Make Do & Mend Quilts

Planes, Trains and Wagon-mobiles

2010-07-11T12:42:00.004+01:00

Life kind of speeds up at the end of term don't you think? So much packed into the last two weeks, but the delicious promise of holiday and lazy time at the end of it all makes it bearable. This end of term is marked by lots of comings and goings all around me, hubbie on endless business trips, a much anticipated visit from an old overseas friend...and the excitement this weekend of new shiny wheels to take on our family holiday.

We took delivery of a shiny red wagon to transport the kids and the many bags of stuff that they always have in tow from our holiday caravan up over the dunes to the beach. We have coveted a wagon like this for 4 years, watching others wheel easily over the sand, kids smiling and laughing as we trudged through the shimmering heat with bags over the shoulders and a kid tucked under each armpit yelling!!( them and us!)

The shiny, red 1950's ness of our wagon inspired me to dig out a WIP that never really got off of the ground. It started as a boyish homage to Lucienne Day's style, but something just never clicked when it was made up on the linen background. I took it to bits, reassembled it on a fabulous blue Kona Chambray that just calls out to be bedlinen. I also have acquired a rustier red solid in the intervening weeks and months so mixed that in with the bright red I began with.

Now it's really working, It's funny how just a few tweaks can make it all OK. I have another sunny afternoon of applique planned today!

Life in Soft Focus

2010-07-05T14:17:00.003+01:00

There's something about a prolonged period of heat and haze that can start to blur the edges of life a little. If I had to live a film-life it would be a Merchant Ivory kind of Edwardian life, all crisp white cotton summer dresses and gin and tonic on the veranda of a Thames side villa whilst bees lazily drift by amongst the roses ....................ummmmmmmmmmm.

But the last few weeks of lovely warm lazy days, and the promise of the summer stretching ahead is giving me something of the merchant ivories. In the vase on my kitchen table is a flower that sums up this feeling exactly, the peony. I love them, unashamedly pretty, only just the right side of vulgar pretty, lazy hazy unashamedly pink.

This weekend I have been working on an unashamedly pretty pink baby quilt for a much anticipated baby due this summer. It's been the perfect project for the weather.

The fabric stripes are Kona Snow, Kona Ash, a selection of Sevenberry florals and spots ( such lovely cottons) and the elephant and mouse print is from pygletwhispers on etsy.

New New New!!!

2010-06-30T14:51:00.000+01:00

This week the postman has been knocking at least once a day with my favourite USPS envelopes in hand!

I have had a bit of a re stash in readiness for a summer of full-on creative fun. So far my summer sewing plans include; Laurie Wisbrun's Tufted Tweets

Heather Ross' Far Far Away II (where is the rest of my fabric from this line Mr Postman? Am starting to worry!)

Cosmo Crickets Early Bird ( you really did have to be an early bird for this on the Hawthorne Threads site, it was sold out in a flash!)

A fantastic Wine Gums inspired collection of colour

I have lots of swirling ideas for each of these little bundles of promise. I find that the 15mins-each-way, twice-a-day walk to school is the perfect time for cogitation, quiet baby in the buggy watching the world go by, sun shining and mind whirling, anyway off I go to school again, just 3 more weeks of idea generation before the summer holidays begin!

Do you Have Plans for the Summer?

2010-06-29T12:56:00.003+01:00

It's that time of the year, the 'do you have plans for the summer?' conversation crops up a lot. The sun is shining, we're all counting down to the end of term, sports days and village fetes and holidays to pack for.

I have a lot of non-plans for the summer, I don't want 'playdates' and organised clubs, I don't want the kids to have to do anything at all. I love non-plans, I love the promise of the day stretching ahead where there's really nothing much that needs to be done, perhaps a little baking, a potter in the garden, maybe we'll scooter down to the park, feed the ducks, take a walk in the woods. But mostly we will potter, pootle, muddle about, make dens, play games, do projects like last years epic 'make a working cable car from the top of the slide to the football net for the playmobile people'.

....and whilst the kids have their fun, mummy has some quilty pleasures planned of her own. Three quilts all based and ready to hand stitch lazily whilst dallying in a deckchair

The handsewn-hexagon project rumbles on.....

And a lot of very exciting new fabric to turn into quilts over the summer, which I will show you tomorrow.......yummy!

I'm a Little Folks Winner! Yipeee!

2010-06-26T10:34:00.000+01:00

Look what the postman bought me today, unexpected mail is the most fantastic isn't it?! A delicious parcel of ready cut Little Folks squares that I won in a giveaway on the Izzy Inspired Blog last week. I was SO happy to win this. I don't know why, but it took me ages to fold and buy my first stash of Little Folks. I think I was a bit intimidated by the Voile and the gloriously clashy colours (and the price). But when I did buy some I ADORED it. I made this quilt, and some scarves, and then it was gone! I decided I need to re stash ( I have learnt to lay down like good wine my favourite fabrics, I am a Flea Market Fancy veteran with sadly empty shelves of the coveted prints!). I entered this giveaway and I won! It's like Izzy knew just how much I loved it and how I still had other Little Folks quilts inside that needed to come out. I think I will do a Film in the Fridge inspired one with these..........but if I use them I'll be without again.......Thank you Izzy Inspired!

In Praise of Hex's and Handsewing

2010-06-24T13:10:00.000+01:00

I have been away from home and my sewing machine a lot over the last few weeks as I have been travelling backwards and forwards across the country visiting my Dad in hospital and my Mum alone at home without him. It's been a pretty upsetting and unsettling few weeks. In the past when people ask me where I find the time to make quilts, I laughingly tell them it keeps me sane. When life is a bit uphill, sewing really does do that for me, it's critical. On another long journey in the car I got to wondering why.

My project of choice has been hand sewing these gorgeous curved hexagon blocks ( they're missing the final bits that makes them hexagonal at the moment!), carrying the pieces pre cut with me, in my little sewing pouch, stitching, stitching whenever I get 5 mins, whenever it all feels a bit overwhelming, when the anxiety starts to creep in, when my mind starts to worry and whirl. The comfort of hand stitching, the rhythmic, unthinking repetition is so soothing. The small thrill in seeing a block come to life through your stitches, just a small happy moment in a lot of dark worry and stress. The joy of making something by hand is elemental. Before I made things I didn't feel a lack of it, now I make, I can't live without it.

There is also something so timeless about stitching, generations of women have found this same solace in quiet, unobtrusive stitching, slowly making objects full of love and thought and contemplation. My Dad is finally on the mend and normal life can start to take over again. Thank you Quilting for sustaning me.

p.s These stars will eventually be hexagonal. I made them using a cutting template from here, cut with a 28mm rotary blade and sewn by hand, it's a great traveling project if you're planning a holiday (more fun than a hospital visit!)

Come On England!

2010-06-23T19:28:00.004+01:00

My boys are big,huge, football fans, huge. My Little Man said he wanted England bunting. Being a bit picky on the nylon front I couldn't bring myself to buy the flimsy nasty stuff at the petrol station for a tenner. I figured I'd make some. Little Man loved it, but Big Man said it was a bit 'Cath Kidston Football Bunting'. I don't think thats a good thing if you like your football, but heh, I took it as a compliment and I can just about bear it up in my sitting room for the next few weeks! Come on England!

Little Town Quilt Top - Construction Complete!

2010-06-21T12:21:00.004+01:00

I have had such fun making this quilt. It's often the way that the projects that have had the least analysis ( and so are invested of the least expectation) are the most fun to work on. You may remember that I started this quilt top when I had an earache in the half term holidays. I started piecing houses just using my rotary cutter, a pile of solids and a needle and thread. As I have added to my little town each little house has become a character in it's own right. My kids like to 'work out' which house in our village its based on as we walk to school and the local shop! I have included our much loved but sadly outgrown old house, a tall thin Victorian villa, and our new house, an initially unloved but now transformed 1950's self confident sturdy kind of a place, I also included my sons dream house, a wigwam; and my daughters, a thatched cottage or a toadstool fairy ring;I'm totally in love with this quilt. But I now have to decide how to back and bind, but most importantly how to quilt it. I am completely at a loss as the original had the most exquisite teeny tiny detailed but machine quilted stitches in little shapes to match the houses as if as a shadow in the white areas. I am a dedicated hand quilter, but the density of stitching needed to recreate that kind of an effect would take me a year or more! I am considering branching out for the first time and paying someone to machine quilt it for me...what do you think?

Construction

2010-06-14T13:35:00.004+01:00

My little town is gradually growing, but more slowly than I would like. Construction has been rather an unwelcome theme in my family this month. My poor dad has suffered cement burns whilst doing some construction and so life is a bit upside down at the moment and blogging is down the list, even if some therapeutic hospital bedside sewing is getting done. Cement burns are poorly publicised, but so dangerous. Anyone coming into contact with wet cement can have an alkali necrosis of the skin ( it basically eats away, taking the moisture from within the tissue). What is so hideous is that you don't always realise it is happening until its too late. So concrete, unnoticed, splashing down a boot, or seeping through the knees of work trousers is so easily done, do warn anyone who might be planning a bit of DIY that this can happen. Hopefully dad is on the mend, I'm finding sewing houses better for the physical and mental health than building them, I may suggest it to him too!

