Playing and Floating!

Before we went on holiday I signed up for the Siblings Together charity appeal launched by Lynne at Lily's Quilts, but have only now got around to starting on the blocks. Knowing my limitations I did not sign up to making a complete quilt but, instead, committed to making blocks to go towards a quilt. Judith at needles and lemons volunteered to co-ordinate a quilt from simple log-cabin style blocks, and here are the first of my blocks to be ready for posting.

The batik fabrics are scraps from a quilt that I made for my youngest son to take to University, so are, I think, especially appropriate for this quilt and cause. I always enjoy seeing the camaraderie between my 3 boys when they get together, as they did over Easter, so hope that some of that will be passed on in the quilt blocks. For more information about the charity and the quilt appeal check here and in the Flickr group here


I am obviously in signing-up mode at the moment, as I have just signed up to take part in Sew Happy Geek's Play mini-quilt challenge! The challenge invites participants to make a mini-quilt based upon a playing card, and having never made a mini-quilt I thought that it was about time that I had a go. There are some great prizes on offer too, so if you are a keen bridge player or poker fiend, head on over to Sew Happy Geek to find out how to indulge your twin passions and maybe pick up a prize along the way!

I found these fabrics in my stash, so think I might use them in the challenge. That, I have to say is as far as I have got in the planning and the min quilt has to be submitted by May 21st, so I need to get a move on :)

This is a short post as I am heading out to have a Berry and Ginger spa treatment. I won a voucher for the spa at a Christmas Bazaar, but have only just got around to making the appointment. The voucher runs out on April 30th, so I have just made it. Apparently after the peel and fragrant oil massage I will be floating on my own personal, perfumed cloud. so in exactly the right frame of mind to tackle the outstanding blocks on the NY Beauty QAL!

A new passion?

Never having tried paper-piecing before I was very surprised to find that I loved tackling the first block in The Littlest Thistle's FPPFTT. I loved it so much that I didn't stop at one block, but got a bit carried away and made 4!

Joined together and bordered with a linen strip, the 4 blocks became the orange in my rainbow cushions. Four cushions down and three to go and two results in one!

I really loved this fabric, Terrain by Kate Spain, so livened up the back of the cushion with some self-covered buttons too.

The next block in the FPPFTT is due out today. Katy gave us a preview on her blog at the weekend, so I am really looking forward to getting to grips with triangles this time. In fact, I have enjoyed the paper piecing so much that I have signed up for the New York beauty QAL too! I am nothing if not enthusiastic :) Check out the giveaway at Freshly Pieced to celebrate the beginning of the QAL here

Talking of Quilt a Longs, the Sew Happy QAL is steadily coming towards the end. This week's block was number 10 of 12, the time seems to have flown by on this, which I really didn't expect when I signed up. This week's block was all HST's, and came together really quickly. The next block is a paper-pieced block, so I am glad that I will already have had some practice before attempting it. I am beginning to worry about running out of fabric for the last couple of blocks, so can't afford to make any mistakes now!

The finished quilt will be a (late) First Wedding Anniversary present for my son and daughter-in-law. It was their Anniversary yesterday, which they celebrated with a weekend in Florence. As we had snow again on Sunday I know who was in the right place. The quilt will be a few weeks late but I am sure they will forgive me!

Firsts and progress!

This week already has been a week of firsts for me. Having signed up to The Littlest Thistle's FPPFTT course last week, I was anxiously waiting on Monday to find out just how I was going to be able to achieve my first-ever paper-pieced block. Well the proof is in the pudding as they say, and here it is!

I decided to kill two birds with one stone and use my new Terrain by Kate Spain fabrics with the intention that the block will eventually become part of the orange cushion for my set of rainbow cushions. To say I am delighted would be an understatement. Katy's instructions were really easy to follow. I only had one 'blip' at the beginning when my first line of stitches were so small that the paper ripped as soon as I took it out of the machine. I think my sewing machine has a mind of it's own when it comes to the setting of stitch length! However, with a slightly longer stitch length everything went just fine. I hope the rest of the blocks are as straightforward!

As you know I have been happily cutting up my husband's work shirts for my sewing and have, therefore, been left with various parts of shirts without any specific ideas of what to do with them. This week, however, I came up with a use for the sleeves!

Padded hangers! Now I can give him at least a part of his shirt back :)

I had read about the True Love contest at Sew Mama Sew and thought I would try my hand at writing a tutorial for the hangers, another first!

