Quilty Day

So, apparently, in the mathematics of family life, tennis camp + new computer game = sewing time for mummy. Olivia started her week (M-Th) at tennis camp (10am-3pm) today, had a nice time apparently - came away chatting animatedly with another girl her age ("Her name is Georgia; she's a really good singer; can we get a Michael Jackson album?") and claims to have enjoyed herself. The other two spent a large chunk of the day playing on the computer - but as I wanted to do some quilting and as they were working as a team rather than arguing, I let them.

Consequently, I have quilted the quilt I pinned together on Sunday. Admittedly, I chose a simple quilting pattern (what I call a flame meander, which is essentially slightly flame-shaped wavy lines), so it was fairly quick to do - probably took about 3 hours total, though it's hard to tell as I always take frequent breaks for other stuff to make sure my back isn't killing me at the end of the process. In the end, I went with not a purple thread, but a dark reddish colour. This was, I admit, entirely due to what I happened to have in stock, but it looks nice, which is what counts.

Tomorrow I think we will be out for the day, but the next time I have some free sewing time, I think I need to get binding on this and the rainbow mini quilt - and then I really need to bind some of the things sitting in my binding pile - it will be up to at least 4, counting these two, possibly five. Yikes!

Sunday in the country

A couple of pairs of blocks today - both 6" blocks - the first pair is for my African block exchange with Karol-Ann - if you are thinking you haven't seen any of those in ages, that's because we stopped when she went to South Africa for several months. We agreed on a slow start back to the swap as we are both really busy. We were previously making 12" blocks, but both of us have quite a few of those now, so we decided to change to 6" for a while, to give ourselves some setting options for making actual quilts from the blocks.

The second pair are Dear Jane blocks - this is J2, Picture Perfect. For those who are new here, this is another private one-on-one swap - this one with Cathi. We are swapping DJ blocks in certain fabrics (we both have the basic fabrics) at 6". Eventually I will make a small quilt or wallhanging from them. We are NOT going to do all the blocks in the DJ quilt, LOL. At the moment, she does mostly the curved ones which she pieces with a freezer paper technique and I am doing the ones which can be easily rotary cut or (as in this case) paper pieced.

That was the extent of my work today, as we decided to take a trip out in the lovely summery day to Parham House in West Sussex - I had a family ticket from the school fair. It's a lovely Elizabethan House with a nice garden, and in another instance of serendipity, they have a huge collection of needlework and tapestries. No photos allowed in the house, but I did buy a few postcards (most of the needlework I liked best, they didn't have cards of, of course) - if you live nearby and enjoy needlework, it's definitely worth a visit as there is all sorts, including some impressive stumpwork, some of the smallest petit point embroidery I've ever seen, some amazing 16th century tapestries which look like they could have been designed in the (19)70's and an absolutely beautiful 18th century embroidered Mexican shawl.

Here are a couple of the postcards - on the left a late 18th century silkwork rabbit, on the right a Tudor christening cushion - the petit point here is tiny - the guide in the room said 32 stitches to the inch - I believe it. It was rather astonishing.

Quilting & pinning

Well, I did actually manage to do some work today - I quilted the little rainbow piece, to start with. I used the clamshell pattern which I used on the corn and beans quilt, which I really like. It's very time-consuming, so it's a good one to use on a small piece rather than a larger one. I chose to use a brightly variegated thread as I couldn't think what else to do - nothing really matches (or everything does, depending on how you look at it). I will bind the mini in the sky blue fabric (it's actually sky fabric - has clouds on it) to make it seem even more like a rainbow in the sky.



And I also managed to get this quilt pinned together, ready for quilting. Not totally sure what colour I will quilt it in (leaning towards purple) and what pattern (no idea), but I'm sure I will come up with something. Don't think I will work on it tomorrow as I feel like doing something else, but you never know. I kind of fancy piecing or maybe some mixed-media stuff - and I should start by attaching binding to the rainbow mini. Nice to be back sewing - I missed it - not so much on holiday in Scotland, as that's different anyway, but during the last few weeks' of school I was so busy I didn't get much done at all, and was left feeling a bit at a loose end.

Rainbow mini

Not a lot of sewing accomplished today as the kids and I spent the day at the Rural Life Centre (I've blogged about this on the family blog for those interested), but I did have a chance this morning to put together a bunch of HSTs I made yesterday. These will be for the August BQL Challenge, and the resulting piece may also suit another swap I am signing up to, with a rainbow theme. Yes, I'm planning these things carefully to kill as many birds as possible with as few stones*. Tomorrow I hope to have a chance to quilt the little piece - shouldn't take long as it is only 12x14".

