Making Things Club Night

Last night, Nicky, Cookie, Rex and I all met up behind Columbia Road in a small pub called the Nelson's Head, where they had saved a big table for us tucked away at the back. It was a really great venue and I am sure we will be going there again. Everyone was full of industry making various things. I made a new monster!





I had some trouble deciding on his face though. The options seemed to have a great effect upon his emerging personality, but here he is!

This Weekend

So what's been going on this weekend? Well now I have finished the baby quilt it's time to move up my list of things to do which is quite large as I really am bent on finishing off some of the half finished projects that are mounting up. So for 'in front of the telly' time, we have the quilting of the Broken Dishes quilt that I started years ago.



My hand quilting stitches are a bit uneven and too far apart at the moment. I also really need to start learning to hand quilt with a thimble though as it really cuts up my fingers after a while.



I also started a new project which I had been gradually amassing the material for since Chillford. I knew I wanted to do one for myself that was quilt big and was browns and reds, so at last I got the chance to lay out all the material and sit with it for a while. I selected the main material ages ago. It was a choice between these two: Park Slope and Birds of Norway from Michael Miller



So I had to sit with them all weekend and make some decisions. Eventually I bit the bullet and chose the Pink Slope and cutting began. Unfortunately I cut half of it wrong, which I blame totally on the book which had little diagrams of perfectly cut triangles, yet in the text told you to saw the tops off. You think I'd be able just to saw the tops off mine but it does work that way so it looks like I have enough leftovers to make the next speaker quilt. Anyway it's a big old quilt so it'll take a loooong time to cut the bits. I plan to do it nice and slowly so I don't make any more stupid mistakes.

The book the pattern is from is called 'Material Obsessions'. I find the instructions a bit awkward as I really would prefer to know the cut sizes of pieces from the start rather than following their written instruction which sort of depend on you having the ruler or template they are using. As I am awful at maths, I find this whole sixty degree thing a bit complicated so I had to keep making myself templates and trying to do it all without the 60 degree ruler. I basically ended up making my own in the end. I just should have bought one, but I am trying not to end up buying stuff all the time. Of course the minute I see a 60 degree ruler in at The Festival of Quilts, it shall be mine, oh yes!



I am sure I did it in a terribly ham-fisted way. I just hope it all works out in the end as the pattern is lovely. The book is full of contemporary designs using modern fabrics which I am quite into at the moment. Their blog shows the kind of thing I mean. I really like their modern applique designs. Here are some examples. Quilt 1, Quilt 2, Quilt 3 (the one I am making)

Baby Quilt

I finally finished the latest baby quilt. The pattern is from the Jelly Roll quilt book, but smaller. I didn't tie off the thread on the back very well but apart from that it's far more accurate than other quilts I have made, and it's not too girly I like to think. I think it's time I actually made a quilt for myself!

Dayglo Wrapping

I decided that neon wrapping would be a good idea for a tenth birthday full of Superman and Batman

Baby Vest

I just finished badly knitting this! I made so many mistakes that I might just start on another one straight away. I like it because it's so simple and unfrilly, very good for a boy. I just wish I didn't twist my stitches when I am unpicking. I didn't realise it would be so visible! See the faint lines across the knit section? I bought myself a book to explain all the stitches I don't know and it's been really great! I am definitely getting better at this. I think I'll do the next one in something more uneven and slightly thicker so it's bigger. The pattern is here

A New Baby Quilt

I've been chain piecing today. Sewing together the first block in the Jelly Roll Quilt pattern that Claire gave me. I got the material from Chilford apart from the main dark green which I got from a splurge I had in Liberties.

Current Status

Condition: Frenzied

It's two weeks until Chilford. Two weeks to get some projects moving so I don't feel too guilty to buy anything. Two weeks to work out what I need. Eeek! Here is a breakdown of the current project list as requested by Ray:



Unfinished Project 1: The Neverending Broken Dishes Quilt
It has sat folded in a bag for years. It is my favourite quilt that my mum has made. She made it at the very beginning of her illisutrious quilting days, but I still always choose it from the pile by the sofa at home. I think I just like the way the dark and lighs make the pattern.

I decided to finally do the bit I hate the most, backing the quilt. It just requires a lot of space and the tacking is a bit laborious. But I thought it really needs to be finished and I could buy some more wadding if I need it. So I need to iron the backing, Iron the top, find some wadding, see if it's big enough. Iron that, then stick the backing to the floor, lay the other two layers on top and get down to tacking it all together. I WILL have done this by Sunday night. I WILL.

