A Picture For Sunday - Interrupted Reflection

Not a hundred percent accurate with the colours, because the camera sees dazzling orange as pink, but beautiful nonetheless - yet another sunset over the Bristol Channel seen from Clevedon.  I was puzzled by the rectangle of light immediately below the sun, and thought it was the effect of mist or low cloud.  Once I got home and looked at the photo on the computer screen, and was no longer dazzled by the sun, I could see that it was because the reflection on the estuary had been broken by a sandbank at low tide.

This sunset was especially enjoyable because a couple from Michigan were down on the jetty taking in the view.  It was her (and possibly his, too) first visit to Britain, and they had only landed in England a couple of hours previously.  They had just had time to settle in at their hotel and then go out for a stroll.  What a wonderful start to their trip!  Moral of the story - if you have never been to England before, come in on a flight that doesn't land at Heathrow. 

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 127 - March Hares Cradle Quilt

Exactly the same as last week's cradle quilt, except for the colours.  This isn't my usual colour scheme at all.

Blame the March hares, bouncing in a month early.  I found this fabric in a remainder bin a little while ago, hoping there would be enough to back a cradle quilt.  It was about three inches too short, so the next best use was as a border, but I have to admit that the pinky beigeness of it threw me slightly.  The whole thing has ended up looking a bit 1970s, which I remember all too well.

I enjoyed all the prints, though.  The doggy doing his cooking is a hoot.

And I love the coffee coloured floral print.

The backing is beige (just embracing the theme) with an angels song on the back.  Shame I don't know it, but if you recognise it please sing along.

Here goes for Week 127...

The project that caught my eye in Week 126 was LeeAnna's Valentine's 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 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, 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 Michelle's Romantic Tangle for Let's Make Baby Quilts
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.

Pattern Hacking

Hacking is the only way I shall ever get a jacket to suit me and fit properly. 

Much as I love this gorgeous jacket in my Lutterloh book, which is where I found the pattern for my 1940s blouse, I know it isn't quite what I'm looking for...

...even if the fur trim is the stuff of tweedy fantasies.

Somehow my brain wasn't sufficiently in gear last week to tackle the pattern drafting required for Lutterloh creations...

...so I delved into the pattern box and pulled out this not quite so retro number.  The pattern had never been used, and I had enough calico to run up a toile.  Then the fun really started.  The amendments so far are as follows:-


The armholes are too shallow, so the sleeves cut into the armpits.  I have dropped the bottom of the armhole about an inch and a half down the side seam.

The back is too narrow, so I have added an inch down the centre back.

The upper sleeves needed more width, so I have added an extra inch at the top, tapering down to nothing at the elbow.

The little stand up collar doesn't suit me, so I have had a very educational time roaming around YouTube learning how to draft a pattern with a shawl collar. 


Even though the second toile I have run up still isn't quite right, I think I have managed to keep frustration at bay and let fascination take its place.  Strangest of all, once I had made all the changes, somehow the mock up jacket sat on me differently and magically transformed itself into a rather natty double-breasted number.  I must get my husband to take some pictures of me modelling it, if not for the blog at least for family entertainment. 

A Picture for Sunday - A February Sunset

The hole in the clouds made this sunset even more magical than usual.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 126 - Blue Meets Beige

Now for another quick finish.  After finishing a big project that took nine months there is nothing more therapeutic than churning out a couple of cradle quilts in as many weeks.  Anyone would think I had just given birth to twins.

This quilt is made to the same pattern as the "not pink" creation I made last year, except this one is definitely blue. 

Lots of the old favourite nursery prints have made an appearance, including the trains on turquoise and the washing on the line...

... and the stars and stripes print has ended up next to stars and stripes on the line.

I love the beige check used for the dividing strips.  I can't believe I just said that I love beige, but this check is such a versatile fabric, and is actually a woven check, unlike the blue, which is a print.

The reindeer and Christmas trees print on the back tones in really well with the beige check. 

