I am back with a couple of finishes.

This beauty has been with me a while. It was rescued from the tip when the makers home was being cleared by her family when full time care was needed. Lovely candlewicked and embroidered blocks have had quite a bit of quilting and blank blocks and borders feathered. I have several hours of thread ends to deal with now.

 This quilt has the most fabulous colours. S used a printed panel and added other fabrics and some applique. I fiddled for some time to get the quilting to a size that was similar to the printed flowers. I think it was worth the fiddle. The thread she provided was a bit temperamental but I love it now.  I look forward to see this when S has finished it, I understand it is to be donated to the British Legion home where her Father is cared for.

 The back is just as lovely as the front.

 This is the second quilt for I. Like a fool I let a couple of quilts leave before being photographed, one was for I. the other was the biggest quilt I have ever done,  a scrap quilt 112 inches long, dense quilting each pass taking nearly 1 hour to stitch.

A demonstration at Lutterworth Piecemakers last month lead to this little bag.

 A photo on Pinterest led to this little bag to store my camera charger.

There have been other quilty goings on I have fallen for the fabric boxes I have seen online and made some and donated a couple for the village fete on Saturday. I gave them away this morning but may have to go and buy one back as I like them and don't have any more of that fabric to make any more.I have been persuaded to move to Instagram but I have yet to find how to share photos from there to here without taking them twice. 

Off to the kitchen now to make my offering for Lutterworth Christmas get together this evening.

Till next time

Liz X

 While Master Chaos was around I used him to take outdoor photos of the quilts I have done recently. This is destined to be a fund raiser for Myton Hospice I believe. I really like the setting for these sampler blocks.

Lovely bright top with butterfly prints and scraps and a lovely butterfly e2e that shows up pretty on the plain backing for S.

 I used a pipes e2e for H.and then I had fun playing with free motion on my domestic machine. I have called her Pearl but I have yet to find a use or place for her.

I failed to get a picture of another quilt I quilted nor a waistcoat with a South African flag that I was asked to make as a wedding gift for a best man.I was worried as it was a surprise and I was unable to try  it on the gent before the wedding day and he was 2 sizes bigger than my pattern. I was relieved to hear he was very happy with it, I don't think I will offer to make another one any time soon though.
If you are anywhere near Leicester at the end of the month this event might be of interest to you.

Till next time
Liz

Festival of quilts

 

My companion at festival of quilts yesterday was Master Chaos number 2 who has expressed an interest in making his own quilt. He likes the snowball block and has designed a quilt with blocks on point. A couple of people we got chatting to asked if he was there to carry my purchases and were a bit surprised to hear he was shopping for his own project.

I don't think I needed help to carry some thread and a new bobbin case, pathetic I know, but when faced with so much choice I get overwhelmed and unless I have a specific project to shop for I tend to come away with nothing. I do have a couple of UFO's  to keep me busy for a while.

We saw many super quilts some of them are below and I saw some friends, one of them prompted me to blog today. Hi Mo.

 I am sure I have done several quilts and a bit of dressmaking since my last post, I certainly have been involved with 2 shows, (I hadn't realised it had been that long) I did a bit of crew work on Up Pompeii when the set had to appear to shake and fall down after a volcano eruption and I made 20 graduation gowns for the youth project production of Fame. There is a  load of theatre laundry drying on my washing line as I type.
I have a lovely quilt on my machine at the moment and a very good reason to go and get on with it.
 I will post about it soon.
Liz

This is what kept me busy last week.

 

Another show at Rugby Theatre.

 

 

 Here is a picture of the very talented cast of Avenue Q. Everyone had a blast and really miss it. I think there may be some puppet making in my near future. We were thrilled to hear the following week that both Steph and Emma had passed their Degree courses. Well done girls.

Here is the cast and crew photo showing how many backstage people it takes to make a show run smoothly, there is a whole other team front of house. Our scenic team made a super job of the set and it will be hired out to a touring company soon I hear.

Rugby Theatre and other shows

If you missed A Midsummer Nights Dream at Rugby Theatre last week and if the reviews are to be believed you missed a WOW of a show.
 I can sometimes be found backstage on a show, wearing the usual uniform black of stage crew and if all goes well I am never seen.
This is a rare photo taken of me, because of a completely open set, in costume and makeup with my fellow fairies Cobweb, Moth, Mustard Seed and Titania (they are the acting type of fairy, I am only the scene changing type). Thanks guys I had a blast and miss you already.

