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Friday 26 December 2014

Welcome to the North Pole.


 I have been reading a blog by Christiane who lives in Nuremberg Germany, 
Perlen,Samt und Seidentaft for some time now and she recently started a SAL.

Well, I thought what a lovely idea and duly bought the book from Amazon.



Thinking that if I started now (Christiane started in October) by next Christmas I would have a lovely Christmas quilt to hang, or to gift...

Also thinking a lighter quilt was needed for our little cottage, I have picked from my stash a line called Snowbird by Edeta Sitar. A mixture of cotton fabrics and batiks, and some linen for the background. 

It was bought awhile ago when it first came out and has been waiting for just the right project to come along. Well I think this might be the perfect project for it.

I could not wait to start, so this is the first block, Sprinkles Ice Cream Shoppe though I called it Molly's Ice Cream Shoppe. 


When Molly my granddaughter was very little she saved her penny's to take me to an ice cream shop, she will probably have forgotten by now as she was very young.

I do think this fabric will be perfect for this project,very cold and chilly.

I do also have a finish. The cushion started in Lynne Edwards Class, and yep I am pleased, looks great on the old chair.


I did intend to make two but I need to catch up with the North Pole blocks :0)..

You can find Christiane's blog, in the blogs I follow on the right hand side. Do go and have a look.






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

Saturday 13 December 2014

Things are progressing.

Things are indeed progressing but very slowly. I am hand quilting the Floral Impressions Quilt, and as I said before, this could take some time.


 I have been playing around with some blocks that I learned at the Lynn Edwards Day.
I am liking the ones at the bottom at the moment. It is fabric left from the Floral Impressions quilt.


Sorry the photo is not very good, I am using the backing fabric as the main fabric this time as it's so pretty.

One of the Siblings Together 2 tops is put together and needs to be sandwiched with wadding/batting and then quilted. This is going to be a machine job after all the hand quilting I am doing at the moment. 

The second quilt for the ST2 is waiting for some more blocks, then it will be pieced together. Love the way these blocks look like they are floating, they are such fun to make and huge (19" square.)


Things are definitely progressing along though very, very slowly.


I have opened one of my Christmas presents. I know naughty naughty but I was so excited as I have always wanted one of these, and yep I have wound a hank of wool up already :0)



Now back to stitching. Mr M is off to watch his football team today so I should get lots of sewing done...








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

Sunday 7 December 2014

A day with Lynn Edwards

My friend Maggie and I spent a wonderful day with Lynn Edwards at my favourite quilt shop 
Sew and So's of Bungay.

Wallhanging by Lynn Edwards.
This is what we were aspiring to achieve or just even one of her beautiful cushions.



This however is all that I achieved , not even one block finished and it took me all day. :0)) But the inspiration I received was enormous. I have lovely ideas running all around in my head and I do hope they stay there till the New Year, when I intend to put these ideas to good use.


This was one of Lynn's work in progress and it is just lovely.


Cushion by Lyn Edwards.

I might just finish the block I made on the day and turn it into a cushion. One can never have too many cushions can they?
Though it was scrap fabric I am quite pleased with it.


Mr M and I are going to put our Christmas tree up today. I do however loose my ironing space in the sewing room, but it is only for a short time and I am hoping it will make me feel a little more festive..








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

Saturday 29 November 2014

Prairie Points.

Would you believe in all the years that I have been quilting I have never made prairie points to go on the edge of a quilt.
It was a cold, wet , miserable Sunday so I thought prairie points here I come. 
Am I pleased well 
YES !

Making up the tiny 2 inch Prairie Points

Now aren't they just cute, all 158 of them.

Quilt sandwiched ready for quilting.

 Wool Wadding/Batting was bought and a beautiful backing fabric from my favourite Quilt shop 
Sew and So's of Bungay. They have the most beautiful subtle fabrics,
and this quilt called for a subtle backing.


So now, it is all ready to quilt and the lovely Designer Deborah Kemball has suggested echo quilting around every berry, leaf and flower. Eeeeeeek... this could well take another year.



At least, I will have something to take to my hand quilting group for a long time to come.








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




Friday 21 November 2014

It's finally together.

Yes, I have finally put the top together.


This quilt/ wall hanging was started October 2013 and is called Floral Impressions and is designed by
  Deborah Kemball. The fabrics are from Oakshotts.

It was originally started to improve my hand turned appliqué, and I think it has definitely done that. Now to sandwich it and echo hand quilt it all over. That could take another twelve months  :0), though with winter fast approaching it might be something to sit inside in the warmth and do. Watch this space...

On the knitting front, I went off at a tangent again, which I am very prone to do. This time with a sea urchin beret, 


I am such a sucker for knit-a-longs and sew-a-longs. My friend Anj from Meadow yarns  teamed up with Tend magazine and a group was started to knit this lovely beret. It was truly the hardest bit of knitting I have ever done. I have never frogged so much on anything else I have made, but I love the end result and it should go beautifully with my mammoth scarf/ wrap that I am in the process of making, (not sure I will knit all 70" of it though.)