The House(s) That Deb Built

2010-06-09T12:45:00.006+01:00

I have a bit of a blogjam of things to show you after last weeks blogless state. I need to catch you up on my Broken Circles quilt progress (or non progress! more on that one to come!). I want to show you the gorgeous Little Folks Scarf I made for myself last week, and the Mini version Little Miss MakeDo made for herself too. But today I thought I would show you how I spent the three long days last week with earache.

You know the state : too-ill-to-do-anything-but-not-so-ill-it-doesn't-seem-wrong-to-sit-on-the-sofa-without-a-project-kind of poorly. So I needed something not too taxing. I saw this quilt last year at the Festival of Quilts at the Birmingham NEC and I have had a little blurry picture of it on my pinboard for a year. I just loved this quilt when I saw it, isn't it wonderful? It was only when I looked back at this picture properly last week I realised I had done the same binding on my ColourWheel Quilt, isn't subconscious influence fascinating? Ingrid Press who made it is elusive in the online world so I can't tell you much more about her work I'm afraid, but her quilts were sublime. Really elegant and so controlled.

I have a pile of solids that I have been amassing for ages with the half formed plan to do something modern but Amish (yes I know that plan obviously needs more work and less contradictions!), but it occurred to me that the colours would look great for my houses.

I loved making these blocks. I free pieced each little house with a rough guide to making the centre house bit approx 4inches by 4inches to sit within a final 12inch square block ( I'm still not sure about the too much white/not enough white balance on my version of this quilt. I'm not sure I have Ingrids minimalist discipline when it comes to colour). Anyone planning a holiday over the summer, this would be the perfect portable project, all you need are a few scraps of fabric, needle, thread and cutter and the hours just slide by in childlike concentration. It really is the sewing-mummy equivalent to drawing towns and colouring them in.........something the kids enjoyed whilst I sewed, hot water bottle tied to my ear by my LittleFolks scarf (picture the scene!)

The American Museum in Bath

2010-06-07T09:41:00.004+01:00

Well I have been rather absent due to an unfortunately combination of earaches and other family health dramas. But as an attempt to claw back some rest and recreation in our half term week we set off to the ancient spa town of Bath to take the waters.

If you've visited Bath before you will agree that it is just the most wonderful town. It's just elegance incarnate. Every perfectly designed regency house built in soft warm yellow sandstone with its elaborate but restrained wrought iron balconies and window boxes, is a joy to behold. Bath makes you feel like the rest of us really need to make a bit more effort, but in a nice polite way. And that's before you factor in the Roman Baths, the wonderful River Avon winding through the countryside to be crossed by the beautiful and very un-English Poultney Bridge. It fair makes one want to be holding a fashionable parasol and wearing kid leather gloves as one wanders about!

Our health was much restored, and Bath was wonderful, but the highlight of our trip was a day at the American Museum. This gem of a museum is housed in a former stately home Claverton Manor, set high up in the hills looking down over the most breathtakingly unspoilt valley. The museum is a great day out for kids and adults alike. We knew we were on to a winner as my daughters face lit up at the wagon parked outside (she is a HUGE house on the Prairie fan). Inside the museum we enjoyed visiting an authentic Saloon bar, a Quaker house, a southern belles bedroom, each room set furnished with antiques of the period down to the tiniest details. My kids were enthralled and they are not always that big into museums(!). There were cowboy hats and belts to try on, Pilgrim father hats, and an amazing installation where you could design a quilt by touch screen whereby it was projected across the room (cue two of my children trying to cover themselves (virtually) in the quilt designed by the third!).

The highlight for me is up in the large light filled studio on the top floor where some of the museums collection of antique quilts are displayed, and rotated. I visited the V&A Quilts 1700-2010 exhibition earlier in the spring, which i loved. But I absolutely adored the American Museum collection. Sitting in a sunlit bay window seat, in a beautiful room, looking at amazing quilts, it was an afternoon of bliss! The quilts are displayed in large frames, you can get so close and really study how they are made which is so nice to be able to do. You aren't allowed to take photographs so I have no pics to show you, but I bought the guide book i would really recommend it even if you can't visit the museum as it is such a great read. It takes each quilt and talks extensively about the methods of its construction etc, but more than that it tells you how it came to be in the museum. I just love hearing the stories of how these quilts came to be found.

So home we came, back to school and work, much restored and full of ideas! I hope you had a nice holiday week or weekend too.

One Womans Trash is another Womans Treasure

2010-05-29T19:30:00.005+01:00

This week one of my favourite things happened. A friend knocked on my door with a plastic carrier bag saying an elderly friend of her mums was having a clear out and she had heard I was an avid quilter, and would I like her old scrap bag? My friend apologised, said it's probably not what you want/need, feel free to throw it/recycle it if it's no good, etc etc. Yippeeee! My heart jumped a beat, because there is nothing I enjoy the expectation of more (except perhaps a rummage in a charity shop in a well heeled market town) than the donated scrap bag. I always have to wrestle it off of the usually awkward donor ( people feel like they are offering you literal scraps I think).

Within minutes I had the bag upturned on the floor in My Front Room, and after a hasty edit of the inevitable polyester bits and bobs, it yielded this impressive stash! Isn't it yum?

I can't decide which fabric I love the most, but it's between the bright blue with red and yellow flowers in the blue pile and the gorgeous primary group in the first piccie, so 1950's that colour combo? Which do you like best?

WIP Broken Circles Quilt

2010-05-28T11:51:00.004+01:00

Top of my things to do list are to piece the backs for my Little Folks Dot in the Middle and English Skies/Irish Chain quilt. But I'm afraid, try as I might, I can't muster the self discipline to make my quilts in the linear start-finish manner that so many other quilt bloggers seem to manage! In the system that is 'idea-experiment-piece-baste-quilt-bind' I always have a log-jam at one point, usually the baste/quilt bit. I just cleared a hand quilting log jam, but seem to be building up another, the problem is that a new idea is just so compelling I have to give in to its demands!

I have wanted to make a broken circles quilt for ages, but yesterday I just started drawing around plates on a cardboard cereal packet as a template to see where it ended up. I have a pile of Freshcut fabrics that I had been planning to make a Quilt Kit from but after a change of plan I decided they would make a lovely Broken Circle quilt.

At the moment my kitchen table is covered in the pile of fabrics you can see above. The beauty of this pattern is that it creates interesting secondary patterns so I am having lots of fun playing with Kona Solids, I wish I had a design wall.

p.s Pixelated Fabric Squares

2010-05-26T12:25:00.005+01:00

P.s ...........Thankyou all so much for your lovely comments about my Pixelated Quilt. I love Bloggers Quilt Festival, everyone is so nice!

When I cut the fabric for this quilt I cut a batch more extra squares, some went to good homes in the giveaway last week, but I have 5 piles left. They are 4"x4" squares of at least 24 fabrics that make up a colourwheel. They include Denyse Schmidt, Liberty for Quilts 1700-2010, Amy Butler, Jessica Levitt and many more.

It's not all of the fabrics in my quilt as some were proper little scraps out of the bucket so there was no extra to cut, but they do still make up a wheel as no colour areas are missed out.

So many people have commented that its hard to make a spectrum colour wheel, and hard to make a whole wheel from your stash. If anyone is interested I've listed the 5 colourwheel bundles on my etsy site so you could make your own version and add from your stash too, I'd love to see what becomes of them!

p.ps I have had a couple of questions about the background for my pixelated quilt. It is Kona Ash and I do also have a bolt of that in stock so if you wanted the fabric for teh quilt back too just drop me a message and I can add it to the listing as I currently sell Kona Cottons on Folksy

Bloggers Quilt Festival - Pixelated Quilt

2010-05-24T17:57:00.005+01:00

Here is my Bloggers Quilt Festival entry. I'm calling it Pixelated.

It's my latest quilt so of course it's my favourite, I have that goldfish approach to what I like.
My inspiration was the PurlSoho colour wheel which I have had pinned to my ideas board forever, but it just looked a bit overwhelming to try and make. I had a breakthrough when one of my kids came into the sewing room and started making a puzzle, its a wooden colour wheel puzzle from potterybarn originally I think. I started throwing down matching fabric from the stash that matched the puzzle and it really was that simple once I started.

I'm kind of obsessed with circles on quilts, so it was a simple decision to make the pixels of colour circular( I use freezer paper shapes drawn around a kids ikea beaker) and appliqued them on by hand. All of that colour just made me happy working on the quilt - you get some quilts like that don't you? Well when I had finished the front I hadn't had enough of that colour therapy so I decided to use the scraps to make little circles for the back. The front was so ordered and controlled I decided to let the pixels have some fun on the back so I just threw the whole lot up into the air and pinned them where they landed (my kids just loved this stage!). I hand quilted the circles, then added randomised little circles all over to fill any big gaps.When it came to the binding, I auditioned pale grey, and white, but the old favourite Kona Coal worked really nicely as a frame, and served to mute down the splashes of colour in my final scraps incorporated into the binding. By this stage I had even less scraps from the spectrum, but I like how its served to make it all nice and random. This has really been a happy quilt to make, I hope you like it x

Mad Dogs and English (Wo)Men

2010-05-24T09:49:00.003+01:00

.........go out in the midday sun.

The sun is shining here, not just shining but 27degreeing, proper paddling pool hot! Yippee. It's true that a bit of guaranteed sunshine and a BBQ that won't be rained off is enough to turn most englishpeeps a bit skippyyippeemad.

As a consequence I have been doing a lot of this............

