Tuesday 25 June 2013

Cutting remarks again

I spent Saturday on a lonely cutting bee that I had long been putting off.  I had to make 12-sets for the outer rings of the brown hexie, my portable project.
 

 
All the brown centres are sewn up, leftovers from Darwins Flower garden.  

These are leftovers too.  I will have enough 'flowers' for another quilt!  I finished the last few this week, I wanted to get them packed up and out of the way for the time being
I also cut some more papers, not my favourite job in the world. 

It's been a hexie themed week, I sewed a few hundred papers in for the random hexie: the variety is low at the moment for this project, so I started some blocks off, to be filled out later when I've sewn in more papers and the colour variation is better. 

I have watched a lot of pre-recorded documentaries in the last few days too!!

The hand sewing has gone way for a bit, I have seen enough hexies.  I wanted some mindless sewing, so this morning I made about a hundred bow ties. 
I barely scratched the surface of the sets I have matched up ready to sew.  The orange and red ones have knots made form the leftover snips from  pink Sisters Choice. 
They are smaller than the other knots so will add variety.

The rest of the week I will be trying out my machine quilting. Scary!

Saturday 15 June 2013

Play date with VE1

I have been thinking about this photo of a vitreous enamel sample plate for a month, so today I played.

No planning, I dragged out a few blues and I was off, making it up as I went along.

All the yellows were pre-cut so I went with the sizes I had for the yellow blocks.


I'm not really a wall hanging kind of girl. I do need to experiment more and there is no point in leaving things in a plastic bin, so this will be my first wall hanging.  There are plenty of plain walls to hang it on as I don't have pictures up either!
#1  Log cabin construction

The colours are a bit bleached in this photo.  Simple log cabin construction to be enhanced with machine quilting after I have sketched from this book.....



#2  Strings

The blue string bin was out,  so that one was next.  I have to force myself to deviate from the original brief and get creative, it's not a easy process for ma at all. I'll just have to practice (;@]


I needed to use up some old blue curtaining........
#3  Curtains and rectangles



#4  Big squares

 Next........................



#5  Reflection






And finally.......the light blue centre picks up the reflected skylight in the original photo.  I'm not sure about the borders, they were just what I had leftover.

I could go on for a week on this theme, planning and sewing more samplers!  I'm happy I have had a creative splurge and now I can get on with unfinished projects, having started yet another one!






Wednesday 12 June 2013

Booksnobbery

This weeks read was the Sugar Camp Quilt, which I read via Bookcrossing.   I have realised I'm rather snobbish about my reading having studied it at university level~these books are well enough written, sometimes a girl needs a gentle easy read with a bit of history, quilting and romance for good measure!  It did me the world of good in a very stressful week.  



On to this, that I was sent by the author in a RABCK (random act of Bookcrossing kindness).  I will be sending it to the International Sweepstake winner in Canada when I'm done, so its back home to Continental America for this book.

Next,  The true history of the Kelly Gang, for a swap with another Bookcrosser.



Sewing is still Kiss in the Corner, I am approaching the second corner!!  One long side, one short side done by the weekend!  I think my technique is improving slightly, though its a good job there is a 'busy' backing.  Moo!


I have been watching shows from thequiltshow.com whilst I sew.




A few brown hexies over the last week or so at lunchtimes and at a picnic.......








Remember these from past posts?


Vitreous enamel sample plates from work as design inspiration.  I asked if we had a manual of defects (not that we EVER make aything like that!) and we did.........

Dry old reading for most people, I know, but it's an atlas of quilting inspiration for me!


I'll be doing some design work on this at the weekend.

Monday 3 June 2013

Turning a corner...

 ....on Kiss in the Corner
OK, now I can see the end, one side completed, second side started!  Woohoo!



 A few more sisters choice blocks.  these are being put away for the time being.



I had another walk round work with the camera.  I see more design possibilities with this vitreous enamel colour sample plate.