Binding & and a label - a finish

This orange binding hits the mark, after my squiggly FMQ border design.

Which just leaves a label to embroider and attach.  Not quite square, but near enough.

So we have the finished article here, which I dropped round to Rosie's house.  Baby JJ was unfazed by being held for an hour by a cack-handed stranger, and Rosie later sent me a pic of him lying on the quilt.  

She was more taken by the animals on the back, than the 'pretty' side, but that just goes to show that the backing choice was a good one!

And now the machine is tucked away until the next project - thank you to everyone for suggestions, input and support.

Geometric Quilting....

..... for the middle of the quilt, and I just need to do a wriggly FMQ pattern on the borders, then bind it.

... and so to quilt....

Rosie's quilt is sandwiched....






.... and I have a lovely variegated quilting thread.






Just have to work out how to quilt it.

Best get a wiggle on - Rosie's baby is now very much with us, and I'd like to deliver the quilt to the new family next week.

...and your next dilemma to solve...

I now have patterned red borders on Rosie's quilt - thank you for the feedback, and nice to know that the decision was quite clear cut, and reinforced my own view. Good!

Next up is the backing - either tying in with the front, on an animal theme...





... a pastel 'baby' print ...






... or a cuddly brushed cotton rose pattern?

Border Dilemma

The top of Rosie's quilt is all pieced, and in order to bring it up to regulation cot-quilt size, I need 5" borders.

But do I go for a plain(ish) red.......







A patterned red........











Or a gold...........?

Progress

Just over half way pieced.

Still not sure on borders, backing or quilting.

Ah, it'll come to me, I'm sure!

A New Project - Rosie's Quilt

It's been about eighteen months since I did any quilting - no, tell a lie, I finished Mum's quilt in time for her birthday last Summer, and I should dig out a couple of photos.

But my running buddy Rosie (who is one of those people who is so nice, you wonder if she kicks puppies when no on is looking, or something, just to restore the cosmic balance) is expecting, and I thought a baby cot quilt might be appreciated.

I chose fabrics from my stash (about half of which Jayne will recognise!) mucked about with some layouts and started cutting and sewing.....

This is the top half of the quilt - the 2.5" squares are sewn into strips, and the lions are just laid on for the time being.  I wanted to break up the plain and print design with something of a statement - and I can wish for nothing better for Rosie and Ross' baby to have strength and courage and place importance on family.

I've not sourced a border yet, and am in two minds about the backing - either a strong blue with other animals (where I've cut the lions from), or a brushed cotton soft-as-you-like backing of flowers, which looks a bit 'grown up'.

The baby is due in August, so I have time to mull that one over.

Tramlines

It might not be hugely original, but I've opted for tramlines round the border of the Christmas runner.

I had to have a bit of a fight in order to get the lines around all three panels to some approximation of straight and parallel, but it's near enough.

I've given it a trim, and am pleased to find that I have enough of the black fabric with the gold holly leaves to use for the binding.

Slow going, but I am nearly there!

Quite a Sulk!

No, I have not really been sulking for the best part of a year, but then again, it is true that I have done no quilting at all since my last post; although I have used the sewing machine for some odd repair jobs.

But the combination of the weather now being more suited to indoor pursuits; and a very welcome surprise package from Jayne through the post the other day has been enough to get me up into the attic room to have another go at finishing the troublesome table runner that I put together for QuiltSue's challenge for the 2013 Christmas QAL (do keep up).

I promised myself one session to get the fmq finished, and if it still wouldn't come right, then it was in the bin or palm it off to 'a good home'.

You're probably ahead of me here - a hour at the machine with a single thread break and it is done.  I then put the walking foot on an stitched in the ditch round each of the three panels.

I haven't decided on what to do with the borders - tram lines are favourite right now - then the binding and the darn thing is done.

Just in time for Christmas.

Christmas QAL - Dec pt2 - Oh, I give up!

Well, there are times that you just have to walk away from something, and tonight has been that time!