In the meantime I might add the following to my list of things to buy
1. Ironing board matt that's big enough for my whole table.
2. Wadding






Unfinished Project 2: The Country Quilt
Another long time finished quilt top, but I stopped at the bit where you learn applique. Applique is a technique where you sew material shapes on top of your patchwork base. I spent one Chilford just looking for small patterned fat quarters just for this job. Maggie Wise who created the pattern had the quilt at the show so it meant I could trapse back and forth comparing it with what I had bought. Since then I have done nothing but wash the fabric in preparation. Now I realise that I needed to make sure I had enough wadding and anything else I might need in order to learn applique. Maybe I need one of those funny turning edge thingies that creates even stems. Maybe I need a tiny ruler, who knows? My mum of course! So I might get an intensive lession when I go home so I can sit on the sofa in months to come sewing little leaves and stems on top of my patchwork. In the meantime I have been very industrious is sorting out the backing which needed to be pieced together and sorting out the wadding, so those two things are OFF my shopping list. Because I have ironed them so beautifully I couldn't think of a way to store them in the meantime that means I won't have to re-iron them, then I remembered the ridiculously large poster tube with the ridiculously large original collectors edition Factory Records screenprint in it and I knew at last it had come in useful. Here it is with the quilt back wrapped round it on top of the unsightly Ebay pile which is the perfect storage postion.



Things on the shopping list are:
3. Any applique things I can't borrow off my mum that she says I need.




Unfinished Project 3: The Sawtooth Star Quilt
Well I haven't really started. I bought the lovely japanese textured fabric from Birmingham. I bought all the white patterns from Chilford last time. I got the sheet with Ray from the Charity place. I saw the magazine with the quilt in, then I lost the book with the measurement in for the Sawtooth Stars so I had to buy it again! Well I lost my mum's copy of the first book. This book is three books in one. It basically lists 501 blocks and gives you a range of measurements for making them in different sizes. This weekend I plan to make a dummy square just to check I have worked it out all right. Then I'll get on with all the cutting! You need to make 'Flying Geese' for this pattern and I am keen to try and improve my accuracy so I am on the hunt for any rulers or techniques that will help.



Things on the shopping list are:
4. Books, rulers or tools to make flying geese.


Apart from all that I also need to think about a baby quilt for Charlie. I was thinking that I might find an easy kit or pattern at the show.

AND Claire gave me the pattern on the cover of this book.

Things on the shopping list are:
5. I have a Jelly roll but I could get some plains to go with it as it will be very patterned otherwise.
6. I might look into the ruler they say you need.


That concludes my current project status and my shopping list for Chilford, Sheeeesh!

Pencil Roll

I just finished my Pencil Roll whose offcuts spawned the Speaker quilt. I am really pleased with the vibrancy of it. I really enjoyed creating the spectrum of colours. I made it slightly taller so I could keep my knitting needles in it. I've got a bit of a mismatch of my own, my mums and my grandmothers needles. My mum has a huge bag of them so I get to borrow what I need. I am aiming to get the whole range of spotty needles in the end but they don't go down to the really small sizes. In the meantime I keep searching for coloured metal ones like some of my mums but so far I haven't had much luck. Next I might make one for crochet nedles! Perhaps I'd better get back to some crocheting first.

If you're looking for a fun, quick, project to get you started in the world of patchwork and quilting then I highly recommend buying this pattern from Pink Chalk

Speaker Quilt

What does a guy do when he gets old? He buys something ridiculous... enter the giant speakers. What does a girl do when she gets old? She starts making quilts for inanimate objects. I was in the middle of making a pencil roll like Annie's when They arrived so I made a mini quilt out of the left over strips. One speaker. DONE. I decided to test out some of the fancy functions on the sewing machine that I have never even looked at. It was a bit of a comedy of errors, but I got there in the end.

Julie Arkell Course

I am just returned from the Julie Arkell course held at The Make Lounge by Loop. Me and Ray has such a GREAT day! It was really creative and calming and lovely. And out of it all we got our own Arkell creature! I am so happy! I am most pleased with the hat I knitted! Julie was great, she was really open about how she made the creatures and gave out patterns t make all the clothes along with material and buttons. You didn't need to bring anything and yet you came away with so much! Worth every penny. I have always wanted to own a Julie Arkell creature and now I do!