Quilting the River Thames

My easiest free motion quilting project for a long time... straight(ish) lines, following the print of the fabric.  This is the Thames fabric that I bought in December, which is now being made into a lap quilt.  It seems that winter may finally be arriving.  The day started with a hard frost, and this evening it has been snowing - about an inch so far, which could well all thaw tomorrow.  I could tell we were at risk of snow by the draught blowing through the house from the East.  Ideally I should have had this quilt finished already, especially as my husband has had a cold has been feeling the chill.

Despite the fact that the quilting is so simple, it seemed to take a while to finish.  It was an awkward size to manage, and I ended up using three different threads, as I ran out of the main colour I was using, and used up what was left on bobbins of two other colours to finish the quilting.  Now all I have to do is the binding, and it should be finished this weekend!




Free motion Mavericks this week is at Andrée's blog Quilting and Learning - what a combo and I'm linking up!

A Picture for Sunday - January Sky

Only a minute or two earlier these clouds had been forming a criss-cross pattern.  By the time I had reached a good vantage point to take a photo they had rearranged themselves.  Half an hour later the sky had completely clouded over and life was back to normal.

Linking up with Wandering Camera at Whims and Fancies.

The Fashion Museum in Madrid

Right at the top of my list of least favourite styles of architecture is Late 20th Century Crematorium Brutalist.  The grey skies, ominous dark trees and bare grounds all add to the gloom.  If I hadn't known what was inside I would have been running in the opposite direction.  However, a great treat awaited me.

This is the Museo del Traje, the Fashion Museum in Madrid.  The permanent exhibition shows the history of fashion in Spain, with garments displayed in glass cases with minimal lighting so as to preserve the fabrics.  It is a feast for the eyes, showing the costumes and styles seen in old paintings.  Seeing the influence of French fashion in the 18th century was particularly interesting.

Also running was a temporary exhibition, La Vie en Rose, which concentrated on the colour pink, showing how it came into vogue once reliable dyes were developed and how strongly it used to figure in men's fashion.

The detail on the back of this dusky pink coat must have helped its original wearer to cut a dash.

As for the embroidery and outsize buttons on this French style outfit, surely only a dandy with extremely expensive taste could have carried this one off.

More my style was this beautiful Chinese silk embroidered shawl from the late 19th or early 20th century.  It just shimmered.

My ultimate fantasy ensemble was this fuchsia pink dress and bolero, dating from the 1970s.  If only I had the looks and the figure, but that's all behind me now.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 213 - Roses Cradle Quilt

Pretty pink doesn't look too marvellous when photographed in poor daylight...

… but on close inspection the theme is pretty obvious.  Roses!  As many as possible, plus a few other flowers, and some non-floral fabrics to prevent the overall effect from becoming too riotous.

Even the binding has roses...

… and there are more on the back.

Huge thanks to Andrée in Canada for hosting the linky for her first time last week!  We are alternating weeks, so week 214 will be at her blog Quilting and Learning - what a combo.

Here goes for week 213:-

Many thanks to Margarita for linking up with her beautiful Christmas wreath quilt.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more.

If you have no free motion quilting to show, feel free to link up and show any project you like.  Here are the usual rules, but feel free to ignore them.  To keep the original emphasis, however, preference will be given to free motion quilting when featuring projects from the previous week.

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.

Suddenly The Thread Ran Out

Especially annoying, as I wanted to get the quilting finished before I went on my travels and ready for me to put the binding on when I got home.  It will have to wait.

At the moment I am still away, and Free Motion Mavericks is being hosted this week by Andrée at Quilting and Learning - what a combo.

A Picture for Sunday - Ground Mist

How often I wish I could get up early and take a walk when it is misty, but it never happens.  I am no lark.  A couple of weeks ago I saw this intriguing patch of ground mist in the late afternoon.

Linking up with Wandering Camera at Whims and Fancies.

Travel Knitting

This is the first time I have used bamboo needles.  I have heard so many people say how much they love using them, they are so light and smooth etc etc.  I hate them.  I am tempted to skewer chunks of chicken on them for kebabs and stick them under the grill.  It may come to that, but not yet.  I bought them yesterday because I am going away tomorrow and wanted to take some knitting with me.  If I took metal knitting needles through airport security I would have they would arouse suspicion because they are metal and pointed: the fact that they are knitting needles, with knitting on them, and I'm not the murderous sort anyway, would cut no ice.  They would be confiscated.  While I was in the shop buying them another customer overheard and said it had happened to her, ruining her plans for a long haul flight.  They let her keep her crochet hook, so she had something to do, but she said she was fuming.