I also hope to have a chance to pin together a larger piece for quilting - I bought some more batting a while back so I don't really have any excuse for not quilting something this month - just have to decide what. I know I have a couple of things upstairs which actually have backing fabrics all ready - pieced together, even - so it will probably be one of those. I will no doubt show it tomorrow, once I have made the decision...



*no actual birds were harmed in the writing of this post :)

Log Cabin Lotto

I've been a fan of the block lotto for a long time now, and I try to play most months, even if the blocks aren't necessarily something I'm dying to win. Sometimes I even donate my chances, if the blocks aren't really "me". Other months, I really like the blocks, and would be delighted to win them. Guess which of those is the case this month? Log cabins are one of my favourite blocks, and I really love the way this colourway has turned out - they make such a cheerful baby quilt...

So now I'm torn between telling you all to go on over and make blocks for the lotto so there will be a lot more available to win, and suggesting you do something else this month so I have a better chance of winning myself!

Somewhat funky house

I had plans today to do a bunch of sewing - catch up with a lot of deadlines, and so on. That was before my laptop decided that it simply was not going to go to some websites. Some, yes, others - nope. Much discussion with tech support, etc, suggested the problem was with the security being somehow set wrongly, so that websites with encryption were unreachable, but none of the proposed solutions worked to fix the problem. So, an impromptu trip to the computer shop, which was actually very annoying because while I was hoping to be able to leave the laptop there for them to fix, they didn't want me to - the guy suggested that the best thing to do was back everything up and do a system recovery (i.e. reset to factory settings so it would be like I just brought the machine home). As it happens, in the end that did do the trick, but of course, it takes all day because not only do you have to backup all the photos, music, files on the computer, then do the actual restore, but after that, you have to set the computer up as if it were new and of course move the backed up files back onto the machine, and reinstall all the stuff you have been putting on it over the last two years (well, perhaps not ALL of it). So, there's most of the sewing time. I shouldn't complain too much, I guess, because at least in the end the only money I spent was a call to the helpdesk - would have been a lot more had I left the computer for them to sort out...

But anyway. I did manage to make a block for the Around the World Quilt Bee - this one for Dionne, who has a kind of house theme going. And I added the next section to the Bloggers Round Robin, but that's a project I'm not allowed to show, so I won't. I had hoped to make some logcabin blocks for the August Block Lotto, but although I started them, I didn't get very far once I had to start playing tech guru. We did, just, manage to have a little time to go over to the park and visit the paddling pool - it was a hot, muggy day and that was a welcome change (for the kids anyway - personally, a 6 inch deep pool of water filled with a hundred screaming kids is not my idea of a fun time - especially as they are all either splashing, shooting each other with water pistols or throwing water balloons. Or all of the above!) Anyway, perhaps I will have better luck with the log cabin blocks tomorrow.

Greenhouse

In my Textile Challenges group, we are doing a year long swap (every other month) of house fronts. This month - or rather, July, as I am running late this month - forgot I'd lose the first half of July to school and the last week to being away on holiday! - the theme I needed to work to was "Green house". I had fun with this - I wanted it to look like a greenhouse, without having to come up with a design that was too complicated. So I thought I'd try layering sheer fabric over the top of the house front to make it look as though it was all behind glass. I think it's come out quite well!

A day's work

Yep, that's all I have to show for the day today - ok, I did do six loads of wash, iron all the fabric my mother brought me over from the US, make a little mobile phone bag for Sarah (no photo - d'oh) and spent quite a while helping my mother finish up a quilted bag which she took the first half of a class for (but not the second), but what I did for myself was to finish up these little blocks which I cut out a while back after I finished the corn and beans quilt. Just had a hankering for more corn and beans. Not sure what I will do with these - maybe add some borders and make a little baby quilt or not add borders and make it a wall hanging...

Serendipity!

So, on our holiday we popped into the town of Cullen to check out a local quiltshop/cafe (Puddleduck Patch, which doesn't seem to have a website - at least not that I can find) and look what we found at the town hall - do I lead a charmed life or what? Not much else quilty on this holiday, though lots of stuff done and loads of photos taken. If you are interested, my family blog is full of details, photos and links to more photos. Soon, the quiltiness will begin again...

Gone away...

We are away to the wilds of Scotland for a bit over a week. Computer is coming too, but don't be surprised if I don't post much. Happy summer, everyone!

Around the World Quilt Bee

Despite the busy week, I did have a chance to work on the latest round of the Around the World Quilt Bee. This is a block for Paloma's quilt - there are loads of colours in it already, but most of the fabrics are quite retro, so I've gone down that route. And here are all the blocks sewn together - fun!

Spring Fling Round Robin

Lookie what I got in the post today - my Spring Fling Round Robin quilt. Isn't it lovely? The colours are a little more vibrant in reality, I think, but you can tell from this photo how great it is. All the participants have done a fantastic job matching colours and style and I'm really really happy with it.