These padded hangers are a novel way to provide encouragement and support to family and friends, whilst helping to organise their wardrobe! They are thrifty too as they use up wadding/batting scraps that might otherwise be discarded. The hanger sleeve can be made from fabric scraps too, or do as I did and recycle the sleeve of a worn-out business shirt.

To make one hanger you will need the following supplies;

• 1 Wooden hanger without a trouser bar (ideally with a removable hanging hook but it is not essential)
• Double-sided sticky tape
• Batting/Wadding scraps
• Fabric scrap equivalent to the length of your hanger + 1/2"  and three times the diameter of the hanger (I used the sleeve of a business shirt which had more than enough fabric for 2 hangers)
• Carbon-transfer paper
• Embroidery thread/floss and needle
• Blunt pencil and paper

The following are optional;

• Felt scraps 
• 2 small buttons (I used buttons from the shirt)

Step 1 - Padding the hanger

  Cut your scraps of batting into strips approx 1" wide. Stick strips of double-sided tape along the length of the front and back of the hanger. Starting at one end wrap the batting strips around the hanger, overlapping each strip slightly and beginning each new strip by overlapping the end of the previous strip. 

 When the hanger is fully covered by the batting place a second layer of strips of double-sided sticky tape over the batting and repeat the wrapping one more time.

Step 2 Cutting your fabric
 Measure the length and diameter of your wrapped hanger and cut your fabric to these measurements plus 1/2" on each measurement. My hanger measured 18" by 3 and 1/4" so my fabric was cut to 18 and 1/2" by 3 and 3/4" 


Step 3 Embroidering the hanger sleeve
Decide on the phrase that you want to embroider and either write freehand or print out on paper. I printed my phrases using the Monotype Corsiva Font in size 72. Mark the centre of the long edge of your fabric piece. Fold your printed paper lightly in half to mark the centre of the phrase. Place the carbon transfer paper carbon side down under your printed paper and place both on top of your fabric piece, matching up the centre mark and centre crease. 

 
 The top of your tallest letter should be approximately 1/2" from the top edge of your fabric. Taking care not to rest your hand heavily on the carbon paper (you will mark your fabric if you do!) trace the letters of your phrase with a blunt pencil pressing down firmly on the letter outline.

Remove the paper and carbon paper to leave behind a traced outline for your embroidery. You can now embroider your chosen sentiment using 2 strands of embroidery thread/floss. I used chain stitch and some backstitch for the lettering and french knots for the dots. For tutorials for these stitches check here and here

Optional - Cut two small hearts from your scraps of red felt and attach at each end of the embroidered phrase using small blanket stitches. A tutorial for this stitch is available here

Step 4 - Making the hanger sleeve


When the embroidery is complete measure 1/4" either side of your centre point of the long edge of the fabric and mark. Placing right sides together pin one short end together and sew with a 1/4" seam. If your hanger has a removable hanging hook pin the two long edges right sides together and using a 1/4" seam sew along the top edge to the first mark from the centre point and finish with a couple of backstitches. Start sewing the top edge again from your second mark (the mark after the centre point) and sew to the end of the long edge. 

If your hanger hook is not removable (as mine were) only sew one short end and then along the top edge to the first mark. 

Snip off the excess fabric triangle at the corner where both the short and long ends are sewn and turn your hanger sleeve right side out.  

Step 5 Final Stage

Gently ease the hanger sleeve onto your padded hanger to the centre. If you have a removable hook, remove it and continue easing the sleeve onto the hanger making sure that your gap in the top edge seam matches up with the hole for the hook. Replace the hook when you have eased the sleeve on fully. 
If your hanger hook is not removable, you will need to pin and hand stitch the sleeve past the hook, using a blindstitch.  A tutorial for this stitch is available here

For both types of hanger turn under and pin the 1/4" seam allowance on the short edges and stitch closed to complete the sleeve.

Optional - To stop delicate items slipping off the hangers you can stitch a small button about 1 and 1/2" from each end on the top seam. 

Your hanger is now finished and ready to pass on your sentiments to your family and friends!


It is also WIP Wednesday and time to have a look at my list, which just got longer with the addition of the FPPFTT! Some movement though, the (Almost) Irish Chain quilt is now, officially, a WIP! I still haven't even looked at the Craftsy BOM so must try to do that before we get into March and I end up even further behind.


