A Week of Finishes: Sunday

I didn't rest but completed my U3A runner sewing sample. The two sides are very different so I made a binding from two contrasting strips of sewn together lengthwise. iit will go on our group sales table and if unsold to a charity shop. The coming week will be more about continuing with existing projects  than finishing.

I prefer this side

Here you can se the doulble sided binding.

A Week of Finishes: Saturday

I had some scraps leftover from the Fancy Forest Quilt and thought I would use them up making a second version of Margaret's bag. It;s a bit of a mish mash - I should have liked to include more of the blue solid in the crazy piecing but  as it was I used every last scrap.
I also applied facing to a Linus quilt but left it in stages of completion to illustrate the method to to the U3A Monday week.

Folded strip attached with quarter inch seam to right side of quilt, raw edges together

Flipped over and pressed

Secured with a one eighth inch away from edge line of stitching
 through all layers of seam allowance

Folded edge pressed to the wrong side

Sewed facing with a serpentine stitch through all layers. On a different quilt I should do this by hand.

A Week of finishes: Friday

This is Block 4 of the pattern but the last one I made

My finish today seems a small one but there was quite a lot of sewing in this final block of my Piece o' Cake quilt especially as I felt the red blobs were a bit crudely sewn so I replaced them taking more care. I laid out the blocks ready to join quilt as you go in the arrangement dictated by the pattern but made a small change in the interest of colour balance. Can you spot it?

Version 1

Version 2

A Week of Finishes: Thursday

When my daughter came last week I was still stitching the binding on my Star Check quilt which was a Lynne Goldsworthy pattern in a magazine and because I had already bought the check fabric featured in hers because I loved it I went ahead making myself use some of my precious low impact fabrics. The backing is lovely too and I'm glad I went the extra mile now it's gone to a family home. My daughter straightaway laid claim. It was long arm quilted by my friend Maggie Breakspear of Lee Priory Quilting.

A Week of Finishes: Wednesday

Before washing

This is my Quay Quilters' apron made for our show in June. We were all given the calico and the letters design and asked to use these and also decorate our pocket. I got together with two friends as a means of overcoming my reluctance which proved well founded. Once made it was unwearable, very stiff and sticky out  and too big so I thought I must risk washing it. The calico shrank but the added details didn't so it's a write off and my husband threw it in the bin for me on his way out. Missing the show because of a family holiday now has a silver lining.

A Week of Finishes: Tuesday

Emil's Quilt 36 x 48"

A fox

A butterfly

And a hedgehog

I put in the last binding stitch on this quilt for a friend's first grandchild. It's the Fancy Forest pattern by Elizabeth Hartman, a wonderfully detailed and planned pattern both for fabric selection and clever construction. 

A week of finishes: Monday

Well, that is the idea anyway. Last Saturday I went to Margaret Harrison's bag workshop for the Quilters' Guild. We were a smallish group. It was a real teaching project. We drew up our own design for the sides and used freezer paper templates to make the crazy patches. I used Cherrywoods for these, colours prompted by the centre fabric left over from a long ago completed quilt. We used fancy thread and our machine's fancy stitches for the quilting. I completed it this afternoon.
Hopefully more to come.

Pocket side

Reverse

Bye bye quilts

My daughter and granddaughter came to visit yesterday and I showed them the quilt which I am currently binding which led to a thorough recce of my sewing room. I was delighted that three of my recent quilts found a home with a fourth soon to follow. These were always meant to find a new home eventually whether  to sell, give to charity or best of all to family and friends. So job done and I get to visit them once in a while!

Glimma Crosses

Quilt made in a workshop with Marion Fox, made twice as big.

Two happy campers with my Jelly Roll Race quilt

Sewing day

Every two months the Usual Suspects get together with other friends for a day of sewing, lunch, chat and cake. This time the cake had candles and lunch was accompanied by a small glass of something sparkly to wish a very special member of our group "Happy Birthday".

Hever top in three pieces.

Judi has more or less pieced together the Hever raffle quilt top which five of us made blocks for, batik stars on white-on-white; we think we'll be able to sell lots of tickets.

Hexagon pieces using varying sizes of units.

She's also made modern hexagon pieces inspired by Heather Hasthorpe which will be a Guild workshop project later in the year.
In fact Judi has been very busy, adding more samples of the previous modern log cabin workshop also inspired by Heather and making an envelope quilt.

Modern envelope quilt

Lovely quilting motif

Modern log cabin with a dark bacground

.

.

. . . and one with wider logs

Marigold has finished her centre Stonehouse blocks and laid them out . They very exquisitely sewn and so fresh and pretty.

Cheery rabbit made from suede fabric

and kangaroo likewise

Judy O has nearly completed an African hanging for her husband. There lots of quirky little details and she has some embellishments to add.

Judy O's African piece inspired by Mary I's earlier piece.

 All I did was organise Linus blocks and make one top but others are ready to go at the UFO day on Saturday. Photos to follow when complete.

Stonehouse layout

Hazel Hedgehog

I am continuing with Elizabeth Hartman's Fancy Forest quilt pattern determined to look neither right nor left. This afternoon I made two Hazel Hedgehogs. This is a really clever pattern but you really do have to concentrate.
I cut out all the pieces for each block in advance and pin to my soft board with labels.

Some pieces have been assembled and the others pinned and ready to go.
Note that all are rectangular in shape.

They're very sweet

Tu Whit, Tu Whoo

Two owls to join the rabbits - these were quite tricky and used all the colours.

Rabbits

Pocketful of Posies block

Two rabbits from Elizabeth Hartman's Fancy Forest pattern.

I've finished the next to the last block shown here for my Piece o' Cake pattern and two rabbits from Fancy Forest. This is for a friend's first grandchild.