Free Motion Mavericks - Week 177 - Sewing Room Blitz

Looking good so far, but still a way to go.  The big spring clean has now shifted from the kitchen, visible and positively gleaming through the window on the left, to the sewing corner.  Until Tuesday it still looked like this, with the custom built fold-away table piled high with fabric and general clutter, and the counter beyond it had degenerated into a no-go zone.  Now I am extremely proud of the orderly line of sewing boxes, because I know exactly what is in them and that I shouldn't need to buy thread for a while.  

The Serata treadle is now unearthed from under a great heap of flotsam that would have been far too embarrassing to even photograph, so not only do I now know how much thread I have, but I can actually see the floor.

So, no sewing done this week, but the way is clear to get going again fairly soon.

Here goes, a little later than usual, for Week 177.

Many thanks to Angie, who was the only person to link up last week, showing her latest baby quilt in the making.  She is a true Trojan, and just keeps on going making little quilts for charity.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and have a closer look.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up with Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 176 - Coffee Pot Cosy

Coffee isn't my cup of tea at all, so it is no surprise that making a coffee pot cosy would never have occurred to me had I not seen one when making a quick social call last week.  I realised I had all the bits and pieces at home ready for me to throw together.  

This is from the same practice pieces that I used for the camera case that I made before Christmas, but this time I have put the printed fabric on the outside.  I love the way there is a big difference in the colours, depending on which side of the coffee pot you look at - the rusty red and brown predominate on this side...

...whereas on the other side you see more of the dark blue background.

The creamy coloured buttons stood out better against the dark blue, so deciding which side to put them was easy.

The rectangle is cut to the right size to cover all the exposed glass of the coffee pot, and the  button loops pass under the handle.  Realising the kittens mug made a perfect match was a bit of added fun when it came to taking the photos.  How cute can you get?

Here it is laid out, in all its glorious simplicity.

The button loops are secured under the binding, and this glimpse of the back shows the pieced back, an offcut from a quilt backing, which is best kept hidden.

I pulled out two bits of left over binding, and this batik was the one that was long enough to go all the way round.  It wasn't until I was sewing it on that I saw  how well it went with the print, with the little brown dots echoing those in the flowers. 

And it wasn't until I enlarged the photo that I saw how bad the tension was in the quilting.  Couldn't care less.  It is a practice piece from my relatively early days of free motion quilting, and it might even have been the fault of the rogue bobbin before it started seriously playing up.

This was a super-quick project, and I am ridiculously chuffed with the end result.  It's not going to convert me to coffee, though, kittens or no kittens. 

Here goes for Week 176.

The project that caught my eye in week 175 was Lynette's Night Watch quilt.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and have a closer look.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

Linking up with Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.

A Picture for Sunday - Snowdrifts

One of the most unexpected sights I have ever seen.  This is a lane I often walk down, and I would never have imagined it being completely blocked by snowdrifts.  Here is the same lane in May, but when I took this photo on Friday the weather was wild. 

I piled on eight (yes, really) layers of clothing and went out for a long walk.  I took plenty of photos so I could send them to my son, who is in Ireland and has had similar weather, and my daughter, who is in Portugal and has complained that they have been having biblical rain.  Then I found I couldn't send them the mini documentary video by email, so I stuck it on YouTube.  Just make sure you wrap up warm before you watch it. 

A Quick Project

Scraps of binding, a practice piece from when I was first learning free motion quilting, and a conveniently cylindrical coffee pot all add up to a very quick project for a dull afternoon.

While on a visit this week I spotted a coffee pot just like this one with its own wrap-around cosy, and knew I just had to make one, especially as I had all the components already prepared and stashed away waiting for the right project.  We have two of these coffee pots, a small one and a large one.  I am not a coffee drinker, but my husband uses the smaller pot every day to make himself a solo cup.  I said I was going to make a cosy, and the conversation went something like this:-

"What for?"

"To keep your coffee hot."

"But I want it to cool down."

