Happy Christmas

A Picture for Sunday - The Severn

When reality imitates art...

My husband went on a boat trip on the River Severn earlier this year, and at one point had the feeling that he was in one of my stitched landscapes.  Being a true sport, he took some photos for me.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 74 - A Tale of Two Teapots

 

Somewhere in this picture there is a big blue teapot.

And in this one a little green one.

Yes, I know, it sounds like a quiz for three-year olds, but working out the size and shape of a cosy that will fit snugly over a large teapot yet not totally swamp a small one was definitely a task for grown-ups.   I am still in pursuit of tea cosy perfection, so there will be more.



 

This jolly print is way out of my usual colour range.  To me it screams kitchens rather than bedrooms, but until last week I had nothing that went with it.

 

 

Then I found an ideal match in the oddments bin when I was having a rummage in the quilt shop.  By adding the bold spotty material, I have worked out that I have enough to make six tea cosies.  I am hoping that by the time I reach number six I will no longer be agonising over the dimensions.  The colours will certainly cheer up the miserable damp grey days we have been having.

 

Here goes for week 74...

This is the last linky before the Christmas and New Year holidays.  The next linky will be on 7th January.

The project in Week 73 that really caught my eye was Julie's bright scrappy quilt, a great blast of colour incorporating scraps, stash fabrics and even a recycled dress. Definitely my cup of tea.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

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 and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
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 and Macau have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up to Kelly's blog My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
and 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.

 

 

 

12 x 12 Exhibition At Midsomer Quilting

 

Realism in thread... the eyes are astonishing!  And slightly terrifying. 

 

This tiger is by Sue Harris, and is one of the 12 x 12 inch quilts on show at the exhibition at Midsomer Quilting.  The theme was poetry, verse or rhyme, and Sue chose The Tyger by William Blake.  "Tyger, tyger, burning bright..." is all I could remember.  I know a lot of first lines, and school was a long time ago.  However, having just read the poem, I had to take my hat off to Sue when I read "What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?"  Well, he is symmetrical, and Sue has framed him within 12 inches.

 

 

Equally enthralling is De Pickford's quilt illustrating Mending Wall by Robert Frost.  The delicate colours of the silver birches against the blue-grey background, the contrast with the stones of the wall, and the gently falling snowflakes all combine to create a still, calm and timeless scene.

 

The exhibition is on until 21st December, and Angela Knapp's amazing quilts are also still on show.  If you have the chance to visit, you still have a few days left.  I am hoping to make another trip there this week so I can place a bid on one of the quilts that are in the auction.  The trouble is, I still can't decide which one.



A Picture for Sunday - Past and Present

Unusual clash of perspectives at Sao Bento Railway Station in Porto.

Going To A New Home

One of my friends mentioned a while ago that her sister was looking for a sewing machine.  Her sister is teaching children to sew, and she has a particular little girl in mind who she wants to start off with a hand machine.

Meanwhile, this Singer 99K was sitting at home waiting for me to clean it up.  My husband brought it home from work, where it had been given to him.  It was one of those machines that had belonged to an aunt and hadn't been used for years.

The serial number dates the machine to 1918.

During the First World War Singer machines made in Scotland had "Made in Great Britain" stamped on them - in this case, on the underneath.

First I had to repair the thread guide on the face plate, then I had to free up the action. Despite these setbacks, cleaning up the machine was fairly straightforward.  Unfortunately the plywood on the bottom of the base had split, so my husband replaced it.  It looked as though at some point it had been standing in water, and the cover was missing, probably wrecked at the same time.  However, there was no trace of rust or water damage to the actual machine, and it is now cleaned up and ready for use. 

Now I am looking forward to hearing how the little girl takes to using this lovely old machine.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 73 - Tea Time

Every finish calls for a quick celebration of some sort - in this case a mug of tea.  The large mug has tea in it, and the tea pot is under the cosy.  At the moment I am having a bit of a sort out in the sewing room, and have finally got round to making cosies from a panel that I quilted with a hawthorn design a couple of years ago.  The panel was large enough to make two cosies.  As soon as I have put on the binding around the bottom of the second one, this one will have a twin. 

Here goes for week 73...

The project in Week 72 that really caught my eye was Karen's intense quilting on  a top made in patterned fabrics by her friend.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

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 and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
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 and Macau 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 Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.
 

A Picture for Sunday - Port

Fantasising already about my next visit to Porto.  Port will taste so much better this Christmas.

Welcome to Ronsondalby, the latest follower - thank you for joining!

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 72 - Stamp Collection Cradle Quilt

If ever a fabric has made me laugh, it is the one in the centre of this little quilt. 

The montage of old stamps, on a background the colour of manila envelopes, took me back a few years.  Some of the images are a bit smudgy, but I could make out stamps from Britain (Scotland in particular), Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Indonesia...

... USA - very 1970s, anyone remember it?...

... and this very familiar looking one from Spain.  I started squinting at the postmark and spotted a distinctly un-Spanish place name ending in "ton".

Then I realised the same post mark crops up on other stamps, reading ....ton Mearns 10.30 AM 30 DEC.  This didn't ring any bells, but an internet search gave me the answer.  Newton Mearns, on the outskirts of Glasgow.  Since then I have been imagining bizarre conversations.

"I would like to order a General Franco cot quilt, please."

"Yes, certainly Madam.  With or without the Scottish postmark?"

"Oh, with, definitely."

There again, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that there should exist somewhere a Franco stamp franked in Scotland.  A card from Spain might have been delivered to the wrong address, and the householder just bunged it in the nearest post box, so it got a new postmark. 

I want that stamp. 

Meanwhile, on the back there is a great game of spot the animals for children.  Rabbits and foxes looking unnaturally relaxed together, owls perched on toadstools, deer and hedgehogs.

Here goes for week 72...

The project in Week 71 that really caught my eye was Sue Daurio's quilt for her great-nephew.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

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 and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
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 and Macau have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

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