Two days, three needles, more unpicking than I care to mention, and more thread breakages than I can hope to remember later, my Christmas Challenge piece is not completed

I have no idea what the heck is going wrong there, but go wrong it most certainly has - it's only a small piece, for goodness sake, how hard can it be to manoeuvre it under the machine smoothly? (Ans: today, impossible).  Here's a bit of the stippling that has made the cut - and that's far less even than I'd like.

I guess a cooling off period for both me and the machine, and a good oiling for at least one of us will do no harm, I'm sure.  Here is my non-red-or-green-not-bigger-than-96" entry for the QAL, nonetheless.

Despite me wanting to throw (a) the runner and (b) the machine across the damn room tonight, I have had a fabulous time on our Quiltalong weekends this year!  Oh yes!

I've had a hoot on hostess duty, and had so much fun when it's been Joanna at the helm!  Thanks to her, to QuiltSue, of course for the wacky Challenge - and everyone who has been along for the ride!

Have a very merry Christmas, one and all!

Christmas QAL - Dec pt1!

Good morning, good morning!

Here in the middle of England it is a beautiful December morning, and quite warm for the time of year.  I am not complaining as I will be going out shortly to buy the CHRISTMAS TREE!  How exciting!

Then I will be going through the Christmas box and decorating it, and putting up the cards, and playing some Christmas music, and there may be a small glass of sherry involved.

And THEN I need to do some last minute finishing of my entry for QuiltSue's QAL Challenge, and get it posted up onto the Linky party!

Busy, busy - see ya later...

A Step Forward, A Step Back...

Can you believe it?  In a couple of weekends it will be the final session of the 2013 Christmas quiltalong - where did the time go!

We're all having a grand parade over at QuiltSue's place, so I'd better get a wiggle on and get my Challenge project finished!

I had a good decision making session today - however, as you can see from the pic here, my brilliant idea has only, at this point, translated into a string of unpicked-thread holes in the fabric.  

The idea's still good though, despite my lack of ability to execute it - I'll have another pop at it tomorrow...

Christmas QAL! Nov pt6

I've had a most constructive evening!

I've finished a couple of dozen tree ornaments, and finished doing a little undemanding knitting.

This little scarf goes really well with this new (to me) green corduroy coat, and with weather turning, it'll get used very soon indeed.  Like Joanna, I've got away with a fleece up until this week, but now the coats and scarves have to come out.

I don't mind, I love to be wrapped up against the cold - and I loved knitting the scarf sat by the fire this evening!

So now I'm wrapping things up here, and getting a cup of hot chocolate for supper.  It's been a busy day what with the run this morning too - here's me showing off my runner's medal!

Thank you for your company, ladies, I've enjoyed seeing what you've all been getting up to throughout the weekend.

I hope that we can all meet up again in December over at QuiltSue's place for a show-off session - we may be lucky enough to get some of her delicious home cooking too ...

Christmas QAL! Nov pt5

I'm back from my race and have brought home with me my entrants' medal, a respectable time, and a ridiculous amount of Kingsbury Water Park's mud about my person.

That's all washed off in huge bubble bath, though, and I'm ready to sew - and this is where those lovely jingly bells come it!

I've been making some tree decorations for a stall at mum's church Christmas fete in a couple of weeks time, and they've turned out rather lovely so I think I may keep a few back!

So easy to make too - I took a charm pack of Christmas fabrics

Put two pieces together back to back sandwiching some fusible interfacing between them.




I quartered each square, they cut round the double sided little squares with pinking shears.





I put then together in pairs, with a piece of ribbon between them as a hanger, and zig-zagged on the machine along the diagonal

I curled the points together on each side and secured with a star and a bead, and put a bead and a bell on the bottom to finish.

Christmas QAL! Nov pt4

Good morning, good morning - and what a glorious blue-sky, bright, sharp, sunshiny autumn day it is!

I'm very glad that it is such a beautiful day, as I'm off in a mo to take part in a cross country race in a local nature reserve.  Until we get warmed up, it's going to be cold; and despite today's lovely sunshine, recent heavy rain means that it's going to be wet underfoot.

Last weekend when I went out for a practise around the route I came back looking like this, so I'm really glad that I will be wearing my trail shoes which at least should keep me upright in the mud!