Just a little more embroidery on the quilt to do. I can't decide whether to do the prairie points on the edges as yet.






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






Monday 10 November 2014

Post Jet lag.

It seems ages since I have written a post, so much has been going on. Our vacation was great although a little tiring and on coming home we do suffer badly with Jet lag. 

While away, I was not completely idle, a little retail therapy was indulged in.


Some lovely border fabrics for the ST2 blocks, and backing fabric. Also of course my lovely Aurifil cones. I do wish I could buy them here in the UK at such a good price.

Making a wrap

Also some lovely soft wool called Loft. The lightest and softest wool I have ever knitted with, recommended by the lovely designer Deborah Kemball. Designer of the Floral Impressions Quilt I have been making for the last year, only 4 more appliqué flowers to do and then to put it all together. ( Photos when it's together )

We are doing a lot of work on our very old cottage (built about 1700), and today we are totally upside down and crawling with workmen putting in central heating.

So I am holed up in my sewing room with the woodturner, putting borders on the ST2 Blocks.

My blocks with borders.

Some lovely blocks came this morning from Helen of (The Magpie cat.)








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













Saturday 1 November 2014

Tutorial for ST2 November Blocks.

Hi Girls, 
this is a really simple slab block to make and a great scrap buster. 
Please could you use Rainbow colours as bright as possible, and make two twelve and a half inch blocks.



I started with a pile of scraps, some were 2 1/2 inch squares and some  2 and a 1/2 inch square triangles. and the rest were strips in various widths.





Randomly stitch together until you have a twelve and a half inch block.


 Here are my two blocks.


Have fun and think Rainbow Colours.



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



Thursday 9 October 2014

Projects coming together.

All the lettering blocks of the alphabet quilt are now done with only the borders to do. I have 
downloaded the instructions ( all "36"pages) "help" and I am not even going to look at them until I return from our vacation.


I do like the red and cream colour way I chose, and it has used up loads of my stash, but the borders have loads of appliqué sheep and trees. Red trees and sheep? I hear you say. Oh! Well, we shall see. 

There is one pink sheep in letter J, and I think he looks OK .
This was a BOM from The Quilt Show  Designed by Janet Stone.

Our sew a row Charity quilt is coming along nicely. Each participant sews a row and adds it on to the last one. Jenny is the next one to have it and then I think Liz. It will be sandwiched up with batting/wadding and backing and then each person will quilt their row.


It has been a good group project, fun to see what every one will add, Alison's cats are great :0))

 The hall we hold our  Sewing Bee in, belongs to Wickham Market Church and is aptly named 
"The Bee Hive"
Where it got that name no one seems to know, but it's a great name for us.

 Yesterday Ann was making a bed runner for her daughters bed. This is a flat shot as the 10" squares are not yet put together. This looks like another good stash buster, It's done onto a thin paper, centre strip first, then sew and flip both ways and then the paper is removed.
Got to give this a go..


Now to write up a tutorial for my ST2 block for next month as I am the Mama for Nov and I can go with a clear conscience.    






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



Thursday 2 October 2014

Loose Ends

Loose Ends indeed, or tidying up before our long awaited vacation.

The last of the letters for the Alphabet Quilt are now done and need to be added to the rest of the top, then just the borders to do.

S Y & Z  

Talking of borders, one border is finished on the appliqué quilt and the other three are 3/4 done so the end is in sight for the Floral Impressions quilt. I know that Deborah who designed it will be pleased that I am sill plodding on.

Yesterday we were all at the Bee and our first job was to help Sue sandwich her fairy quilt, she had just finished for her granddaughter, it is really lovely. This is a close up of one of the blocks, this elephant sure has attitude.



It is such a happy quilt and her granddaughter Eva is going to love it..

Ann was putting the finishing touches to her Lunar wall hanging.


Annie was sorting out her 1/2 inch hexes, which reminds me that I have done nothing to mine for ages, perhaps I should take them with me on holiday, sitting by the pool sewing might just be what I need.


Today I have done October's Siblings Together 2 Charity blocks  as I shall not be back till November.



So I can go away all up to date with sewing things. I am the Mama for the Siblings Together group for next month,  so I do have to decide what blocks I would like every one to make.

Then I can go off with a clear conscience.

"Hello" to Liz and Rosie in Guernsey.  









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





Friday 26 September 2014

Not much Sewing done.

It seems ages since I wrote a post, but really there has been nothing to write about. We have been busy clearing out sheds and the loft as we are going to have work done on the cottage. It's been a little bit like going down memory lane while clearing out, finding lots of pots I made before I retired and  closed the Pottery. 

Quilting and Knitting were my hobbies then, now I would quilt all day and knit all evenings if I had my way but those little things called housework and cooking seem to get in the way a bit.


Some knitting has been done and I only have another 10 squares to do on the grey afghan for Mr M. He looks longingly at the brown and beige one that I made for myself every time I cosy up in it in the evenings. Autumn has definitely arrived.