Many thanks to Toni, Amy and Marlene for all their hard work and of course, to Margaret for organising this whole shebang. I hope you'll be doing it again in future, Margaret!

New fabric

What a busy week! Didn't get a chance to work on the weekend at all, at least not on my own stuff (I helped my mum with something she was working on), but I do hope to finish one or two more things before going away on Thursday. We'll see...

I did finally get a chance to show a photo of the fabric my mother brought over with her - some is gifts for me, some is stuff I ordered from the eQuilter sale and had delivered to her. Now if only I had time to USE the new fabric, now that would be sweet!

Another Quilt Bee Block

Forgot to post this yesterday -I guess it was so busy I just didn't remember it... Yet another block for the Around the World Quilt Bee - this one for Carroll. This quilt has leapfrogged the one before it, so that I've worked on a ninth block before I worked on an eighth block - but that's ok...

Very bright colours were used in this quilt and quite liberated piecing, so I decided it needed some liberated stars, a la Gwen Marston. Because the block size was 10" unfinished, I had to improvise with some sashing to get the right size, but I think it works well. It's going to be a very bright, cheerful quilt.

Cross-stitch update

Rather good progress made this week, I think - must have watched a lot of telly! (Or, more likely, must have simply remembered to get the cross-stitch out and work on it while watching telly, unlike some weeks.) I finished the pink dress and have begun on the white dress. There is actually some stitching done in the white dress, but as it's all in shades of white, it's hard to see. I started it before the door behind it, but had such a hard time seeing the white and counting, I decided it would be better to do the background first, so that I had a more defined area to work with.

Might not make as much progress with it this week, as there are several things waiting for binding, but I think I will take it on holiday with me in the end of July, so perhaps a lot will get done then...

Southwestern bargello

Today... This piece is for the July BQL Challenge - it's a mini bargello style quilt. I had some great southwestern style fabric with lizards on it which I used as a base fabric, then added the turquoises and browns. When I finished, it felt a bit like a river in the desert, so that's how I've quilted it - a river across the middle, then the ground - in swirls - at the bottom and some suns in the sky at the top. The binding is not as wonky as it appears - it's merely that I haven't actually sewn it down yet, it's just pulled to the back and pinned so I could make sure I liked it!



The other thing I sewed today was less exciting (for me), though Olivia was pleased with it.

Forgotten post...

Well, I know I haven't blogged much this week, but this is only partly because I didn't do anything (today) or worked on something, but couldn't show it (Thursday) - it's also because although I worked on something, and photographed it (yesterday), I forgot to blog it. Tsk - shame on me. This is because yesterday afternoon and evening were fairly busy - after work/school a Brownie & Guide District Sports Day, followed by an evening out with friends. Sometimes things fall through the cracks, even for someone quite organised...

Anyway. This is another block for the Around the World Quilt Bee - this is for Cindra's quilt. You can see I've pulled my colours and basic inspiration (nine patch) from her starter block in the upper left corner. This was a fun block - hope she likes it!

New (sort of) Cross Stitch UFO

So, having finished the birds, here's what's up next. Not sure why this one got put to the side - probably I didn't have a colour I needed so set it aside to work on something else and then never got back to it. But who knows. Anyway, I chose this originally because it has a quilt in it, and I chose it to work on next because it isn't TOO big and I can foresee finishing it sometime in the not-too-distant future. I do have a couple of very large samplers which I really don't want to tackle quite yet.

I worked on this tonight a bit, including some back-stitching - always amazing how much difference that can make - but anyway, that's something to show another time, like next week.

Finally finished!

Ok, you guys - thanks for following along with me through all this - and yes, finally finished - woohoo! Still have to iron out the hoop marks and stuff and of course get it framed, but it's done, done, done!

Wonder what the next thing I pull out of the cross-stitch UFO box will be? Watch this space...

The end of the cushions

I did a fair bit of work today, but as so often happens these days, I can't show most of it! The main bit of what I worked on, a round for the Bloggers Round Robin, has to stay secret. However, I can show a few more cushions I made from the 3D birthday swap blocks - the sampler type block from Julie and the African type block which Helen sent me. I have decided to keep the other three blocks I have from the swap for other things (Margaret's lovely Cathedral Windows block is already hanging in my hallway as a miniquilt). There's a large block from Joy which I thinkI will turn into a small wallhanging quilt along with some of the blocks from last year's swap, which are conventiently in the same types of fabrics and colours. And then there's the other block from Helen, which Margaret commented would make a great Christmas decoration - she's right, so I think I will turn it into a small Christmas hanging and finally, the block from Michelle, which I decided I would also make into a small wallhanging, rather than a cushion. It's such a lovely delicate block; it would look great on a wall somewhere.