Completed

• Reindeer Cushion
• Shades of Green, Fleur Bleu and Checkered Heart cushions 
• Orphan Block needle roll 
• Pieced arc tea towel  
• Yo-yo maker purse

Ongoing

• 9 blocks of Sew Happy QAL (this weeks to do)

• 2 blocks of In Color Order HST BOM (up-to-date) 
• (Almost) Irish Chain quilt now basted 
• First block of FPPFTT completed
• Centre of orange rainbow cushion completed

Waiting

• Indigo, yellow and violet rainbow cushions
• Sunflower Quilt 
• Last block of Sampler quilt - no progress but it is in the UK and I am in Latvia!
• Amy Butler bag 
• Bag Making Bible Fashionista Bag 
• Dragon Bag
• Patchwork Block bag
• Christmas mini quilts
• Craftsy BOM which I have signed up for but still haven't looked at yet! 

Linking up to Esther's WOW and Lee's WIP Wednesday and Linda's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Packages and Paper Piecing

More lovely packages in the post, this one was so lovely that it was excitedly ripped open before it got to me! Latvia post, however, saved the day and my treat to myself of a Sunny Happy Skies FQ bundle from Julie at TheIntrepidThread arrived a bit battered but still intact.

These are destined for the teatime embroidery to make a lap quilt for my mother. I am thinking of surrounding the embroidered panel with friendship stars, now that I know how to do them thanks to Jenna at Sew Happy Geek. Although I think these will have to be smaller than the 12.5" blocks in the Sew Happy QAL. That's the plan anyway!

Today there has been a rare concurrence of events, there must be a blue moon somewhere! The bedroom floor is hoovered and washed, the backing for my (almost) Irish Chain quilt has just been washed (again!) and is at the top of the ironing pile and I have even pulled the pieced quilt top out of the cupboard, where it has been lurking. These things have never happened together before it is scary :) Maybe, just maybe I will get this quilt basted over the weekend, then I really will be looking out for the blue moon!

You can see from the photo why I am calling it an (almost) Irish Chain. I mucked up the measurements somewhere along the way and ended up with two different sized blocks, so it fitted together in one direction but unfortunately not the direction needed to make the chain!

If you are like me and have always fancied having a go at paper piecing but thought it was way too difficult there is help at hand. Katy at The Littlest Thistle has launched today her course Foundation Paper Piecing for the Terrified, where

"Each Monday for the next few weeks I will be taking you through the very basics of foundation paper piecing, building up each week to a slightly more difficult pattern." 

That sounds exactly what I need, so I am in! One of the aims of the course is to provide us beginners with the confidence to tackle this QAL from Sew Sweetness

I would really love to tackle the New York Beauty QAL so Katy's course will, hopefully, give me enough practice and confidence to have a go. Would love you to join me :)

Have a great weekend. 

Post and piecing

With the next block in the Sew Happy QAL surfacing early and snow forecast, the weekend seemed an ideal opportunity to get ahead of myself. The Saturday post brought good news too, my Orange and Green Terrain bundle from Sew Fresh Fabrics, so a chance to get started on an orange cushion for my rainbow cushions. As ever I was impressed with the service from Sew Fresh Fabrics, the order was made on January 31st, sent out the same day and arrived 11 days later, that is amazing for post to here. The fresh, zingy colours were a welcome hint of spring on a grey winters day.

I have been looking through my magazines for inspiration for the next cushion as I want to try out new (to me) techniques for each one. I really would like to try paper-piecing, but I am waiting to try my hand at the paper pieced block in the Sew Happy QAL first. Only two more weeks to wait I think, so these lovely fabrics will just have to sit there for a little longer.


This weeks QAL block involves more of what is rapidly becoming my favourite block, flying geese. That is not to say that I am so proficient at them, but I just love how putting together squares and rectangles produces such a great block! This time they were much smaller, 2.5ins, so the capacity for a disaster was undoubtedly magnified. Given my problems in the previous post with mitred corners, any hint of potential disaster was enough to make me nervous. I shouldn't have worried, as always Jenna's instructions were spot-on and the block came together surprisingly quickly. Unfortunately quickly enough to give me time to witness another Scotland rugby defeat, but then I should be used to that by now!

With 9 blocks completed this quilt is really beginning to take shape and as I will be back in the UK for a week next month, I am trying to work out if I can somehow complete it then so that I can give it to my son and daughter-in-law whilst I am at home. I think that probably means I need to start the sashing now, so another fabric order is on the cards. Isn't life tough :)

Hope you had a good weekend too!

Orphan Blocks, HST's and Needle Rolls

Last month the Pleasant Home Blog's theme for January was using up your scraps and there were some wonderful projects showcased. Although I have not been sewing long enough to have built up enough scraps to consider some of the marvellous quilts shown, like probably all quilters I do hang onto leftover fabrics from my projects, no matter how small, in the belief that they will come in useful for something!