And not much sewing. But last week, inspired by this picture at stashmanicure, I decided to hit the stash and make an Irish chain quilt from its and bits. I cheated a little bit and strip pieced the squares then rotary cut them, but i think there is enough variation even though usually i like it to be truly random. I used this really soft palate of old fashioned pinks and blues and yellows that I had made into a pile last week for my colour confidence post . I started making it, planning it would be againist a white centre, but i suddenly decided to go grey ( Kona Ash as usual), which I am so regretting now. I usually love the grey combo but it's all looking a bit too muted? I added the white spots to give it a bit of zing. I'm hoping that it's just because the sun is so bright and when the usual grey English light comes back it will look all sophisticated and calming? It seems when the sun shines I'm wanting to make an in yer face flamingo pink and azure blue Rio inspired tropical quilt, maybe that's this weeks challenge?!

Hunting for Kona in the English Countryside

2010-05-19T19:52:00.000+01:00

As I merrily blathered on to a non-quilty friend recently about the scarcity of Kona in these parts of the English countryside she remarked ' is a kona an animal?' oops, I do forget sometimes that everyone doesn't live in quiltyland. But that said, it's a serious point - it really is very hard to get hold of decent solid cottons in colours you want to use here in the UK if you're serious about making your quilts modern. And everyone knows that quality cotton in modern shades means one thing - Kona Cottons. For two years I was a regular Hancocks of Padducah girl (In Kentucky USA, very cheap Kona solids in every colour.) But there are only so many times you can hand over £15+ to the postman in order to bust your package out of customs and excise gaol and still feel like you are getting a bargain ( £50 of fabric could end up costing +£30 more to ship and tax). So last month I decided it was time to start buying wholesale in Europe by the bolt.

I am now the proud owner of a bolt-stash (is that a term?) of Kona solids (from the left Essex Linen in Natural, Kona Cotton in Pale Flesh, Kona in Snow, Kona in Ash, Kona in Charcoal, Chambray Cotton in Pale Blue, Kona in Dresden Blue, Kona in Zucchini and Kona in Artichoke). These are my most favourite Kona solids, I love them.
Weirdly, just as I took delivery of my new stash I started getting questions from my lovely customers who are often fledgling quilters, starting out on their first quilt after a Make Do & Mend Kit had shown them the ropes, asking about where to buy solid fabrics. Turns out that I am not the only forlorn hunter of the elusive Kona in these shores!

As my raison d'etre when it comes to quilting is to get as many people as possible doing it ( so I don't have the whole kona/animal chat too often!) I figured maybe I should start sharing my stash and selling Kona cottons to other frustrated British quilters.

I am listing these colours over on my folksy site. It's just a little bolt-stash at the moment cos it's stuff I like and use. But heh, I'm open minded and keen to try new things, if you have a fav colour that I haven't tried, drop me a mail and maybe I'll get a bolt of that in too, I'm excited to find out what others are using!

Colour Confidence in Quilting

2010-05-18T12:40:00.002+01:00

I wanted to write a post about colour for my MakeClub Bee-ers and Online Bee'ers alike, as it's the area in quilting that holds the most fear for the most people. It is the big stumbling block that stops so many people taking that leap from the big group of people who have 'always wanted to make a quilt' into those who do make quilts and LOVE IT! Why stand on the yearning wishing side for another minute when you could be having so much fun actually doing it over this side???

There is such a mythology around 'being good at colour'. I hear so often the following; 'I'm no good at choosing colours, i don't know what 'goes', what if i choose the 'wrong' colours?'

You really shouldn't waste time worrying about it because;

1. You are good at choosing colours!

2. You can't go wrong

3. If you're nervous, cheat and copy, it's legitimately called inspiration!

You see, I think that everyone has a built in colour guide, but it's set to their own frequency. We all have that 'eeww' moment when we feel that something doesn't 'go'. Its the same impulse that makes us like the taste of some things and not of others. We don't agonise and doubt our food taste so why our visual taste? As long as you're not going eeeww at your own quilt then that's all that matters!

My top tips:
1. Go with what you know you like for your first quilt. Pick colours that you feel comfortable with and you genuinely like, it will make the process less fraught with self doubt.

2. If you still don't know what you like, then look about your home and pick out items you like and use them as a colour guide. Use clothes, cushions, pictures, wherever you find pattern and colour that you like. I like to use skirts; Kids storybooks are a really rich source of colour combostea towels are an unexpected source of good colours too!

3. Go to a good greetings card shop and buy a card that you love. Then pick apart the colours and match your fabrics to them. Here is a card I like and here is a colour scheme matched to it, see how it works? Simple? 4. Lastly the selvage cheat. If you find a fabric you love that has lots of colours within in, then look at the selvage at the side. Each of those little dots is giving you a clue to what colours will look great with your print. If you take the little spots to your fabric store and just match the dots you will have a beautiful quilt! I promise it really can be that easy.

So if you are planning on making your first quilt, or following our Newbie Quilters Bee Along start choosing some fabrics and dreaming about that first quilt colour combo with confidence!

And The ColourWheel Winner Is......

2010-05-16T18:08:00.005+01:00

This was my first giveaway and it did cause much excitement in the Make Do & Mend household, thankyou all for entering!

A suitable hat had to be found ( floppy and floral was the only thing that would do)

There was a short scuffle about who did the choosing, but after negotiations and an agreed Little People Coalition we are pleased to announce the winners are ( yes winnerS, I decided that if you are cutting one set of rainbow squares you might as well cut 3, so three lucky winners!)e mail me at debs@makedoandmendquilts.co.uk with your addresses and your little rainbow squares will be winging their way (through the volcanic ash clouds?!) Well Done!

Disorderly ColourWheel

2010-05-14T16:56:00.005+01:00

I wanted to show you the back of my colour wheel quilt (excuse the raggedy batting and basting stitches, it's waiting its turn to be quilted!) It seems you can have just as much fun chucking the colours up in the air and seeing where they land............hummm..........does that mean every colour goes with everything?

It's not too late to enter my colour wheel fabrics giveaway, just add your comment to the post before this one and/or join as a follower, we will draw a winner on Sunday, good luck xx

Blogcentenary Colour Wheel GiveAway!!

2010-05-12T11:30:00.000+01:00

It's my Happy One Hundredth Blog Post! How time flies. Last summer my first blog post was a very self conscious affair. I'm very English you see, not keen on being a show off, I was worried it was a bit 'look at me'-ish? But quilt blogging has opened up an amazing world of shared inspiration, supportive encouragement and lots of fun. I have loved watching the weather change in the backgrounds of fellow bloggers shots in both hemispheres ( yep, that English weather obsession). I have loved hearing the stories behind quilts, loved watching ideas and quilt crazes spread, watching quilts grow. You see at it's nub, my obsession with quilting is based on a love of the meanings sewn into each and every quilt. Quilts are a unique item, they are incredibly durable so they carry their stories sometimes opaquely through the generations. They hide mysteries and they celebrate love, and families, and bonds. Every quilt is a story from the inspiration behind the colours, the meanings within the patterns chosen, the fabrics each tell their own story, and so history is woven as a quilt is passed and gifted through families and friends. I Love Quilts.
Thank you for sharing your stories.

To celebrate my Blogcentenary, and as a thankyou to you all, I am giving away a second set of my colour wheel fabrics to make your own colour wheel quilt, please leave a comment and join as a follower, it would be lovely to see you all! The fabrics are 4" squares. They are cut from my stash and include Amy Butler, Denyse Schmidt, Moma, Tanya Wheelan, Liberty for Quilts 1700-2010 and Jessica Levitt Timber. For the circle size I drew around an Ikea kids plastic beaker ( a pretty universal template?), but any mug or glass that fits inside a 4" square will do. Of course you could use the squares for a squarer design too, I just happen to love circles. I hand appliqued the circles to the backing ( Kona Cotton Ash) using freezer paper templates. (p.s If you win and you want proper instructions do ask!)

I will draw a winner on Sunday, and will send the fabrics internationally so please enter for a chance to win. My Small People have asked to draw the winner from a hat ( so proper and more ceremonial than a random generator, don't you think?). To enter leave a message and join as a follower (if you do both that's two chances to win!). Good Luck!

Hope Valley Baskets Ta Dah

2010-05-10T13:16:00.005+01:00

Wet weekends = antsy kids, very green lawn, muddy boots, and lots of time for stitching bindings.

But the sun came out today so I got to take some pics( spot the ladybird?).

Hope Valley Baskets had the big Hand-Quilting-Push last week ( I am on a one-a-week mission now having completed, this, this and now this one in consecutive weeks!).

I used the rainy weather and a stinking cold to hunker down and get the binding finished. I just love these fabrics and this quilt.

I feel sort of greedy about these fabrics, I might have to make a second quilt in another design in the same fabrics!

Quilting Bee - Preparing your Bits and Bobs

2010-05-08T09:00:00.004+01:00

Hello!

I got a bit waylaid by a tele marathon yesterday as our election results played out so - a day late - here is Installment One of our MakeClub Quilting Bee.

Now first things first, you need to go and get a cup of tea and a slice of cake, or at least a choccie biscuit or somesuch as MakeClub is very fond of getting the background conditions right before strenuous crafting begins!

This Bee is a little program I am putting together for my Club, but as I know many of my readers are new or almost quilters, I thought I'd share my instructions here too if you would like to join us too?

