Good news...bad news

So to the good news...

I've finished the front of my Harvest Awe quilt...

and I've finished the back of my Harvest Awe quilt.

The bad news... 

I have some batting for the middle in my stash...only it is four inches too narrow!!!

So quilting it will have to wait a week until I can go to our nearest fabric shop which is 25 miles away.

Oh well, that's the way it goes sometimes.

Until next time

Gillian

Back to my machine

I've had a yucky couple of weeks feeling pretty unwell with sinusitus, earache and tonsillitus. I even had to spend five days flat out on the settee just watching dvd's with no energy for anything more. Even this last week I've still felt pretty rough- not helped at all by the cold and the horrid lack of reasonable heating at work-I've been going to bed at 8pm (three times) and even 6.30pm (twice) because I'm just exhausted and ache so much. So today I'm so glad I finally have had enough energy to feel like getting my sewing machine back out... and oh, how I've missed it!

That simple joy of losing yourself in the task of sewing together even the simplest of quilt blocks... it makes me feel so much better. I don't have a clue how I will use the blocks yet but I'm sure the bright colours will make a cheerful quilt.

Possibly the new blocks will go with some black ones I made a few weeks ago. After I press them I think I'll have to try laying them out on the floor to see if I can make it work. I really don't know if they will go together but will play around with them both to see what to do next.



Anyway I need some sleep so until next time
Gillian

Appliqué love!

I love appliqué!!!

What a surprise! I really wasn't sure I could like it as much as patchwork but I do. Its completely different yet wonderfully creative. Even if you use someone else's design the colours, placement and fabrics are all your own making it just about impossible that there could be two exactly alike.

Its so versatile too, you can buy a pattern or draw your own- it doesn't matter how your picture starts. I even bought a children's colouring book at the weekend because it had a great line drawing of the African savavnnah complete with volcano in the background, another was if hot air balloons and yet another was of a mouse in a sailing boat in front of a lighthouse. The lady serving me at Waterstones laughed when I told her what I had bought it for and thought it was a clever idea do as is my style I'm already overflowing with ideas and long time plans.

Fun fun fun

Until next time
Gillian

Applique Calendar Quilt

This week I started the Calendar Quilt by Nancy Halverson/Art to Heart that I have chosen as my monthly project for 2012. My aim is to make one block each month, and as January is well under way I finally got started on it.

Firstly I traced the design onto the paper side of fusible applique paper- I've no idea of the make as I simply went to my usual fabric shop, explained what I needed, and bought the type they recommended.

I then cut the pieces out leaving a small border and then had to choose the fabric for each piece of the picture. I've bought a Nancy Halverson charm pack for the applique pieces. Mostly I need really small pieces of fabric and this was my solution to having a wide range of patterns and colours to choose from which I knew would definitely go well together. I just added a few other bits of darker colours from my stash for the log cabin.

I ironed the fusible paper onto the fabric and then cut out the pieces and then put them together to see how they looked...

I then peeled off the backing paper of the lowest layer of applique pieces and ironed them onto the backing fabric.

I did find an easy way to store the pieces when I stopped for the day--- good old A4 polypockets usually used for keeping paper in folders.

Today I actually used my sewing machine to sew around each applique piece using satin stitch.  I'm really pleased with the result. It's not finished so there is some tidying up and plenty of hand stitching to do yet- but for a first go it's pretty good (the photo doesn't really do it justice and I will take a better one when it's finished). 

Until next time

Gillian

Beautiful sky

Today we had the most beautiful sun rise. I wanted to share the photos I took on my phone.

Until next time
Gillian

The skies over Bodmin 8.10 am...

A new project

The decision has been made...

The fabric is chosen...















... The pattern is chosen (from one of me favourite books)










Just waiting to start!!!


Until next time
Gillian

In between times

I'm in that funny "in between time"- the one where I've finished one quilt and am trying to decide what to do next. I've plenty of options having been given some lovely fabric packs at Christmas. I've also got quite a healthy stash pile to raid too.

I'm enjoying this phase though- out with my patchwork books, visiting websites (especially moda bakeshop) browsing through Flickr quilt photos... I love it!

Next I'm matching fabrics to the patterns I think I want to do next... It's like trying it out- laying them all out next to each other and auditioning them to see if it works.

Its a fun process, one that is slow and indulgent- just to please me!!!

Until next time
Gillian

This is one of the quilt patterns I found on the moda bakeshop. It's by Karen and I have to say her blog is worth a visit too.