Patchwork and Quilting

Did you all remember to move your clocks on an hour this morning?  It was a bit of a shock when we woke up at 10am!! but at least it was a Sunday!

Thank you for all your comments last week I have replied to each of them and found them all hugely interesting to read.

As usual a busy week again but this week saw the last of my patchwork and quilting workshops so I thought I would share my creations with you.

I didn't really want to make a quilt but fancied doing something a little smaller.  I started off with the idea of making 6 placemats in 10 weeks - one a week and 4 weeks to tie up loose ends, or so I thought.  Well 10 weeks later I have made 3 and even those aren't completely finished!! Never mind you win some you loose some!

This is my first mat and is the only one I finished completely.  I used Japanese Folded patchwork for this one and joined each square with hand stitching.  Not as easy as it first appeared, because of the bias on the circles of fabric, they seem to develop a mind of their own when you are stitching them and I didn't have a walking foot at this stage either!

Is there a foot on your machine you wouldn't be without and why do you find it so useful?

My second project is Somerset Patchwork.  As you can see I only completed 3 squares and need another 3 to complete the placemat in the same 3 x 2 configuration as the first mat.  These are all hand sewn using small rectangles folded into triangles.  I really enjoyed making these although they are quite time consuming and use a lot of material.  I haven't really fathomed out how to join them together yet and have even thought I may make them into individual coasters instead!!

As you can see, on my third project, I still have the border to turn to the back and stitch in place.  This was one of those times when the project evolved as I went along.  I planned to do a tumbling blocks design and had seen a 'quick' way of doing it on line, but this didn't work out and I was left with lots of strips of fabric sewn together.  I cut them into diamonds and this was the result, which I am rather pleased with as it turned out completely different to what I had in mind.

Once again, my final mat is still unfinished. I knew once the course ended I would struggle to complete it if I was part way through a design.  I was using a Seminole patchwork design and originally I had planned to make a different strip for the centre but I ran out of time.  Don't look too closely you can see a few mistakes in this one as I rushed to finish it!!

I have enjoyed this course but I'm not sure patchwork and quilting is for me!  I like the patchwork bit best but get very irritated if I can't get the design accurate.  The quilting bit doesn't float my boat either.  I need to master my free machine embroidery but find it very difficult to slow my 38 yr old Frister Rossman machine down - it's all in the foot control you see!!!

Just a quick update on the Wedding Dress progress.  For one reason or another it's been on and off over the last few weeks but we have now decided we are definitely making.  I am making a mock up in calico first, the pictures above being of the bodice and now I am working on the skirt.  Can't tell you too much just in case the groom to be is reading!!!

Off over to Handmade Monday now hosted by Lucy Blossom Crafts.  I always look forward to this link party as it is such a friendly community.  

Hope to see you there x

Patchwork, Crochet and Sweet Wrappers!

I have so much on the go at the moment I don't know which to tackle next!

Last week's patchwork and quilting group saw the completion of my first place mat (1st of 6!) below. This is called Japanese Folded patchwork.  Not my favourite!  Too much room for error for my liking because of the bias of the fabric.  It took a bit of keeping square!

I then moved on to Somerset Patchwork.  This I enjoyed and found it very therapeutic albeit time consuming.  Lots of little rectangles, folded into triangles and sewn on by hand.  This is about the same size as one of the squares above (4").  Only another 5 to go to finish place mat number 2! Tumbling blocks for number 3 but no pictures as yet!

I have also been following a CAL over at Look At What I Made called Sophie's Universe.  But first I would like to show you another pattern from Dedri called Sophie's Garden.  I absolutely loved this one and learnt a tremendous amount from completing it. It is about 2ft across.

Now Sophie's Universe starts out life very similarly to Sophie's Garden but it will eventually grow into a blanket about 6ft square.  You can see below how far I've got so far.  This is already measuring 22".  I love them, so colourful and so interesting to do.  As soon as I've finished writing this post I'm off to start on Part 4.  Very excited!! Sad or what?

Another lovely day I had this week was making 'fabric' from sweet wrappers.  A group of like minded friends get together about once every month to play with textiles of some kind.  Last week we had a go at textile art using sheer fabrics, felt and sweet wrappers.  I made one piece of 'fabric' out of which I was able to make a case for my glasses and a needle case.  We had great fun.  I have had a request from an elderly lady, I help out, for a needle case. When I start making it I promise I will write a little tutorial to explain how I did it.  Watch this space!

And to cap it all, I tutored an Introduction to Crochet workshop today!  Loads of concentration, but great fun had by all.

Next week I am travelling up to Manchester for a girlie weekend with my friend.  I shall arrive on Thursday evening which is fantastic timing as it is the start of the Great British Sewing Bee !! yay :)  Fizzy plonk, girlie chats and The Sewing Bee.  Can't think of much better!  We are then going to the Stitching, Sewing and Hobbycrafts Show at Event City in Manchester.  I'll tell you all about it when I get back.  Right now I'm joining in with Handmade Monday and then going to carry on with Part 4 of the crochet along!  

