What I did in the Lakes - Crafts Part Two

Having completed all the current Noah's Art blocks I began my next holiday project. This has been hanging around in the Quilting Ether since April. I spent some of my birthday money on a collection of shaped templates and while my local (at the time) quilting shop was closing down I was able to buy a selection of fabrics to make some sunflowers that I have been itching to do.

So with templates, a sunday suppliment, threads and fabric I set about getting oprganised. Here are the fabrics at various stages of sewing which will begin to take the shape of sunflowers.

Every time I had to sit in the car to travel to various parts of the Lakes I was sewing down the fabric to the paper, then the fabric shapes to one another

and by the end of the holiday the fabrics where ready to sew into sunflowers on the return journey home. There would have been more but I spent a part of the journey reading the Sunday paper!

Here are four flowers ready with plenty more to put together before the quilt will be finished, but this is a great travel/waiting for Children project. Once Trumpet lessons begin again then the flowers will begin to bloom! I am still deciding how to join them together and I have some green fabrics for that job. I'm sure you will keep seeing this on Wednesday WIP posts until I finish it!

What I did at the week-end

Some time ago I saw a demo of Stepping Stone Quilt by Kitty Pippen on Alex Anderson's Simply Quilts at HGTV. This pattern has been nagging me for a long time now, so it was a relief to finally have some time to make it.

And here it is...

Art in the Garden

The quilt needs some hand quilting down the sides. The original has scalloped quilting, but I would like to have leaves, so I intend to do some sketching of lakeland flora whilst up in the Lakes. So although it is completed in the physical sence it is not finished yet...

Quilt Show

So it's Friday night and the quilts are handing - We have a show!



All we need now are the visitors.



The building of the frames - yes, they arrived on time - was done in no time and before I knew it we had photographed and had the quilts hanging in a flash. This was my first hanging (!) as with children it hasn't always been possible to attend at 4.30pm til 9.00pm, although I was at the dismantling on the Sunday evenings as DH was home. Now they are older it is alot easier. Daughter went off to a Guide and Scout camping weekend - Scouts and Guides camping at separate ends of a camping ground (!!!) and meeting during the day for activities. Son helped find the quilts for photographing and was general help to all the Ladies - v. proud Mother as he was well mannered and charming.



Now I have bits and pieces of labling to do before bed and an early start as the Judge arrives at 8am and the Show officially begins at 10am

Thought you'd like to see the quilts I have entered

Jean Genie with Stars and Hearts

This is my "green" quilt as it is recycled jeans and very cuddly. It is my star gazy quilt for v. late summer evenings when I sit in the garden and watch meteor showers.

and

A Rare Bit of Welsh!

Daffodils, Dragons and Leeks. I made three "leeks" and attached them to the bottom panel. Although a bit wonky, I am proud of this quilt as I taught myself how to do this! I would like to try this technique again, but next time I would machine quilt the pattern as it would be quicker and I could be doing the stuffing sooner and this is the bit I enjoyed the most.

And so to bed I think I deserve it.

Wednesday WiPs - Frayed Denim Quilt

So it's Wednesday evening, my cold is beginning to ease, children are in bed and the denim and flannel fabrics I have been cutting to size since the week-end are now ready to place. So that is what I did...

This took six attempts before I was happy that most shades of denim were well spaced.

Then I had to place the flannel fabrics so that the mix of checks, plaids and fine checkerboard fabrics didn't clash or be next to the same colourway.

Then once I had pinned each denim square to its flannel square,(wrong sides together), I then had to place the paper stencils where the cut outs where going to be and then decide which fabric would be sandwiched between the denim and the flannel to show through once the denim was quilted and cut away.

So this is were we are at 12.17am on Thursday morning! I shall leave sewing it together for another time, but I have moved this quilt farther up the WiP list. All it needs is the detail sewing into the marked squares, all the squares sewing together and then washing three times to acheive the frayed look. What could be easier?

Trying new techniques

Monday evening was my quilting group night and we were having a demonstration evening. I am a novice quilter and enjoy being shown new techniques. So I now know how to do Bow Tie blocks and Flying Geese.

My Samples of Bow Tie, (easier to do than I thought!) and Flying Geese.

At the week-end I tried to tie a knotted heart, it took three attempts and a number of hours!

but as you can see it was worth it. I'm planning to incorporate it into a SUPER tassel I am intending to create.

Yesterday was a bit of a waste as I have deveolped a cold which lay me low. Children not too happy as we had to change our plans. Today is better but the thought of a trip into London loaded with Lemsip and boxes of Kleenex does not appeal. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Change of plan includes making jewelry for friends birthday, art project that needs completing and some maths homework that Son is in denial about.