Should I or shouldn't I?

Hello there

Well I did wonder whether or not to actually write this post, then I thought, 'pride be gone'! One of the things on my 'to-do list' this year is sewing hexagons. After thinking about it for ages at the end of last year and watching videos and reading tutorials online, last night I finally took the plunge to actually sew something.

I used a template I got from 'material girl quilts' although I did also try one I found on ladyharvatine's blog. I really could do with one of those cutting mats which turns round, as cutting out hexagons with a rotary cutter on the floor, is a bit like playing Twister, when you have a stagnant mat.

I then proceeded to mark some 1/4in points, which help me to know where to stop and start sewing at the different intervals. You can't just sew along hexagons for fairly obvious reasons. For that exact reason, you would not believe the resources out there for sewing these babies; tools, hints, tips, accessories and patterns - it's a minefield.

Each stitch line between each hexagon has to start 1/4in down and I had to stop sewing 1/4in from the bottom. That's alot of marking and then I found that my 1/4in foot on the machine, isn't alot of use as I couldn't see the marks! Duh! Not alot I can do about that at the minute but I am considering a method I saw to help with that, which involves putting tape all over my machine to show me where to stop stitching - heck of a lot of faff it has to be said.

The two rows of hexagons is where I reached last night and then I had to stop, as I'd been up and working since 5, so was very tired.

Today, inbetween doing allsorts of other stuff, I actually managed to sew those two rows together. Are you ready to be amazed?

If so, I recommend you go elsewhere for your kicks, as this bit of sewing is not amazing. 

It might not be amazing but I'm dead chuffed that I've managed it at all. I had to undo a couple of bits I did to start with but then got into the swing of things. I know that the thing I need to work on, is the 1/4in seams, so that's achievable. I have a couple of ideas in my head and one involves freezer paper, which I'm hoping will arrive tomorrow.

Come back again soon to see if I can amaze you then, as I failed you today :-)

Take care out there.

Christmas table decorations

Hello there

If you read my post on November 28th you'll remember (of course you do!) that I promised a photo of two Christmas themed placemat and coaster sets I've made. So here they are:

On Etsy this set is called 'gold and deep red Christmas set' surprisingly enough.

These have Christmas themed items quilted into them; stockings, trees and stars. They are reversible which is always so handy with placemats.


This set is on Etsy and just called the Red Christmas set

The thing I really like about this is the red polka dot fabric on one side. The binding on this is handmade out of that fabric too. The quilting is just straight lines but that's what works best with the patterned fabric. 

I had also made a Bon appetit set, which has now sold. It's not a Christmas theme. I made a set like this with red as the theme earlier on in the year.

 This photo is rubbish; I've no idea why they look so creased because they weren't, as can be seen below.

These are reversible too

Machine embroidery this time and no quilting

Anyway that's all for now folks. My next post will be all about a Christmas decoration I made in my patchwork class this week, which has now sadly finished for this year. I've loved going on an alternate Wednesday to do patchwork and just get lost in there and forget about the world. I'm currently having a dilemma about whether or not to do the City & Guild's patchwork and quilting course, which Wendy is starting next September. I don't think it's going to be possible with the way my family unit works but I have other ideas up my sleeves, so all is not lost.

Take care out there and deal with Christmas as best you can.

A squircle

Hello there

Yesterday, despite being shattered as I normally am on a Tuesday, after the early starts of work, I completed another block using a log cabin technique. 

First of all is the worst bit which is the cutting of 56 strips of fabric; the widest of which is 1.5inches. My eyes were going skew wiff with the lines on the mat making it hard to see where the edge of the fabric was, with those zig-zag lines on the fabric too.

You make up a block of 6 x 6in, like this.

Then make three more.

The way I chose to put the blocks together creates a kind of circle made out of squares, which my daughter immediately called a squircle, which I think is genius! 

