Submitting a quilt, more knitting and plenty of sewing

Make and Take materials ready and waiting

It was lovely to see all the quilts at Quiltfest. Such an interesting exhibition. This was my table just before the doors opened on the first of the days when I was helping out by leading one of the "Make and Take" sessions. It is so nice to chat with people as they wander in to see the quilts. 

Sashiko pockets

During the quiet times while I was at Quiltfest, I started the blue Sashiko Pocket, buying the kit from the Quilters' Guild stand at the show. I had started my first one some years ago and had lost the instructions on how it should look and red one shown here. The kit gives full instructions on how to work the sashiko design also giving a couple of options. Seeing the blue version, I just had to buy it. So now I have two completed "pockets". The oversized buttons have now been removed since I felt they were rather too clumsy for my liking. I now plan to add shoulder straps to turn these into little project bags. They are a quick make with delightful hand stitched embroidery, which is good fun to complete. The Guild's shop now seems to have run out of this kits, but have other sashiko items here.

After Quiltfest, I got on with completing my entry for the "In Print" challenge from the Contemporary Quilt Group. This is the special interest group, part of the Quilters' Guild of the British Isles, which I joined some years ago. I was their Coordinator some three years ago too.

"In Print" sample before completion.

I had decided towards the end of last year that I really ought to take part in the next challenge and see if my piece might be accepted after submission. I got my online submission completed a day ahead of the deadline with the sample sent out in the post a couple of days earlier. I have no idea how I shall get on and will just have to wait until May when the jurying process is complete. I know that my form and photo have been received, but haven't yet heard whether the sample made it through the post. I think I shall just hope that, since I haven't been asked for it yet, that it must have arrived. I just haven't got enough fingers available to keep any crossed at the moment.........

"In Print - Maps"

My piece was inspired by all the work on Maps and text done with the NWCQ group in November, also the Black and White quilt I completed as a result of that same workshop. A photo of this particular quilt can be seen in my 22nd January post. "Maps" uses tea, rust and procian dyed fabrics which I have made over the past few years. There are dyecatchers which have been used for line drawings and text derived from the November workshop. Stencils, thermofax screens, lino and block printing has also been used. The lettering is bondawebbed in place. The quilting imitates the contour lines of the maps I had been inspecting.

 Now, I have started knitting a jumper for my grand daughter, another test knit. There will be photos later once the jumper is complete.

I've also done some alterations to some of the clothing I have made in the past. The first was to retrospectively add lining to a pair of linen/cotton blend trousers. I suddenly realised why I really couldn't face wearing these trousers. The inside leg seam was rubbing the skin on my legs and making me really uncomfortable. The trousers fit well, so it was a real nuisance that they really were not pleasant to wear. It will be interesting to see whether this adaptation works.

I have also altered a pinafore dress which I had found really bulky. The top has been cut off, so that I am now left with a skirt. This has now been lined. It will be interesting to see if this alteration works out as well as I hope. I had used a fine needlecord which proved to be a little too heavy for the design I was using.

With a bit of luck I will soon have two "new" and useful additions to my wardrobe.

As I write this, there is a pile of polar fleece sitting on my work table ready to be cut out. This, I hope, will turn into a cosy waterfall style coat. I have been wanting to get on and make this for some time now, but had to get a couple of other projects out of the way first. The pattern on the fleece has a musical theme so I had best get on with this. The recorder group start meeting again before too long and I'd promised myself I would wear it to our first meeting of the year.

Printing and painting fabric.

Printed and painted fabrics.

It has been rather too long since I added a post to this blog. Things have been crazily busy here. I still keep stitching and have been knitting too whenever I have had a spare moment. I shall post about those another time. Visiting my friend Hilary the other day, I was only able to take a couple of things along with me. Items she had not seen. It was a few days later when I got around to getting some ironing done that I rediscovered some printed and painted fabric which I had completely forgotten about. As you can tell, I really don't do any ironing very often - unless it is ironing new fabric after washing it for the stash.

These pieces were made during a rather enjoyable day spent with the NWCQ group. We spent some time printing fabric - I took along my thermofax screens and some stencils, a collection of previously printed and painted fabric and my print board.

Thermofax printed onto painted gauze.

Stencil onto previously painted gauze.

 Well, my print board got a little damp after printing the cog wheels stencil above, so I used one of my pieces of salvaged poly-cotton (an old valance) as an additional dropcloth. I folded it twice to print this:

Stencil onto previously painted gauze.

Dropcloth after printing the gauze above.

Second layer of the dropcloth showing dampened original dropcloth leaking through.

 As you can see the results were really interesting. I shall be keeping this impromptu dropcloth on one side for further printing and painting.

Old dropcloth overprinted using thermofax screen.

This last piece of the day still needs some work, but is developing in a rather interesting way.

Completed book pages for the Machine Embroidery Group. Brenda's theme is "Flora and fauna".

"Breakthrough" completed journal quilt for the Sky's the Limit group.

There have been other pieces completed, but I won't bore you with them here. At present I have started work on a quilt which I hope to complete in time to be entered for the "Horizons" challenge for the Contemporary Quilt group. It is full of pins at the moment so I haven't taken a photo - maybe next time.

Thanks for reading. I shall be back.

I'm back!

Hello everyone. Sorry there has been a distinct lack of blog posts over the past month. I have been busy with the sewing for my daughters wedding on Saturday 13th August: my daughter's wedding dress, the flower girl's dress and my own dress and jacket.

I promise photos will follow. I just need permissions to share the wedding dress and flower girl's dresses with you. Then I need a kind person to supply me with photos of myself weearing the suit I made as well as the matching hat which I trimmed........... I was too busy at the time to take any photos...............

Now, having had a week to completely relax and catch up with some reading, I am raring to go. Yes, plans are beginning to gel for some of the projects I have on hand - the next few journal quilts, a challenge quilt, and a book making session I shall be leading. There are one or two other things that I have forgotten about for now, but then I can tell you all about these later.