All present and correct

Tunic and leggings

Today I've completed my quota of Little people - 7 sets of 10 different ones. I got quicker as I went along. My last two were tunic and leggings girl and one in two piece swimsuit. I sewed the last stitch as the Archers closing theme tune rang out this evening. I've listened to this radio serial all my adult life and my husband has listened since childhood!

At the beach

Quilt Show BOM

No little people today. I hand quilted Isla's quilt when the Usual Suspects met at Belinda's for chat and laughter. Tracy has assembled the Quilt Show BOM top from blocks made by all of us. She was the last to start and the first to finish - an incentive to the rest of us! The man in the background is a tree cutter.

Pinafore

Pinafore & T-shirt

I've completed 8 (keeping one back for myself) little girls in pinafore and T-shirt and have done most of the strip piecing and pre-sewing of a demure little person who nevertheless didn't look in the mirror before setting out so has got threads on her clothes. I just had to finish the one just to see what she looked like.

Girls so far

Female of the species

Here is the first of the girls wearing a sundress. I have delved into my mother's fabric drawer and the dress is made from vintage dress material probably manufactured somewhere in my home county of Lancashire. Not any more! I realiose I've got camera shadow on the photo - will take a better one later.
I'm feeling a bit smug as I've polished 2 24" prison baby quilts  from Isla's leftovers. I'm pleased with the decorative stitch used actually on the binding which lies flat, not always the case when machine sewn down.

"creeping like a snail"

"unwillingly to school"

Here is the last of the boys, the schoolboy wearing the primary school unform of red sweatshirt and grey trousers. His face was too pale at first and hard to distinguish but I've fixed it!

Pale Face

5 sets of 7 boys plus spares

Between boys and girls I'm taking a wee break to make a 24" prison baby quilt using squares from Isla's quilt fabrics and a unifying embossed gingham.

3 rows complete

Junior Soccer Player

The latest addition is a junior soccer player. I think he's a boy from Brazil!
I shall make one more boy and then it's the turn of the girls - much prettier. I've been keeping my figures simple and using strip piecing rather than lots of small fiddly pieces. I think the essence of this project is multifariousness rather than detail.

Brit boy's first day at the beach

The latest addition

This young chap is on holiday in Spain and it's his first day on the beach. He's still very pale!

End of year

Well it is the end of year for the   U3A  Patchwork Class, anyway. The lovely students gave Margaret, the tutor, and myself, assistant tutor, a bunch of flowers and a very special egg each. They have been a lovely group and the good news is three have signed up for Quay Quilters in Faversham. We always need new members and these ladies are a very welcome addition, one even becoming secretary.
I demonstrated Secret Gardens and continuous bias binding and will try to take photos of my samples before I put them away or complete them.
The Show & Tell had an end of term feel with some larger completed or nearly so projects. Margaret and I are already coming up with ideas for the autumn.

Helen's making a  quilt for her latest grandchild.

Bid's birdy doorstop

Bid's throw made from Welsh Mill woollens backed with fleece.

Quilt made from blocks demonstrated during the year

Isabel's table runner

Quilt made from self quilted units

Joyful "anything goes" quilt.

Lalita's bag

Suburban boy out to play in new blue jeans.

The little people are proliferating. I made a lot of farm boys as I had not read the instructions properly. Now I have been making suburban boy in blue jeans out to play. I managed to trim one down 1/4 inch less than I should so have to remake a section.. It is sewing, sewing, sewing and then suddenly one is joining sewn sections together and all is done.

Ruddy Farm Boy

I am making ten different "Little People" for a swap, a tall order. This is my first - ruddy complexioned farm boy. He is poor and has a limited sense of style. He is a homely character. His shirt is fabric my mother cut out for a pair of trousers but never made. How much still to do will I leave behind, I wonder. Making the prototype took some time - I had hands next to the torso and one young man wearing only part of his trousers but now I have a Ford assembly line going.