The most important thing that I wanted to show my MakeClub Bee-ers is that quilting need not be complicated, or fiddly, or any kind of stress. It can be done with the bare minimum of equipment ( needle, cotton, scraps) and with basic skills (sew in a straightish line? you're in!)., you don't need lots of space or lots of time. This is a craft that has its roots in poverty and hardship, done by women in the cracks of time and space in their lives, built around cramped living conditions and labour intensive lives. If women could make beautiful quilts in wagons on the American prairie, or in squalid dark miners cottages in County Durham or Wales, then I'm pretty sure we'll all manage! In a very busy and complicated age, quilting offers a simple pleasure.

Now having said that I am now going to write a bossy list!

We will make 9 blocks (12" x 12") over 5 or so months which can be made up into a quilt approx 1m20cm x 1m20cm (47" x 47").

Each month the block that we make will introduce a new skill so that by the end of the 5 months although you will have made 9 blocks, you could confidently make hundreds of others , the principles are transferable.

This quilt can be made completely by hand, and you don't need lots of whizzy equipment.

To participate you need 8 - 14 different, but co-ordinating cotton fabrics to make approx 2.5m in total and approx 1m of a neutral background fabric that works with all of your choices. This may or may not be a plain solid colour, but should definitely work as a background for your other colour choices. These amounts are approximate, you will cut your cloth to suit your means as you go along, but you should have more than enough with these amounts.

You will also need a neutral cotton thread to match your colour choices, sewing needles (longer and thinner is better but just make do with whatever you have to hand, its not at all critical).

If you have a rotary cutter and mat it will make things quicker, but it's not critical, a little pair of sharp scissors will do just as well.

Next week I will talk about fabric choices. It's one the most scary bits of making a quilt when you start out, I know that the fear of making a 'wrong' decision was enough to stop me making my first quilt for months! I promise my Painting By Numbers approach will take the fear away!

Hung Parliament

2010-05-07T09:59:00.004+01:00

Whatever your political colours today I expect you're as glued to the TV as me here in the UK. The outcome of our general election - a hung Parliament, an impasse, the unprecedented possibility of a coalition of the two parties that have done the worst on the night, as no one has failed to gain a majority of the British vote. Outside our little national bubble the Greeks are rioting, wall street lost 10% of it's value yesterday we need some form of stability and we've got lots more uncertainty, but then that's democracy for you, we've all had our say. I've settled in for the day with a heap of applique hand sewing and the TV on as we sail into uncharted waters. We sure don't live in boring times.

MakeClub Bee

2010-05-06T11:45:00.004+01:00

Last night was my MakeClub meeting. You may remember that MakeClub is my lovely local group of mums from school who cooked up the idea for a group last summer at a rainswept sports day (wishing we were somewhere warm and knitting!). Since then we have learnt to knit, crochet, quilt, embroider etc etc together, encouraging each other, making lots of lovely friends along the way. I love MakeClub. Its food for the soul.

Last night we kicked off a Quilting Bee. We are going back to basics and making a modern take on a sampler quilt. Making the same block together each month, but in our own fabric palettes. Each block will demonstrate a new skill, so that by the end of 9 blocks you could tackle pretty much any other block with confidence. We all plan to make 10 blocks each then make the orphan blocks into a charity quilt. I am so excited about it all. There is so much energy and enthusiasm about learning a new skill, and my favourite thing is helping people to make their first quilt. They are always hooked!

I know that lots of my blog readers are teetering on the brink of making their first quilt. I thought I would open up our Bee online, so if you would like to quilt along with us month by month I will post the block instructions online as we make them. If you would like to join us, this month you need to get your fabrics planned. I will post tomorrow with the info on what you need to have in order to join in. Happy Quilting!

Confessions of a Colour Addict

2010-05-05T11:01:00.005+01:00

Photo from purlbee.com
I'm supposed to be cleaning the house, making a bolognaise sauce, folding laundry etc etc. Before I'd even got my rubber gloves on I had got waylaid in My Front Room this morning. I always love love love the PurlSoho colour wheel quilt.I have this picture on my pin board. I decided to try out my stash to see if i had a colour wheel of my own...... It was so much fun.

Anyway, back to the cleaning.............boo!

Baby Buttons Big Bed Quilt Ta Dah!

2010-05-04T11:49:00.004+01:00

I have loved this quilt ever since I first started sewing the blocks. I fell in love with this quilt and wanted my own! It was pretty quick to put together the quilt top but I have been held up finishing by my hand quilting log jam. Last week I really put my mind to it and so here is Baby Buttons Big Bed Quilt finished and really for my smallest girls big bed ( probably a bit early for that yet so it has a nice home over the back of the nursing chair in her little bedroom until then)

If you wanted to make a similar quilt I used Heather Ross fabric remnents from etsy here and here. I really only had less than a yard in total but lots of little bits and pieces ( its the only way it comes these days). Or you could visit spoonflower where Heather has started reprinting some of her designs and buy new. I pieced 6.5inch, 4.5 inch and 2.5 inch squares out of co-ordinating scraps and pieced them any which way to get to the 12 inch by 8inch blocks. The sashing is Kona Cotton Snow.

More Little Folks Dot In The Middle Quilt

2010-04-28T12:05:00.007+01:00

As promised here are some more Little Folks Dot In The Middle quilt pics after my blogger frustrations yesterday.

I dithered for quite a long time before I took the plunge and bought some Little Folks. I don't know what held me back. I guess I'm a bit cautious of so much pattern and colour in each fabric, it can be a bit overwhelming if you want to make a quilt I find. But I kept seeing quilts I loved made in Little Folks, here and here.

In the end I decided to go for fat quarters and have a play. As soon as the fabrics came I was in love. They feel sooooo lovely. But I could see straight away that i) any pattern had to have big pieces to make the most of the patterns within the fabrics ii)I needed something to tone down the exuberance a bit ( I'm so English and reserved, I know it!).

After my Hope Valley Baskets success, using a traditional block pattern, tempering colours with a grey, I decided to take the same approach. I used an album block (often used in the past for quilts where the participants would add their names, for charity quilts, or as a parting gift to a member of the community moving away etc). The blocks came together really quickly ( they are 12' x12') but when I laid them out I felt like the middle of the block was just too bare! It's well known that I can seldom make a quilt without circles, so I started with a large circle applique based on drawing around a cup. I strip pieced a square of fabric using the 4 fabrics in the block and then using freezer paper made a circle. But it looked too big. I decided to downscale dramatically, made a dot, based on drawing around a cotton reel ( YLI cotton quilting thread) and ironed over two fabrics pieced together so I had a little half and half dot. Then I appliqued them on. I counted the colours wrongly and ended up with an extra blue. Rather than fiddle about again I decided to adopt the 'humility block' approach and popped the little blue button in the yellow block.

I think I love it! Now I have to plan some quilting. I want to do something a bit more decorative than my normal style. I especially love how the quilting works on this quilt. I'm inspired by old quilts with their elaborate quilting patterns, so I'm off to do some research.

p.s Have you got your copy of Fat Quarterly yet? It's fab, do go and buy one here

Little Folks Dot In The Middle Quilt

2010-04-27T12:51:00.004+01:00

Ta da! My Little Folks Dot In The Middle Quilt top is finished and ready to quilt. I just realised that this poor quilt has been a bit un-blogged as it's been going on in the background to my hard slog hand quilting regime that I have put myself on! Every now and again though the spirit has rebelled and I have had a little clandestine sew of this... It's Anna Maria Horner Little Folks Voiles, using a traditional album block with an untraditional dot in the middle. More pics tomorrow when blogger will hopefully play nicely:(

My First Quilt - As Snug as a Bear in a Pram

2010-04-26T14:12:00.004+01:00

The biggest of my Smalls is now officially a quilter having just finished her first quilt, aged 6.

I'm so proud of her, isn't it lovely? Scraps she painstakingly selected from the scrap bin, rotary cut by me, sewn together by hand by her, quilted by her in perle cotton in a big flower designed by her, bound by me. Loved by Mr Bear. She asked me how old I was when I finished my first quilt, I told her 21 (ahem!), she looked at me ( slightly pitying) and said 'well mummy I'll be able to do reeeeaaaaly hard quilts by the time I am 21 won't I?', ......i guess she will...

Good Things are Worth Waiting For

2010-04-23T21:31:00.007+01:00

In my last post I was having a small overwhelmed moan about how much hand quilting I had to do and how long it all took. I said I wanted to start machine quilting. You all said, but hand quilting is so lovely and special. And you are right. Next time I'm at that inevitable lose hope stage when hand quilting - it's a little past half way, but before the end is in sight - just refer me to this post won't you? You see I always forget just how fab it feels when the quilting is done and the binding is starting to smarten it all up, and the quilt's real potential shows itself. This afternoon I was sewing binding, in the garden, looking at all the long awaited bulbs starting to bloom, and thinking how Good Things are Worth Waiting For -I suppose that's what makes them so good.

If anyone fancies making a quilt like this, I used the Creative Grids Circle in a Square ruler, and the fabrics are a mixture of Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Momo Wonderland and Oakshott Shot Cottons, the backing is Amy Butler Love and the binding is Oakshott. The circle ruler is so easy to use so don't be frightened of circles! I loved making it so much I am already building a little fabric pile for a primary colours circles quilt using the same ruler......

p.s I'm thinking I'd probably better check out those long arm quilters just in case!