I'll be back by lunchtime, and as long as I don't actually come last, I'll be happy - and after a soak in the bath, I'll be ready to sew.  In the meantime, make yourselves comfy and and have a choccy. Go on - you know you want to!

Christmas QAL! Nov pt3

Who fancies some CHOCOLATES?  Yup - thought so.

Here's something to satisfy the sweetest of sweet tooths, and they are easy peasy to make to - hurrah!

All you need to do is sift 12oz of icing sugar into a bowl and mix in a whisked egg white.  Knead it all together (it needs a bit of working on) and it will start to resemble plasticine.

Add a few drops of colourant and flavouring/essence of your choice.  I did peppermint, and also orange.

Cut or roll into itty bitty pieces and leave over night on greaseproof paper in the fridge.

Eat as they are, or decorate with melted chocolate.

That's it - and they are SO TASTY, I cannot tell you.  Go on, have a nibble!

Christmas QAL! Nov pt2

I've got my jobs for the day done, and have found some time to do something new - applique!

On my Challenge quilt, I have a flame in gold to sew onto each candle, so I ironed some fusible interfacing to my gold fabric, then drew and cut out two copies of the flame and hand stitched them into place with gold metallic thread.

I must look up applique techniques on Youtube - my method made sense to me, but I've no idea if that's the way everybody else does it!

Now I have also been playing with these beautiful bells, and we'll come back to them later.  Funny things, bells - my mum always says that she couldn't move out of the area because she just has to go outside and listen to her parish church bells pealing in the New Year, and I remember as a child being allowed to stay up until midnight, and going out into the cold night air and hearing them too.

Church bells, jingle bells, school bells - what do they mean to you? 

And while you're thinking about that (and you have signed in to Mr Linky so we can all share what you're up to this weekend?), I'm off to the kitchen to make something CHOCOLATY! Yum! 

Christmas QAL! Nov pt1

Good morning, good morning!

It's the CHRISTMAS QUILTALONG this weekend, and I'm here to host the party!

I have one or two chores to do before I can play with my challenge quilt, so if you want to get yourselves signed in on the Mr Linky here, or on the tab at the top of the page, and make yourselves at home, I'll be right back!

Christmas music on the CD, coffee on the hob, biscuits in the tin - help yourselves...

Christmas Quiltalong Eve

Do you know what I'm looking forward to?? Tomorrow morning!  It is my final turn as hostess for the 2013 Christmas Quiltalong, before my co-hostess, Joanna, and I hand the baton over to QuiltSue for one last hurrah in December!

So do say you'll join me?

Get those bells a-jinglin' because they are going to feature over the weekend, along with the chocolate that I promised you!

Have you had a go at Sue's fiendish challenge to make a non-red-or-green Christmas quilt? Or will you be working on your own Christmas projects, perhaps.  As Sue reminded us today, Christmas is just 47 days away! Eek!

So c'mon join the party! I'll have Mr Linky ready and waiting on Saturday morning, and you can get there to sign in by clicking here, or on the Quiltalong tab at the top of the page.

Christmas in November!

Well, I don't know about you, but we have a serious case of AUTUMN in the English midlands - the nights are drawing in, the leaves are changing colour and falling off the trees, and there has been a distinct nip in the air the last couple of mornings.
The park looks like this:







And I've been playing 'catch a falling leaf', and winning! 









But for one weekend only in November, it will be CHRISTMAS around the quilting world, when it is my pleasure to be your hostess for this Christmas QAL stitching session - we will, of course be having one final weekend in December where we can gatecrash the lovely QuiltSue herself like a bunch of hooligans and show off all that we've been doing these past few months.
But meanwhile, you are all invited over to my place this weekend to come and finish off (ha!) your Christmas challenge pieces (no red or green in a Christmas quilt? Madness, I say!) and join in with some fun and games.  
I think that you all had a whole heap of fun over at Joanna's last month, whilst I was on my holidays, and we're all going to have quite a weekend again!  

I can promise you something involving this...






And something involving these...






And, actually, something involving these - but you don't have to join in that one if you don't want to! Tee hee!

So do come along and join the fun!  I'll have a Mr Linky set up on the QAL tab at the top there, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all!