Its Done

Its Done

Well I have finally finished Sophie's quilt for her 21st birthday on the 17th.  Really pleased with it, plus I also embroidered a label for rather than doing it on the sewing machine.

With the pieces left over, I have made her a bag for Christmas to hold all her cross stitch projects, plus all the little extra presents I have bought her.

I can now relax a bit, knowing these two items are ready.

Finished teaching for the year, classes prepared for January to April, so need to start thinking of ideas for the summer months. 

Preparation has also started for our quilt show in September.  We will be exhibiting in the church again, so the church is booked, and planning has started for stalls we will be having within the exhibition.

Looking forward to Christmas this year, as my boys are both going to be with us for Christmas day.  We still haven't totally adapted to the empty nest.  We spent a lovely weekend last week in Hampshire with the youngest, who has moved away, and had a great day at Winchester Christmas market.  He is coming home for 2 weeks at Christmas.  His brother who lives locally will be popping in at various times now doubt.

The good bit about the boys moving out, my office/workroom has double in size, as I have moved upstairs to one of the bedrooms.  My room now measure 18 x 12 feet.  It was a marathon effort of moving everything, as the bookcases had to be dismantled to be taken up the stairs, but it was worth it.

Still cannot get used to all the extra space I have, but now doubt I will soon use it all up.

Have a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.

Julie

Crazy Patchwork

Just spent the last week preparing workshops for my students for the new year.

One of the students requested a day on Crazy patchwork, as she liked the effect but didn't really know how to start, so I prepared a block idea using a template, so really it is organised crazy patchwork, rather than random shapes.  The idea is, that once they master the technique, they make a block using random shapes, Hope you like my block, which used up scraps of batik fabrics I had in the scrap bag.

We are also having a day in February making heart shaped cushion for the local cancer unit in Ipswich.  Some of my students have had cause to visit this unit, so we thought as a group it would be a good idea to all make a cushion, which we will donate to the Support unit, so they can be donated to patients.

Here is my cushion that I made, it used the pattern that was in the British Patchwork and Quilting magazine, a few years ago.

It is amazing I have been able to fit this in as my sons are both leaving home within two weeks of each other.  The younger one, who has just graduated has moved to Hampshire, to take up a graduate engineer job, and the older one has bought himself a house about 5 miles away, so our house has been a constant round of packing boxes.  So by the 25th we will have an empty nest.

On the plus side, as I have spent time at flats/houses waiting for BT/sky to fit broadband etc, I have made a start on the hand quilting on Sophie's quilt.  I have managed to quilt 3 of the 12 blocks, so hopefully will make the deadline of the 17th December with ease.

I have just made my Christmas cake, so am in the house for the next 4 hours, so have decided to spend that time hand quilting, rather than housework!

Happy sewing everyone

Another project created

Have just finished another couple of cushion projects.  It has been decided by my students that we won't have a charity day next year, but will have a quilt show instead.  They also decided we would have a day making heart shaped cushions for the Woolverstone Wish Appeal, so I have found the recommended pattern and made my sample.

I kept the embellishment simply on mine, but the students will have a free rain on what they want to do.

I have also been asked to create a stitchery cushion design featuring a mini.  Hope you like it.

Have also finished the top of Sophie's quilt, so now have to layer it up and tack together, then for lots of hand quilting.  Something to keep me busy over the next 3 months, as the deadline is the week before christmas.

Enjoy the last of the summer sun.

Happy stitching

Finally Finished

Finally Finished

Have just finally finished the project I started on holiday in May and have mounted it on an artist block.

Its a variation on a Doti Doodle's pattern, that I purchased at Quilters Haven in Wickham Market.  The only problem I had was, once finished I decided to use some Best Press to get rid of a crease I had down the centre.  It is not compatible with a brown Pigma pen.  The pen bleed where I had sprayed it, and it wouldn't come out with washing.  I managed to cover up the mark with some white chalk, and as it is a picture for me I will live with it. But if I was going to give it away I wouldn't have been very pleased.  So be aware, if you use a Pigma pen, it is not permanent if you use a pressing spray.

On a lighter note, had a great day on Saturday teaching Japanese Folded hexagons at Quilters Haven.  All the students enjoyed themselves, and all made a good start on the centre of a table runner.  This is the sample I made for the class, which used a fussy printed piece of fabric that I had been keeping for a while.  A few of the students used christmas fabrics for the centre of each hexagon.  A sign that it will soon be here.

Hope you have all had a good summer, are back into swing of creating lots of projects for the autumn months.

Happy stitching

Learning to Crochet

Spent a lovely afternoon yesterday at Jenny Wrens wool shop in Ipswich, learning to crochet. I can crochet, but have trouble starting and making sure the centre doesn't poke up like a hat, plus keeping it square. Learnt how to do all these things, plus how to crochet in a row. I achieved a granny square and a strip of crochetting which had 3 different stitches.

Have also been having a clear up this week, and made a lap quilt using up the surplus blocks that I made for a set of teaching workshops, on 'how many blocks can yiu get from 8 fat quarters plus some background fabric'. The answer was 16, I had used up some for a set of cushions with different finishings, but these last 9 had been on the shelf for a number of years. I found the rest of the fabric scraps still on the shelf, and had enough for the sashing, and a scrap pieced binding.  I machine quilted in the ditch to hold the blocks secure, then added machine quilting to each block. These are not my normal colour fabrics, but had been originally bought on a wim, but very pleased with the finished result.

Happy stitching everyone

Sophie's Quilt

The first six blocks prepared for Sophie's quilt, just got to machine applique them in place. Then I will be ready to draw the next 6.