Pile Up

2010-04-21T12:50:00.004+01:00

It's official. I need to either get faster at hand quilting, get slower at top piecing, or learn to machine quilt. I have three basted quilts in progress of being hand quilted ( that's just three current ones, there are at least 4 or 5 shamefully skulking in the chest in the Front Room), and another two tops nearing completion......aggghhhh. It's time to get over the machine quilting fear or find a long arm quilter here in the UK - any recommendations?

Interruptions from Eruptions

2010-04-20T12:13:00.005+01:00

Normal blogging service now resumed after a bit of an interruption caused by the volcanic eruptions resulted in me being a single parent for a week as poor hubby battled to get home form Europe along with millions of others. As such, time for blogging luxuries were in short supply as three kiddies had to be single handedly herded and tended for several days. We filled the time with a bit of baking. I am always a fan of the kids cake decorations ( see here for my favourite) but this cake has shot to the top of the chart. They told me it's called 'Iceland without a Volcano'. Love them.

Anyway, the poor FrontRoom has been sadly unvisited, but a little bit of progress is that the Little Folks quilt blocks are starting to take shape. I am using an Album Block, but I'm having a wobble about leaving the big space in the middle empty. Whilst holding an empty mug waiting for the kettle to boil I wondered about a circle shape? Turns out my favourite cup of tea mug is just the right size, will have a play and see how it looks.......

Daisy Chain Days

2010-04-15T19:00:00.005+01:00

The sun has been shining and we've had nothing better to do than to enjoy the garden, make some daisy chains to decorate the blossoming fruit trees, read Jane Brocket's beautiful new book and dream of summer. Bliss.

I did make a start on cutting out my Little Folks quilt top. Am still dithering, but progress is being made, oh and another 6m of HubbaBubba quilting completed!

There's not much time in modern life where dreaming is prioritised, do you think unexpected sunny days in early spring exist solely to remind us that sometimes its best just to BE?

Enjoy the sun wherever you are x

Going Around the Bend

2010-04-14T09:02:00.006+01:00

The kids are still enjoying their Easter holidays and the sun has been shining so there has been lots of long days in the garden which is just heaven after the winter of snow and cold we have had. We have Nana here for the week too so the vegetable patch is getting licked into shape ready for summer.

So there hasn't been all that much new progress in MyFrontRoom sewing room. I am still going round in circles hand quilting HubbaBubba. It's looking fab, but its a surprisingly huge amount of quilting! I have measured out that each circle requires 1.5m of quilting to make up each spiral ( nerdy alert!) and I have 42 circles to quilt so 63 metres of continuous hand quilting round and round in circles, no wonder I'm going slightly around the bend!

I do have the indulgence of looking over at my new love, Little Folks fat quarter pile. At the moment I have about a hundred different ideas of what to do with them, but I suspect that the best thing would just be a straightforward patch quilt? They are just too pretty to cut into to have a play and see!

HubbaBubba HandQuilted

2010-04-08T11:43:00.005+01:00

HubbaBubba quilt has been pieced and basted and I started hand quilting it at the weekend. I decided to do spirals as a welcome break. I have been quilting away on BabyButtonsBigBedQuilt for a week where I have been dutifully outline quilting each little Heather Ross square. I love hand quilting but even I am finding it a little deadly. I usually favour big free form shapes for quilting, but the Heather Ross blocks are so detailed already I feared overdoing it.

Anyway, HubbaBubba is just whizzing along in a swirl of spirals. I had the perfect background in the stash, an Amy Butler Love purple fabric with circle flower motifs. I knew it was perfect as it seems even the circles line up on the back ( lucky co-incidence, but I will of course now claim it was planned!)

I am a huge hand quilting fan, I quilt all of my quilts by hand. There seems to be a bit of a resurgence in interest in hand quilting; this week alone I have been reading posts in praise of it here and here. It's fascinating to see how many different ways people approach it. Perhaps I'll find time for a little post on the subject soon as it's the quilting element of making a quilt that seems to be the stumbling block for so many people in starting a quilt. Anyway, it is the Easter holidays the sun is shining and dens are being made in the garden and mummy is required so don't hold you breath waiting for it!

Mid Century TV Quilt

2010-04-06T16:16:00.010+01:00

Image from DesignBoom.com

I have had this design called Provence by Lucienne Day pinned to my board for a couple of months. I love Lucienne's fabric designs, and several quilt designs inspired by the shapes found in her work have been on my 'quilts to make' list for a while now.

I have had a special commission from my LittleBoy to make him a new quilt. Now he is not the most sophisticated client. The brief was, red, cowboys, tv............hummmm.

Now I'm almost embarrassed to have called upon Lucienne as inspiration for such a brief, but I'm surprisingly happy with how it's working out (although I think there is another quilt in this vein within me still to be made!). Here is a work in progress......

It's Kaufman Essex Linen mix as the background which I am using for the first time and I am loving. LittleBoy thinks they are TV's so on each TV are Cath Kidston Cowboys, Kokka Planes and Echino Racing Cars, just what he likes to watch on TV! He's happy, I'm happy, it's all good.

Easter Bunny Fun

2010-04-03T11:16:00.003+01:00

My Little People are at home for Easter, so cue some Easter crafting fun! This tutorial for felt bunny finger puppets is from the purlbee and it so easy and so so cute. My biggest LilPeeps are 6 and 5 and they made them no probs, so check out the link, find a few bits and bobs of felt and some wool for a pompom tail and you're in business for a rainy afternoon of fun!

The instructions on purlbee are very comprehensive, but in a nutshell;

1. For each bunny, cut out two white felt shapes

2. And two brightly coloured bunny shapes

3. Then sew all 4 layers together, separating the ears when you get to them
4. Make a pompom for the tail and sew a little face.......! Ta Da, my little people's bunnies!

Happy Easter to you all xx

More Newness! Introducing BubbleWrap for Boys!

2010-03-31T14:56:00.009+01:00

Hummm, BubbleWrap for boys, someone should really invent it, there's a great idea in there somewhere as I look at my scruffy little sons scuffed knees and scabby elbows.............But anyway, if lifes bumps and knocks get too much for your little bruiser why not make them a BubbleWrap quilt to wrap up in?

You might remember this pile of fabrics way back when. Well here is my NEW quilt kit for Make Do & Mend Quilts. It's designed to be really straightforward to make, it's one of the quickest to throw together so totally trouble free if you're a nervous novice, but it's suitably big-boyish for the boldest of little boys. I hope you like it, it's on etsy and folksy now.

AlphaDots Quilt is Sew Hip!

2010-03-30T14:11:00.000+01:00

Ohh it's so exciting, one of my quilts is in a magazine.

This morning the postman nearly had his hand unceremoniously ripped off as I grabbed my copy of Sew Hip! in the mail and ran! And there it was, my little AlphaDots Quilt on page 26 of the May 2010 issue, looking all sunny and springlike blowing in the wind by the candy coloured beach huts at the seaside one lovely sunny day back in February! I've written the pattern for the magazine so if you would like to make one yourself get a copy!So if you'd like to, go buy a copy and make the pattern, its a great stash buster, or you can buy a full kit, available at http://www.makedoandmendquilts.co.uk/ or on etsy and folksy. In Sew Hip for May there are also some great articles on textile designers Sprout Design ( I love their fabrics!) and a review of a show of Henry Moores mid century textiles is really worth a look too. Enjoy!

The Rough and the Smooth

2010-03-26T12:31:00.007Z

This is a post about how sometimes it's really hard to make what's in your head. You see I worry that sometimes when you read a blog it can seem like it's all so effortless to churn out lovely quilts. I often get a fit of the insecurities watching other peoples wonderful creations. So I wanted to share with you a project that just isn't working out. Because, well it's important to not just blog your successes isn't it? We're all human after all!

So here we go.

hummm. Fabric I love ( Jessica Levitt Timber), an all time favourite pattern ( Dresden Plate). So why is this not working for me?

I started out thinking I wanted to go a bit art deco. I had in mind one of those fan art deco mirrors, d'you know the sort? So armed with my new dresden plate template ruler off i went boldly forth. hummm. I didn't like it.

So I thought, well make a dresden plate. I had seen dresden quarters done beautifully on different colour backgrounds, so I thought i'd have a go at that. hummm still not happy.

Sometimes you just have to walk away. Clear the old head. Work in daylight ( MAKES such a difference!). And come back another day. I know that there is a fantastic quilt in here somewhere, maybe next week i'll be able to winkle it out!

HubbaBubba Quilt

2010-03-24T12:27:00.006Z

I have been playing. Just playing. Not planning and drafting, or measuring or agonising. Playing.

I have been reading Gwen Marstons fantastic book Liberated Quiltmaking II. In a section called 'Quiltmaking as Play' she says "See this as 'playtime at the sewing machine.....I think your chances for doing something innovative improve when you just plunge ahead. Just start making something. Life is short. Do your own work, have a good time, and be nice to everybody...including yourself"

I love Gwen, I want to go around to her house on Beaver Island and have a nice big cup of tea and chat quilts. She sounds so lovely, don't you think?! Anyway, I have been doing quite a lot of slightly stressy sewing recently, you know the sort, for a deadline, worried about how it will be received, fun but not LOADS of fun, yeah? Well yesterday I walked into my sewing room, turned over the piece of paper with the list of Things To Do on it and just started messing about with colours from the stash.