Have a good week everyone!

x

Patchwork Placemat on Happy Friday

I have been following Planet Penny now for quite a while and just love the wonderful colours she uses in her patterns, so much so, that I had to buy a pack of Planet Penny Cotton.  I'll show you a few of the items I used it for a bit later.

So when I realised she was setting up Happy Friday, I was delighted to take part.  I couldn't think of what I would include to start with but reading a few of the other bloggers posts I soon realised I was looking for something far too complicated and hadn't noticed the simple things around me.

I noticed from our lounge window this morning how beautiful the sky was.

This made me feel happy!

I have recently joined a patchwork and quilting group and have set myself the task of completing 6 placemats, each one a different design but using the same colours.  We meet on a Friday so this week's is (thankfully!) completed ready to start another.

I did not enjoy making this one, it was so difficult to keep everything lined up and wrinkle free so it made me extremely happy 

when I finally finished it and it didn't look quite as bad as I thought it would!!

I'll leave you now with pictures of a few of the items I made with Planet Penny Cotton.

My Yarndale inspired Mandala

Camera Case

A Giraffe for my daughter (who's 24 I might add!!)

Happy Friday Everyone

x

Quilted Jewellery Roll "How To" Part 2

I'm so glad you all liked the jewellery rolls.  They are one of those items you wouldn't think you need but once you've had one, taking jewellery with you when travelling becomes so much easier and I am definitely tempted to take more than I need now. Just in case you understand!!

I very much enjoyed reading all your comments on Quilted Jewellery Roll "How To" Part 1 and if any of you do have a go I would love to see your pictures.  If you find anything doesn't make sense please feel free to contact me and I'll see if I can help - but I'm no expert by any means!

Ok lets continue now with

Jewellery Roll "How To" 

Part 2

You have completed your 'fabric' for the front of your jewellery roll and now you will need to quilt it. Place the fabric on a piece of wadding just a little larger than the fabric.  The definition of quilting is: the sewing of two or more layers of fabric together to make a thicker padded material and that's exactly what you will do next.  I chose to 'stitch in the ditch' - sew in the seams really - along the edges of the larger squares.  I used a pale grey thread so it didn't show up too much.  You could sew around the little squares if you feel so inclined depending on the look you prefer.

Now we are ready to construct the inside.  I chose two zipped pockets, loops for necklaces or bracelets and a small pocket for bits and pieces in the centre.

To make the pockets I measured the jewellery roll and decided exactly where I wanted the zips to go.  I then cut 3 pieces of material, one large for the centre and two smaller ones for the outside allowing 1/2" for my seams. I placed the zips in the seams and pinned a small pocket in the centre.  I then hand stitched the pocket in place, just to make it look a little more decorative (see yellow arrow on picture below).  When this is completed cut another piece of fabric to the same size and place it right side up below the piece with the zips in.  Stitch from edge to edge, parallel to the zips,

in the correct place to create the size of pockets you require (see the black arrows below - you can just pick out the stitching).



Nearly there! Place the pockets you have just made and the 'fabric' with the hearts on, wrong sides together.  I found this next bit rather tricky!  Square everything up and trim to the correct size.  As the old saying goes measure twice, cut once!  If adding loops, pin these in place now.  Picture below shows them with the binding in place but you get the idea.  At this stage don't forget to add ribbons for tying roll together.

Finally, cut a strip of fabric 2" wide, long enough to go around all 4 edges of your jewellery roll. You can join this if you need to.  Fold in half and place raw edges together on the right side, stitch 1/4" from the raw edge. Turn smooth edge over to the inside and hand sew in place.  You can see both front and back of the binding in the picture below.

Now sit back and admire your work :)

Please forgive me, I haven't gone into great detail explaining how to 'Stitch in the Ditch' and binding your work as there are numerous videos on Youtube showing you how.

I hope this may have given you the inspiration to have a go.  This was only my third patchwork project so you can see you don't need a lot of knowledge to achieve.

I'll leave you now with a couple of pictures of my first two projects.

First project - Tulip cushion

Blocks from my second project which I made into a bag


Happy sewing!

See you all over on Handmade Monday

Quilted Jewellery Roll "How To" Part 1

Well "Hello" everyone.  It is lovely to have Handmade Monday back and I do hope you all enjoyed and have recovered from the Christmas festivities.

Here as promised is my "How To" for the quilted jewellery rolls I made my daughters for Christmas. If you haven't read my previous post it may help to give it a quick view so you know what all this is about.  You'll be glad to know my cold has cleared up and 2015 is back on schedule!

Jewellery Roll "How To"

Part 1

Below is what your finished 'fabric' will look like.  

You will have

2 full 9 square patches in the centre 

6 triangles made of 6 squares around the edges

4 corner triangles made of 4 squares in each corner.  

In total you will need about 74 of the tiny squares (perhaps a few extra in case you make a mistake!). You will also need 6 plain pale squares for the hearts.  

The finished size is about 11" or 12" x 7" or 8" depending on how accurate you are!  

When working with tiny squares like these there is plenty of opportunity for error, believe me!

Cut into 1.5" strips and then cut those strips into 1.5" squares.  I can't remember how many I cut but if you aim on about 9 x 1.5" squares of each colour you can use any left over to chop up for the hearts.

