A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Pink Camellia

There is something slightly hypnotic about the arrangement of the petals.

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

Using the Willcox and Gibbs Automatic

A rubbish picture of a momentous occasion - a little while ago I used the Willcox and Gibbs Automatic for the first time, to do a line of decorative stitching on a pair of pillow cases.  

I still have some bits and pieces of material from the stash left by my brother's mother in law.  So far the stash has yielded one big quilt, several little baby quilts and a tea cosy.  It has been fairly easy deciding what to do with the cottons, but I had no idea what to do with this green duckies polyester until I realised that there was enough for two pillow cases.  

The machine uses a single thread to make a chain stitch, with the chain appearing on the underneath of the work.  I used a variegated green quilting cotton, and it gave a really nice finish on the right side.  Shame I didn't take a picture of the stitching.  The machine made was made in 1888 and stitches perfectly.  I should use it more often

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 44 - A Spire

It is very unusual that I complain about the weather being too good, but today is the first cold and rainy day for ages, and the first day all week that I have stayed in to do some sewing.  So, not much progress with the little landscape, but plenty of digging and planting on the allotment.

This is another detail of the horizon I have been working on, a little church with a spire.  On this close up the colours in the threads show up fairly well.  The door will have to be filled in at some stage, and there will be a cloud or two in the sky.

The reeds are the same ones as in last week's photo.  This project is all about doing two landscapes at a time - a great idea in theory, but I have already decided that one at a time is easier.

Here goes for week 44...

Many thanks to Maartje, Esther, Julie, Gwyned, Claire, Quilt Musings and Carole for linking up last week to show their free motion quilting projects.  

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 Connie's blog Freemotion by the River for Linky Tuesday 
and Kelly's blog My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
and Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict  for Whoop Whoop Friday

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - A Face in Wood

A carving on a massive church door in Santiago de Compostela.

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

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 43 - A Horizon

Not a huge amount of progress since last week, but the single line of stitching has acquired a few companions and together they are beginning to build up a landscape.  After stitching the horizon I gradually build the picture up in both directions, getting increasingly irritated with the inevitable frilling as I get nearer the top and bottom edges.

The church tower turned out better than expected.  I turned the balance wheel by hand for a few stitches and managed to get the clock face round.  Sewing in the time would be a detail too far, but tempting nonetheless.

For everyone who was intrigued by my husband's woodwork last week, more details of his ingenious flap are here.

Here goes for week 43...

Many thanks to Alison, Maartje, Linda and Julie for linking up last time.  

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.

Extra Work Space Behind a Treadle Machine

Last week I posted this photo of my husband's ingenious bit of handiwork to provide me with extra work surface behind the treadle machine.  It can't really be referred to as a table because having only one leg, it can't take any real weight, but it is more than adequate for the weight of sewing work and general light clutter.

Space is tight in my sewing corner, so when I don't need the extra surface the machine can be pushed to about three and a half inches from the wall.

When I want to work with the machine, I pull it away from the wall, revealing the large wooden flap.

It hangs from two 3 inch hinges.

When the flap is extended the edges of the hinges are flush with the surface.

The edge of the flap is just over two and three quarters of an inch from the wall.

Underneath is a gate leg, which is hinged to an upright piece of wood which is screwed to the wall. 

When the flap is down the opposite end of the gate leg folds against the wall next to the other hinge.

On the underneath of the flap is a stopper for the top of the gate leg to rest against.  Ignore the notch at the top right of the gate leg.  It shouldn't be there, but it is, and it doesn't matter.

And finally, the toddler's-eye view of the underneath.  The gate leg has a caster, so it is easy to pull into position.

So if you need a work surface but have very little room to spare, you might have room for a gate-legged flap.  There is plenty of room now for me to do free motion quilting without my work bashing against the wall and making me go crooked.  

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - A Bishop in Bronze

A memorial to a Bishop of Santiago de Compostela, high up on a wall overlooking the fountain shown in last Sunday's photo.

Bienvenida a ZHOBEYDA!