23 April 2016

Procrastinating...

We have just come back from a week away in Scotland visiting family, and have just finished redecorating some of our upstairs rooms; my eldest son has just moved out and I am moving my small sewing space into his much larger room - I will have to share it with a sofa bed but I will have a lot more space to work. My current space is in chaos which I am finding oddly disturbing, I really want to sew something but I need to sort out my new space first. It will take several days or weeks to get organised I am sure so I have started a little hand piecing project to keep my sanity!

I pulled this pattern from an old issue of Quiltmania several years ago, it is for a pieced/embroidery quilting hoop bag.

 I am EPP the hexagons with some beautiful Oakshott cotton fabrics, supplemented with some Jo Morton cottons from my stash.
I would like to do lots of crazy quilting over the top; I will save the actual embroidery for next term's embroidery class as I need help with stitches etc. In the meantime I have bought some ribbons and beads and pulled any threads I though might work from my stash.
It is nice to have something to work on in the evenings while the house is in chaos! Hopefully I will be back soon with some photos of my new space.

02 April 2016

The Rowdy Flat Library Quilt

I love Susan Smith's patterns, especially 'Stonefields' so I was very excited to learn of her new BOM 'The Rowdy Flat Library Quilt' It is a while since I did any appliqué, and as I have just finished a quilt, I feel more than justified in starting a new one!

Susan's inspiration was this black and white photo of an old Welsh Quilt
from one of my favourite books
Not much is known about the original quilt, this is all the info in the book.

Of course Susan has changed it to suit her style, I think there will be five appliqué blocks and four pieced and then a border.

The pattern can be found on her website HERE

Susan is mailing the patterns without fabric each month, which makes it very economical, I have had enormous fun digging through my scrap boxes for the pieces. Blocks one and two are basted ready to stitch. I don't have enough of the focus fabric, so each of my centres will be different. I plan to embroider my initials and the year on the beekeeper block.