Sorry I've been missing in action - not being able to blog has been absolutely AWFUL darling - but some theiving, totally irresponsible, idiotic people cut through and tried to steal half a mile of phone cable in the early hours of Friday morning, which has meant hundreds of homes in my village have been without landline or internet access until now. So I haven't been able to blog about my latest contiribution to the March FNSI. Or the day out I had at the Stitch and Craft Show in London. Or the fabulous Mothering Sunday I had, spent with my two lovely girls (Beth cooked the BEST roast dinner EVER) - oh well, the cables have nearly all been repaired, so normal service has now been restored to Foreman Towers and I can start blogging again. Mr F was rubbing his hands with glee and was thinking of all the pennies he was saving as I couldn't do any online shopping for a few days - what a clever girl I was to do a little bit of Etsy shopping before the internet connection went down!!!
Just to let all you fellow quilters and sewers and crafty people in general - the next Friday Night Sew-In will be March 16th! Sign up over here - and start planning your projects now. I might be a bit late sharing piccies of my FNSI because I'm off to the Stitch and Craft Show the next day - and might be worn out with all that crafty lovliness to look at! Did any of you go to the Spring Quilt Festival at Chilford this weekend? I went to the Autumn Quilt Festival at Chilford in November, and had a great time. However I decided to give the Spring one a miss, as I really needed to save my pennies - because on Saturday 17th March I'm off to the Stitch and Craft Show, in London..... .....will any of you be there too?? You'll recognise me if you see me, because I'll have my huge tote bag with me, "Håndbagasje" - it really is the perfect size for shopping at a craft show - and it WILL be stuffed full of goodies!! So if you see me, please stop me and say "hi" - I'll put lots of piccies on my blog next week, and show you all the lovely things I'll buy - just don't tell Mr F!!! *UPDATE - unfortunately I won't have my friends Eva and Hanne with me - just my very large shopping bag!! Like lots of other quilters, I have got several unfinished projects that I really do need to get completed. This is a quilt top that I made about 3 years ago on a class at Quilters Haven, called "Hidden Stars". The stars were made with a white self-patterned fabric and the rest of the quilt is made with batiks. Most of these fabrics were purchased from Sew and So's in Bungay.... .....I really didn't know what sort of border to add to this quilt, so had a rummage in my box of fabrics and found these two batiks. I couldn't decide which one to use so I used them both! I cut 2½" strips for the inner border and I cut 4½" strips for the outer border..... .....although neither of these fabrics were used in the quilt top I think they are a great combination, and love the green swirls on the narrow border..... .....and yet again this was duely delivered to Janette, for her wonderful quilting. We decided on this pattern called Happy Times, which has a 6" deep pattern, and looks like waves rippling across the quilt..... .....this design gives a wonderful texture to the quilt - and it's so much nicer than if I had tried to quilt it with lots and lots of straight rows!!..... .....again, metres and metres of binding (more of the green swirl batik!!) are sewn onto the front of the quilt by machine. I cut these binding strips 2½" wide and have used a double-fold binding, making sure there are neat mitres at the corners.... .....then the binding is hand stitched to the back of the quilt. I chose this gorgeous paisley cream tonal fabric for the backing (it is extra wide, so you don't get any joins across the back of the quilt). Oh and I haven't forgotten to add one of my labels! I do like to finish off with a little flourish..... .....this picture shows it spread out on the bed so you can get a better view. If you click on the photos, a larger image will open up. Oh well, that's another project I can tick off my list - now which one should I tackle next? A few years ago, my local quilt shop, Quilters Haven, ran a monthly quilt class called "Stash Pot Pie" - the idea was to make a quilt using up your stash - (leaving space in your cupboards for MORE fabric hehe!!) - anyway, I raided my stash and produced a pile of green batiks - I know, I know - what a surprise! Fancy that! A stash of my favourite fabrics - batiks - in my favourite colour - green!! I bet my friend Eva would have a shock!! The name of this particular pattern is called "Pie Chart" - and I can I remember that when Pam taught this class her sample was made with some beautiful batiks too...... .....I love the variety of greens in this quilt. Batiks can be tricky to sew with, so I always use Schmetz Microtex needles which are really sharp and don't pluck the fabric. Anyway, this was one of the Stash Pot Pie quilt tops that I made that year, and like so many others, it was folded up, put in a box and forgotten about. .... .....I had shown it to Janette a few weeks ago, and I decided that it needed a border before she quilted it, so I chose a grey batik, using 3½" strips of a similar colour as the background for the blocks (you have no idea how long this fabric has been hiding in my cupboards!!).... .....then it was off to Janette to be turned into something