 

Now on to the things I brought home from the other show in my life last week, Malvern quilt show.
I bought some lovely batik backing fabric for my Jan Hassard quilt, some blue batiks for a planned Storm at sea quilt that has been on my to do list for ever, a purse frame that I thought might hold my glasses, I am always loosing my glasses and it drives me nuts. I bought a replacement for my 6 X 1 inch ruler so the one I have misplaced will now turn up, the threads and batting I ordered online and arrived this weekend, the rosettes and cups were an added bonus.
I now need to catch up on real life, housework, paperwork, laundry, the jungle I used to call garden and most of all sleep.

Till next time
Liz

Malvern Quilt Show

Lets do a group quilt for charity suggested  Dorothy.

 We always take a coach trip to Malvern lets enter it into the show |(I heard my mouth say before my brain was engaged). Wouldn't it be fun to see a quilt we had all contributed a block to, hang in a show. When I suggested it I had completely overlooked the fact that Malvern is a judged show.

Here starts hours of discussing, planning, gathering fabric, pressing , starching, cutting, trialing, demonstrating, sewing, trimming, putting together, pressing and finally quilting, blocking and binding, phew.

I am hugely proud of this quilt I have no real interest in what the judges say about it I like it for many reasons.  I am glad everyone in the group was involved and will continue to be so as we print and sell raffle tickets to raise money for Zoe's place, a hospice in Coventry.

I think everyone involved has done their best work on it I know I have.

I like the fact that as I sat in the pub doing the binding people seemed to be very interested in it.

One comment from my friend Mike " when are you selling raffle tickets, I want that quilt!"

 

 

 The second quilt I entered was started years ago when Rocheberie quilters gave a gift of charm pack. Honestly, they were not fabrics I would have chosen for myself but I found a quilt in an old magazine and with an old but unused sheet from one of my grandparents I made a start. I soon ran out of charm squares and asked around if anyone had Rocheberie charm squared they were not using. Soon I had more squares and a name for my quilt, Generosity of quilters. I sewed the applique borders while watching my son take climbing lessons. It was put away in the pile and got buried. Finally I had a reason and a deadline and got it done.

I had a phone call as I was trying to make tea before dashing out to the theatre, from Grosvenor shows to say I had won a rosette. I had to ask the lady to tell me twice, she must have thought I was completely stupid. I put the phone down, screamed, told my family and then thought nahhh she must have made a mistake. but when I got to the show apparently no mistake I have two ribbons. One for the best charity quilt and one for best hand applique. Sadly the people who gave me these skills, my mother and both grandmothers are no longer here to share my good news with and I am really struggling and failing to hold back tears.
Generosity will be donated to Myton Hospice in memory of my father who was cared for there in the last few weeks of his life.
Interesting timing as this week is Dying matters week.
Next post will be a more normal post about purchases made at show and next weeks plan is to catch up on sleep.
Liz

Zip purse tutorial

Someone recently asked about my zip purse that I use to carry a small sewing kit and I promised to find the pattern and tutorial I used and post about it so, here you are.

I thought it was called a Doughnut, small wonder I could not find it because it is called a Dumpling. (I was right in it being food related)

http://keyka.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/08/lets-make-dumplings-free-zip-pouch-tutorial.html

The one with the red binding is the one I regularly use, it matches my weekender bag.
The little blue one I heavily quilted despite being so small and then I embellished with beads.
I love it!
The green one is a little bit larger and plain I have not found a use for it yet.

Hope to see a few more around soon.
Liz

Yes, I have been busy!

Waves on a pirate print for Barbara.

 Roses are red for Beryl.

Super spirals on this for Enid, the camera has sucked all the colour out of it but in the flesh it is amazingly colourful

Two applique quilts for T's grandchildren, some lovely little characters here.

A big one for Holly.

For Bev, with much love.

For Ollie, with much love and best wishes for a good recovery from surgery. Crappy pictures because I have lost my camera and didn't understand the settings on the one I borrowed but this is a stunner and I love the swirls I quilted.

Two more to do before I can concentrate on a couple of projects for show, as well as a couple of little jobs for the theatre so yes I am going to be busy for the next few weeks too.

Till next time

Liz X

Hexagon tutorial for Emily

I have just found out my cousin wants to sew and I can't wait for the school holiday so I am sending a little hexi kit and posting this tutorial for her.

 Take a cardboard template and put in the center of a roughly cut fabric hexagon. I use a small clip to hold one side in place while I start to fold over the edges and take two stitches to secure the fabric folds on each corner. Use tacking thread for these stitches. There is no need to try to sew through the template, the stitches only need to go through the fabric.

 Six of one colour and a contrast are needed for each flower. Take the contrasting hexi that will be the center (here it is orange) and one of the petals (here it is blue) and place them fabric sides together and along one edge. A fine needle will make this easier and a fine thread, but not tacking thread, will make less visible stitches on the other side.