So here it is, the latest baby cardigan is on the needles.  I am to be a great aunt yet again twice this spring, so I thought I should put aside an extra cardigan for a little girl.  I'm not totally convinced by the rusty salmon pink, so I am putting in stripes of the random pinky white pastel yarn.  The effect is almost tweedy, and the idea of a miniature Miss Marple cardigan could catch on.  Either that or it will end up looking like a bad taste tea cosy.  We shall see.

As soon as I get home after this trip I shall transfer the stitches onto nice heavy metal needles and I shall be much happier.  In the meantime, I must remember to pack a stitch holder, just in case these wretched little sticks snap when they are packed in my luggage.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 211 - Blue for a Girl

Flowers and an emphasis on blue - this is a combination I have had in mind for a cradle quilt for a long time.  Finally I have done it!

The winter daylight makes the quilting stand out a little more than I expected.  Once the quilt has been crumpled up and used for a while perhaps it will settle down.

Most of the fabrics are florals, and the brighter colours are concentrated near the centre of the quilt.

The more subdued colours are nearer the borders.  I like the greyish pink alphabet print of the left.  It would have been a bit out of place in the middle, it is too unassuming to take centre stage, but nudged up against the blue border it is perfectly at home.

Finding the right binding took ages, but I am really pleased with this roses fabric.  The background is just the right shade of blue, and despite just a narrow strip of the design being visible, the flowers are so obviously roses!

Here goes for week 211:-

The first linky for 2019!  Next week's linky will be hosted by Andrée at Quilting and Learning - what a combo.

If you have no free motion quilting to show, feel free to link up and show any project you like.  Here are the usual rules, but feel free to ignore them.  To keep the original emphasis, however, preference will be given to free motion quilting when featuring projects from the previous week.

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.

The Twelfth Day of Christmas

One of the most beautiful paintings I have ever seen - Adoration of the Magi, circa 1480, attributed to the circle of Hugo van der Goes, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath.

The Christmas Project

You might say this looks a little uninspiring as projects go, but a jumper for my husband has to be on the conservative side.  He is not one for bold colours.

So far I have knitted almost up to the shoulder shaping on all four pieces.  The front and back are both on a circular needle (instead of stitch holders) and I am knitting the two sleeves at the same time so I keep them the same length.

This is the first jumper I have made for him since about 1986.  It wasn't easy to get started.  Making something for myself is easy, because I can pick up a few balls of wool at reduced prices and play mix and match with colours and textures and invent something.  A jumper for my husband calls for a large amount of good quality wool in a sober colour, which promised to cost a lot more than what I can get away with for something for myself.

Then I saw the ideal wool at a reduced price because it was being discontinued; the ball on the left is a wool and acrylic mixture with a fleck.  I bought the last five balls, just about enough for half a jumper.  I needed another yarn, and opted for the acrylic on the right, mainly dark blue, but with dark red fibres spun into it.

The two yarns blend together really well.  I have been doing two rows at a time in each, and the narrow stripes are just about visible in certain lights.

Close up, however, and the tweedy effect of the fleck is more visible.

Now that the jumper is beginning to take shape my husband is beginning to look forward to it.  The stitch is fisherman's rib, so it should keep him warm in cold weather.  So far this winter we have had very few frosts, so I might have it finished in time for the worst of the weather, which often doesn't arrive until February.

Changes Afoot...

 Happy New Year 2019!

I hope everyone has had a happy and restful Christmas and are looking forward to fresh adventures in the coming year.

Life here is now back to the normal routine - my husband went back to work yesterday, our daughter flew back to Belfast today, and I threaded up the treadle and did an hour or so's quilting.

My plans for sewing for the moment are very straightforward - finish the cradle quilts that are sandwiched and ready to go.  As for the blog... now that is where it gets interesting.

Having hosted Free Motion Mavericks two hundred and ten times so far, I thought it would be nice to turn the linky into a shared project, so I contacted Andrée at Quilting and Learning - what a combo to see if she would like to host every other week.  Yes, she is up for the challenge!  We are still at the planning stage, sorting out blog buttons, a new page to our blogs, and who hosts when.   I am really delighted that Andrée is so full of enthusiasm and ideas, and, being computer-literate, can actually sort out the technical side - because frankly, in that respect, I'm rubbish.  So this week we are preparing for a relaunch of Free Motion Mavericks as a transatlantic adventure, bouncing back and forth between England and Canada.  Rather than have a linky this week while reorganisation is still in progress, it would be nice if anyone with a project ready to show could save it for next week, Thursday 10th January.  I hope to see lots of wonderful creations!

So in the meantime, it is a vote of thanks to Andrée!

Also, special thanks to Cheryl at Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting who left a comment about getting rid of spam.  Thanks to her I adjusted the settings on the blog and have kept the robots out ever since.  As I said, I am useless with the technical side of blogging, but now that I have a spam-free zone, the year ahead seems so much brighter!