Quilt Retreat

Just come back from a few days away at the West Manse Quilt Retreat in Cullen, Scotland www.quiltretreat.co.uk

What a fabulous place, their aim is to give you quality quilting time and it certainly lives up to that

The rooms were beautiful with lots of little added touches, the food was fabulous there was nothing I didn't like.  Chris & Pete were fantastic hosts, nothing was too much trouble

After 3 days sewing I managed to complete a full quilt and piece together a second quilt top ready for quilting now I'm home.

The first one was made using a jelly roll, basic grey for moda, sweet serenade

The second one was done using a batik charm pack, plus border fabric

Can't believe it's 6 months since I put anything on here, such a lot has happened in that time both good and bad
My Husband passed away, I've moved house, Daughters graduation and had second lot of surgery for my breast reconstruction so as you can imagine things have been fairly hectic. I've not felt up to crafting much although my crafting friends have been my lifeline and support through everything.
Anyway things have settled down and I'm getting back into doing things

Been scrapbooking again and these are the layouts I've completed over the last month

The first two were done at the Merly Impressions crop and the second two were done at our local scrapbook crop

Embroidery Day at Woodhouse

Last Sunday I went on an Embroidery Day at Woodhouse Village Hall organised by Sue Copeman of Quorn Country Crafts.  

This was just for people with Pfaff Embroidery Machines.  

You could work on any project you wanted or Sue had done 3 projects that we could have a go at.

One of the projects was a tote bag with embroidered pockets as I have a few friends birthdays coming up thought this would make a nice present.

I had been to the shop the day before and purchased some fabric that I had seen and fallen in love with.  Its from the Basic Grey Sweet Serenade Collection for Moda.

This is the finished item I'm sure the recipient will like it as much as I do. 

Seedheads & Teasels

I attended a workshop at Quorn Country Crafts www.quorncountrycrafts.co.uk on 

Wednesday 12/02/14.  

It was titled Seed Heads and Teasels, feed dogs up!

We chose the fabric and made the background panel then using a small amount of brown fabric for the teasels attached with zig zag stitch and then had a wonderful time playing with the different stitches on the sewing machine to achieve the grasses and teasel stems etc

This is the finished wall hanging.  I must admit I'm very pleased and its now hanging in my conservatory.

Hanger purchased from Creative Grids www.creativegrids.com

Amy's Quilt

At long last I have finished Amy's quilt.  It was started a few years ago at a workshop taken at Quorn Country Crafts in Loughborough www.quorncountrycrafts.co.uk.

The pattern is called Around the World, Amy went to the shop a few days before the workshop and chose the fabrics, however when I came to start the main fabric that she had chosen wouldn't work in the quilt as the pattern would have been lost when cut into small rectangles.  I therefore used this for the binding and to make a large cushion cover to go with the quilt.

The quilt top when finished went into my UFO box for quite a while and it was only when she knew she'd been accepted in to University last August that she said "Mum do you think I could have my quilt for Uni"

Feeling guilty as you do I found it out the box and set to with the quilting, wanting to do something other than straight lines I drew around a dinner plate starting in the centre and working out and got 49 circles over the whole quilt and have hand quilted them all. 

Binding on I finished sewing it at my quilting group last Thursday and must say I'm rather pleased.

Its on her bed waiting for the next weekend she comes home, I hope she likes the finished product.

Busy Time

What a busy time it is in the run up to Christmas, presents to buy and wrap, cards to write and post, food to plan etc etc,  how do we find time to finish sewing the items planned as presents.

Just managed to finish this little trio that I've made for my friend for Christmas who I am seeing tomorrow.

Its from a pattern purchased from Daisy Chain Designs www.daisychaindesigns.co.uk  Its a little draw string basket with needle case and pin cushion (I've done my own version of the pin cushion as I ran out of time).

I used fabric from the Downton Abbey range - The Dowager Collection.

The Hexagons were done in the traditional English patchwork tradition over papers then appliqued onto the main fabric.

 

3D Christmas Tree

No posts for ages then two in one day !

Last night I went to a workshop at BarjanB Crafts in Newbold Verdon   www.barjanbcrafts.co.uk/

It was to create a canvas, it is the first time I have done one of these and I really enjoyed getting messy

We ripped up pieces of paper and using mod podge attached them to the canvas adding a layer of mod podge on the top, once the glue was dry we  added some colour with acrylic paint in red and green and using bubble wrap and white paint gave it a bit of texture.  We then added some red and green metallic paint to the edges. 

Next step was to add a little text using rubber stamps and black ink.  The tree was done using pages from an old dictionary torn in to small strips and then screwed into small pieces attaching them to the canvas with mod podge glue.

The trunk or pot was added with but using a scrap of patterned paper.  Once the glue was dry we painted the tree with twinkling H20's and added stickles and glitter finishing off with some bling to look like baubles.

The pictures around the edge were stamped onto tissue paper torn around and then attached to the canvas again with the mod podge glue.

I think its turned out really well.  Thanks to Maggie & Barry for a lovely evening

 

Christmas Cushion Competition

The competition this year at Quorn Country Crafts in Loughborough www.quorncountrycrafts.com  is to make a cushion.
 