My husband is normally quite supportive of my projects but on being shown Farm Boy he shook his head as if there was no hope left for me. I told him it was for a swap leaving him to reflect there are at least six other lunatics out there!

Can you see the odd one out?

The swap was inspired by Lynn's blog. Scroll back to find lots of ideas and instructions for Little People.

Tweet Tweet

Meanwhile I have been getting on with my own work, finally adding the border to this birdy quilt started in a Stack'n'Whack workshop with Bethany Reynolds in Paducah. It's very jolly. I pieced the backing and made blue binding. Now to sandwich and quilt it.

Quilt Away

Our sewing space

Tracy came to visit

Valerie with a completed project

Belinda with string stars started in a Carolyn Forster workshop

Valerie's ongoing paper pieced hexagons using batiks

The Usual Suspects spent a weekend away in a country cottage with a wonderfully cut off air to it - surrounded by lots of empty space, empty that is apart from numerous rabbits, a fox and a pair of green woodpeckers. I spent a good chunk of time working my way through the 222 stitches on my newly acquired Pfaff  to make a sample book for for future reference. On Sunday morning when I was finally sewing on a project it made a nasty noise and ceased to work. Thread is obviously caught up in its insides but the insides were not accessible without a specialised screw driver. Anyway last night the sewing machine man came to take it away to look at. I hope its OK as it's a beautifully engineered machine  and although there's still quite a lot to learn I know I'm going to love it - Pfaff Quilt Expression 4 , bought from a friend whom I know looked after it perfectly. Anyway here we are.

Quay Quilters' meet

Group quilt block

Mags' quilt

Quay Quilters met for our AGM and I marked the occasion by finishing my block for the group quilt. Now I have to sandwich and quilt it and do our chairperson's as she doesn't hand quilt.
The spidery quilt was made by Mags for her grandson following a seminole class with Mandy Munroe. The webs are done by hand, not printed.

Christmas in March

The post today brought a hungry animal alphabet panel and from Web Fabrics fabrics chosen specially for me for a BOM - I opted for modern colour blue. The lovely white on white background arrived earlier. I can't imagine I would ever have been bold enough to chose this particular combination. I'm really looking forward to working with them.

Higgledy Piggledy

I was determined to finish this quilt top today and I've just sewn the last seam. I might  add a border if I can find suitable material in my stash but for now enough! It uses up reject blocks from Isla's quilt and the cut away applique hearts are recycleby reverse applique. Then I the cut out bondaweb background hearts were appliqued yet again. If only it could be magically quilted. It might sell or it might become a charity quilt. I need more relatives! The hand is my grandson's - I used a different colour for his hand in the main quilt and the "ball" is the rejected centre of a flower. Waste not want not. Fabric scraps and "cheese" have found their way into crazy blocks which serve to make the top oblong not square. I like this kind of playful patchworking, not agonising too much but a bit. However if only it would magically quilt itself! I still have loads of 2.5" squares and will make a couple of small prison baby quilts as the leftover backing from Isla's is just the right size.

Shadow boxing

Girl on a swing

Recycled hearts

U3A Patchwork

Sheila's "Mary's Triangles"

Margaret's "Jewel Box"

"Jewel Box" detail

Bid's first sampler

We met on a very cold windy rainy day this morning and Margaret showed three very contrasting ways of doing applique. Something for everyone. The Jewel Box quilt was an illustration - I love the clear fresh colours and neat piecing. Bid has made an impressive start as a newish quilter, learning lots and taking it all on board and I was pleased that Sheila had followed through on the "Mary's Triangles" I showed last time to make good progresson this little quilt made with recycled shirts and boxer shorts!

Busy week

Mary's jelly roll quilt

Present for Mary's daughter

Last Friday Crab and Winkle met and Mary consulted about her Cherrywood beach huts quilt made with Cherrywood jelly roll and FQ's, a present from the group for her significant birthday. She'd also made a cushion for her daughter. We also admired Maggie's Noah's Ark quilt. What a lucky grandchild.

Quilt made by Maggie