I think I may have worked through my PINK phase, (thank goodness). The last pink thing is residing on the design wall and yuk! it can stay there as I have no desire to finish it. Well, at least not at the moment. If however, I have to make a quick baby quilt for a little girl..... Who Knows...

I am slowly working down the appliqué borders of the Floral Impressions quilt designed by
 Deborah Kemball , using the lovely Oakshott fabrics , I am getting there but it is very slow progress. 

However Oakshott's had a sale and I did get a lovely half meter bundle.


Now isn't that just beautiful, 6 meters in total, but I can't touch it until I have finished the appliqué quilt.

 Now that thing called cooking is calling me, preparation for our evening meal..





So keep safe and keep stitching..........................Doti...

Monday 15 September 2014

Off on a tangent again.

Yes indeed, got to work this pink thing out of my system. Perhaps I was denied pink as a child, who knows. I have even bought Pink tulip bulbs to plant. But I love all things pink at the moment, not harsh pink but gentle soft pink.

Remember this from a few days ago, well I was not sure I would have enough of the grey linen shirt for the larger squares.


So it has morphed into this on the design wall at the moment.



More blocks to cut and sew, as yet I am not sure where it is going, though I am liking the  half square triangles down the centre of the 9 patch's.

I an also quite pleased with the little path I have made in the garden leading to the bird feeders, always a muddy patch in bad weather.


I think this little group of sparrows appreciate it too. Photo taken out of the kitchen window at bath time. Love the little Dove, top left hand corner, he looks like a peeping Tom..Ha! 


Mr M is off to Germany to watch his football team, so I hope to get lots of sewing done over the next few days.

Welcome to my new viewers in the Ukraine, so pleased you visit my blog.






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

Thursday 11 September 2014

Back on line again.

Oh! what a week, no internet and it is not until you loose it that you realise how much you depend on it.
We had to rely on the radio and the T V to know what was going on in the world.

I have however been plodding on with appliqué on the floral impressions quilt, all 12 feet of it. I am about halfway there now, and once these borders are done the whole top can be put together.


 I had to have a little break from the hand turned appliqué, so have been playing around with a grey linen shirt of Mr M's that I cut up and that lovely bundle of fat 1/4's  called Flirt by Dear Stella. 


I also completed my Sew a Row for our Bee's charity Quilt, though I forgot to take a photo before I passed it on to Fiona who is going to do the next row.

Two of the girls Alison and Liz at the Bee yesterday, were finishing off their knitted garments for their grandchildren
though as usual they were hiding behind them.



I have no little ones to knit for now, so I was quite envious. Although I am still knitting Mr M's grey afghan, though not as fast as I knitted the brown and beige one.
Got to get back to the appliqué quilt so,







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

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Still Pink.

The quilt is back from the long arm quilter, the lovely Val from DaisyMay quilting has done a great job. Pity my photo was not a little better. My excuse is it was raining so it had to be taken indoors.


The new year has begun for the Siblings Together 2 group. The Queen Bee, Teresa has asked for two 12 1/2 inch Snail Trail blocks for this month. I have never made this block before, I am not sure I like the name as me and slugs and snails do not get on. I usually give them flying lessons over the fence on to the A12. It was however, a very simple block to make and Teresa had found a great tutorial to follow. 

2 Snail Trail Blocks for ST2.

Mine are now done for September and it was a welcome break from all the appliqué I am doing for the Floral Impressions Quilt. No photos at the moment but I am still plodding along.

We have been trying to get the front garden back in shape, as it has got a little over grown. So this week has been spent laying in a new brick path. These poor hands are not looking like quilters hands at the moment.

Thought I would try and get a better photo of the quilt, so have just been outside to try. It's slightly better and yep it is still very Pink.


Time to get back to the appliqué.






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

Thursday 21 August 2014

A Day with Lynn Edwards

My friend Maggie and I spent a lovely day, doing a class with Lynn Edwards. It was held at my favourite quilting shop Sew and So's of Bungay.
It really was a lovely day and we were learning the Nova Scotia Star Block to make into a cushion.


 This is where I am at with it, at the moment it measures 21 inches square, which sure would make a gurt (Devon word for huge) big cushion. Not sure I require a cushion that size so it is residing on my design wall at the moment till inspiration hits me, or not?

Yesterday was a day at the Bee and the Queen Bees were quite busy.
 Ann was adding to her 
Sew a Row quilt she is making in all shades of purple, lavender and greens. It is gorgeous.

Anns Sew a Row  Quilt.

It is so lovely that we have decided we will all sew a couple of rows and make it our group charity quilt for this year/next year. Though we have decided on a single bed size. Watch this space.

Jenny was making a cushion for her garden room. The pattern design was by Lynnette Anderson and also bought from Sew and So's along with a lovely wooden wheelbarrow button to sew on the front.




Well you can see what I was doing, more of the Appliqué on my BOM. coming down the side panels and as I have four to do this could take some time.


It is a lovely day today so Mr M and I are going to do some tidying up in the garden.


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