4 Days...2 tops..not bad going!

Wow, I've even surprised myself with this one. I said I'd be quiet for a bit as I sewed up some Christmas presents and I thought I'd be gone for ages...but hey...here I am posting about these two quillows for my niece and nephew. I'm pretty sure my SIL doesn't read my blog...I hope :o)

After attending the quillow workshop with Andrea and Bunty in September, I've been thinking about how to size this project down so it would be suitable for a child. So I got my calculator out and re-worked the measurements so that they would work out to just over 40" square and the pocket on the front is about 10"square. It should be a good size for them to use as cuddle blankets when they are watching TV. The blocks are more crumb chaos blocks, the blue ones are sewn in a log cabin style and the pink ones in a 1/2 log cabin style. I also added fabric ties on the flaps (they are folded to the back and tied to enclose the quilt and turn it into a pillow) instead of the buttons and elastic so it would be child friendly. (thanks Andrea for this top tip :o) With any luck I'll get them basted this weekend and machine quilted next week. Then I promise I'll slow down for a bit!

Don't shoot me, but...

...I've finished another top!

Ta-Da My 2005 BQL Ostrich!

I'm thrilled with how well this turned out and I love the quilting. I recently heard Pat Deacon speak at the Lutterworth Piecemakers and she talked about an effective way of doing an all over quilt pattern. Basically you start with a gentle arc across your quilt and then you echo that out towards the edge of your quilt. Once you've done that, you pick a spot along that first arc and make a new arc from that point across your quilt and then echo that out...repeat as necessary until the quilt is completed. You can use a quilting guide on your walking foot to help make the intervals even. I didn't want to pay the £8.99 for the one for my machine and was too impatient to wait for it to arrive, so I did my intervals by eye. I think it turned out ok.

So that's it for now. Believe it or not but I've just started on some little Christmas presents..so I might be a little quiet til I get those done.

TTFN

Can you stand another Meme?

This meme which I found on Kitty Thimble is just pictures...no reading! :o)

Here’s what you do:
1) Answer the questions and type into Google image search
2) Post a picture from first results page
(well I cheated a bit and some of mine came of the second page)

•the age you will be on your next birthday


•a place you’d like to visit


•one of your favorite places


•your favorite object


•your favorite food


•your favorite animal


•your favorite color


•name of a past pet


•where you live


•1st grade teacher’s last name


•your middle name


•a bad habit of yours


•your college major


•your favorite holiday

Play along if you like!

How smart is your blog?

According to this website my blog is at a high school reading level! How about Orange got a rating of genius! Guess I need to start using bigger words!! LOL

Woohoo Number 2!

Seems I'm on a role this week getting these flimsies quilted up...incidentally this trend won't continue forever! ;o) I have one more that I hope to finish in the next few days and then it will be a case of basting the next lot of tops.

This 40" x 40" Blue String Quilt is another one for Project Linus UK. I'll be handing it to Lynda our local Project Linus coordinator next week..make sure you've got room in you boot, Lynda :o) It's made up with blue scraps and I'm thrilled with how well it turned out. It's lovely and soft and has that crinkly look now that it's been washed. What a satisfying feeling to get a few things crossed off the list.

Have a good weekend!

1 done...9 to go!

I'm really happy to tell you that I got one of my flimsies finished! (notice the updated bar on the side ;o) It's the Gingerbread Man quilt that will be donated to Project Linus UK. It has a finished size of approx. 50" x 50" and was all machine pieced and machine quilted. I decided to quilt through the lattice with an elongated decorative stitch on my machine. My DD1 thinks it looks a bit like the squiggly icing you get on gingerbreads. The set-in triangles and the outer border are quilted with a big meandering stitch. Both my machine and I were playing nicely and the stitches were nice and even! It quilted up incredibly quickly...probably only a couple of hours. If you want to see more detailed pictures of the quilt and the quilting, they are posted in my flickr account.

Do you like my fancy frames for my pictures? They are thanks to an on-line toy found on Big Huge Labs. I used the Framer tool to enhance my quilt pix and I've also used it to make a Canadian postage stamp of this cutie that was posing in my garden yesterday. Have a good one!

Just a bit of fun

Pop over to Rags N Quilts to read about your Quilter's Zodiac.
I'm Gemini and I thought it was quite accurate.

Have a good weekend!

Where did it all begin?

Karol-Ann tagged me to share a bit about myself and my crafting history..or in my case my sewing/quilting history. ..as a result I've changed the questions slightly.
I have to answer them on my blog and then let five other bloggers know that I have tagged them so they can answer the meme too.

1. When did you start to sew?
I inherited my grandmother's sewing machine after she died when I was 19. I didn't have a clue about sewing or even how to even begin. But I thought it can't be too difficult (ha ha) and bought a pattern and some fabric and made a pair of wide legged trousers with an elasticated waist. Clothes making moved into costume making and then in 1994 a friend told me about patchwork quilting using foundation piecing and I thought it would be a great way to use up my scraps. This and my ever changing shape after having my daughter which was making fitting clothes more challenging I left clothes making and moved strictly into quilting.

2. Why did you start sewing?
I've kinda answered that already...I started sewing because I had a sewing machine! Couldn't have it sit there and gather dust! My grandmother was an avid sewer..yeck she even made me underwear...so I guess out of respect for her I wanted to make use of her machine. Interestingly enough I have learnt in recent years that some of my female ancestors were tailoresses ...so maybe it's just in the blood.

3. Why do you sew/quilt?
That's a toughy...I've never stopped to think why I quilt...but I couldn't imagine a day without sewing or reading about quilting (guess that's why I read so many blogs!!) I think I create because it's therapeutic and because I'm good at it. There isn't anything else (other than being a mother) that I have spent this much time learning about and working to improving my skill.

4. What do you make?
Quilts and bags!

5. Has this changed since you began sewing/quilting?
One thing I have learnt about myself in the last few years is that I'm a traditional quilter. I love the old patterns and the old colours. I've done a lot of experimenting with colour and design and have decided that I like going back to basics.

So there you have it!

I'm going to tag Lynda, Kim, Fiona, Linda, and Sarah Jayne

What's on my Bed...

Nicole over at Sister's Choice has challenged a few people to share "What's on your Bed?" The idea is to photograph the quilt that is currently on your bed and post about it. I thought I'd jump on the band wagon too (as I'm a bit thin on posting material) to share with you the Storm at Sea quilt that is currently on my bed and while I'm at it the quilt that is on my youngest daughter's bed. The Storm at Sea quilt is about 6 or 7 years old and it is all machined pieced and machine quilted. The Feathered Star quilt is about 5 years old and is machine pieced and all hand quilted.
Not much else happening quilting wise...seems as soon as I've got some time to think about sewing, something else comes up! Oh well!
Have a good weekend!