Thursday, 17 July 2014

I am the worst blogger!

To be honest I shall probably continue to be the worst blogger, so let's just keep moving forward, eh.

Things have been MADE, and blog posts written (in my head, where it doesn't really count of course...) and the odd photo has been taken.  So today I should like to show you a cushion, which was begun last week and given to its recipient today.  It is a very special cushion nonetheless.


I have teacher friends and relatives and I know there is a wild proliferation of chocolates and mugs at the end of each school year, so I wanted to make something, but really I wanted to make something with Trainboy.  Trainboy, who got a perfect score of "A" for effort in every subject this year... except Design & Technology.  Trainboy had no ideas.  Nor did I.





But then I scored some super-cheap fabric marker pens in TK Maxx and brought them home with a sudden brilliant idea.  I ironed a bit of white cotton, handed the pens to my son, and asked him to draw a train.  Then I suggested we went and chose some fabrics to use for the cushion.  My idea was to put the drawing on one side and a bit of pretty patchwork on the other, so his teacher could use it either way, depending which she preferred.  I mean a teacher probably collects an awful lot of other people's children's artwork...

What co-ordinates with a blue, red and green train?  Why, delicate shades of lime and sage green, and perhaps a bit of neon orange, of course!  And yes, that is some of my precious, precious Denyse Schmidt there.  He's got some taste, at least.  The block is basically "Scots Plaid" from the marvellous 500 Quilt Blocks by Kerry and Lynne.


It was a bit of a challenge but it worked, I think?  I ironed some lightweight stabiliser over the back of each panel, overlocked the inside edges, and put a reasonable zip in the side.  We gave it to Mrs K this morning and she seemed to like it.  She is a really marvellous teacher - I think Wilf and I will both miss her next year!

Thursday, 3 July 2014

First ever machine-sewn binding.

It's not perfect but I'm pretty pleased with it!  That's the back by the way - the front is better, obviously.



I'm starting to think I might actually finish these bear quilts at some point.  I have really no idea why they've been taking me so very long.  I'm not the world's fastest quilter but I'm not usually this slow!

Wednesday, 2 July 2014

When children dress themselves...




...I'm assuming that's green in honour of the Sprint Jersey for this weekend's Tour de France Grand Depart.  WHO KNOWS though.

Tuesday, 10 June 2014

I can't be the only one who finds it terrifying when days turn into weeks and eventually a whole month,  and suddenly that project that you had plenty of time to finish needs doing NOW NOW RIGHT NOW, or it'll be too late and no use to anyone?



So today I am, at last, back in the saddle and sewing furiously.  Or at least cutting out furiously.  Sewing maybe tomorrow.

Thanks for "bear"ing with me…  ;)

Thursday, 1 May 2014

Tumbler Quilt



I'd never made one before, but there's a lovely one by Poppy Makes in Issue 5 of Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine (which is brilliant, by the way - very fresh and not as twee as most crafting mags) and decided to have a bash.  I had a mass of fabric remnants in blue, yellow, and green, which felt suitably springlike, so I set to.


I have no idea where this deer fabric came from but isn't it cute?


By glorious serendipity, just after I started chopping them out, I happened upon a Designer's Guild white cotton sheet in our local charity shop which had an embroidered border of flowers... in green, blue and yellow.  So that's where the top and bottom borders of this one come from, and the backing!



However, I've been holding off on showing you all this one until I could add a final, rather special, finishing touch.



LOOK AT THAT.  Pretty cunning, don't you think?  All thanks to Woven Monkey, which basically seems to be a UK-based version of the famous Spoonflower.  The postage was quick, the prices, though not cheap, aren't too eye-watering, and the quality seems fine to me.

And if you're interested in buying it, I'll be putting this quilt up in my Etsy shop as soon as I finish this post.  If I can work out how.  It's fine, I'll be fine.  Probably.

No rest for the wicked, though.  Next week with any luck I shall be showing you the result of these late night headaches...