I have a new toy, a corner to corner curve ruler, so i just started cutting into some fabrics just to have a go with it, well an hour later I am back in the room and look at these beauties. I am totally in love with this colour combo, it's so bubblegum, not at all my usual pink, but i seem to have loads in the stash, humm.

Anyway, turns out Gwennie is right, Quiltmaking as Play is fun and you make fab stuff you might have otherwise overlooked. Have a go!

Hope Valley Baskets

2010-03-21T21:09:00.005Z

Happy Quilting Day everyone! I have been showing the day the respect it deserves by getting some sewing done. You may remember Hope Valley Baskets when I started piecing it back at the start of the year? It has been a bit on the back burner as I have been working hard for the last month on the new Make Do & Mend Baby Quilt Kits ready to be unveiled on 1st April.

Inspired by my week looking at the quilts at the V&A exhibition, I found myself wanting to go back to something quite traditional. I love how this quilt is working out. As soon as I saw the Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley prints I knew I wanted to make something in keeping with the period, and settled upon the baskets pattern from Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!!. In the pattern the baskets are set on a white background, but somehow it looked too harsh. When I paired them with the grey it finally made colour sense to me. The quilt in the book has no border, but I loved the little jewel like scraps in the pile so I thought I would add just a sprinkling of colour by piecing an irregular border. The only problem is that I love this combo so much I'm not ready to let it go and am just starting to piece new blocks for the back! So much for getting something finished!

Learn To Make a Quilt

2010-03-19T09:45:00.009Z

Gosh, quilts are everywhere in the media this week thanks to the V&A Quilts 1700-2010 exhibition. It's one of the V&A's most prebooked exhibitions according to the London Evening Standard last night - go quilters!

I loved quilts even before I had ever made one. I loved the idea of them, a labour of love, the skill and patience, a personal history through little pieces of fabric.

But it's really daunting the thought of making one before you start isn't it? Quilt shops are few and far between here in the UK, and not always ever so modern if you like that kind of look. Books are great, but not always aimed at the TOTAL ABSOLUTE beginner I was!
If you go to the V&A and get inspired, or if you have always wanted to make a quilt but never quite reached the tipping point of actually DOING it - now is the time!

Book a class, buy a book, buy a kit, have a go. Despite the reams of quite bossy quilty do's and don'ts that lots of books are packed with, you really can't go wrong making a quilt, just have a go!

I started designing Make Do & Mend Quilt Kits because so many people said to me that they would love to make a quilt but had no idea where to start. If you can buy a tapestry kit, or a pin cushion kit, or every other sort of kit, why can't you get a quilt in a box? A totally low commitment way to test out if you'd like it. Most people who make one of my kits go on to make and design their own quilts and I'm proud to say that they usually jump in with both feet and have the confidence to go on and make whatever is in their heads. I love that.

People - go and make a quilt - you'll love it! xx

Quilts 1700-2010 at The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

2010-03-18T12:56:00.016Z

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited to the V&A Quilts 1700-2010 Exhibition press preview. Now obviously I bit their hands off as this constitutes just about my perfect day. Up to London on the train, a bit of window shopping, a bought sandwich ( oh the joys of bought sandwiches when you are a mum who makes packed lunches every day!), then an afternoon silently (breath, ahh and relax), perusing quilts in beautiful surroundings.

Where to start. The V+A exhibition, as described by the curator Sue Prichard, is not designed as a comprehensive catalogue of British quilt making, or a purely aesthetic celebration of an art form. It is a social history of Britain, with the quilt as the porthole to the past. As such the exhibition covers a lot of thought provoking ground. From the beauty and sheer creativity of quilts from the 1700's, made as status pieces, to the touching humility of some of the very practical coverings made out of necessity in economically ravaged parts of the country during the seismic economic and social upheavals of communities during Britain's industrial revolution. The exhibition also takes a sometimes uncomfortable look at what domestic arts really mean. Are they paths to freedom for women looking for an outlet for creativity within the strictures of motherhood and housewifery, or are they something much less joyful, an economic necessity for starving mining families, exploitation of women aboard convict ships on their way to Australia? 24 hours later and my mind is still whirling, surely the sign of a great exhibition.

The V+A kindly allowed us to photograph the quilts, but many are low lit under conservation grade lighting so some of the shots are a bit murky, or under glass so the flash bounces back. I'm afraid you will just have to go and see for yourselves(!), or if you can't make it there I can highly recommend the book of the exhibition available from the V+A Bookshop.

These are my highlights, where I have a picture I've added it, I'll also annotate the book pages in case you have a copy when you read this!

1. Creativity and Innovation

From the George III Coverlet 1803

I was amazed by how many new blocks and applique shapes were to be found. We are very used as quilters of the generation of '1,000 quilt blocks' style books of feeling like we've seen every variation of block, more or less. The British quilts from the 1700 and 1800's showed amazing innovation in their use of shapes, and so many circles and curves, I drew pages of new curvy blocks, all so fresh and new it's amazing to think some are 300 years old.

(these two pictures from a quilt dated 1797, the colour was much more pastel in real life, it was my favourite thing there)

(Also see the Bed Hangings c. 1730 (page 164) with their curved piecing, it reminded me of the Denyse Schmidt pattern Hills and Hollers. See the Bed cover 1690-1750 (p172)possibly from Exeter, those circular blocks could have been designed last year they look so fresh and of the moment to today's tastes.

2. Stating Britain's contribution to the Quilting Narrative.

George III reviews the troops ( but look at the pattern on the green fabric - It could be contemporary, It's very Jessica Levit Timber style isn't it?)

As a British quilter I really enjoyed the celebration of the history of our tradition here. I love the history and narrative of the US Quilt tradition, but for the first time through this exhibition I could actually feel our contribution to the worldwide narrative of quilt history.

Quilt from 1860, in Cardigan in Wales made in wool flannel

From Welsh Immigrants moving to Pennsylvania and the obvious parallels in style between quilts being produced in the valleys of Wales in the 1870's and the Amish style seen in the US at the same time, to the influence of Indian style and fabrics evident in so many of the quilts with their rich colours and paisleys and chinz.
(Also see the cot cover by Priscilla Redding c.1690 from Deal in Kent ( page 165) - it 's positively Amish in it's use of colour)

3. Quilts and Women

I found myself wondering, can you be a feminist quilter as I wandered, looking at pictures of careworn women itinerant quilters in Northumberland, earning a pittance to support their destitute mining families. Looking at a quilt made by women being sent to Van Diemans Land, but sold by their male jailers. As women today we chose to make quilts as a (self indulgent?) luxury buying new fabric lines like fashions, making a quilt in a weekend. Do we disrespect the history of women in the past who made quilts because of poverty and hardship?

Caren Garfens Quilt 'How many times do I have to repeat myself?' is both aesthetically beautiful, but also very thought provoking. It features pictures of all of the modern household appliances women are still slaves to. Yet her message is more complicated, suggesting that women also embrace the domestic and can feel like the modern world has stolen domesticity from women, making it no longer acceptable to prefer the domestic realm? Or has feminism delivered us the ultimate goal - choice?

This part of the exhibition also features some amazing quilt patches made by men serving life at HMP Wandsworth. They speak of the freedom of creativity, of going outside of yourself in creating something of beauty that has longeviety, like a quilt.

I found this whole area fascinating and very thought provoking, it is not always comfortable viewing, certainly not the comfy cosy emotional territory of your average quilt show.

I found myself concluding that in all of the stories these quilts tell, from women with money and time to indulge in magnificent show quilts, to prisioners stitching in a cell; what is common to all of the quilts i saw is that they are all made with pride, and in pride there is also joy whatever the hard circumstances they spring from. Isn't sewing and making about just this - a certain sort of joy that being creative brings, whether as a hobby or an economic neccessity? Quilts 1700-2010 is a joyful celebration of British Quilts and the women and men who have found some peace and quiet making them. amen to that.

How Many More Sleeps?

2010-03-16T12:46:00.002Z

I'm quite childishly excited! Tomorrow I am going to the V+A preview of the much anticipated Quilts 1700-2010 exhibition. This morning the postman bought me my pre order of the book to accompany the exhibition, I'm very sorry but I really have to go and read it now!

Shhh - she says she wants to make a quilt!

2010-03-15T10:37:00.004Z

Mothers day is always lovely, but this year I really did get just what I had always wanted.....

My biggest Small Person (aged 6) announced she wanted to make a quilt. Of course I was all nonchalant, not the pushy parent at all (as if! I squealed with joy and then bustled her into my sewing room - you are MINE now! ha ha ha ha ( bond villain laugh!))

She chose all of the fabrics out of the scrap bin, my heart was bursting as she sat trying out fabrics, making changes. Shyly she showed me her final pile, we talked about bright colours making light colours stand out more when they are side by side, we talked about pinky pinks and bluey pinks, it was special.

I cut the squares out with the rotary cutter and she has been painstakingly hand stitching them together after much deliberation of the placement, I daren't move them ( hence the Sylvanian family caravan in shot!).

I think I have Mary Ingals from Little House on the Prairie to thank for this. She is often described as 'sewing nine patch blocks'. I love those books, my big Small has been reading them on a loop for two years now, we never tire of them.

