Still having fun playing.

This Blog is mainly pictures of how this quilt is going so far.

As you know, I bought this abstract panel plus an extra half which was all they had.

 So I cut it all up, and thank goodness I had taken the photo of the panel. Little quilt sandwiches were made of each block and were hand quilted , using a very high loft wadding.

All positioned again( so thankful for the panel photo) on the design wall.

Now for the sashing, using a shot fabric (blue one way and red the other) One inch wide, finished width half inch. Some of the joins are not quite perfect, so a little round of fabric might be needed to be appliquéd on over the joins. :0)) The sashing fabric frays terribly so does not lend itself to being unpicked very much.

All the sashing finished, and now on to the borders. The border reminds me of Mr M's R.A.F. tie so perhaps he will end up with this quilt.

I have nearly used up every scrap of the fabric for this quilt and as yet I still have to bind it. So it's a case of find something in my stash or another trip to my favourite quilt store.

I have been looking at the quilt hanging on the design wall this morning and have decided that the borders do not work. The quilt is just about big enough for a lap quilt or a wall hanging. so am about to make the borders into binding. 

Watch this space...

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

Play time again.

It is nice when all the BOM's are done for the month. Ideally, I should be doing one of the many UFO's that reside in the sewing room, but that is no fun is it?

I bought an abstract panel at my favourite Quilt shop (Sew and So's) a couple of weeks ago and have been playing around with ideas as to just what to do with it.

Today I have cut some of it up so..... watch this space.

The very pink thing was residing on the spare bed and every time I passed it I thought.... ugh. So off it went to Daisy May's the long arm quilter. I am hoping she can make me like it more.

 I have only ever had one  quilt quilted by a someone else, and it took me six months to unpick that one Ha! 

The pink thing is different I would just like it finished, and I am sure Daisy May will make a good job of it.

This is how the Alphabet Quilt BOM looks at the moment,

 and this is this months. The red pile of scraps is going down slowly but I think I will have enough to finish it.

 Thought you were due for a look out of the back door, but it is looking good the other way around. Mr M has mended my seat as this is the coffee area at the moment. The pesky bird is still nesting in the rose arbour, and dropping unmentionables from above.

Most of these flowers arrived via the birds. Isn't nature wonderful...

Back to playing.

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

Applique first this month.

I have reversed my BOM list this month and put the appliqué first. Partly because Wimbledon has been on the telly, and having finished my mystery Afghan ( I usually knit and watch the telly) I needed some hand sewing.

The middle nine blocks are finished though not stitched together, and this months it is the four corner Olive trees. Two down, two to go, they are very like the first centre block we did in month one.

One of the four corners.

I must admit they are far easer than that first block. That was a drastic learning curve for me.

9 center blocks.

Very pleased with the Rowan  Mystery Afghan, although I did not use the colours they suggested and I did mine in 4ply rather than DK, so it is slightly smaller. Mine measures 50" x 40".  The pesky rope around the edge seemed to take forever, probably due to the world cup football being so exciting.

Finished Afghan. 

I would like to knit another in shades of grey and white. These are going to be great as lap quilts in the winter. Also my wool stash is going down fast, possibly might need to buy some more!!!

Hope to finish the other two appliqué  corners today.

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

It's very Pink.

 Oh dear, it is indeed very PINK and as my friends will tell you, I am not very fond of pink. How did this creep up on me?

I have been playing with disappearing nine patches, and made quite a few with the fabric left from the Parsley and Time quilt. I selected five and put them on point with pink set - in triangles. Then added a floater and arranged more disappearing nine patches around the centre square. A second floater and then two borders. It was not until I looked at it laying on the spare bed that I thought " Oh my goodness, it is very Pink!"

I did intend it for a certain person and on second thoughts, she is not very fond of pink either. 

 

Now I must finish it or it will be relegated to the UFO pile.

So off I went to Bungay to my favourite quilt shop Sew and So's of Bungay and purchased the backing fabric and I am afraid I must tell you, I fell off the wagon so far as " my fabric fast" and bought some fat 1/4's of Mrs March's new collection. (I did last 6 months though ). They are just scrummy, and I see a little pink one snuck in on the end, ah well...

As well as sewing, I have been putting the mystery afghan blanket together and knitting up the rope around the edge, (which seems never ending). This one stayed all off-white, creams and browns. So I intend to make one with the lovely greys  that I did not use.

I have just finished reading a lovely book called The Forgotten Seamstress by Liz Trenow, and would recommend it to any quilter, it was spellbinding till the end.