I need to be enthusiastic because I have got loads of the check fabric, so I have to learn to love beige. 

No, I still can't believe what I am writing. 

Here goes for Week 126...

The project that caught my eye in Week 125 was Olena's stunning meadow 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 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, 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.

Stitching on a Hanging Sleeve

Ready for the show...

There's nothing like thinking ahead.  The Quilts UK Show is on in Malvern in May and I have decided to put in a quilt, or possibly two.  I have just finished the job I love to hate.  Why do I find hand stitching so tedious?  It is supposed to be the path to serenity.

Fortunately I found a nice long strip with a selvedge, so the machine hemmed edge is tucked out of sight under the fold at the top edge.   

However the strip wasn't quite long enough, so I have ended up with a pieced hanging strip, giving it a nice thrifty Amish look.  I might take advantage of the paler section and scribble on my name and the date for posterity.

A Picture for Sunday - Roe Deer in a Wheat Field

Usually I just see a clean pair of heels and a white rump.  This deer stopped and stared back at me for a good few minutes.  Only five months to go before I can hope to see the crops ripening again.

Experimenting With Silk

This experiment could go either way.  It is either the beginning of a Great Sewing Adventure, or it could end up as a couple of luxury needle cases.

Yesterday I had a rummage and pulled out some old offcuts of silk.  For days I have been contemplating free motion quilting on silk.  Now that I have tried it I can tell you that it is a slippery business.  I had to ditch the gloves because I found I could get a better grip with my bare hands.

This small patch of dupion silk in a non-descript colour was the easiest to grip.  All those slubs gave my fingertips something to lock on to.  Perhaps rubber thimbles might help.

Also, with silk being so thin the work felt very flimsy.  I was using a scrap of calico as backing, so I know that next time I should use something a little more substantial. 

Has anyone got any tips for me, please?

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 125 - Stamp Collection Cradle Quilt no. 2

Stamps are a perfect design for a pieced quilt, giving plenty of colour at the centre.

The background colour is reminiscent of manila envelopes.

I just happened to quilt the large blue stamp on the day that the Queen celebrated the sapphire anniversary of her accession to the throne, so I spared her a thought before running across General Franco and his Scottish postmark, which gave me great mirth last time I used this fabric.

In true scrappy fashion, I used up every shred I had left of the red and white fabric that frames the central panel, and had to add a tiny bit to the end of the strips.  Spot the seam.
  

And spot the spots.  The spotty binding went really well with the starry border.

The backing is a rather sophisticated Christmas print in toned down colours.

It was almost a relief finishing a quilt so quickly, after expending so much time and energy on the Secret Project...

...which is now the Secret Quilt.  Here it is hiding underneath the cradle quilt.  I just had to show you the gorgeous shade of red that I found for the binding, but now it is going back under wraps for a few weeks.  All shall be revealed.  Eventually.

Here goes for Week 125...

The project that caught my eye in Week 124 was Gwyned's assembly of different pieces of quilting. 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 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, 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 Connie's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday
and Michelle's Romantic Tangle for Let's Make Baby Quilts.

A Picture for Sunday - Robin in the Reeds

Robins pose so nicely.  This one was by the lake in last Sunday's picture.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 124 - On The Home Run

At last, the end is in sight!  The Secret Project is no longer a tale of many parts, but of two - one big section of seven panels joined together and another smaller section of four panels. 

Here is the first job I had today, pegging sections together.  Somehow I was slightly dreading this part of the process.  This join runs the full length of the quilt, and I was convinced there was going to be a bit of shift going on, so that even though the sections might be level with each other at the top, by the time I reached the end of the seam they would be out.  I shouldn't have worried.  The trusty old pegs method worked again.  I had forgotten that I had used this trick as recently as last year.

Just think, by this time next week I might even have finished this quilt and be proudly showing you the binding.  Not much else, though.  It is a secret after all.

Here goes for Week 124...

The project that caught my eye in Week 123 was Gwyned's leaf design on a closely quilted background in lovely soft greens. 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 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, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.