Free Motion Mavericks - Week 269 - Spot The Difference

Sorry for the shocking photo - for some reason my camera can't cope with the contrast between the colours of the embroidery and the dark navy background.

The fabric is washed, and despite having a label which said dry clean only, I disobeyed and washed it in the washing machine, as I always have done.  It is a wool and synthetic mixture, and dries incredibly quickly and without creasing.

The zigzag ribbon took me by surprise.  The line that went  straight across, covering the horizontal seam, was loosely hand-stitched, and I unpicked it in a trice.  The ribbon around the large paisley shape on left was a different matter altogether.  It was secured with a double line of machine stitching, one of which was of tiny stitches, suggesting that the work wasn't feeding through the machine properly.  Rather than try and pull all the thread out and damage the fabric, I left some of it in.  I shall have to find a way to disguise those loose threads, and pretend I intended them to be part of the design all along.

Also scattered here and there were tiny glass beads.  It was tempting to leave them as they were, but if this fabric is going to be made into a cushion cover, it will get too much wear and tear, and beads will end up dropping off. Some were absolutely minute, highlighting the end of the pretty curved tendrils.  Then there were clusters of slightly larger beads at the centre of the yellow ribbon flowers.  They were less fiddly to remove.  The flowers look a little bare without them, so I shall have to find a way to emphasise the centres again.

Let's hope I have got the most irritating job out of the way at the beginning of this project...

Here goes for week 269:-

Many thanks to Gail for posting her finished quilt and video! 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 five days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Tuesday.

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 Marmalade Season

The New Year brings the annual crop of Seville oranges from Spain, and I have been busy making marmalade and experimenting with flavours.  It has been the ideal pastime for the dreary months after Christmas, when it is too wet and muddy to get on with outdoor jobs.

So I have spent a lot of time in the kitchen.  Even though I have been making marmalade for years, there is always a niggling doubt when boiling it up.  Will it set, or won't it?  Some marmalades take longer than others, especially when mixing Seville oranges with other types of citrus.

Each batch is different.  I always add something by way of spice, and a bit of alcohol at the end.  The rose and pomegranate gin could be my ruin.

Now that the Seville oranges are over, my favourite alternative for making marmalade is red grapefruit.  If you have never made marmalade before, why not give it a try?

A Picture for Sunday - Muddy Waters

Now that we have had two Atlantic storms in quick succession, the rivers are running chocolate brown, and the Severn Estuary is looking like cocoa.  If this photo were a painting, you would assume the painter had used the wrong colours.

Farewell to a Favourite Skirt

It has served me well, a nice long woollen draught stopper of a skirt, but a couple of weeks ago it suddenly met its end.  Just as I got into the car there was an ominous ripping sound.  This time it wasn't the lining, which was already well and truly shredded, but the back seam.  The material is worn out, and not strong enough for a repair, so it is finished as a skirt.  However, the decoration around the hem is far too pretty to waste, so I have plans for it.  Today I ripped out the lining and zip, and removed most of the zigzagged ribbon.  Once it has been washed and dried I shall work out how to make it into a cushion cover.  The stitched design is perfect for me to use as a guide for some free motion quilting.  This is going to be an interesting recycling project! 

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 267 - Framed!

At last!  Framed, and almost ready to hang.  The wood of the frame is a touch pale, so at some point my husband will be playing with wood stain in his shed.  It is a box frame, and I bought two of them at the same time, so he can stain the other one while the picture itself stays safely in this one.

All the measuring to make sure the picture was accurately centred took me ages.  The chain stitch outline was done with my oldest machine, the Willcox and Gibbs Automatic, which dates from 1888.  The landscape itself was stitched entirely with my 1945 Singer 15K treadle machine, using Gutermann Sulky Cotton 30 in variegated shades.

I am pleased that it is finished and can now go on the wall.  This project gave me some grief, but it was worth it.  Now I have two landscapes to pass on, I have allocated this one, A Lane in May, to my daughter, and the Field in May to my son.

Here goes for week 267:-

Many thanks to Caryl, who has finished her gorgeous batiks quilt.  It's Valentine's Day, so look closely at her quilting and you will find a heart!   If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more.

And a mention also for my incredibly organised co-hostess, Andrée, who has made this beautiful cover for her quilting diary.

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 five days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Tuesday.

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.