 Open these two pieces and place another petal along the next side of the center hexi and carry on stitching.

 Carry on sewing around the center hexi untill all six petals are sewn.

 To be able to sew the seams between the petals we need to ease out the template from the centre hexi. Just snip a stitch or two and take it out, then fold the flower in half to be able to sew the six remaining seams to sew the petals together.

 The flower is now complete and you can decide if you want to make more and join them together to make a bigger project in that case leave the remaining templates in place or if you would like to sew this one to the front of a cushion or a bag in which case you could give it a little press with the iron on the wrong side and take the remaining templates out.
Whatever you decide to sew it to you could embrioder a stem and leaves too.

I hope you enjoy this little bit of stitching and look forward to a sewing get together soon.

Liz

Time marches on...

Look what was waiting for me when I got back from Rocheberie on Saturday, a lovely bundle of new Oakshott fabrics to play with.

Like a small child given an expensive gift and getting more enjoyment from the box, what I played with first, after pressing and starching, were the selvedges which are really pretty. 

I know challenges are not everyone's cup of tea but this

has been on my to do list for about 2 years. Lutterworth has issued a challenge of 4 small pieces and this is my Circles piece. Below is one of the pieces I made for Lines and one of  the chenille bags I made after a visit from Marike Phillips to Cosby Quilters. I have been very happy to sit and quilt recently.

This piece was quilted a couple of months ago and I am glad to have it finally made up into a bag. I had a couple of nice comments about it yesterday.

 

Till next time
Liz

Busy sewing but not patchworking.

So this is what 8 collared waistcoats looks like, 32 self cover buttons, ( I sat one evening in the theatre bar making them, getting some very strange looks) 112 pieces, 32 darts, 40 button holes, 40 buttons and 8 buckles sewn on, all made for the next show at Rugby Theatre, Nicholas Nickleby.

Jay chose some fabulous fabrics and some that were slippery and difficult to tame.

I am glad/relieved to see them all done and fitted ready for opening night.

I have been busy starching fabrics and cutting Dresden plate wedges, all 380 of them, for a group quilt with Paddox Patchworkers. Cutting backing fabric into blocks bigger than your biggest square ruler was a challenge which was overcome with multiple rulers and masking tape. Not very tidy but it did the job. I turned my spare bed into a sorting space.
I have written a tutorial, prepared a demo and look forward to handing them out next week.
I hope my ladies enjoy sewing them.

A friend arrived on my doorstep on Saturday with an enormous bag of fabrics (better than Christmas). I have sorted and washed, put some aside for quilt backing, cut out 17 bags for Morsbags and have a big bag of fabric to donate to Lutterworth.

It does seem that I am fascinated by statistics this week.
Till next time
Liz

January into February

Lovely batiks and a pattern by Anja Townrow published in a magazine over 6 or so issues for Carol. Some surprising splashes of orange here that I loved. 

This pretty quilt top with yoyo roses is quilted and went back to it's maker but I was a plonker and forgot to photograph it before it left.
Sewing for me has been non existent, I have been sewing waistcoats for Nicholas Nickelby, 8 of them!
I gave a talk to a group of new patchworkers at Percival Guildhouse who are coming to the end of making their sampler quilts, some of them were thinking of using the services of a longarmer so I went and had a chat about what to expect.
I have a biggie on the machine at the moment so that will be next weeks project.
Pictures soon
Liz

And the second

Thanks to Dorothy (she kindly offered to finish hand sewing the binding down) this quilt that I started as a PIPs challenge last year now has binding and is ready to go to Linus. The one lighter block really shows up much more on the camera than in real life.
Till next time Liz

Scraptastic

The first quilt finish of the year!
I have quilted 3 Linus quilts so far this month, this one, another one Dorothy took to finish hand sewing the binding and another waiting for binding. I have been finishing up quilt tops before starting something new and BQL have a scraptastic challenge so I have been able to tick lots of boxes with a few finishes and donate to Linus as well so a win, win situation.
I was waiting for a delivery of batting and decided to try fleece because I had some in the cupboard, a combination of fullness in the top and movement in the fleece, I am pretty sure it will be a long time before I do that again. I have been given some poly batting for the Linus quilts and it is a bit poofy for my liking and likes to shift about but I shall  persevere.
I am waiting for a few threads to be delivered now before starting a couple of lovely quilts I am looking forward to playing with.
I had a great day yesterday at Rocheberie School House Quilters, meeting old friends and new and we all came home with a lovely box of threads, fabulous.
Till next time. Liz