Where does the time go? (when you're busy sewing)

The first thing to show is this quilt. It is now on it's way to Roberta in Italy.

This is the back.

And this, the label.

Some recently printed fabric. I had such fun going along to the Textiles Without Limits day playing around with thickened dyes. This is one of the textile groups I go to.  It really is wonderful to spend time with like-minded friends. I am so lucky to have a good friend living locally who shares my interests and to be able to go along to a couple of textile groups to indulge my own passion for fabrics. It was a much needed respite from making costumes.

Costumes? Yes, I have been involved in making costumes for the local dramatic society's current production, "Blood Brothers". This is the original stage play by Willie Russell rather than the musical version.

The design above is for the character "Linda" as a young girl. I adapted a Burda magazine pattern to make a 1960s (ish) style child's dress out of a bright green gingham. Fabric from my own stash.

I removed all fitting and really just used the sleeves and the armholes. The following project was rather interesting since I was able to take the pattern from an original 1950s apron. Fabric again came from my stash.

Then, last but not least were four circle skirts. Very simply made with a slit in the back and fastening with velcro to ease a costume change. The fabric was a satiny lining fabric which I had in my stash. The colours used were a mid blue, bright red, mid purple and a maroon with white polka dots. I also made square scarves in the same fabric to be worn round the neck.

Festival of Quilts will soon be here

Time goes by so fast at the moment. I'm trying to keep on top of the different challenges I have going on as well as watching the garden. Here you can see the fourth of my yellow quilts for the CQ Journal Quilt challenge for this year. I finished it some weeks ago, but have only just got around to posting it on the group's Yahoo site. I have already started on the last four quilts for this year. They are all blue.

 The gooseberries and the grapes are looking good. I love gooseberries, so quite a few get eaten before they are brought indoors. The surplus we freeze to enjoy through the winter. The grape vine is a young one so won't produce many grapes this year.

The cats enjoy sleeping under the large leaves of the rhubarb when it is hot outside. They get rather cross when I decide it is time to cut some. Stewed rhubarb is such a refreshing dessert when it has been chilled.

I finished this just in time for the "Friendship through Sewing" (it used to be called the Machine Embroidery Group) meeting on Friday. It is a cushion cover and was our first round robin. I started it all off with the painted fabric with the calligraphy, the pile of books and the kindle. Other members of the group supplied the fascinating collection of items around the books. I had supplied the red background fabric, but added the word "books!" to the whole before adding the sashing and piping. I just fell for those cats- what a pair of characters. That just has to be Felix sitting on top of the books, with Coco smugly settled beside the kindle. The cushion is 18 inches square, and has an envelope fastening on the back with three buttons to keep the back closed.

The other item I had to complete for the same meeting was the first pair of pages for our new challenge - a textile book.

Karen's theme is the hymn "All things bright and beautiful". I was asked to produce a page for the fourth verse. We are each making a facing page too which gives our name. I have added the words of the fourth verse to this one. I hope you can read the words.

Sheer fabric bondawebbed onto satin. The words are printed onto Jacquard Inkjet Fabric sheets - the cotton ones. The handwritten words are made using fabric dye pens and permanent markers onto screen-printed fabric left over from "Dreams" (Sky's the Limit). The facing page has pictures made from sheers bondawebbed in place with machine stitching using rayon threads.

The book pages are 8 inches by 6 inches. Karen has chosen to make her book in the landscape format. Mine will be portrait and my theme is "Music", one of my passions. I have a plan, but have not put the pieces together yet. Hopefully I shall find time to finish it before FOQ................... it won't be shown there, but I would just like to get it done too.

 The last two photos are pieces which I completed at the recent NWCQ meeting in Frodsham. We were lead by Christina in a really interesting day looking at Free Machine Embroidery. The first is a piece using a metal bangle. The covering threads were hand sewn using buttonhole stitch in a variegated cotton. The vertical threads were then machine sewn, a really interesting technique. I managed not to break a needle, amazingly. The stitching in the middle is supposed to look like a fuschia flower - it really isn't quite right. It was achieved by using water soluble paper behind the bangle and using FME to make the flower.

The second piece isn't finished yet. It is the first of a series of leaves I am playing around with. FME on water soluble paper.

I must say that I am really looking forward to the Festival of Quilts this year. I missed last year and the year before..................

Message from a friend.

I received this message from Denise this morning:

Hi Mandy,
Thanks for the email. I've just been into the Blog, a new experience for me. I shall forward your Blog address to Wendy. I have to apologise for not contacting you earlier than this. Have been a bit sickly for a few days, but fine again now. The quilt is gorgeous. I have always admired your work and I feel very lucky to now own this wonderful quilt, so full of good wishes and positive thoughts from the Hartford Quilters, which will hopefully take me through my treatment to a good outcome.
When I began quilting three years ago, I soon became addicted to it; little did I know then that it would bring me such supportive, loving friends, and the quilting itself allows me to focus on things other than treatment. Once agin a great big thankyou Mandy to yourself and all members of the Hartford Quilters Group.
With love
Denise
p.s. You can add this to your Blog if you wish

Denise is a lovely person, who makes some delightful quilts herself. She is right when she speaks of the "supportive, loving friends" she has met through quilting. I can quite happily say this of each of the friends I have made through this amazing craft. They have taught me so much too.
If you have missed seeing the Hearts and Flowers Hug, you will find photographs on the previous post.