This tiny log cabin measures only 2 1/2" wide and was so easy to sew thanks to foundation paper piecing. Paper piecing is the very first thing I did in patchwork and the only class I’ve ever taken back in Thunder Bay, ON in 1994. Little did I know what I was getting into! A friend of mine had taken the class and showed me a little sampler with houses and I thought it would be a great way to use up my dressmaking scraps.
The tutor wasn’t overly impressed with my scraps of cotton, but I didn’t have the resources to buy yardage, so scraps it was going to be. (At least I brought cotton!) I had my grandmother’s old Kenmore machine and followed along in my own way. In the class we made paper-pieced stars, but the instructor never told us how to completed the project and I went home with my handful of stars and put them together as best I could…with 5/8” seams! I was a dressmaker first after all! It didn’t occurred to me that I shouldn’t lose the points. It would be another year or two before I’d try patchwork again, this time with the help of Simply Quilts and Quilt in a Day. I was still using dressmaking scraps then and have a couple quilts with odd fabric to show for it, but they are favourites because they show my humble beginnings into a craft that has become a passion.
I’ve kinda gone off track…you might be wondering what on earth I’m going to use those log cabins for and it is this…a Roosting Round Robin. (like a round robin, but you work on your own project throughout) There are a few of us participating and you can see Lynda’s version here.) It’s the throw of a dice that determines the theme for the next month. First it was house, then log cabin…I wonder what will be next… ???
Until next time...♥
So a bit of warm weather has finally graced the British Iles and that can only mean one thing… a bit of garden sewing! After tending to the weeds and finding the garden furniture I treated myself to a cup of tea in the sun. I’m working on a hand-piecing project which gives me the perfect excuse to sit in the garden instead of at the sewing machine… I could get use to this :o)
Until next time...♥
L ast but not least my final quilt for Project Linus (at least for now). I’ve been in a real sewing mood since Christmas and I think in an effort to chase away the January Blues, Flagging February and Miserable March I’ve been sewing like a mad woman. Can’t fault me though, because for the first winter in a long time I didn’t lose my mojo and several quilts were made.
I love this one…The tutorial was from Red Pepper Quilts and it came together beautifully with matching points and no frustration. A perfect match for a charm pack and a little bit of yardage.
In my case I was using what I had left from some of the Linus quilts I made earlier this year. The blue was the offcuts from a backing from a previous quilt and the colourful fabrics where from my scrap box of 5” charms.
I quilted it with a loop-de-loop pattern. It was very fast and was enough to keep the layers together while letting the pattern shine. The pink in the borders was another offcut, but I didn’t have enough to make all of the borders from it, so I pieced it will another floral strip to make it wide enough to frame it. A happy result and a better result than a solid border.
Until next time...♥
I know, I know it’s a bit of a strange title but I'll will explain :o) But first let me show you these 2 quilts finished and donated to Lynda for Project Linus. They are, of course, the Scrappy Trip around the World pattern which took the quilting blog world by storm earlier this year.
In an effort to cure my illness obsession for feathers, I did an all over pattern of them, which on a domestic machine was a bit of a challenge! I think I’m cured at least for the moment :o)
Here is a second quilt with a slight variation on the setting. I really like this one in all it’s browns and beiges.
I did an all over meander which worked beautifully and gave it that crumpled look after it came out of the wash.
The backing is almost as interesting as the front. Lynda had these panels donated to her and they are nice and wide and a perfect match for this quilt.
Now for the explanation of my post title… Before DD1 went back to uni I got her to hold up the quilts I’d recently completed in the garden and this picture made me chuckle out loud…it’s a walking talking quilt ..with LEGS! :o)
Until next time...♥
Started way back in 2010 these appliqued blocks were a bit of an experiment for me as I wanted to improve my hand applique and learn needleturn. Over the years I’ve written about them before and the technique I used here and here.
Now finally these 12 blocks have become 3 quilts. All similar, yet their borders and quilting make them different.
This first one I quilted using an idea I had heard from Pat Deacon where you quilt a large arc through the middle of the quilt and then you echo it out to the edge using a quilting bar on the edge of your walking foot as a guide. After you’ve echoed out one way you create another arc through the quilt and repeat. It’s a great method and so quick.
I kept my spacing fairly wide as this is a quilt for Linus and I like to keep those quilts nice and light and cuddly. If I had been keeping this for myself I would have would have made the channels closer.
Next was a quilt that was begging to reflect the garden and to that end I quilted meandering butterflies.
You might remember I did a video showing the method for stitching, but I thought I would share the link for those of you that missed it the first time… (don’t laugh…too much!)
Last, the one with the green border which was quilted with feathers. That was great fun and something I would repeat.
I meandered in the white spaces and individually quilted the applique. It was time consuming, but I really like the results.
Until next time...♥
Boy, I hope I've remembered that term right...not a pub crawl but a yarn crawl…or was it a wool crawl? Well, in any case, I did that with DD1 when she was home from uni in London over the Easter Holidays. I’ve been meaning to blog about it, but only got the pictures off the camera today.
It was a bright and bitterly cold day, but I’d take that any day over soggy and wet especially when one is jumping on and off the tube hunting down the best places for yarn in the city.
Our first stop was Loop in Islington. I completely forgot to take pictures, but it was a lovely shop spreading over two floors. DD1 enjoyed browsing their selection of wool, but decided to wait until our next stop to part with her cash.
Next we made the short trip on the tube to Waterloo and visited I Knit London. Again the camera didn’t see the light of day…I think I must have been so excited by all the colours I forgot to take pictures! DD1 was in her element and quickly made her way to the hand dyed yarns that are dyed at the shop. Even I was tempted and I don’t knit or crochet!
Next stop was Liberty and The Cloth House, which has two locations. The one I stopped in was all cottons in various weights and had DH and DD2 not been eager to find dinner I could have spent a lot longer and a lot more money in there. (It’s probably just as well!)
We also walked over to say hi to the Queen, but it would seem she was out for the day…sorry she missed us! It was lovely to see everything gleaming in the bright sun..I’m sure everything is looking at it’s best what with the jubilee last year and all.
DD2 was thrilled to see so many famous landmarks during our trip out and now when ever anything in London comes up on the t.v. she can proudly say, “been there!”
Until next time...♥
Shopping for a birthday gift for a 10 year old girl can be quite a challenge. Do you buy soaps and potions? toys? make-up? So hit and miss depending on the child. So when DD2 came home with an invitation for a party, I had to get my thinking cap on. In the end, I decided that a sure winner was a bag with the child’s name.
Armed with a zipper pouch pattern and some fabrics chosen by DD2, I got this little beauty put together in no time.
The only criteria I had to meet was that it needed a clip on the side so a scoubie could be attached to the side... That was DD2’s contribution :o)
Until next time...♥
Don't you just hate it when you are struck with a great idea for a quilt and you find yourself short of fabric..usually background fabric? That’s exactly what happened to me as I went through my white on white fabrics and discovered I only had fat quarters and not the 2 meter chunk I needed to get started. So what to do, what to do? As my nearest LQS is about 18 miles away and ordering fabric would take days, I wondered, could there be anything closer? I knew we had a fabric shop in town, but in the past she has mainly been dress-weight fabrics and fabrics for dance costumes, but I figured it was worth a look.
Much to my delight the owner of Mo’s Fabric and Dance (on St. Matthews St. in Rugby) has just recently gone on a shopping spree and has brought in several gorgeous 100% cottons. 
The most expensive ones were only £8.99/m and many of them 54" wide! Happy Days!! I not only got the white on white that I needed, but also a range of other colours to feature in my next quilt.
Until next time...♥
