A quilt for a Hero

This is my BQL January challenge completed. What ever the rights and wrongs of the political situation a fact remains that there are men and women being wounded every day and their lives will never be the same again. I can do very little about that, but I can quilt.

This is a quilt made from old shirt fabric donated by members of Rugby Model Engineering Society. Easy piecing from 3 x 6 1/2 inch strips just like last months quilt for Katy, I did however, when it came to trimming this quilt have a vague recollection of having starched the strips before I started the other one and it certainly would have helped stabalise these recycled fabrics. A donated backing and wadding meant I was unable to complete it in a conventional way but overall I am quite happy with it, I hope it will be enjoyed by whoever it is given to.

I have also been working on a couple of Christmas projects which has confused a couple of ladies at my quilt group, am I well organised and well ahead of the game or very much too late! Only I know the answer :-) Pictures when they are done but no promises as to when that will be!

Till next time Liz

Christmas has passed, back to normal? not quite!

Before I put the christmas things away I thought I will share them with you. The long wall hanging was made after a workshop at Lutterworth piecemakers, the christmas tree of triangles I made last year, the little christmas tree of yo yo's was made for me by my friend Holly and the cushion was from my BQL secret santa swap.

I am planning to make a quilt for hero's this month, it is the challenge from BQL. I had a pattern in mind yesterday but the shirt I wanted to use for background did not yeald quite enough fabric so I have changed my plan to do a stacked coin quilt instead. All I will need to buy will be backing, sashing and batting as the gentlemen from the model engineering club I belong to have been generous with old shirts.

I thought I would invite any of my friends to come and do a bit of sewing with me and this design is ideal as it will not show any differences in seam allowance.

The snow has bought some disruption to my plans for this week as school has sent the children home at lunch time today so who knows when they will be back, and after minor surgery to his sholder Mr Chaos will also be at home this week.

Say safe till next time, Liz

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.