Then to match that fun (although I was exhausted when I finished at 10.30), today at class I made a part-sewn seams block, which was really enjoyable. I'm finding my short time there every fortnight is complete therapy for me; just me and sewing with other ladies who want to be doing that too. Bliss.

Wendy showed us yet another great quilt of hers using this technique and it had flying geese blocks around the edge, so I think I might do that around the edge of this and then decide what to make it into after that. It might make another cushion cover in this craft/spare room as my other one has the light blues and batik fabrics in it. We'll see.

Take care out there

Choices

Hello there

Today I've been able to make some fun choices. I went to my quilting class with Wendy Deverill. I missed the last class due to being on hols but today's really felt 'jointed', with the group gelling quite nicely. There's only two more left this year, so I'm sure we'll all be a settled group by then.

We were working on log cabin today, which I've done versions of before but this was much more structured than what I've done previously.

 After making this one 6in square block, I went on to make three more exactly the same. What? That doesn't sound so much fun, I imagine you saying but it's a good way to get your confidence and skill up, as you're repeating the same action. They're mostly 1.5in wide strips of various lengths (other than the 2.5in square centre piece), so not too bad for the cutting out either.

With the four blocks all sewn, you then have four choices as how to sew those blocks together to make a 12in block. Which do you prefer?

A

B

C

D

They've all got good things about them and any would have done the job but I decided upon :

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with all these blocks I'm making in the classes but it's still fun learning the correct techniques in the friendly, informative environment.

Take care out there

Watching my p's and q's

Hello there

I'm having to listen to One Republic at the minute, as my daughter wants my opinion on another cd to have in the car, which both of us could listen to. I'll be back in a mo :-)

... It's an 'on the edge' contender in my opinion.

Back to it.

This is what I've been up to this afternoon. I've been to my very first patchwork and quilting class with Wendy Deverill at Coppull; hence the title of this post. I found Wendy after quite a long search for a City and Guild's course in the area and she runs the closest one to me. The course I'm doing is just a beginner's one, as I'm better off doing that first and seeing if Wendy's style suits me.

 I'm not a beginner but I do want to make sure I am doing certain basic tasks efficiently. I thoroughly enjoyed my couple of hours with some lovely ladies and created this easy block. I wasn't at my best as I've been at work for 6am each day this week but I don't normally work Wednesdays, so I'll be fine for future classes which are held fortnightly. I am looking forward to it, as I did enjoy today's and learnt a couple of good tips






We then went on to cut and sew up half square triangles at 3 7/8in. Here they are waiting to be made into a block. That's not going to happen tonight though, as I'd probably make a mistake with being tired.

This reminds me that I haven't shown you a photo of the large patchwork cushion I blogged about several times early this year. 

I made each block by following the tutorials provided by the Craftsy class I signed up for. That class taught me alot and still can, as I haven't finished it and can go back to it as many times as I like.  The last block was mentioned in June in this post called 'Continuation'. 

This is what I embroidered onto the back of the cushion cover. Kinda says it all really.

Take care out there and enjoy!

Continuation

Hello there

For the ones of you out there with good memories, unlike my good self, you will know that I had been creating patchwork squares not so long ago. I haven't forgotten about these; well how could I, when the pieces of the last one have been lying on my desk tormenting me?! 

Today I've decided to get back to that cushion cover project and finish the last block. It's called a Temperance block in America and since that's where the presenter; Kaye England, of the Craftsy class I signed up for, comes from, that's exactly what I know it as. If any British patch-workers know it as something else, please do enlighten me.