She is having me photograph each stage and she is writing a book for her friends about how to make a quilt. Isn't that fab! If quilting is a journey, just think how far along it you can get if you start at 6? I'd better up my game or she'll be overtaking me in no time. But I guess accepting that is what being a mother of daughters is all about?

Interplanetary, most extraordinary....

2010-03-12T12:13:00.006Z

The Little Robots quilt got some satellites, I'm rather pleased with them actually, it's all basted up and ready to hand quilt over the weekend. What do you think? The back is pieced with a strip of the stripy colours on the front and Kona solid, I think it's Olive. I want to get it finished so I can take it next week when I go and visit the new Little Man. Very busy this week with Make Do & Mend work. I have a secret I've been keeping for a month or so now, but can blog about it next week. Better go before I tell, I'm a useless secret keeper, see you next week...!

Little Robots

2010-03-10T14:44:00.006Z

A lovely friend had her baby at the weekend, a little boy. I had promised to make her a quilt for him, but as she didn't know what flavour she was having ( he was no 4 and she has some of each so lovely to have a surprise!), I was a bit caught out on ideas.

She had picked out this Kokka Robots fabric before as something she liked. I was suddenly seized by the urge for bright bold stripes on this grey day. I just love the feeling of putting together a complete stash quilt, just pulling colours into a big jumbly pile on the bench before inspiration starts to make itself clear. I'll applique the spots this evening at MakeClub. I'm excited about quilting it, I think it's going to be fab. Got to run, school run in the biting cold beckons!

New Toys

2010-03-08T14:45:00.006Z

The less said about last week the better, lets just say in the battle of Us v's the SickBug, the sickbug won hands down!

There was a lot of nesting under quilts.......

Just a little bit of sewing.........

But lots of ideas buzzing about whilst checking out my new quilty toys........

18 degree wedge ruler and circle-in-a-square ruler from creative grids

Linen samples from Ada and Ina

Block Tool for rotary cut blocks

Liberated Quiltmaking II by Gwen Marston

Where to start???!!

p.s I also managed to work out at last how to add extra pages to this blog ( so easy when you know how) so you can now see all of the quilts I have made in this three year long quilting adventure.

In,Out, Shake It All About

2010-03-03T09:55:00.007Z

Oh the joy of family life. I have three lovely kids. They are a source of constant joy to me, i don't like to moan but etc etc ( fill in the rest!). But today I have one who has just (rather dramatically) lost her front tooth, one who is (rather dramatically) teething her baby teeth, then to top it all, Boy-in-the-middle spent the night throwing up with his second sickness bug in a month. Now any one of these things on their own would pass without comment in the rich tapestry of family life, but three together, in the same night, now that adds up to very little sleep indeed. yuk.

I am comforting myself with mindless repetitive piecework preparing applique shapes. It's remarkably soothing to the tired mind: trace, iron, trim, stick, repeat....................yawn.

p.s I thought I'd show you my very lovely sewing purse. After extensive research to find the perfect storage for portable sewing kit I can confidently say this is it. It's just big enough ( needle book, pins, thimble ( leather and metal x2), scissors, thread conditioner,thread) sturdy enough ( lovely baby cord), and always makes me smile (I do love a goose!), you can buy them from Isla B Baby here as well as lots of other delicious things at the More Than a Mama Fayre in Berkhampsted, Hertfordshire,UK on Friday 26th March.

Bought To You By The Colour Yellow

2010-03-02T13:45:00.003Z

Today.....

The sun is shining, spring is in the air.

I bought myself gerberas, happy sunny day to me...happy sunny day to me...

I planted my window boxes with soon-to-be-sunny-yellow-primulas

I dug out my Spring door wreath

I started a new quilt

Oh the happy-skippy joy of the new!

p.s Don't forget Mad March Sale continues at http://www.makedoandmendquilts.etsy.com and http://www.makedoandmendquilts.folksy.com. I need to make room at Quilt HQ for more newness to come....

Mad March Sale

2010-03-01T08:22:00.003Z

The sun is shining, it's March, spring is a-coming, it's turned my head.

Let's have a Make Do & Mend Mad March Spring Sale!

Head over to my etsy site or folksy site and for one month only all my quilt kits are £45 or $70US so if you've always wanted to make a quilt but haven't dipped a toe in the water, or you want to convert a friend(!) now is the time to buy a kit and get quilting.

Happy March to you all x

Marshmallow Buggy Blanket

2010-02-27T11:37:00.004Z

Marshmallow Buggy Blanket is now finished, it is so scrummy and warm I wanna get in that buggy myself, ho hum I know my lot is to push, lashed by rain and winds. boo. hoo.

Bizarrely the sun is shining today, it's quite springlike, but we all know it is a big con as tomorrow we get storms according to the weather peeps. yuk.

I find a colour combination gets stuck in the subconscious and comes out all over the place. I have been looking at my Jessica Levitt Timber pile for a week or so now, kind of waiting for the perfect idea to work itself free of all the 'but what if like this...?' thoughts that whirl about a new project. Turns out that while I've been cogitating the fabric, the woolly version has knitted itself....looks like another quilt/blanket combo is in the offing, you know i do so love those!

Sashing,String Piecing and Smarties..........

2010-02-23T13:48:00.004Z

...........are the only antidote to snow, sleet and sneezing!

It's grim outside and we've both got a cold, but Baby Button and I are warm and cosy indoors, sewing sashing onto Buttons Big Bed Heather Ross Quilt.

String piecing for the borders of my Hope Baskets Quilt

..and eating smartie cupcakes. Hope your day is cosy too.

Doodle Tutorial

2010-02-22T13:10:00.006Z

Well half term passed in a whirl of fun and frolics, and back to school this morning in a blizzard - proper face fulls of snow. Every year it's hard to believe that spring can only be a matter of weeks away, it's always a surprise when the season suddenly changes. Anyway in an attempt to inject a bit of colour into my white-out world, here is my Doodle Quilt Tutorial;

1. First you need to draw your doodle template. I used brown wrapping parcel paper on a roll, but use any big piece of paper you can find, the back of old wallpaper roll, cereal boxes taped together etc. Make your template to the size of the quilt you want to make. I made a baby quilt ( 70cmx80cm). Draw your doodle from side to side of the paper. It's best just to be spontaneous and go for it, if you think too hard about your doodle it looses its feeling of loopy joy!

2. Trace each of your doodle loops onto freezer paper

3.Cut out the doodle shape on the traced line, then iron onto the wrong side of the fabric you choose.

4.Cut out approx 1/4 inch around the ironed on freezer paper shape

5. Using a water soluble glue, stick the edges around the shape, easing around the curves to make a smooth edge. Make all of your coloured 'doodles' shapes this way

6. Decide on the colour for your doodle-line. I decided to go with a graphite grey ( Kona Coal). Cut strips on the bias. To make the doodle line you will need a bias tape maker. I used a Clover 12mm (1/2") version ( the yellow one). Using this size I cut 1inch strips on the bias. You then feed them into the bias tape maker and iron as you pull the tape through the maker - it's magic.7. Join the strips end to end to make a long length.

8. Using your paper template lay your quilt top on top and trace using a soft pencil the doodles on to your quilt top. It can help to outline the doodle on the paper with a black marker pen first.

9. Take the bias strip and fold it in half along it's long length. Begin to pin to the quilt top. When you reach a doodle circle gently ease around the shape folding the shape inside the bias tape by wrapping it around the edge as shown below. Pin in place to the quilt top. Continue across the width of the quilt top.

10. Then using the sewing machine sew along the edge of the bias, this will also catch the edge of the doodle shapes too.

11. When you have done all of the doodles, working from behind cut out the excess fabric from behind the doodle shapes, exposing the freezer paper. Then put the quilt top in warm water and gently pull out the freezer paper

12. Dry and iron the quilt top.

Have fun doodling!

Yarn Love

2010-02-18T12:20:00.005Z

I'm having a bit of a yarnish week, I am all a-love with wool at the moment. My new love crochet has been consuming my creative time, although progress is still quite slow, I'm almost at cushion size I think?! The postman bought me this lovely book, so I am looking forward to going geometric on the granny squares, and making some circles, pentagons, flowers - a whole new world of crafty fun has opened up! Learn a new skill, I promise it's the best energy kick there is. It should be on prescription for the February-depressed!

I also succumbed to the naughty temptation of John Lewis haberdashery dept and bought this gorgeous flumpfy wool. It's Debbie Bliss Como, a superchunky wool/cashmere mix. After several false starts ( stocking stitch is too flat, cable too chunky etc I settled on moss stitch as the perfect foil for this woolly marshmallowy wool. I am knitting a buggy blanket for Buttons ( coz she only has about 20 quilts and two knitted blankets to choose from!). But I think it would just make the most fabulous cushion covers, oh and imagine a big soft moss stitch beret, like having your head wrapped in a cloud ! Yumm

Come On Spring!

2010-02-13T08:45:00.002Z

It's been a waiting kind of week. Baby Button had a tummy bug, lots of pacing about, no sewing. Outside winter had another try, but spring forces are starting to fight back. Daffodils on the table are one of my favourite things.

I did finish my LemonDoodle quilt top. I have had such fun doing this - it's great to just do something spontaneously as it comes into your mind (or is doodled whilst daydreaming about spring in your garden). I looked at the sinuous loops which i had started to colour in with the bucket of kids pencils in front on me on the table, suddenly the light bulb went ping - wouldn't that make a lovely quilt?

