Bits and Pieces ...

This week I had to make up another block for my Caswell project. I was putting the top together when I realised I'd appliqued one of the bird blocks on the wrong background fabric. Luckily it was a block that wasn't a favourite, and rather than make the same block again, I opted to make a completely different one:

This is the one I chose - it's F1 from the pattern. Apologies for the poor quality of the picture, I had to nick the picture from my Facebook page and it doesn't seem to have copied across well. I have no idea what I did with the picture from my phone?? My friend Wendy came over not so long after I made the decision to replace the block, and she took the reject home happily and is going to make a cushion with it. Happy days!

The next picture I wanted to share with you is one from class last week. One of my sweet ladies Norma is working on an applique pattern by Wendy Williams:

This is one of her first serious attempts at applique and doesn't it look just fabulous? Some of those points are tricky even for a seasoned stitcher! The original pattern was done in felt, but Norma wanted to use regular cotton fabric, and I'm thrilled that she's doing so well!

In other news, at work recently I was able to do a little machine quilting on a machine I've never touched before, it's a big beastie!!

I'd like to spend some more time playing with this bad boy, I love all the space around the needle. At home I still have Bernie to play with, but it never hurts to broaden my horizons!

Last of all for today, exciting times ahead for January:

Fair to say we're addicted to cruising now, and we've booked another one. I simply cannot wait ... 6 months and counting! :-) :-)

Chatter soon!

A weeks work ...

Just wanted to share a couple of things I've worked on this past week:

One of the blocks I made quite early on for the Caswell quilt had embroidered stems. As I worked through the quilt and appliqued many bias strips in place, it bugged me that this was the only block put together that way ... so I changed it:

Apologies for the terrible shadows in the picture - I think it was pretty dark when I snapped it. But you get the idea, and I'm much happier that the block matches all its buddies now. It was a job I put off for a little while thinking it'd be a bit of an ordeal, but it actually didn't take long at all. Happiness!!

After the Di Ford-Hall workshop, which I just LOVED, I was dying to work on some more paper piecing. I hadn't done any in quite a while, so I'd kind of forgotten that I really enjoy it! So when I needed a little hand work for yesterday, I got out this slow going hand work project that I have had for a little while:

I have no idea what the future holds for these hexies, but at some point they'll look like something fun. I'll keep plugging away at them in stolen moments and maybe in eleventy years time I'll have a fun quilt put together!

Well, that's it for now, I'm getting back to assembling the top of the Caswell quilt (minus borders). It's not going to sew itself, I need to get busy! Chatter soon :-)

Pendle Hill Workshop

This past weekend I attended a two day workshop with the wonderful Di Ford-Hall where we worked on the gorgeous project Pendle Hill.

Di is the quilter I'd love to be, and I can't even think of one of her quilts that I wouldn't like to make some day. A bunch of them are on the MUST MAKE SOON list - and those words are in capitals completely intentionally!

I'm never good at getting work done in class, I'm usually busy chattering with those around me, busy taking pictures of the workshop samples, or generally just being star-struck, and this outing was no exception. Here's what I'm up to:

On Saturday we began by focussing on fussy cutting our broderie perse fabrics. I have to admit I got bored with that after I'd cut out only four pieces. All I could see was that amazing vase and I wanted to get busy cutting it out and get it ready for appliqué, so that's what I did. Di was wonderfully understanding, and thankfully because she'd taken my Mountmellick quilt across the world with her, she knew I'd be fine striking out on my own a little.

For homework on Saturday night I cut my background fabric to size, reverse appliquéd the square to the circle, pinned the vase in place and appliquéd some of it in place.

Sunday we started to work with the little 5/8" pentagon shapes. Di explained her wonderful technique for fussy cutting fabrics, giving us an entirely new perspective on how to place our papers achieve pretty designs on the pentagon flowers. I only got two made up in the morning before I was wishing I could have brought my entire stash with me to choose fabrics from. In the afternoon I started to work on the placement and appliqué of the broderie perse pieces, and though I still have so many more to cut out and place, I can see how wonderful this centre panel is going to be. The workshop was over so very quickly - doesn't this always seem to happen when you're having fun? All the ladies in attendance had an amazing time and it was so much fun to see the different variations of the same project. Di is a wonderful and very generous teacher, and I can't wait to spend time with her again!

Also, Di has some pictures to email me of my Mountmellick quilt hanging at the quilt show in Nantes France, so she has promised to send me copies. I cannot wait!

Sadly I'll have to put away the Pendle Hill project for the time being, I need to get back to working on my Caswell quilt - I'm dying to get it to the hand quilting stage, but first I need to get all these blocks together and a border in place. Must get busy!!