Off at a Tangent again...

It's true,  I have gone off at a tangent again, but I am having fun so what the heck. The first six things on my to do list are all done, so I am having a break.

Playing with colouring my stitchery.

I started with some little mushroom and flower drawings, transferred them to some fabric, but they looked a little bland. My friend Ann suggested I coloured them, as I had done on a Meg Hawkey Quilt of  Crab Apple Hill Studio that I had made (all stitchery done but not finished). It is on the to do list but a long way down, Ha!

I am liking them a lot better now, but not sure where I am going with this. Any suggestions please?

This weekend is a lot quieter then the last. My youngest grandchildren came to stay, and Molly was given her scrappy heart quilt as it was her birthday. They were here for the National Dry ski Championships, They both did very well but Molly looked so weeny coming down that great big slope.

Wish I had though to tidy the cushions on the sofa before taking this photo.

 The first Block, "Wonky Stars," for the Siblings Together Bee 2 has been duly posted to the Mama for June, and the Mama for July (who's just had a baby) requested the "Confetti " block and put it up early. So I have just finished making that, and am well ahead at the moment and quite pleased with my self. This quilting Bee is a great learning curve for me as the Blocks are HUGE 20" square.

I had always fancied making a full size quilt from Confetti blocks, but I have learnt something while making this big block. Perhaps I won't, very fiddly..

Keep safe and keep stitching...Doti

Mystery Quilt Block 3

I have had a very busy time and I am sorry that I am late with this months mystery BOM pattern, though I did say on or around the 12th of the month. This month it is piecing with a little stitchery thrown in.

Block 3 This months

Block 3

Cut 17  1 1/2‘squares in dark fabric of your choice

Cut 16  1 1/2” squares in light fabric of your choice.

Join together to form a checker board design.  (see photo)

Cut a 1 1/2” X  12” strip of contrasting fabric, and add to bottom of checkerboard strip. (see photo)

Cut apiece of background fabric 3 3/4” x 4 1/2”, and add it to the side of panel (see photo) then add this to top of Months. 1 & 2

Trace the cherry blossom design on to this block, starting on the 3 3/4” x 4 1/2’ block and draping down into the side of the month 1 block (see photo)

Stitch in the colours of your choice.

Block 3 finished, and should now look like this.

Blocks 1 2 and  3 sewn together

 I do hope you are enjoying making this wall hanging. Some of the "girls" at the Bee yesterday had brought their blocks to show me, they were great and such a diverse colour range. I wish I had taken photos. Oops!  I forgot to put the stitchery drawing in..

It was more like a Knitting Bee yesterday than a Sewing Bee as several of us were knitting up the little hats for Age Concern Suffolk.We have now knitted 93, a bit down on last year when we knitted over 200, but we do have till the end of July so who knows.

20" Wonky Star block.

I told you about the on line quilting bee in my last post. Well, I finished June's Block, and now have to post it off. Goodness me that was well out of my comfort zone. The block had to be 20" and that is a big block for me.. 

I have loads more to write about, but I want to go play with my new sewing machine !! At the moment, it is scaring the wits out of me. Watch this space.

Keep safe and keep stitching... Doti

On Line Quilting Bee.

This is all new hi- tech for me. I even had to join Flickr. WOW.. Its called Siblings together Bee 2. Siblings Together is a charity for siblings that don't live together to have a holiday. Groups of 12 Quilters get together to make 12 quilts in the year. You make one block a month and send it to a nominated Mama and she puts the quilt together for that month. My month is January 2014 so at the moment I only have to make one block, and this month it is Wonky Stars. I will tell you more about this later, as I am the last recruit and have never done anything like this before, so still feeling my way. Thank you Teresa over at Hilly Filly for twisting my arm, it is a very worthwhile cause.

Yesterday was a fun day at Wednesday Club, which as you know is held at Quilters Haven. I hung my Six Shirt Quilt up on the design wall there, to photograph it, and spent the rest of the day making the scrappy binding, chatting and having fun.