The letter T's are fairly obvious and they clearly symbolize the Temperance movement initial letter. I can reassure them that no alcohol was consumed during the making of this block. Although if you saw the back of this block you may argue that I'm lying, as it's far from perfect but my excuse for that is that I was taking part in a webchat with Enterprise Nation and 1&1 at the same time, so clearly not concentrating properly on the task in hand. Smack hand for me! :-)

I used my Husqvarna Viking H/class 600E for this though - my poor old machine is sitting unused at the side of my desk. I had a problem with the scissors button not working at one point but that was quickly resolved when I called their customer services and spoke to Hayley West who suggested that I take the base plate off and just check that it was clear of any obstructions. I did that and watched what actually happened when I pressed the scissor button and it worked perfectly. I then put everything back in place and tried it after sewing and again, it worked fine. Hayley clearly has powers beyond her phone voice :-)
I am very impressed with their customer service so far; it's wonderful to have easy access to a British person, who can help with any problems I face. It's all very intuitive though, so I have little to cope with, although I did manage to break a needle the other day and had a dippy fit but it was resolved quickly (they provide spare needles with the machine) and I'm 100% sure that it was a user error which caused that to happen.

These are my very first designs I've embroidered. It's so
easy to move designs on the screen, so that you
make the very best use of the space you have available

Just look at the fab texture you can create with some
stitches it does

Keep an eye out for my next post which hopefully will show you the completed cushion cover.

Take care out there

Howdy partner!

Hello there (back to the English accent, after my American drawl for the subject title)

Today's block is called The Yankee Puzzle. I've no idea why, as I don't recall hearing Kaye explain it in the Craftsy video for the 'Re-piecing the past' class I'm doing.

Yet again, it's pushing my boundaries further, step by step, which is a good way to develop. No issues with the Flying geese this time and I'm getting adept at sewing through several in a row, which makes it quite an efficient process. I also use the 'material scrap' method, where you always end stitching on a small remnant of fabric, so that you don't have to cut thread so often. It's meant to save thread but I'm having issues with my feed-dogs, so I'm not convinced I'm saving much at the minute but at least I'm learning good techniques.

Only one more block to go before I can get started on making the large cushion cover I'm using four blocks in. The next one is called The Temperance block.

Take care out there

A very brave woman

Hello there

This is a Barbara Fritchie Star block. Apparently during the Civil War, she heard General Sherman and his soldiers coming, so she went to stand in front of her flag and said "you'll have to shoot me before I'll let you take my flag". He was heartened by her appeal and let her keep her life and her flag. Then they named a patchwork block after her; as you do! Women of strength and firm belief, often face strong threat but it shows how much of a social event, patch-working was then, as these stories evidently were told whilst the women chatted and sewed.

The main issue I had with this block was the flying goose section. Kaye's video explains about how to put together the three pieces which make up the goose ( the pointed part of the triangle looks like the formation geese make when flying together). To attempt a basic explanation of the problem, I need to explain that I cut my pieces with the Simplicity ez templates, which have a flat end to each triangle. The actual templates I used were the 'easy angle' (half square triangle) and the 'companion angle' (quarter square triangle). This will all sound quite confusing to none quilters/patchwork makers but I'm hoping it might help anyone who does an internet search for help with this block.

Kaye's advice  is to place flat end to flat end (of each fabric piece cut) at the point of the goose but I couldn't do that as my right hand section would be back to front if I did that. I did send a question in about this but on hindsight I realise that it was probably my fault having the fabric the wrong way when cutting it. It's a batik design and it can be difficult to tell which is the correct side with some parts of it. The 'light' fabric i.e the purple, is easy, as it's double sided..... it spent most of it's life being a sheet, then I machine dyed it and it's also helped make the curtains in my craft room. This block is going to become part of a large cushion cover in my craft room.

I resolved the problem by just putting the right hand side piece 'point to flat' instead and made it work fine but I will be aware of that in the future.

I'm still learning but I'm also still enjoying! 

Take care out there

p.s If you haven't been reading my blog lately, firstly I need to ask "why not?!!" No excuses allowed here :-)
Secondly, I need to tell you that Kaye England is the teacher of the Craftsy class I'm doing at the moment, called 'Re-piecing the past'.

Progress being celebrated

Hello there

Last week I told you about the first patchwork block I had made from the Craftsy 'Re-piecing the past' class I subscribed to. This week, I've completed my second block. This one is called Sherman's block or barn door in America.