beautiful. We decided use a dark silver thread that blended beautifully against both the green and grey batiks. I knew exactly which type of quilting design I wanted for this one - something feathery that would resemble fronds and ferns - so we chose this one, called Plumage..... .....here I am busy machine-sewing the binding into place - as you can see, yet more batik!! I cut 2½" strips of batik for a double fold binding. Luckily I didn't have to buy anymore fabric for the binding as I another ½m of this green batik hiding in my fabric box, and I'd used the same fabric in the quilt - result!.... .....and finally the binding was hand sewn to the back of the quilt - I chose this beautiful extra wide fabric in a cream tonal print for the backing, (supplied by Janette) and then finished it by adding one of my labels..... .....and here it is spread out on my bed - so you can see the full effect. This quilt measures 65½" square and easily covers a double bed. I am thrilled with it - thank you so much Janette, for yet again for making one of my quilts look so fabulous!! Whatever would I do without you! I made several quilt tops during these classes using "Stash Pot Pie" patterns, so look out for more blog posts about them when I finally get them quilted too! I have made another project using this beautiful "Secret Garden" fabric. Lynette Anderson sent me this gorgeous fabric a few months ago to play with, and I have been busy making toiletry bags and other small projects with it. However, I have decided to be creative and I have designed my very own table runner, using a mixture of “Secret garden” fabric, linen and vintage lace. This is my own design – please feel free to use it yourself..... REQUIREMENTS Selection of Secret Garden fabric, cut into 36 x 3” squares Binding fabric – approx ¼m Linen - approx ½m Vintage lace – 1m Wadding - (such as pellon) ½m Backing fabric – ½m Co-ordinating quilting thread Usual sewing equipment – rotary cutter, cutting board, ruler, and general sewing supplies. Sewing machine in good working order – a walking foot is useful. .....begin by cutting 36 x 3” squares of your fabric. Use a quarter inch seam for all your piecing. Sew the squares together randomly, to form a 9-patch block, this should measure 9½" square. Trim any loose threads. You will need to make a total of 4 blocks..... .....sew these 4 patchwork blocks together, to form a panel. Trim any loose threads. Your panel should measure 9½" x 36½"..... .....prepeare the linen so it is easier to handle. Do this by ironing some soft, fusible Vilene such as H180 to the back of the linen – this will make it much easier to cut. Once you have prepared the linen, cut 2 strips, the first strip 3½” wide, the second strip 6 ½” wide. Trim both strips to 36½” in length. Join the 2 strips to either side of the patchwork panel. Layer the backing, wadding and runner – I have used fusible pellon wadding which has been ironed to the wrong side of the backing fabric, and I have used 505 basting spray to baste the runner to the wadding..... .....now it is time for the quilting. I have used a neutral coloured Mettler quilting thread to compliment the linen, and have used a longer stitch length than I would use for general piecing. I also prefer to use Schmetz topstitch needles in my sewing machine for quilting. Quilt “in-the-ditch” along the length of the panel in the seam lines, then quilt in a cross-hatch design across the fabric squares and the wider linen panel. I marked this grid with a Clover Hera marker and my ruler, measuring so that the lines cross the squares exactly. Finally quilt straight rows along the length of the narrow linen panel ½" apart. I used the edge of the walking foot for this. Add the vintage lace taking care not to stretch it, and either pin in place first or use a few drops of Roxanne's basting glue, and stitch close to the edge of the lace, as shown in the picture..... .....cut strips of fabric 1½” wide across the full width of the fabric for the binding strips. Join 3 strips of binding together using a diagonal seam. Bind the runner with a single-fold binding, making sure the corners are mitred as you go. Press the binding over, pin, and slip-stitch into place by hand, taking care at the corners to keep the mitres neat. I have used a Mettler quilting thread in a similar shade to the binding fabric for handsewing this to the back of the runner..... .....can we have a little drum roll please – what do you think?? This layout would work with smaller patchwork squares, strips of fabric, or even a plain panel of fabric with linen either side. Once I have sewn some more samples, I will post the pictures on here. Shhhhh - don't tell my mum, but this will be her present for Mothering Sunday on March 18th. Well after I wrote a tutorial last week "How To Make A Lanyard" I thought I'd have a go at writing a tutorial on "How To Make A Pencil Case" and hope you'll have a go at making one too. There are a lot of pictures with this tutorial, but I have tried to make it as simple as possible. REQUIREMENTS: Scraps of fabric to make a rectangle approx 12" x 10" Backing fabric approx 13" x 11" Strip of fabric for binding and tabs approx 1½" wide Wadding 14" zipper Quilting thread Ususal sewing supplies - rotary cutter, cutting board, ruler, pins etc. Sewing machine in good working order, walking foot - edge foot and zipper foot optional. I have chosen a gorgeous range of fabrics