Six Shirts Quilt and Me.

All the "girls " were working on different projects, or had brought things to show and tell.

Fiona with her beautiful cushion she had been working on at the Bee, now finished! The detail in the hand embroidery is wonderful to see, and as you know I love Cow Parsley or the prettier named Queen Anne's lace. Fiona had bought the kit to make this cushion 20 years ago so well done to her for finishing it.

Fiona with her lovely cushion

Ann had just basted her Lantern quilt and was in the process of hand quilting it.She did not want to be in the picture so have had to crop her out. She uses such lovely bright colours.

Ann's Lantern Quilt

Alison was binding her lovely quilt (and also would not be in the picture) and each block in her quilt was different. I love seeing all the things my friends make, they are all so talented.

I have to put a label on the little scrappy heart quilt as it's to be a present for my youngest granddaughter's birthday and they are visiting this weekend, and then to sort out my fabrics for my Wonky Star block and baste my shirt Quilt. Oh happy days...

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

Six Shirts Quilt.

 Things are progressing with the Six Shirts Quilt and I think it is looking really good, and I am well pleased with the progress so far.

It is still residing on the spare room bed, as it's a little too big for the design wall. All the blocks are now sewn together on point, ( there is a free app on iPhone called QuiltRef  that tells you the sizes of triangles) and I am now working on the borders.There were a lot of scraps left so I'm now in the process of making piano keys as the second border. The intention is to add three borders.

At the Bee this week, I finished the stitchery on block seven. Now to write the instructions and this is the bit I hate. I could draw all day and stitch all day but the instructions come hard to me. One of the girls brought her first two blocks in to show me. It was lovely to see, and her colour combination was lovely.

Jenny was knitting her hats for smoothy bottles. We knit them each year for Suffolk age UK and last year we knitted over 200. We are a little slow off the mark this year and as Jenny had put me to shame I set too and made these last night. I tend only to knit in 4ply so will have to get some more DK wool.

Back to making my borders now as the sun has gone in so no more gardening today.

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

Take six shirts..

I have been saving shirts that my husband and sons no longer wear, for some time now, cutting them into useable pieces. Today I thought it was about time I started using them. Carl, you might recognise these as they are six of your shirts. Now to make 98 nine patch blocks, finished size 6 1/2 " The white I am using is Kona Snow, which tones in very nicely.

2 1/2 "squares

First lot of blocks.

'

So it's pedal to the metal as thats a lot of blocks to make and while I am sewing my husband is going to help with this post and tell you about some thing wonderful in our garden.

Isn't nature wonderful? We have lived in our flint built cottage for over a quarter of a century and one of the first things that we planted when we moved in was a Wisteria ( a gift from our daughter). This was to join the Virginia Creeper and the rambling roses which adorned our walls. Over the years it climbed and spread and did everything that wisterias are supposed to do except produce flowers.            

As part of ongoing restructuring, while adding a porch about 5 years ago, our builder chopped it down, marked out the footings and placed a large slab of concrete on top of it.

After two years, out from under the new porch, tiny wisteria tendrils appeared 

(determined little beggar, isn't it?). For the next three years it has moved, ever upwards, to the roofline and this year it has flowered. It seems threats don't do anything but chop it down and bury it in concrete and miracles happen.!

Wisteria climbing up the side of the porch

I could not have written that better my self. I was so thrilled when it came poking out, and rushed out and bought it's own bit of trellis to help support it, and as Ron says it's up to the roof line now and full of flowers.

Back to the sewing, I have been laying the blocks on the spare bed (on point) as I make them and I calculate about 25 blocks left to make. At this point I am quite pleased with them, hope they all line up when I come to sew them together.

Off to the Bee to morrow, a whole day of hand sewing. Much joy and maybe a little knitting.

Keep safe and keep stitching...... Doti & Ron.( one post only)..

Finish Up Friday.