Would have liked to start this last week but have been busy making blackberry jam!
 As we picked 2lb in 2 days, and have just been given 4lbs of plums to do something with.  I think it could be plum fragipane tart, plum crumble and plum jam.

Weather here in Suffolk is now improving, after a morning of torrential rain. Sun is trying to shine at the moment, hope you all are having good weather as well.

Will have to get my designing hat on, as need to start planning classes for January, as it will soon be here. I only have one class in August, as a lot of my students are grandparents,  so are needed to babysit during the week, but this leaves me to spend those days designing.

 I am also attending a workshop to learn how to crochet properly at the local knitting shop.  Class comes with coffee and cake - so should be a good afternoon.

Enjoy the rest of the summer,  happy stitching everyone.

Back in Florida

Yes I am back in Florida with my sons and one girlfriend for a family holiday. We have spent a week in Orlando and are now coming to the end of a 10 day stay in Bradenton.
Chris's girlfriend Sophie is into crafts so we have had a few trips to various shops. She is 21 at Christmas so I am making her a quilt, we planned it at home, and came here to buy some of the fabric. As she lijes batiks, we had a visit to Quilters Haven and More in Palmetto, and bought the main fabrics, the background one I already have at home. As I had never bought a jelly roll before, and the price was cheap, I bought one to experiment with.
Not much stitching done this holiday as we have had a busy 18 days, so back to stitching after the weekend.
Here is a picture of the fabric we bought, thought we were very restrained (luggage allowance really).

The fabric was very cheap - about $10 per yard = £8 in english money! Lovely quality as well.
Weather is overcast here at the moment hopefully not going to follow us back to UK on Friday morning when we land.

Happy stitching everyone.

Raising Money for Charity

Spent a great day raising money for the Ipswich Opportunity Group - £396 raised by 19 members of Sproughton Quilters. Great buffet lunch plus a fantastic bring and buy table. Its amazing the number of quilters who dabble in other crafts, with jars of homemade jams, trays of bedding plants, card making items all appearing for sale. Once again my students have excelled in raising money fir a local charity.

VW Beetle Cushion

The VW Beetle stitchery embroidered cushion is finally finished. I started it before we went on holiday, and just managed to get the embroidery done, since I have been back I have made the checkerboard border, hand quilted the centre panel, and done the binding.  I am very pleased with the finished item.  Its an ideal item for all those car enthusiasts 

I have also been making a pin cushions from scraps to go on the bring and buy table at a fund raiser this weekend coming.  Very pleased with the items.  I have two more that need stuffing and then they are finished as well.

Had the first raspberries from the garden for lunch today.  Not a great amount, shared them with hubby, added them to the strawberries I had bought, very tasty pudding.  Hopefully this is the start of a great crop.  Could be jam making before too long, as can't usually keep up with the picking.

Weather here is dull and miserable, ideal time to come up with new ideas for workshops, and watch Murray playing in the French open this afternoon.

Happy Sewing.

Last day of holiday

Well it's the last day of the holiday, flying back to the UK tomorrow night. Weather has been brilliant, so not much of the stitchery project completed. As you can see from the photo, about half, so that's not bad.
Batteries have been recharged, ideas scribbled down as they have come to me, so hopefully lots of projects/workshops in the pipeline. Some lovely batik fabric bought, as if I need more, to use in these projects.
Hoping its warm when we land in the UK when we land at 7am on Wednesday!

What weather

Well the terrible weather they have been having in the rest of USA has got to us in Florida.  Had 3 inches of rain in a couple of hours yesterday afternoon,  a tornado warning that came over the car radio whilst driving, and it hasn't stopped raining yet this morning. So out come the stitchery work, and have completed about a third.
As you can see from the photo it's like being in the UK on a rainy day, on the plus side it is warm.

View from the pool

This is the view from the house we are staying in for our 3 week holiday in Florida.  Had some retail therapy in the local quilt shop, and met some very interesting people. Weather in the high 80's and low 90's, so just perfect. Have done some work on my stitchery project, but it's got to last, so must not do too much in one go. This holiday is definately recharging my creative batteries.

All drawn up

Seaside sampler by Doti Doodle all drawn up and ready to take on holiday for a bit of gentle stitchery if the weather is inclement.
Garden all tidied up, and am lucky the peony tree is now flowering - thought I was going to miss it this year. We have a  11 blooms out today, a record for us.  It ususlly means the wind is going to get up and decimate the flowers.
Looking forward to visiting the quilt shops whilst away,hopefully I will have space in my suitcase for all the things I am bound to buy.
Happy stitching everyone.

Colouring In

Have just finished a sample piece following a technique I read about on the Elefantz blog.  Very pleased with the result.  Now to decide what to do with it.
I took a simple applique design and traced it onto some white cotton fabric, coloured it in, then outlined with back stitch.

Another great day at Sproughton Quilters

Had a good day yesterday, teaching my students how to make a strip pieced sewing holdall to bring all their pieces to class.  The design was centered round a pair of cutting out scissors, as they don't fit into the hex-etui sewing boxes that many students have.  It had a draw string opening to make easy access, with plenty of pockets inside for those packets of needles, thimbles etc.
It was great to see so many different fabrics being used.  It will be interesting to see them all at next month's show and tell.  Here is the picture of my sample that I made.  Hope you all like it.

Just finished my latest project.  A selection of stitchery designs that feature the garden.  I used the book Garden Party Stitchery for inspiration and used Finca thread  size 12 for the first time, and was very impressed.  No separating of threads, and it stitches nice and evenly.  Would definitely use again.