"I want to make one."

"Why?"

"To use up the bits and pieces."

"It's not worth the effort."

"Yes it is."

Etc. etc. etc.  I suppose I should have realised he wouldn't totally see the point, because I am the one who insists on hot tea, scalding soup, hot dinner plates, and can finish a meal while he is still waiting for his to cool down.  Anyway, we came to an agreement.  I shall make one for the larger pot so we can keep coffee warm when we have visitors.

I am looking forward to a super quick finish!

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 175 - Elephants with Turquoise

Usually I steer clear of dark colours when making cradle quilts, but this time I thought I could get away with it.  The dark shades all go so well with the colours of the elephants in the centre that I was dying to use them, and the turquoise with beige spots lifts the whole colour scheme.

The variegated thread that I used for the quilting has shades of purple, yellow, dark blues, greens and maroon - the perfect combination for this quilt.

For the backing I used the blue and grey butterflies print, one of my all-time favourite fabrics.

I managed to do all the quilting and binding on Monday as I had a trip away planned this week.  On Tuesday I travelled to Berkshire to stay with a friend, on Wednesday we had the day out in Oxford, and today I had a very eventful trip back on the train travelling through a blizzard.  Winter has finally arrived, and with a vengeance.  The blizzard seems set to last all night.  

Here goes for Week 175.

The project that caught my eye in week 174 was Angie's baby quilt.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and have a closer look.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up with Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Michelle's Romantic Tangle for Let's Make Baby Quilts
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.

Lynmouth Cliff Railway

So lifelike, and instantly recognisable, I knew this quilt showed Lynmouth Cliff Railway as soon as I saw it.  It was hanging near the entrance to the Where in the World Exhibition, which was held last December at Midsomer Quilting.

It is by Lorraine Bourne, and the description she provided for the exhibition reads as follows:-

  "My quilt is based on a photo I took.  It's constructed with raw edge strip work and confetti work, together with a liberal amount of appliqué.  I apologise to my son-in-law (on the right) for making him appear bigger than he is!  A listed monument, the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway links the two towns.  Opened in 1890, it's the highest, steepest completely water powered funicular railway in the world.  The views from the top are amazing - we loved it!" 

So here is the slightly enlarged son-in-law, who seems to be feeling the chill around his ears...

...and the man in front of him in the queue, keeping warm in his quilted jacket...

...and the lady in the shelter with the perfect "get a move on" expression on her face.

The jumble of undergrowth on the hill is a combination of raw edge strip work and confetti work, with added stitched detail.

This bicycle print makes me laugh.  Even though it is totally the wrong scale, I always think the bike is chained to the railings.

This is just perfection.  How many outbuildings like this have I seen over the years?  Hundreds.  The colours of the stone, brick and paintwork are exactly right, and thanks to this video I now know that this is where the driver makes his tea.

Because many of the quilts were up for auction, I was spoilt for choice when it came to deciding which quilts to bid on.  I ended up bidding on just two, this one and the Osborne Bull.  I was delighted when I found out that I had won both.  Making a frame for this quilt is now on my husband's list of pending projects.

Thank you Lorraine!  You have made an absolute treasure!

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 174 - Just One Sandwich

Elephant sandwich, to be precise. 

Another cradle quilt is in the making, but I shall be lucky to have it finished by next week.  After spending so much time concentrating on sewing and knitting and very little on housework (virtually none, to be honest) I am carrying on with the spring cleaning.  It is Lent, after all.  My husband was bowled over this week when he came home to see the stainless steel cooker hood gleaming as the manufacturer intended.  I won't show you a photo, because it wouldn't mean much without a picture of how dust-laden it had been, and I'm not showing you that.

So I am having another busy day today, having started with tidying the clutter all around the computer before the engineer arrives to fix the internet.  It is very intermittent at the moment, and wouldn't come on for most of the day yesterday.  But for the moment it is working, so the weekly linky is open, albeit a little later than usual.

Here goes for Week 174:-

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.