Now to finish that pesky knitted rope.

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

BOM's Done for this month.

Happy day today, I have caught up with with the BOM's that I am doing and now I have the rest of the month to play.:0)

This is block nine of the Floral Impressions Quilt BOM designed by Deborah Kemball, using the lovely Oakshot fabrics. I should have done a little more embroidery but I love it as it is. I was really dreading this block, it was definitely a case of OMG with all those little berries and poppies, but I am pleased with it now that it's finished.

I have another quilt in mind to use up the lovely fabrics left from the Parsley and Time Quilt. However, as usual, I keep changing my mind so it's a case of watch this space.

 It's time I gave you another view out the back door as the flowers are changing. Some have died off and now the roses are out.

this is a view to the side, under a rose arch.

Lot of these plants just appear, courtesy of the birds, so we just let them grow.

Now this made me laugh this week. We have a holiday cottage which we rent out to visitors. We have had it for fifteen years and I have never seen this on the bedroom floor till last weekend when we were changing the beds. One friend said it was a Doti Elf and another it was smiling but it looks like a grumpy Gnome to me.

Now off to make some definite (?) decisions on this next quilt.

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

Working down the list.

I did indeed have a finish at the Bee last week. I finished the binding on The Siblings Together 2 Quilt. 

Now all it needs is a label. Considering the blocks in this quilt were made by 12 different people, it has come together very nicely and is a bright, cheerful, fun quilt and I love it. I do hope the child who receives it will love it too.

Back of Quilt.

I have been getting on with The Alphabet Quilt this weekend as well, just need to do the blanket stitch around the appliqué and add it to to the main pieces, and it will be half way there. Just another six months to go of this BOM. My red stash is definitely going down but I think I have enough to finish it. :0))

Blocks N,P R & O.

 I must  show you some of the beautiful Canterbury Bells growing in my garden. These are some of the paler ones and the dark purple ones have been magnificent.The seed for these was bought in Canterbury Cathedral several years ago and I save seeds each year.

The next job on my list is to cut out the pieces for The Appliqué  BOM. It looks a bit difficult this month, but then they have all looked difficult  so best get on with it..

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

Work in Progress.

It's a case of prioritising this week, so it is the quilt for the Siblings Together 2 that is top of the list now.

This is the first 4 rows put together

Rows 5 & 6 waiting to be added.

  It needs to be put together in time for the retreat. There are twelve people in our group so that is 24,12 inch blocks. I chose the slab block for my month from Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg. I thought it would be bright and cheery and the blocks from the rest of the group are indeed just that. 

To day, I hope to add the last two rows, make the binding and attach it. Then it will be ready for me to take to the Bee tomorrow to stitch down.

Love this blue block.

As the blocks arrived from the other members of the group I wadded, backed and quilted them.

Teresa is the last Mama of the month and she chose "scrappy trip around the world" blocks. Her blocks were the top of the list, so were posted off to her yesterday.

Blocks made for Teresa.

Last week at the Bee we celebrated the finish of Alison's quilt. She quilted it all in the ditch by hand.

It's very William Morris and just lovely.

Got to get back to the sewing machine now, and perhaps I shall have a finish at the Bee tomorrow.

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

Week End Finish.

The Parsley and Time Quilt is finished. Just the label to do, and I am one happy bunny to say the least. 

This quilt seems to have taken a very long time, first all the cow parsley stitchery,49 in all.

 Then the pieced borders.

 Then I decided to hand quilt it.

I do hope I am not boring my readers with so many pictures, but I just love it now its finished !!!

Though there is a sad note this week end . The bird who had built her nest in our Rose arbour is OK but a cat ate her baby, last year it was Bilbo our Border Terrier who did the dirty deed. Now next year if she decides to build there we will have to dissuade her, for sure.

Got to download this weeks mystery afghan pattern and all the BOM's for June.

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

Playing

The weather is just dreadful so no gardening can be done, so its playtime. What fun. I told you about the Rowan-knit-along a few blogs ago, it is week 6 now and so far I have been keeping up to date. 

The patterns each week are free to download, and you knit 6 blocks each week, 3 in two different colours ways.

Aren't they scrumptious, like a box of chocolates. I am on block 32 and I think there are 48 blocks in all, plus the border. We shall see, it is a Mystery Afghan.

Talking of playing, I had some fun on the sewing machine as well with lot of scraps.