Yes indeed, I have two finishes this week. You might remember the little quilt top I had made a few posts back in " Day spent unpicking". I thought the left hand side looked a little odd. One of the suggestions from my friend Liz was to cut the side off leaving a boarder on both sides. Bit drastic I thought, but I did not fancy making a border strip up of all different little bits. So I duly cut one lot of blocks off, all down the side. The strip of cut off blocks was then pieced into the backing fabric,(I could not waste them) and the quilt was sandwiched with wadding/batting and machine quilted with all over wiggly woo/ meander stippling and bound. It is 56" x 40", so will make a very nice baby quilt. Very pleased as this was all the left over scraps from my Humming bird quilt, so I got two quilts from this scrumptious fabric.

Finished Baby Quilt

This is the other finished project for the week. Another friend Liz from my knitting group held at Mains Restaurant in Yoxford gave me this pattern, which can be found on Ravelry. The wool is from Meadow Yarns and was just yummy to knit with. It was to be a Christmas pressie but I liked it so much I am going to keep it, sorry Ruth will have to knit you another one.

Henslowe Shawl

It was Wednesday Club this week, which as you know is held at Quilters Haven, some of the girls were doing the jelly roll race with Karin, This was Alison's at the end of the day. It was a lovely William Morris jelly roll and she is now going to appliqué  some William Morris designs on top of it. I will hopefully capture the finished quilt.

Jelly Roll Quilt.

Just had to put this picture in as it's an almost finish for Liz. We all have made this Mariners compass block, but none of us have finished it or done anything with it, well done to her. I think it's to be a cushion.

Mariners Compass Block

Lot's of rain here so the garden will have to look after itself. I am hopefully going to do lots of sewing...

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

The Garden is Waking Up..

Just had a little trip around the garden, and I do think at last it is springing into life. It has been such a long cold winter. These pansies are outside the back door and did their best to flower through the very cold weather, I love their little faces.

 Love the Queen Anne's 

lace and Bluebells, and this is the first flowering for this honeysuckle .

 Even the veggie patch has some forget-me-nots, which I did not have the heart to pull up.

These little patches of Columbines (Grannies Bonnets) were kindly left by the birds and they are all over the place. We just let them flower whereever.

 This was one of my Birthday presents from Fiona looking splendid on the patio.

So that is a little trip around some of the garden. I have done some Knitting and Sewing but that will have to wait until

 the next Blog...

Keep safe and keep stitching + a little gardening.....Doti...

2nd UFO Finished

I'm pleased to have finished my 2nd UFO for this year. I still have lots of others to do, but this one is actually DONE. As you know, I have been plodding on with this one for weeks, taking it to the Bee and Wednesday Club. Well, it was Wednesday club this week and it duly came with me. I had three blocks to echo quilt around the appliqué left to do . Well I came home with two and a half still left to do.This is just not good enough I thought, so I sat all day yesterday and finished it , leaving only the binding to sew down. As you know that is my favourite bit in making a quilt, so have had another fun day stitching it down. Off to the garden to take some pictures. Sadly no sun today, so pictures a little flat.

Finished quilt.

 I think I know why so little stitching was done at Wednesday club. It was the birthdays of two of the "girls" Sandra and Lynne and we had of course the obligatory Birthday cake and a beautiful Pavlova, much laughter and present opening.

Lynne is fairly new to quilting and this is her first Quilt.We did pull her leg as she had been on a course at Quilters Haven to make Table Mats, and they ' morphed ' into a bed quilt.

Lynne's finished top.

Then we all helped Sandra to baste her quilt for her grandson, a brilliant design for a little boy.

Sandra's quilt being basted.

What with eating, talking and laughing, not a lot of sewing was done but it was a fun day.

After taking pictures of my finished quilt I placed it on the chest and got lunch. Seeing it with this Dodo  made me think the quilt nearly went the way of this extinct bird I was so fed up with it. 

So pleased I plodded on..

Now to open the next box and the next UFO or I might just go off  at a tangent again. We will see.

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

Good News

First I would like to tell you the good news. The blue tits have decided they like where I have moved their nest site, out of Bilbo's reach on top of the table, and are busy coming and going. I can't tell you how pleased I was. I had a smile on my face all day thinking about it.