We had some sun, so I took it outside,
as you do :-)

I used up the last of the fabric I had leftover from cutting the lounge curtains shorter. I will never work with that again; it's too stretchy for patchwork and it frays far too easily. I have some leftover still but that's getting thrown out.
The other material I got from America last year from Joanne's and is Batik in style.

I had a few issues with cutting and sewing the
 triangle pieces together but I got there in the end

Finished block

 After finishing the block I made some 2 inch wide strips of way too long length ( I told you I was keen to use up as much of this fabric as possible) and sewed them round all four edges of the block, as this meant it would be big enough for the front of my cushion cover. The back of the cushion cover I made with the curtain fabric (yes, using it up!) and created an envelope seal.

Seams like these make me feel good :-)

Both cushions are now in place in the lounge and I'm a happy bee for achieving something this week. I even managed a button closure on the back of one of the cushion covers, which was good, as I haven't done a button hole on my machine for a long time.

Take care out there

p.s 
outtake from the photo shoot session:

Seconds after taking the first shot of the cushion, I took another one (just incase) and of course both Chris and Nero decided they wanted in on the act, so Chris promptly put the bottle of Prosecco on the chair and Nero sniffed at the cushion he'd never smelt before. We wanted to celebrate the new patio, new relaxer garden chairs and my cushions, so the wine was necessary. Chris was outside with the bottle as he always pops the cork in the garden, as he likes to see if he can get it to land on the decking from the back door and because the dogs get all excited and run to get it and see who is the first to chew it and leave bits of bloomin cork all over the garden.... oops I slipped into fuddy duddy garden mower then :-)

Happy dance!

Hello there

'Remember me'

Oh yes, I've been dancing, which only serves to rile the dogs up but hey ho, it works for me :-)

The photo shows you my very first 'proper' patchwork block and I'm rather jolly content on how it looks. The curious amongst you will click on the photo to see it larger and spot the two imperfections, although you'll have a job, as one of them only shows on the back :-)

At the beginning of the year, I signed up for a Craftsy class called 'Re-piecing the past'. It's based on blocks from American Civil War time but I just wanted the skills and video information. Kaye England is the teacher and boy, is she ominous. Her knowledge is vast and skill to match. My trouble with her is that she's so intense in the video that it put me off from starting, as it seemed too much of a task to complete. This week though I set myself the goal of starting it and it was easy. I had to buy a few things such as a 1/4in foot for my machine and a couple of rulers but that's fine, as I know I'll love doing it, as I really enjoy Jennie Rayment's quilting shows on Create and Craft and I love sewing.

In this project, I've learnt that I'll never use that red fabric again for quilting, as it frays at the slightest touch and it's got too much 'give' in it, so it makes it harder to align the pieces. It's some fabric leftover from the lounge curtains, which I bought but then shortened; for that reason, this block will be perfect as a cushion cover in the lounge.

The next block in the class is called Sherman's March  - wish me luck as it's got triangles in it :-)

Take care out there

Live

Hello there

Here's Diane reporting live from Warrington, U.K. It's mid April and we're having minutes of sunshine followed by humungous hailstones and then back to sunshine. Mental!

Chris and I are both pleased though and had 'yee hah'! moments, as I took the dogs without a trace of hailstones and Chris just nipped to the shop for a paper without getting battered, yet moments after arriving home, it started again.

Much as I'm sure you love knowing what the mental weather is doing around me, I hope that you're more interested in what I'm doing.

I've started my very first patchwork. I've done patchwork before many times and created home furnishings but I've never followed a proper pattern, with scary instructions using allsorts of fancy rulers.

I've got a proper 1/4in foot for my machine too and I've got full instructions, including video, from the Craftsy class I signed up for in January. So no excuses for me!

The sun is now back, all within 5 minutes that this post has taken me to write.
I'm getting back to sewing too. Wish me luck!

Take care out there in the crazy weather we have