Another project started Doh!

 I love the hexi quilts that are about again. I must have made them as a child but thankfully there is no evidence apart from the metal shape in my sewing box. I remember tracing round it onto old Christmas cards and then struggling to stitch through. Thankfully things are a bit easier now, I had printed out a page from this web site http://moxyideas.com/downloads/   ages ago but not done anything about it then last Rocheberrie I saw someone making some blocks and instead of stitching right through the card she just put tacking stitches on the back. Why hadn't I thought of that. It makes things so much easier and less stress on sore joints and the card is easy to remove by snipping one or two stitches and wriggling the card out, leaving the rest of the stitches behind, great if you intend to applique the flowers onto something later.

 I have no idea what I will do with these but they were a compelling project this weekend while I was feeling a bit lack lustre.

First finish for July

I had some help to photograph this one in the sun today.

This is a first quilt by a lovely new quilter I shall just call J because this is for her daughter who is getting married soon, what a lovely gift.

I hope the wedding day will be as sunny, best wishes to them all. X

Finish on a Friday

In 2009 there was chatter about a ciggy quilt, why, I wondered, would anyone make a quilt about cigarettes?

Stupid me! 

Of course Siggys not Ciggys,  a quilt of signatures makes more sense. I made my blocks and posted them off, they were swapped, and these are what I got back plus a couple more from local quilty friends when the arrangement I settled on needed a few more.

This has been a UFO for such a long time, firstly because it took me ages to decide how to put them together and what to do about the inevitable blocks that were too small or squiffy then I stalled because I was short of fabric for the outer 3 inch border, I finally found it at Lady Sew and Sew at Malvern this year.

I plan to put a quilt label with a map of the location of all the block swappers.

So the question to Jane (who encouraged me to take part) is how is your siggy quilt  going?

Till next time

Liz

Back to quilty content

Raindrops in blue for Tracey

 

 

Feathers and swirls up the plaits and piano keys in the border for Beryl

 

 

If you don't like snakes don't look..... no really!

Well my patchwork friends here is one of the reasons I have been MIA.

 

I have some new friends. Can I introduce you to Angry the snake, the largest of four that have been on stage for Rugby Theatre's performance of Whistle down the wind this week.

Did I mention I have been doing props for that show?

 Anyhow, Dan has bought them to rehearsals and performances and dealt with them but on Friday I was told he would not be available for the matinee performance so I had to put on my big girl pants step up and deal with them. I was not exactly afraid of snakes I just didn't want to get up close and personal with them. As you can see by the big grin on my face this was a challenge I really enjoyed.

Angry enjoyed draping herself around my messy backstage updo.

Normal patchwork content will resume soon.

Liz

Quilting raffia, yes really!

 

Being a member of Rugby Theatre makes you do daft things, the most recent for me is taking on Props for Whistle down the wind to be staged 8th -15th June. One of the items on the props list is straw bales for the barn scene. Easy you may think just buy a bale or two and put them on stage. Not possible because of fire regulations, so I did a bit of research on the web (what did props folk do before the net?) and found the blog of Jessie, a professional, who said she would never put hay or straw on stage because of allergies never mind fire regs. She uses raffia.

When asked, half the cast put up there hands to say they had hay fever including our leading man who spends a significant part of the show laying in the hay, well he is Jesus, isn't he?  

So that is why I have had to fire proof mountains of raffia and am now using the frame of my long arm to hand sew (because I found my hopping foot isn't high enough for the depth of all that raffia) a messy looking straw bale. I will then have to attach it to a covered wooden box. I am actually quite pleased with how it looks so far.  

 On to proper quilting. This is for Marie, she and I both did the same Susan Brisco workshop many moons ago. Marie asked for circles and I suggested something swirly thankfully she liked it and is going to make a quillow but mine lays almost but not quite forgotten in the pile, I just don't love it. I might just have to get it out, I was going to add borders but there are several requests for charity quilts at the moment so I might just have to get it done and gone. I have done a couple more quilts but somewhere between my camera and my computer they seem to have been deleted.

Till next time Liz

Not much stitching going on..

 But I did make this bag

that is actually a folder cover for my script. It is zippered on 3 sides (with one zip and two heads that can meet in the middle, if that makes sense) to keep everything together. I think at some point in the future I will replace the handles, but it is very useful
I am doing props for Rugby Theatre production of Whistle down the Wind  to be staged  from the 8th to the 15th of June.

I have recently completed this big quilt for Gill and yesterday took a trip to Malvern with Paddox Patchworkers and others. Although I didn't make a huge dent in my purse (unlike some of my fellow quilters who returned to the coach with bulging bags) I was thrilled to find some white fabric, an exact match, to complete my Ciggy quilt, a long standing UFO and I bought a flying geese ruler to make units for Flutterwheels challenge that I am really enjoying at the moment, I saw a shop that can supply more american civil war type fabric so I will be able to add to the stash for that project. Yey   

There are some really great quilts on display, several I could find room for on my walls but I can't share the many  pictures I took as it is not permitted. Sorry.

Till next time

Liz