags are made as well as another half dozen left over from a Scout fund raiser before christmas, some zips used in pouches and a plan for the jelly roll.

I have just completed my January challenge for BQL and uploaded the picture to the web site. It has wonky circles fmq all over the background, the circles are left plain and I think I almost prefer the back of this little quilt.

I hope all my text has come out with this post unlike the previous one.

Hopefully a little project will be completed soon and I can show you how I am going to try to be better organised this year. I am ever an optomist.

Till next time Liz