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Monday 30 December 2013

Christmas Lull again.

It is indeed the Christmas lull again, the bit between Christmas and the New Year. I have however, been busy doing the Redwork panels for the red Quilt, which I think I am going to call Elfin Way.

I am very pleased with how it is going so far.The bottom half is pieced together and I have only two panels left to stitch and the top half will be finished. Then of course, the borders to think about.

Bottom half pieced together.
 This is the penultimate panel being stitched, sorry the photos are not better. I can't get outside in natural light in this dreadful weather we are having, it's either blowing a hooley or peeing with rain.


  I join on some scrap fabric before stitching, to enable me to use an embroidery ring, when finished it is removed.

My poor old garden is not looking good, and is in desperate need of some TLC, but will have to wait till the weather is a little better. I did manage to get out on the last fine day we had and trim the grape vine. 

The January appliqué block arrived today from the lovely Deborah Kemball, and it was a case of OMG again. Now I have said that every month since I started this BOM in October. The whole reason for doing this BOM was to improve my hand turned appliqué. Now is it doing that,? I am not sure but by the time I get to the last block, I do hope so.

4th BOM block.
I now have plenty of hand stitching to be getting on with, while the weather is the pits..

First to finish the Elfin Way quilt top, and then on to my next challenge, see above...






Keep safe and keep stitching…. Doti...

Monday 23 December 2013

Red Work Quilt...

Well, it's one day away from Christmas Eve and the weather is the pits. Just very grey and oh! so cold and the wind is blowing a hooley. Definitely not the weather for going out in, but church flowers have to be done and of course, our four legged friends have to go for their walks.

The birds have stripped the holly berries from the tree that we always collect our greenery for church from, so a friend has given me some from her tree. The birds have not got that far down the street as yet.

I have been busy drawing Red work designs for the Red Quilt, far too many as usual, but I will have plenty to choose from.



 Sorted out which ones and where they are going.



First block tested out. Yes, I reckon it will work OK. Now I have plenty of stitchery to do over the Holidays.

I would like to wish all the readers of this blog a very Merry Christmas and a good 2014.

The last few days I have had a lot of visitors from Russia reading this blog. Happy Holidays to you. I do hope you are enjoying sharing my little ramblings, mostly quilting and knitting with a little gardening thrown in.








Keep safe and keep stitching






Thursday 19 December 2013

Getting my Mojo back.

Everything is ready for Christmas, well as ready as it's going to be. All Christmas knitting and sewing done, all cards and parcels sent and my mojo seems to have gone along with them.
My appliqué block of the month is finished, all blocks for the Siblings Together Bee done, and Mojo nowhere to be found. 

I am blaming it on the Christmas tree, which is residing on top of my ironing table in the window, and not leaving me much room to get to my sewing machine.


This is it in the evening all lit up and yes I know it looks pretty…. So I have  been doing lots of hand sewing, and as you know I do love to hand sew, but I want to sew on my machine and I am at a loss as what to make. 

This hits me a least twice a year, and I usually sit and draw when this happens, but today it's the other way around. Eight different red fabrics cut into 4 inch squares and some background fabric for the stitchery panels and I am off.

 Love the winter sunshine shining through the window on to my fabrics.

Now to join it all together, and sit and draw the stitchery.. I would like to get back to my Elfin Patch designs, (which is why this blog was called Elfin Patch), that all seems so long ago.. so watch this space..






Keep safe and keep stitching …………Doti...

Thursday 12 December 2013

Mystery Block 9

This month is the same as Block 5 only in reverse + a little stitchery of Daddy Owl.


 So, make up your strips of checkerboard oblongs as in Block 5 and add to your panel top and side as in picture below, with the little owl in the top right hand corner.


Now your Wall Hanging is all stitched, either add to the top of  blocks 1 2 3 4 & 5 or keep as two smaller panels.


 I have done two little owls, so use what ever one fits best in your  2 1/2" square.

This is the quilt joined in one long panel, sorry not a wonderful picture, bright sun and wind..
I added a strip of green to separate the two panels, just for the photo as I intend to have mine as two separate panels.


Now quilt as desired as it says in all the books, and this little journey of ours is finished. I would love to see what other people have done. Please link to this post or send me an email..






Keep safe and keep stitching……….Doti.


Monday 9 December 2013

Finishing off.

Well Mr M went to watch his beloved football team play.  
Me I spent the whole day finishing off things…

First I finished off my appliqué BOM block for December. It was not however until I had taken the photo of it, I realised the leaf in the top right hand corner was waving at me. Now do I unsew it and do it again or leave it? It does make me smile so I just might leave it..


Then on to dressing the christmas cakes, the little one is to eat now in December, while we are doing christmassy things, with cups of tea. The big one is kept till Christmas.


 The Rainy Day Quilt was quilted and just needs it's binding attached, a job for tomorrow.



 And last but not least the Red work tea light shade was finished, to go with the two I made in class, with the delightful Mandy Shaw.


Mr M's team drew so he was not unhappy, and I had a lovely day finishing things.

Today we are going to trim the tree, so we might cut the little cake this afternoon when we stop for tea...





Keep safe and keep stitching ….Doti...

Saturday 7 December 2013

Another Day with Mandy Shaw

Sorry, no blog as promised for yesterday. I had forgotten I was doing a workshop with the lovely Mandy Shaw. How could I forget that, you may well ask, she is such a lovely lady. The whole day was spent laughing, she is so funny too!

This is what greeted us in the class room.



It was a lovely Christmas display, lots of it from her new book "Celebrate with a Stitch". The Red angel was a must for me. I am a sucker for dollies, and this one has string hair! Which Mandy taught us how to make.


We were making these wine glass tea light shades, and here are some of our efforts. I will take some more photos when I have made a few more as I only made two in the class. Too much chatting and laughter and not enough work. Lots of ideas are buzzing around in my head and I am making a red-work one at the moment so watch this space. 


I have so many projects on the go at the moment and they all have to be finished by Christmas, wish me luck..




Keep safe and keep stitching……..Doti...

Thursday 5 December 2013

Siblings Together 2

As you know, I am part a group called Siblings Together 2. and it is my turn in January to be the mama, and decide what blocks we are making. So here is a short tutorial for a Slab block. Please could the members of the group make two 12 1/2 inch blocks in bright colours.

First raid your scrap bin and sort into colour groups.


Press all your fabrics.


 Cut one white or off white scrap, I used Kona White. Any size from 2" to 6", this one is 4" X 2 1/2"


 Now start building up the slab in a single colour.


 Make sure that the white scrap is surrounded by colour on all 4 sides. It does not matter where in the block the white scrap ends up.


  Now continue till your block measures about 13", to allow for squaring up, I did find that I needed to square up as I went along.


Just a press and it's done.


Now to make the second one.

The normal Blog will resume tomorrow...




Keep safe and keep stitching……….. Doti...