Saturday 30 March 2013

The unseen

Three things you can't see but are always there. A mixture of applique, free motion quilting and embroidery. As I didn't want to mark the white, I wrote on grease proof paper, then folded a layer on top of the writing to save the floss getting 'leady' from the pencil and then stitched through the layers and tore it off after.

Tuesday 26 March 2013

My own design

My very first 'own design'... or my very first that I haven't followed a picture or a pattern. I love blues and greens together. It was both freeing and frustration not knowing what to do next and I wasn't sure about it for a while so I put it on the PhD's (projects half done) pile, but I'm having a burst on my WiP (works in progress) pile at the moment. I never force myself to do anything I don't want to where my sewing is concerned, it is my hobby after all and how horrible to have to force myself.
It's all about me and my enjoyment!


The colours are really lovely, but my photography is rubbish and it's too cold to go outside and take them out there.


 I got the backing fabric really cheap, it was about £3.00 a metre and it was double width, so I got a lot of it.

I did a stippling pattern across it in a pale blue and I'm really pleased with it.

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Cat mat

I test some of the designs I want to try out, be it patches or quilting on mini quilts for the cats.... it saves the hairs on the sofa and they're really easy to wash.

And here is Zippy modelling his log cabin quilt.


And a happy cat customer on his mini quilt, which by complete chance ended up in the same colours as the friend of a friends bedroom, there is a sleeping brown cat picture in the middle of the cat mat.


Dragon wall hanging

Another picture done with grease proof paper and the picture traced onto it... it was a bit fiddly getting all the tiny bits of paper out of the scales, definitely have some tweezers and a pointy thing handy.  My nephew loved it though, so worth it.


Also a picture in progress, but I made a big mistake on that, I used a very similar thread to the fabric and it turned out that I couldn't see it! The picture is from a drawing my nephew did.

What I leave behind in the mornings - minus one cat

This is what I leave behind in the mornings and generally what greets me when I get in - the quilt is a cubic puzzler and so far I've made two, one with all the same coloured sashing and this one. There is one cat missing from this picture, but he was in his basket this morning. They're all getting on a bit now, Tigger the ginger one is diabetic and insulin dependent and Millie at the back is 16 and a complete bossy boots.

Log cabin

This is the re-vamped log-cabin with new borders and properly quilted - it's a shame the picture isn't great (I blame the phone - but I couldn't really go outside and take it as the weather has been rubbish) the colours are really rich and some of the fabric has gold on it that hasn't really been picked up in the picture.


A bit of the detail, which does show some of the gold and some of the roses quilting - my first attempt at a bigger quilt, the previous ones where small lap quilts. 


This is the back of it... I'm pretty chuffed by it - it was my first pieced backing, I always thought they had to be plain.. hmmm


Monday 18 March 2013

Brenda

Today is a very sad day, my lovely, lively, happy go lucky fabric lady Brenda, passed away. She has supported me unconditionally, praised my work and supplied most of my fabric to me (she lived just around the corner). I would quite often go around to their house for an evening and she would show me all her new items in stock and more often than not send me home with a bag full of off-cuts - my first sampler quilt was made using fabric that she gave me and in turn I was so, so happy to pass that quilt onto her, I cannot imagine her not being here and will find it very difficult to pick up a piece of fabric without thinking of her.

Brenda, I will miss you more than I can say and the world will be a little duller without you in it. RIP.

Handsewn with love for my Mum (never again)

This large double bed sized quilt took five years on and off to make and the plan was to hand quilt it as well.... but I'm a woman and entitled to change my mind, so I did a large stippling pattern all over it on my machine.... and I don't think I'll ever do a large hand sewn one again... but then again... I might change my mind.

Saturday 16 March 2013

Beach huts.

Cheery little beach huts, reminds me of holidays when I was younger. Each one measuring 5" x 7", just deciding whether to add borders or not and how to quilt it. I'll post the finished little quilt/wall hanging when I've decided.
My weekend thinking has been that it might become a beach quilt... blue strip on the top with a sun and a sand and sea strip underneath, with shells and fishes.

As you may notice I haven't quite got the hang of this blog lark, my phone doesn't seem to understand the way I want them to appear on the blog (read I haven't worked out my phone blog bit yet :o) )





 

Linking in with Freshley Pieced WIPs Wednesday - Fingers crossed it works. 


I am starting to get a little frustrated with the not really knowing what to do about linking up etc.. deep breath and any comments with information would be greatly received :o)

Friday 15 March 2013

Ambigram cat mat

This is an ambigram cat mat, to put the design on the middle I traced it out on grease proof paper, pinned it to the sandwich of top sheet, wadding and backing and sewed through it, then I free motion quilted the rest of it. It's a great way to do some complex designs. I've also made a dragon wall hanging using this method and it really is an easy and fab way to do it. 

Little circular cushion

I think this is such a cute little cushion I might make a bunch of them for myself. I got the picture from www.cluckclucksew.com

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Wavy cuushion cover.

I love this wavy pattern, but I think I must get my first pletes right, maybe measure in between, but this is one is very organic...

Boxes

I found these on line and I will try and find the link to them... very easy to make.

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Scrappy (well not quite) trip around the world.

I have been having a go at this scrappy trip around the world, I used a Moda jelly roll from my favourite online shop J & B Quilting, http://www.jbquiltingfabrics.co.uk/ fab service, great range of fabrics and lovely people as well. The jelly roll is called Cuzco and has some fantastic colours and designs in it.... if I could have 10 more of them I would.

Bits and pieces I've made in the past.

Just a lot of picture of some of the things I've made so far.

Diamonds quilt for one of my brothers


Baby boy quilt - just cause I love the design and fabric


Quilt for my nieces 16th birthday

Baby sleeping bag for my nephew

Brown bear floor cushion for my Goddaughter

Backpack and purse for a friends daughter

Weekend bag made from old jeans and cat panels

Cat cushions

Cat mat - I have them on my sofa for the cats

My coffee table cover - it has pockets on two sides

Two more floor cushions - Lion for nephew and Cow for niece

Chrismas table runner made by a friends and myself

Fishy wall hanging

Lap mat for a lady in a wheelchair

Log cabin quilt, which has had the backing taken off (good job I didn't know how to really quilt then) and re-vamped and made large and quilted all over with roses... pic to follow.

Dress for my Goddaughter

Quilt for my sister who lives in Australia

My first sampler quilt

Wall hanging for my friend.

Sofa throw for my brother

Sofa throw for a friend

Spotty bear waiting for a home

My second sampler quilt - still waiting to be backed and quilted.

Quilt for my Goddaughter - who you will come to realise is the love of my life.

Batik bag