Now for block two of the little BOM I am doing

Block 2

Block 2

2 Churn Dash Blocks finished size 3 1/2 “square.

Back ground cut 2 x 1 7/8”   squares    A          

                        cut 4  1”x 1 1/2” oblongs   D

                        cut 1  1 7/8”  square

Coloured Fabric cut 2   1 7/8” square  B

                            cut 4   1” x 1 1/2” oblongs  E

Make Churn Dash Blocks

Take both the A squares and on the wrong side of the fabric draw a line diagonally from corner to corner.

Place one of the A squares right sides together with one of the B squares, and machine stitch 1/4” each side of the drawn line, cut in half on the drawn line to give two half square triangles.

Press open . Repeat to give you four HST blocks.

Join D and E oblongs together, press open

Repeat to give you four squares

Repeat to make second Block

Using picture as a guide assemble two blocks.

Middle Block cut from background fabric a rectangle

3 1/2” x 2 1/2” and trace the bird on the branch stitchery on to it, stitch in your own colour way, and join to the two Churn Dash Blocks.

Now stitch this block to Block 1.......

The churn dash make 1 more and reverse the little bird on the branch and keep, they will be used later.... finished for this month...Doti..

diagram showing how to stitch block together.

Remember to reverse the little bird when you make your second block, which will be used later.

Your two Blocks should now look like this, hope you are liking it.

This is sneaky peek at part of block five. I know his little knee is going the wrong way but I thought he looked good so left it, very nonchalant don't you think?

We were at the Bee this week and I just had to show you this lovely lap quilt Maggie had made. It's going to be a donation prize. Love the colours.

 Me, I am still plodding on with my hand quilting, only 4 more blocks to do now and then the binding. Oh! joy the best bit about making a quilt.

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

So Sad.

On the 22nd April, in the post "Gardening Week End", I told you about the pair of Blue Tits that were building their nest in an old pot I had made many years ago. They have been backwards and forwards since then and seemed quite happy with their chosen nesting site.

 Sadly today my husband found our Border Terrier rolling the pot around the garden and trying to get into the opening at the top. He had pulled the pot and it's contents off the shelf. We do not know what or who was in it. We have now replaced the pot and it's contents on top of the table where Bilbo can't reach it, and are now hoping against hope they will come back . Watch this space...

Replaced pot with contents out of Bilbo's reach.

Bilbo's not even making eye contact.

Today I have been working on the mystery quilt, I need to stay one step ahead, and will put up the second block on or around the 12th of the month..

Stay safe and keep stitching...Doti...

Day spent unpicking..

Yesterday was Wednesday Club, and as you know, we hold it at Quilters Haven, Lots of boxes were being unpacked and wow, there were lots of lovely new fabrics. I just might be tempted.

However, it was one of those days when every one  in our quilting group seemed to be unpicking / frogging their work. This was Sandra doing just that, on another quilt for one of her grandsons.

 Alison and I were trying to put the Linus quilt together. Everyone had made a star block from their scraps from our Friendship quilts.( last year post December 13th 2012.) 

After much cussing and frogging, here is the said quilt. Just the binding to be sewn down now, the favourite part for me in making a quilt, so I shall sit in the garden this afternoon and stitch the binding down.

Quilt for Linus.

Alison T was making a Dandy Bag from a pattern sometime back, blog post "One of those weeks"

last March, and pointed out to me that you had to make two panels, (Front & Back) which I did not make clear in the instructions. Sorry if any one is making that little bag.. it would have been a very small bag indeed if you only made one panel..

Front panel of bag.

Ann was doing wonderful things with little cars and scooters she was going to appliqué on to the borders of a quilt.

I had taken in the top of the baby quilt as I was not happy with the left hand side, where the blocks have no side pieces. I am still not sure what to do with it. The best suggestion was to cut off  the complete row of blocks down the left hand side. I will have to think about that one, so watch this space.

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