for this project, "Secret Garden" by Lynette Anderson for Lecien. Thank you so much fro this fabric Lynette - you can see I'm still making alot of projects with it!!..... .....I start with a rectangle of fabric for the outer part of the pencil case, approx 12" x 10" - this can be a single piece of feature fabric or a combination of fabrics pieced together. This is then layered with a slightly larger backing fabric and a piece of wadding - and made into a simple quilt sandwich. I have spray-basted these layers together with some 501 spray glue, and then quilt it as you like - straight rows, cross-hatch, wiggleywoo - the choice is yours..... .....here you can see I have already marked a cross-hatch pattern, spacing the lines about 1½" apart. I have used a Mettler quilting thread for this project, in a shade to co-ordinate with my fabrics. I find it much easier even for small pmall projects like this to use a walking foot.... .....if you want to add any trimmings, now is the time to do it. This was has been trimmed with some vintage lace, along the centre panel..... .....once the rectangle is quilted and decorated, trim it to size, using your rotary cutter and cutting board. This one has been trimmed to 9" x 11" - remember the longest measurement is along the top and bottom, where the zipper will be sewn..... .....then the two longest edges are neatened with a strip of binding fabric. Cut 2 strips of fabric just longer than the pencil case, and sew to the wrong side along the longest edge, then pressing the binding over to the right side, press firmly and stich close to the edge. You can use an edge foot for this, but I prefer to use my walking foot, with the needle position set to the left, and repeat for binding the oppasite edge..... .....the trickiest part is sewing in the zipper. I prefer to use a longer zipper than needed, and cut it down to size. Again, I have used a walking foot for this, as it saves changing feet on the machine..... .....open the zipper fully and machine the other side of the zipper into place. It is much easier to use a longer zipper than you need and trim it to size after you have sewn it into place. For this project I used a zipper about 14" long..... .....turn the pencil-case inside out and neaten the edges of the zipper. This is done by slipstitching the edges into place by hand - it might seem like a lot of extra work, but it will be worth the extra effort - I always prefer to finish it off by hand..... .....then sew some securing stitches over the binding and the zipper to make sure the zipper pull does not come off the ends before you have finished, making sure you have opened the zipper first then you can trim it to size - and sew a small tag to each end over the zipper..... .....this shows a picture of the small tag at each end - you will hold this to open and close the pencil case when it is finished. Check your pencil case opens and closes smoothly before moving on to the next stage..... .....turn the pencil case inside out, and mark the centre front and centre back with pins, then mark the 2 sides with pins..... .....pleat the sides in to almost meet the centres - this is a bit tricky, so use plenty of pins to hold every thing in place. Make sure the zipper is open at least halfway, so you can turn it through the right way once you have sewn the side seams!..... .....sew through all layers, taking care not to break your needle when you sew over the zipper, and sew a few stitches in reverse at the beginning and end of the seam to secure.You can see I have also sewn a small piece of fabric underneath, this will become the binding to neaten the seam - I do not like to see lots of raw edges..... .....the inside seams are neatened with a small strip of single fold binding, folded over then this is then slip stitched into place by hand - oh, and I have added one of my labels here too..... .....turn it the right way through, and you have your pencil case. You can experiment with different sizes, and make a larger bag. I'd love to read your comments about what you think of this tutorial. * This style of bag is also useful as a cosmetic bag too! Last weekend I was busy making this set of placemats, using the "Kveldsmat" pattern from myQuilt, a Norwegian quilting magazine. I used a combination of turquoise linen and a selection of batiks. I was really pleased with this combination of colours, so this weekend I have been busy with the sewing machine again..... .....as I had plenty of fabrics left over from the placemats, I was able to sew a runner for a dining table. As you can see from the photo, I based the design of the tablerunner on the layout of the "Kveldsmat" placemats..... .....this runner was quilted the same way as the placemats, quilting around all the segments, "stitch-in-the-ditch", straight rows to the narrow panel and a cross-hatch pattern on the wide panel..... .....AND I had enough leftovers to make a smaller matching runner for a coffee table too, except I marked a 3" grid for the cross-hatch design (I used a 1½" grid for the placemats and the runner for the dining table)..... .....oh and as usual, a final little flourish - one of my labels. I really like this design. I feel very creative now, and I have a cunning plan to draft my own design for a runner - AND write a tutorial for it!! |
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July 2023
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