A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Ivy Broomrape

A rather strange looking flower, a bright straw yellow that almost glows in the shade.

Karol at the Window - Finished!

Here is the photo of little Karol in Poland gazing through the window at the snow.  The picture was taken by my brother in law, Richard, and he loves the picture (and Karol) so much that this is his screen saver on his computer.  When Richard said he would like a miniature quilt based on this photo I wasn't at all sure how I would do it.  I thought of appliqué for the shape of Karol, but really could not work out what colour to use.  In the end I decided that the answer lay with free motion quilting, not appliqué...

... and here he is!

Thank you to everyone who has posted comments about this project - you have all been wonderful and helped me along!

I think Richard will be pleased when he gets this little wall hanging - it is only 13 and a half by 15 and a half inches.  I'm not sure that Karol is going to be too impressed.  He is a big boy of 5 now and will want to know why I have shown him as a little baldy with a wrinkly neck.  I fully expect his granny Bogusia will want one, so I will see whether I can make a better version.

Anyway, I'm happy with the end result, and I hope you all like it too.  It was nice doing a project just using the two Singer 15K machines - the 1949 hand machine for all the straightforward straight stitch, and the 1945 treadle for the free motion work.  Truly marvellous machines. 

This post is linked with  the BedTime Quilting blog for the TGIFF link up- lots more Friday finishes to see there.
Also to Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday.
And to Leah Day's blog for Free Motion Friday
And to Vals Quilting Studio for Tuesday Archives.

1940s Blouse Pattern

This morning I found some nice pale blue cotton chambray shirting - only a short length, unfortunately, it was the end of a roll, but it came home with me.  It is 60 inches wide, so it should go a long way.  When I came home I pulled this pattern out of the cupboard and started thinking about making it a project for the autumn.

Somebody has obviously thought about it in the past and done a little pencil sketch in the centre of the collar folded open.  However, the pattern has never been used.  The pieces are all inside folded together and in perfect condition.

These sunburst darts look really stylish and never go out of fashion.  They can't possibly.  It says so on the envelope, bottom right...

Fashion-Fresh      We hereby certify that this style is a current fashion. 

Yes, just like the hair do.  I want one of those.

Or perhaps I should opt for a swept back style, more fitting for the mature lady.  Would I look that serene after tackling the shaped yoke?

Perhaps I would if I avoided doing the cuffs and made a short sleeved version.

I have had this pattern for at least thirty years.  I really must get round to using it.

Adding Outlines to Karol at the Window

Here is the top of Karol's head.  I needed to make him stand out a little better against the background, so with the Singer 15K hand machine I put in a line of stitching in yellow thread to make him stand out from a distance.  Perhaps white might have worked better, but it's too late now.

The curtain behind him isn't exactly neat.  I had no clear idea of what free motion pattern I was going to do.  My approach to free motion quilting is to thread up the machine, put the work under the foot, and then think "now what?".  The results vary.  The curtain is a bit messy.  I had to put in extra quilting over the pattern I had already done because from a distance there wasn't enough contrast between little Karol and the curtain behind him.

Anyway, it's nearly finished...!!!

Linking up today with Connie's blog Freemotion by the River for Linky Tuesday - lots of other projects to see there!

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Wild Garlic

Taken in the woods in May, when the woods smelt of garlic and had a carpet of these beautiful white flowers with bluebells mixed in.

Free Motion Moon and Sky

Thank you to everyone who commented on Monday's post.  

The general consensus was that it had to be a night sky with a shining moon, so here it is!  I hadn't got any navy blue thread so I had to buy some, and I finally settled down for a spot of serious treadling this afternoon. Stitching the sky was tricky at times because the thread was difficult to see against the background.  It was a bit like flying by radar.  The stitched moon isn't perfectly round, and there is so much thread packed into a small space that it is stiff as a board.  

I'm really pleased with the result.  It is my first stitched landscape and now I have a hankering to do some more.

Linking up again to Leah Day's blog for Free Motion Friday - plenty of exciting projects for you to see there!
And also Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday.

Victorian Drinking Fountain

This gorgeous drinking fountain dates from 1895 and is made of Doulton tiles.

The glazes are various shades of blue, brown and green.

The flowers and leaves at the centre are beautifully symmetrical.

The overall design is so graceful.

But it is no longer connected to the water supply, and the bowl is full of rain water, dead leaves and fag ends, so I have spared you a close-up.  Still, irksome details like that shouldn't get in the way of inspiration.