These blocks look really complicated, but as you know I don't do complicated, and they really are not. Just two basic 9 patch blocks, stitched together (face to face) and then cut in quarters. I want to do a big pile of them before they are sewn together, as it's scrappy. Watch this space.

Back to knitting by the fire now.

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

Round up at the sewing Bee,

Nothing has been finished and I have not started anything new, so here is a little roundup of what the girls were working on at the Bee this week.

Ann has nearly finished her quilt- as- you- go quilt for her granddaughter. She said it took her a year to collect all the different fabrics. This design is called Fiona, and I think all of us have made it at one time or another. It looks so different each time some one makes it in their own colour combo.

 Jan had just got her quilt back from the long arm quilters and was busy sewing the binding down. The design is by Tula Pink from her book 100 design blocks.

Jean's is another Tula Pink design but in monochrome, and is to be a wedding quilt.

 The lovely Maggie was hand quilting a pinwheel quilt for her grandson, I do like the rogue red block.

These were all the photos I took, too much chatting and cake eating and having fun.

   

Me, well I am still plodding- on hand quilting the Parsley and Time quilt but it is getting there and I am so pleased I decided to hand quilt it. The stitchery blocks are all puffed up really nicely.

I have got to the borders, so not much more to do. It's not a nice day today so I might just get on with it.

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

Knitting 0 - Sewing 2.

Where have I been, you may well ask, all sorts of things have been happening. First it was the FA Cup final and Mr M's team were playing in it and off he went to Wembley to meet our sons, and they had a rare old time.

I usually knit and watch football at the same time, This is the sum total of the knitting I did while watching the cup final, as you can see what I did knit had to be pulled out. 

Oh! it was an exciting game, first we were losing 2-0 but in the and we won 3-2 after extra time.

This week I did work on my appliqué BOM as I was well behind with last month and this was not an easy one to do. As you know I am a great plodder-on and I am now thankful it is finished for this month.

Today I have been working with Susie the co-ordinater of our community quilt, and it is all finished except for the borders which will be finished this afternoon. Then it's off to the long arm quilter.

My, this has been a mammoth task, 24 quilters and embroiderers have been working on this, and it has now somehow all come together. In time for the Southwold Arts Festival.

Other than all that, the weather has been wonderful so all my spare time has been spent in the garden, that stupid bird did build her nest in our Rose arbour where we have our morning coffee, so we are relegated to the couple of chairs outside the back door.

Mr M having coffee.

Now I hope to sort out some hand sewing for the Bee tomorrow.

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

A little Knitting.

I have given my sewing fingers a little rest after the appliqué block for April.

So a little knitting has been attempted. I heard Rowan has a Mystery Afghan Knit-a-long with  free patterns, as I just love a mystery I had to give it a go. 

Here are the blocks so far, (this photo is a lot lot darker than the wool actually is) and I am knitting it in 4ply instead of worsted dk, so my Afghan will come up smaller. I might have to knit more squares.

I spent a lovely day yesterday with Susie Yeats, who is the coordinator of the community quilt/ hanging, we (Saint Felix Frolic Quilting and Sewing Group) are making for the Southwold Festival. We got the first four rows of the quilt sew together, and I got a closer look at peoples blocks. Oh my! some of them are fantastic and all so different.

On the home front I did manage to complete May's Alphabet blocks, still using only my stash and scrap bins. Next month we will be half way through the BOM, where does the time go?

All Mays appliqué BOM pieces are cut out and I hope to start on that after I have made the binding for the community quilt all 400" or so..

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

Busy Busy Week.

Oh my, it has been a busy, busy week, and thankfully the wrist and thumb are holding up.

Firstly I have caught up with April's Appliqué BOM.

This BOM is designed by Deborah Kemball using the lovely Oakshott fabric. When I started this eight months ago it was so very hard, but I have to admit it is getting easer as the months go by, and I am actually looking forward to this months. Oops, not sure I should say that, better cross my fingers.

The May blocks are made for the Siblings Together 2, and just have to be posted off to the Mama of the month Sue, who lives in Jersey. My next job after writing this blog.

The first of the three May blocks for the Alphabet Quilt BOM is almost finished K L M for this month, which makes me laugh as these are my daughters initials.

The Parsley and Time quilt is still being hand quilted, no photos as yet, as I want to get the middle finished first, though I am pleased it's "looking good."

The week looks as if it is still going to be busy as I have to make another block for the  Community Quilt by Thursday evening. My mojo is in overdrive Ha Ha..

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