We had to buy a pack from the shop which contained a picture square of fabric and two small strips of coordinating fabric.
 
The rules were 

• The cushion can be any shape or size up to a maximum of 14" square
• The cushion front must include the picture square and some of the other two fabrics
• You can add any other fabrics and / or embellishments of your own choice
• You can use any technique ie patchwork, quilting, knitting, embroidery etc

 
and this is my finished piece :-

The two fabrics supplied are the green holly patterned and the mid green / gold mixture, I added dark green strip and red/gold pattern

Wording was done by hand using back stitch with thick black cotton, scroll is calico tied with red ribbon and I have written on it :-
"Dear Santa, I have been very good this year, please could I have .......................
I put a loop on it so it can be hung on the fireplace, chimney breast ready for Santa coming !

Judging takes place today 30.11.13 and the winner wins £50 worth of fabric.

Quilting Holiday Update part 2

Following. On from my previous post, we are still having a wonderful time here in Canada the weather has been wonderful with temperatures into mid twenties each day.
Wednesday saw us moving onto Quebec city where we had lunch in the panoramic rotating restaurant l'astral followed by a guided tour of the city
Thursday we had a tour around the isle of Orleans home to the firsts settlers before stopping at Montmorency Falls.
We had a talk by Quilters Guild Les Courtepointieres Appliquees about their yearly textile challenge and saw a display of their work
Today saw us return to Montreal we had lunch with members of Coortepointieres Quebec Quilts and a talk and display on freemotion quilting by Ms Pierra Vernex before a little retail therapy at Stylists & Complice a lovely quilt shop with a wide range of fabric and accessories.
Tomorrow we have a meeting with Montreal Modern Quilt Guild and a last look around Montreal to finish what has been the most wonderful week

Quilting Holiday Update

Having a lovely time here in Canada, the scenery and colours are fabulous it's hard to describe.  We have been to some lovely places so far Montreal city, with visit to the Notre dame Basillica.
A little village called Hudson where we met with a lovely group called the Hudson village quilters who showed us some of their work and gave us a demonstration on needlepoint applique and Hawaiian quilting.
We have visited a quilting shop on the mohawk reservation and met with the owner who showed us some of her work and explained about their culture.

We then moved on to the eastern township's and yesterday met with the lennoxville quilters who were very hospitable. We had  a demonstration on the stack n whack tecnique.
We've also visited the abbey of st Benedict and a vineyard for wine tasting.

You can see some pictures over on quilters haven blog

http://quilters-haven.co.uk/blog/2013/10/trees-and-lakes/

I'm sew excited................

Tomorrow I am going on the Colours of the Fall Quilting holiday with Arena Travel  http://www.arenatravel.com/holidays/quilting-holidays/quilting-and-the-colours-of-the-fall-in-eastern-canada/


and Karin Hellaby of Quilters Haven http://www.quilters-haven.co.uk/

Canada is a place that I have always want to go to and so being as it was my big birthday in May and with everything I've gone through this year with my illness I decided to treat myself.

I'm excited and really looking forward to it although must admit I am a bit apprehensive as I have never travelled so far and not done anything like this on my own before, I'm sure that once I get to Heathrow and meet up with Karin and the rest of the group I will have a fab time.

I'll update my blog when I get back with lots of pictures





 

Machine Embroidery Workshop

I attended a machine embroidery workshop this week at Quorn Country Crafts and as well as learning and playing with different settings on my machine we did a little Christmas wall hanging

 

The picture was embroidered onto fabric, then ironed onto a piece of Decoville (from Vilene), backing added with bondaweb then satin stitched all around, ribbon and buttons added at the end.

 

    

Patchwork Day

Today I've been to a QCC sewing all day at Old Woodhouse, its been lovely spending the day with like minded people and I've managed to finish a couple of projects

A couple of weeks ago I posted a piece about the Angel in the Garden tote bag that I had been working on for quite a while.............
Well here's the finished project and I must say I think its fab

The second project is a humbug bag that I started at an embroidery workshop at Quorn Country Crafts www.quorncountrycrafts.co.uk on Wednesday, the crocheted daisy's were done on my embroidery machine and then stitched onto the main bag
The bag shows some of the different stitches that the machines can do
Its just big enough to throw my sewing equipment in when going to classes.

 

Our Church Scrapbook Crop - September

Its that time again our Church Scrapbook Crop next Saturday, the kit this time is made up using Kaisercraft Miss Empire Collection, matching bazzill cardstock, ric rac, bakers twine and buttons

I've done 3 sample layouts from the kit

 

Kaisercraft Photo Storage Box

Back in June it was the Merly Impressions http://www.blogger.com Scrapbook weekend retreat which I was booked to go on, unfortunately I was in hospital with various complications following my Chemotherapy so was unable to attend, of course I was absolutely gutted. 

 

Chrissy very kindly sent me all the kits that they had compiled for the weekend.

 

Yesterday and today I have been working on one of the kits which is one of Kaisercrafts off the page products - the photo storage box together with papers from and the 75 Cents & Up Up & Away paper collections.

 

I must admit I'm very pleased with it.