{quilt} while you're ahead

61//2012 {{big quilt}}

A few weeks ago it occurred to me that I had never done a quilt for our bed.  The main reason is probably the size... The double bed log cabin quilt I did for mum was a nightmare to quilt on my machine, and the one for the spare bedroom was sent out to a long-arm quilter for that reason.

Then I remembered an old quilt for my god-daughter made by joining previously quilted pieces using this tecnique.

Problem sorted.

This quilt is made by joining 4 large pieces - themselves made by simply sewing randomly chosen pieces of fabric together and heavily quilting with long narrow lines.

It's 'stuffed' with warm and natural wadding and the reverse is made using vintage sheeting

Two quilts in one, I think it can be reversed in a shabby-chic-vintage sort of way?

 

And now on to the next ufo.... sigh...

 

57//2012 {{wip}}

- Today at No 3's new swimming lesson I bumped into a friend from university.  We shared a house for a year and had great fun together.  Somehow we drifted apart and hadn't seen each other in 17 years.  We have arranged to meet for coffee soon and truly catch up.  How lovely.

- My sister and I managed to time our walk up the hills perfectly. Before and after the heavens opened.

- Now it's clear again and the sun throws lovely shadows on my wall

- I declare Lindt chocolate the best ever.  Sigh.  I shouldn't be eating it as I have to squeeze myself into a very tight LBD on Saturday.  Might go out and buy a pair of Spanx instead.  Must do that in fact.

- I'm loving the flower arrangement on my dining room table.  It's all about the vessels, right Ali?

- The boys and Mr M are all out this afternoon - can you hear the silence?  - and after a gorgeous leisurely shower (why is it that showers in the middle of the day always seem more relaxing?) I'm making good progress with my latest quilt.

No real blocks just pieces of fabric, very heavily quilted.... we'll see if what's in my head translated to the finished product!

- Happy Sunday to you all.

 

19//2012 {{ giveaway }}

Have you ever come across Janet's blog?

No???? Geeshhh.  Run, go there now.  And then come back and keep reading this post, there's a give away at the end.

If you have, then you'll know what I'm talking about when I say that she's a lady of immense talent.  In this huge quilting/craft world we live in it's not often that some one comes up with a distinct and unique creative vision and aesthetic.

Janet has.

Everything she does is 'Janet', do you know what I mean?  She quilts, she knits, she draws, she embroiders, she teaches, she sews... have you seen her gorgeous 'dressing gown'?

AND she has a book out:

It is a wonderful book full of wonderful quilts and other sewing projects, ideas and templates all with Janet's wonderful illustrations.

And because Janet is incredibly nice too (you should meet her) she sent me a couple of copy of her books; one for me (hurray) and one to give away to a lucky lucky reader.

If you'd like a chance to win it, just leave me your name and a way to contact you and I'll draw a name out of a hat early next week.

How's that for a Wednesday post? eh?

13//2011 {{denim quilt, part 2}}

Just a quick hello today.

My sister left today and I miss her already.... I've tried to convince her to move back to England, wouldn't that be just perfect?

And it's the greyest of days today too, which really doesn't help my mood.

Still pottering away at this.

What about you?

5//2012 {{ up-cycled log cabin }}

I have three - maybe four of these:

I love them.

Mr M loves them. (It doesn't always happens)

I don't know what to do with them.

Any suggestions?

The blocks are 14" squares, made of sturdy 'up-cycled' (sounds much better than re-cycled) jeans.

Too stiff for a quilt?

Maybe something for the wall?

I'm waiting to hear from you, very clever people.

2//2012 {table runner}

For the past few years at the beginning of January I made new placemats for everybody in the family.  

We have lots of placemats now.  We don't need anymore.  Really.

I felt a bit sad about breaking the tradition so instead of placemats this year I made a new patchwork table runner.  Call it a sideway step.

The sentiment is the same... something new for us, for our home, in this bright new year.

The boys are out with their grandad, Mr M and I are alone in the house and it feels a little bit strange, a little bit wrong.  It's too quiet... it's too... different... and yet the new year reminds us that time is indeed passing and that these moment 'without them' will become more and more frequent and that we must learn to enjoy the time of noise and a full house as much as right now we're savouring the peace and quiet.

I'm going to turn on my sewing machine people...in the middle of the afternoon!! 

163/2011

Finish quilt top in record time

tick.

Play cards with No 3 whilst working on long abandoned ufo

tick.

Dinner out with friends

tick.

New karate belt

tick

Bicycle ride in the forest

tick.

Phew.

And that was only the weekend.

 

149/2011 ** patchwork Christmas stockings **

For the stall

for girls and for boys

"left and right"

I know it's a cliche... but why does it feel Christmas is coming earlier and earlier each year?

142/2011

The new Anthropologie's catalogue landed on my doormat today...

Have you seen their quilts?

I want to make one like the 'goose chase' one up above...

One day, eh?

 

115/2011

Randomly on a  Tuesday

- Woke up to sunny skies, hang the clothes outside to dry, rain, brought the clothes in, sunny.  Typical.

 There's somebody upstairs sanding and re-painting the windows.  They're all open and the house is a fridge.

- Talking about fridges... mine doesn't drain (who knew fridges had drains?) so somebody is coming tomorrow to fix it.  More money down the drain, literally.

- No 3 started karate yesterday.  So cute.  For now.  

- If anybody has seen No 2's shin pads can they please tell me where they are?  Can't find them.  My fault apparently.

- Oh and I lost my new 9mm circular needles, the short ones.  I need them to knit the Cullen cowl in Quince and Co Puffin yarn.  C'mon, own up, who's taken it????

- My farmer's daughter never-ending quilt is slowly growing.

(don't look too close.  The quality of some of those blocks is just shocking... but I find it impossible to use the templates and get accurate results - yes, I do change it to 100% etc. etc. - so I've taken to do them with foundation piecing method whenever possible.  or simply doing a little math.  I don't think I'll make ALL the blocks either... but we'll see)

- what an awful photo. I apologise.  It'll never happen again.

- It looks much better than this.

- Mr M and I are popping into Stockholm in a few week's time... any suggestions for cool shops/art galleries/things to do?

- I must do some ironing.