So, inspired by the many projects I have been looking at in the last month, I decided that it was time to "liberate" some fabrics from the scrap bag, and realise their potential :) I spent a pleasant hour going through the scraps, remembering the original projects and trying to image new ones. To my delight I came across an "orphan block" from the very first quilt I made, which was for my eldest son, who was living in Madrid at the time and complaining of the coldness of the winter nights. As I also had some fabric left over from the original quilt too, I realised that there was scope for a new project using the block and fabric scraps.

Sitting next to the scrap bag in my craft cupboard, is the evidence of my infrequent forays into the world of knitting. My nice new knitting needles are jumbled together in a magazine file so it is not easy to find the right size or even a pair when I need them. Something needed to be done, and here is the something!

A shiny, new knitting needle roll made from the "orphan block" and leftover fabric, and lined with fabric cut from yet another of my husband's discarded shirts! They are coming in very useful these shirts of his :) My knitting needles have never been this organised. The needle roll measures roughly 22" wide by 17" high, with an inner pocket approximately half the height. I quilted channels of various widths from the top to the bottom of the roll before binding and adding a ribbon tie. I even discovered that I have purchased two pairs of needles the exact same size, but now that I am so organised I won't be making that mistake again.


By now I was on a roll (apologies for the pun!). Until now my knitting UFO's have resided in the brown paper bag that they were originally brought home in, but it is all too easy to ignore them in brown paper, so if they are ever going to be finished it was time to house them in something a bit more inspiring too. Last year I had made a couple of bags from jeans that were being discarded by my son (I seem to have become a bit of a magpie with my family's clothing!), from the bucket bag pattern by Lisa Lam available here. So I dug one of those out of the cupboard too and, voila, a new knitting bag and needle roll for no cost apart from time, and time spent sewing is never a bad thing.

Although we did venture out this weekend, it was not for long as we have found that when you can't feel your chin, it is time to head back indoors. So I had plenty of opportunity to catch up with the February block of the month at In Color Order's HST BOM, which this month is a Flying Geese block. I have always thought that these were beyond me, but having just finished the Flying Geese block for the Sew Happy QAL, I was feeling much more positive towards them, so set to work and finished that too.

We spent a glorious day last Autumn/Fall in the SW of France listening to the honking of flocks of geese and watching as they flew south overhead, and making this block conjured up those memories. Maybe one day I'll make a quilt from this block to keep that memory!



Linking in to Little Quilt Monday at a pieceful life

Inspiration and Lucky Finds

Today is one of those bright blue sky winter days that look oh so cheerful from inside but are bitterly cold outside. The perfect day I thought to take some photographs of the colourful and inspiring buildings to be found in Riga, and share them with you. However, it was so cold that even with two pairs of gloves on my fingertips were freezing so the photography trip only covered the Art Nouveau District and even then included two coffee stops along the way! Still, hopefully these will give you a flavour of the city, which is definitely seen at its best against a bright blue sky!

These photos are all from one street, although the modern looking building is on the opposite side to the rest. It is currently the World Trade Centre, but was formerly the Headquarters of the Communist Party, when Latvia was part of the Soviet Union.

As you can see there are some beautiful and colourful buildings around, and I haven't even taken any photographs of the buildings in the most well-known street for its Art Nouveau architecture, as by the end of my walk I feared my fingertips were going to get frostbite if I didn't get out of the cold soon!

As I have mentioned before quilting cotton is not easy to come by here, there are plenty of shops catering to sewers but mostly for curtains/home furnishings or clothes, so when I see some I immediately snap it up, and yesterday I was in the right place at the right time. Next to our local supermarket there is a fabric superstore, which as well as selling fabric from the roll also sells offcuts by weight. The store is a Baltic off-shoot of a Welsh company called Abakhan, quite why they have branches out here I have no idea, but I am certainly not complaining. Naturally a trip to the supermarket frequently (nearly always!) includes a quick tour of Abakhan too, and yesterday I was delighted to spy this in the Cottons bin.

Needless to say I snapped it up! As I pay by weight I had to wait until I got home to find that I had purchased just under 2 metres of fabric for approx £5.50/$8.5 and no postage to pay! I am working on the basis that if I buy quilting cotton often enough it will encourage them to stock more, I am not too sure that my husband is too happy with this strategy :) Still, Christmas fabric will never go to waste (well that is what I tell myself anyway!)

Being new to blogging, I was delighted to find Lily's Quilts Small Blog Meet here to help new bloggers meet other bloggers and get to know them so I am off to sign up there now, perhaps I'll meet you there!