2022 November

If I'm posting my November photos it means it must be December - panic!  I won't have enough time to do all thing things I want by Christmas!!!

Some of the Chertsey Ladies brought their felt dolls back to meet the group!  They are so cute!

For November we made slippers from fleece!

We cut a square 12.5" on all sides (we cut them at 45 degrees to the edge) for six 6-7 ish

We folded them in half diagonally, (with the most stretch going around the width of the our feet).We stitched from pointed end all along one side (this will be under the foot) and slightly rounded at the corner and keep going about 1/3 along the second side (this is the heel).  Turn inside out and the open point folds down like this

A friend and I made about 30 A5 pouches for the Richmond and Kew ladies for Christmas.  We used Plum's instructions and set up a production line!  Half a dozen reds for the outside and a variety of linings so hopefully each one differs to the others

I managed to finish this quilt for a friend's 60th.  I did have a few issues - running out of the brown was one, the bias edges on the end triangles all stretched giving a slightly wavy border, and the fleece crept a bit so I had to cut an unused bit off and add it to the gap, but it's super cosy and she says she loves it!

Another friend was visiting from overseas and gave permission to open Christmas gifts way too early!  I was seriously spoilt - thank you Sharon!!!

We had a good turn out for the Paula Doyle workshop and I now have a big stack of blocks to speed date into something beautiful

And then a good turn out at Crafty Church: Lovely to see all the crafty ladies in the hall!

Finally I have made a tote bag gift for a friend who is notorious for needing coffee every hour on the hour!  I don't think she visits the blog, but if so, Sharon look no further!!!!

(just filling in while I'm waiting for Sharon to leave)

I'll be back at the end of the month - if I don't manage to get in touch with you before then I hope you have a great Christmas.  

For a few of my friends it will be a bit of a strange Christmas as people they love wont be home with them: I'll be thinking of you, and if you need a sympathetic ear I'm only a phone call away xxx

 

2022 November Block Special

Richmond and Kew quilters had a great Easy Stack workshop last Saturday run by Paula Doyle.  It's not my place top share her method, but you can see loads of inspirational photos on our FB page.

I'll show you my blocks later, but Paula also showed us how to easily make a 4 patch so I wanted to show you while I remember

Lay out the 4 pieces as you want them to end up.

Numbering them in this pattern

1 2

3 4

fold 2 onto 1, and 4 onto 3 and stitch them: do not cut the thread between, just keep going from the top pair to the bottom pair with a few chain stitches between.  Think of these seams as seam 1

See the chain stitches - leave this intact

Now pivot anti clockwise and flip 3/4 onto 1/2, and stitch.  This is seam 2

Flip over and the question now is how to press?

Snip open the chain stitches, and tug a little to unto the new few stitches (these are the stitches from the chain part of seam 1 to where they have been stitched over by seam 2, probably just 2 or 3 stitches)

You can then fold each seam anticlockwise and have this cute little baby 4 patch in the middle.  This means all your seams are ready to snuggle together when you start joining your 4 patches to each other!

2019 Wk 49 - Janet Clare Course and scrappy pennies

Richmond and Kew quilters organised a course at Janet Clare's studio.    It was the "Quilted memories to cherish" course, but it included drawing with the sewing machine - free motion sewing to draw pictures

I was well out of my comfort zone but really enjoyed the day.  These are my pictures:

I "may" have bought some of her fabric too!  My plan is a quilt alternating the medium fabrics with the light fabrics - and some of the dark squares will be the pictures rather than just fabric

She was also selling some felt:  So I had to buy some of that too!

On Friday I am teaching scrappy pennies and needed another sample, and on Monday I will be taking part in a Secret Santa swap at Richmond and Kew, so need to make something - for a while I was daunted by the work that I needed to put into both those events, until eventually it occurred to me that I could make a Secret Santa gift with scrappy pennies!!!

Do you remember the wraps we made a few years ago from Ikea fleeces?  I am now making another one, decorated with scrappy pennies!!!

I hope whoever gets it likes it!

2018 Wk 11 - Gillian Travis appliqué

I spent most to the day at a workshop arranged by Richmond and Kew quilters.  It was run by Gillian Travis (http://gilliantravis.co.uk/) who does a lot of repeated applique blocks where blocks are made in twins on light on dark and dark on light.

Simply put, a square of bondaweb is ironed onto a square of batik.  A shape is cut out of the batik, and both the shape and the square missing the shape are placed on, and bondawebbed to, contrasting squares.  Gillian has done vases, mittens, sweaters, pomegranates, pears: all sorts of shapes.
Many of the ladies used a fab array of colours, but I stuck to two colours, 4 different fabrics (all provided by the lovely Plum)


I really enjoyed this part of the class.   Next I need to trim all the blocks to exactly 4” square, and arrange them on backing fabrics butting up to each other, and zigzagged together.   The next bit will be much harder!!

I will be dropping the feed dogs and free motioning around the shapes.  I have 20 blocks so far, each pair of twins representing something from my life - I will make some more as I think of other things, but this could be procrastination to put off the day when I have to start the free motion sewing!!