Now to start sewing!  Use 1/4" seams throughout.  Begin with the 9 square, squares and stitch 3 squares together to make 1 strip. Make the other two 3 square strips.  Then stitch the 3, 3 square strips together, side by side, matching up the seams carefully!  Press, then you have completed your first patchwork square!  Only another XX to go!  Complete the others in the same way and then you will be ready for the next stage.

At this point you will need to cut 6 plain pale 3.5" squares.  Lay all your squares and triangles out like this.

Now join into strips like you did before (see the arrows) the squares will just be slightly larger this time. Then join the strips together, side by side, being particularly careful to match up all the seams. Don't forget to add the last 2 corner triangles!  Press neatly, admire your work .... and breathe :)

You should have something which resembles this.  Each tiny square will measure 1" or just under (told you it was difficult to be accurate!) and each plain square will be 3" or under.

Ok - you still with me?

Good, let's make the hearts :)

I'm afraid I lack a few pictures of this bit!  But it should be a doddle for you clever crafters out there. First you will need to draw a heart to fit the blank squares.  When you are happy with the shape draw this onto bondaweb (other gluey stuff does exist!).  Cut out and place in the centre of the blank square, ironing into place (don't forget to protect your iron from the sticky stuff).

At this stage it may help to stitch around the outline of the heart as it can be a bit difficult to see.  I also backed it with a little stitch and tear to give it a bit of strength.  Next you will need a selection of teeny weeny chopped up bits from all 9 choices of fabric.  Sprinkle these so they completely cover the heart and over the edges (now you can see why it's difficult to see). Protecting your iron again, iron over the itty bitty bits until they are stuck in place.  Now stitch around the outline of the heart and free machine all over until they are well and truly fixed in place.  You can do this as much or as little as you wish. Finally trim off any excess little pieces. Give yourself a pat on the back and ..... complete the other 5!!

I
Phew!  I think that is enough to take in for one session, it will take quite a while to get this far so next week I will post Part 2 which will explain the quilting bit and how to make the pockets for the inside.

Happy sewing!

Patchwork Throw

Well hello again!

I am so, so, sorry, I have been absent for a couple of months now and I have really missed 'talking' to you all.  I will try to rectify this from now on!

We went on a 3 week touring holiday of Scotland in April and this was the beginning of why I have been away for so long.  I took a little bit of simple embroidery to keep me occupied and this is another part of why I've been missing.  Well it's finished now so I thought I would share it with you (actually it's been finished for a while but I just haven't got around to writing the post - but let's not dwell on that, I'm here now!!!)

We changed our sofa covers recently and whilst they were starting to look shabby there was still a lot of good fabric in them so I decided I would have a go at my very first bit of patchwork.  I wanted a throw to cover the new covers to keep them clean for at least a little while.  I think you all know how it is!! TV dinners, wine, crafts etc. they all take their toll :(

So I cut up 25, 12" x 12" squares to make a 5 x 5 square throw (it's just under 60" wide now it's finished) and embroidered a simple outline embroidery on each square.  Here is the finished article.

I chose to make a rag throw so allowed the seams to show on the right side.

Here are the top six squares.  Top left is a design taken from a pot a friend has, and the bottom left and right designs are taken from the wallpaper in the bedroom we stayed in at our friends' house at the start of our Scotland tour.  

Can anyone guess who the two famous people are in the top centre outline?

We visited the place one of them came from on our way south, just after leaving Scotland and my husband had his photo taken by his statue!  Any ideas?

Squares on top right of throw.

I like the poem 'Owl and the Pussycat' so hence the centre top design and of course I had to have a wine bottle in there somewhere!!!

The central square of the throw is a number 50 with 2013 embroidered below as both my husband and I have celebrated our 50th birthdays this year, and are having a great time doing so I may add!!  Bottom left is A Rennie Mackintosh design as I have a soft spot for his work and top right some fuchsias as they are one of my favourite flowers!

Centre bottom square is a thistle depicting Scotland as that's where I was at the time!

The bottom left square is taken from a photo of the viaduct used in the Harry Potter film that we visited when in Scotland.  My husband turned it into a line drawing for me (he's clever like that!)

Bottom left square is my own interpretation of a 'wee highland coo' copied from a little crosstitch coaster kit I bought on my hols.  I'm not very good at drawing and couldn't quite get the back legs right so I used a bit of 'artistic' licence and covered them up with grass instead!!  It doesn't do it justice on this photo but looks a lot better in real life :)

I really enjoyed stitching these outline embroideries.  I used Planet Penny Cotton as there are lots of fantastic colours to chose from.   Some of the designs were taken from this book and others were free off the internet.

Ooh, almost forgot!  This is the pretty fabric I used for the reverse!

and here it is in situ,'thrown' on the sofa!

Thank you for reading folks and I hope you like it.  Why not have a go yourselves?  It's a great way to recycle fabric, such fun to do and something that will be so very personal to you.

I shall endeavour to make sure my next post is not so long in coming next time!

See you soon
x

I have finally got around to linking up to Handmade Monday over at Handmade Harbour for the first time in months.  Hello everyone :)