An hour of Baby Button sleep time later ( oops no tea cooked, no dishwasher emptied, no laundry on) and much more big scribbling on a roll of brown wrapping paper and the template for the doodles was in place. The pencil scribble line was a bit less easy to arrive at, but creative problem solving is also a very nice way to pass the day. Next week I'm going to try and write you a little tutorial for this method as it's actually so easy once you're away, and lends itself to so many uses, anyone fancy scribbling names across their quilts? Messages? Anyway, next week is half term so you will have to be patient, I expect I won't get too much done - perhaps a giant banner with 'pick it up, fold it up, put it away' doodled on it??!

I've also had a visit by the postman with these lovely fabrics, they are called Timber by Jessica Levitt and they came from Hawthorne Threads. Aren't they wonderful? I love the art deco patterns, I want to do something very graphic and deco, maybe like deco stained glass. I feel some very satisfying research coming on...i'm off to play on google images!

Egg-cited about Crochet!

2010-02-08T10:21:00.004Z

I've finally cracked it! I can crochet!

Regular readers may remember that I have had several failed attempts to teach myself crochet, it has not been an easy journey. My mum tried to teach me here. I was not a patient pupil. Sorry mum. I got a book out of the library, it ended in cross near-tears. So I decided to put myself in the hands of the professionals and ta dah, my first new years craft resolution is fulfilled - I finally get it

I enrolled on a course here at Nimble Thimble in Buckingham, our newest local patchwork and knitting shop ( it's great, visit it, lovely wool and a modern selection of fabrics, and fantastic list of classes and teachers). The course was taught by Sarah Hazell from Rowan yarns. Now if you ever get a chance to go on any of her courses ( she teaches all over the country)I would say DO IT! The woman is both a saint and an inspiration! As we hamfisted our way through her flawless instructions and fun mini projects she was unfailingly encouraging and optimistic of our abilities, and do you know what - we did it!

I am now completely obsessed with my mini egg inspired, mini granny squares blanket. Don't check back regularly for a ta dah mind you - it's v slow work for me at the mo! Got to speed up though, I'm signed up for further crochet later in the spring.

LemonDoodle & Lemon Icecream

2010-02-05T17:03:00.002Z

I had 101 things that I should be doing today, but the sun shone and the only things it seemed right to be doing were lemony golden too.

Lemon Ice cream with a spoon of lemon curd frozen in the bottom of the glass, and my new LemonDoodle quilt started to take shape. Sunny days are the best.

Projects Interrupted

2010-02-03T12:05:00.004Z

Sigh.......it's so frustrating when you are half way through a project only to discover that you don't have enough/the perfect fabric to continue. Especially if, like me, you don't live within popping distance of a fabric shop. It's at least a 2.5 hour round trip, even without browsing! So it's out of the question especially when your life is ruled by the 2 hour slots the day is divided into between various school runs. I have three projects on hold awaiting the postman (Hope Valley Baskets, Princess and the Pea, Baby Button Big Bed Quilt). Therefore I am suffering from Project Interruption Malaise Syndrome (PIMS) - it's a definite syndrome, which involves much idle doodling, moping, looking wistfully out of the window every time someone goes past on a bicycle ( postman?), or a van goes by ( much excitement, I know, I do live in the sticks, its an event if a delivery van goes down our lane!)

So imagine my joy when staring out of the window, i spot this..........
And, look carefully at the parcel colour, yes it's def bright neon, that means it's fabric from here.

And joy of joys, it contained a big stack of Kona Cotton Solids, but best of all my new favoured reading matter....... a Kona Cottons Colour Card. Never again will that perfect pink turn out to be slimy salmon coloured on arrival. It's fabric colour Nirvana!

Is 2010 the Year Of The Quilt?

2010-01-29T19:21:00.003Z

Now it's obvious that I am a bit of a quilt-a-holic, and to be fair I do begin most years thinking this is 'the-year-that-everyone-realises-that-their-life-really-would-be-complete-if-they-only-made-a-quilt'. But I must say that I really DO think that this is the year of the Quilt. My evidence

i) The wider world has gone craft mad, John Lewis are selling out of sewing machines, knitting classes are over subscribed, even my hairdresser is telling me she wants to start making things

ii) The sunday supplements are full of the New Craft Movement - The Times Magazine proclaimed Quilt Making Clubs the thing of the moment last weekend ( yeah! I'm accidentally cool!)

iii) The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has a major new exhibition opening at the beginning of March called 'Quilts: 1700-2010', I can't wait!

iv) My little old quilt kits have been popping up on all sorts of kind peoples blogs. See my quilts here at Folksy Weddings, as a great wedding present ( don't you just love this blogs theme of folksy weddings? I want to get married all over again (same groom of course!). And the blog readers of Cuteable just kept coming back for more quilty goodies, see me here too.

So in 2010 if you want to be hip, get quilty!

Be Still My Beating Heart

2010-01-28T18:14:00.003Z

It is fair to say that when it comes to quilts and fabric I suffer from what the Victorians would call 'passions'. Slightly obsessive behaviour, characterised by the need to shut myself in the sewing room for hours. Even when out of my haven I am thinking about the new quilty fabric love and my absentminded response to my poor darling children's questions becomes the 'uhuh' (the mummy equivalent of 'whatever' ). I confess I have been lost in a recent Heather Ross passion. First it was the unicorns, then I gave in to the fabric obsessives desire to start 'collecting' old Heather Ross lightning bug prints, fat quarters here, legs from pyjamas there, little bits and bobs from other peoples clear outs, i scoured etsy and ebay.

This evening I heaved sigh of relief, the obsession was waning. Two quilts almost nearing completion (one being quilted, the other waiting to be sashed). I logged in for a quick read of my favourite blogs, and what do I discover but this..................!

Heather Ross announcing Far Far Away II coming soon from Kokka, this time featuring Rapunzel, in gorgeous colourways ( love that grey and yellow!)..........It's no good, I'm under the spell again! She then goes on to say "And stay tuned! I have some great news about my older discontinued collections coming soon!"..............oh dear! I feel at least two more quilts coming on!

Princess and the Pea

2010-01-25T13:46:00.005Z

I've spent the last week in a lovely creative whirl making ( more!) quilts for my girls. My biggest daughter had seen and loved the Heather Ross Princess and the Pea fabrics over my shoulder one day on the Internet, but when they came a couple of weeks ago I was a bit unsure of what to do with them. It was all just a bit too orange, I was without inspiration. I was convinced that I just didn't own any orange fabric to put with it.

Well, as is often the way, whilst idly sorting out my stash piles a couple of weeks ago I found that i do in fact own loads of orange fabric, a little pile of coordinating fabrics began to grow and my original antipathy turned to love!

I decided to throw regimentation out of the window and to just freestyle piece the blocks as I couldn't decide quite how to put the colours together. It actually ended up taking longer than cutting blocks, but I did enjoy the free and easy approach. The soft brown fabric for the block frame was the hardest decision to make, 5 other browns through to greys had been auditioned and failed to make the grade. Finally rooting through the boxes that live under the desk unearthed this perfect fabric. It's last active service was in a totally disastrous quilt I made ( I think it was my third) where there was no contrast at all, you couldn't see the block pattern and it depressed me looking at the sludgy colours even as i pieced it, anyway i digress.

So here it is - The Princess and the Pea for my biggest Princess. I'll start quilting it this week and take some more pictures if the sun ever comes out.

I am now firmly in a Heather Ross groove, so this weeks project is a bigger quilt for Baby Button using my most treasured Heather Ross stash of bits and bobs. I was inspired by this quilt at ComfortStitching Blog, isn't it lovely? I'm actually going to do proper measured out blocks this time, I'm very excited about it, I'll show you some more pics later in the week.

Colour Me Happy

2010-01-22T09:34:00.003Z

Today it is grey, grey, English grey, too dark to take any pictures of what I've been up to this week. As I write this a lady has just walked past my window with a rainbow umbrella, one spot of colour in a grey day, it made me smile.

You know by now that I am on a one woman mission to persuade everyone I know or come across to make a quilt! One of the most common things that people say to me when they are worrying about taking the plunge (and one of the reasons I developed my Make Do & Mend Kits) is that they 'aren't any good at choosing colours'. It makes me sad, and cross(!)

I know that there are books and books of very well written advice on choosing colour, working with a colour wheel, accents and tones and lots of other things we should all apply in a rational way to our colour choices. But I must confess I just don't really 'get' any of it. I'm just not a fan of over complication.

For anyone reading this now who worries about colour choices I thought I would jot down my Golden Colour Rules.

1. You Know Best. The most underrated sense is your inbuilt 'do i like it?' mechanism. Start with a colour you know you like, then find it some fabric friends who show it off. You'll know if something 'doesn't go'. Its an inbuilt reflex like eating something you don't like the taste of, it makes you go 'eew'.

2. Copy. Take something in your life that you love already, a skirt print, a greetings card, a cushion, and use the colour combinations within them. If you like it in a skirt, you'll love it in a quilt!

3. The Selvage Cheat. If you have a main print that you want to use, cut off the selvage dots (along the side of the fabric). These dots will show each of the distinct colours within the pattern listed out. Now all you have to do is match the dots to fabrics that are that colour. It sounds too simple to work but it's so effective. Your eyes don't immediately 'see' all of the colours within a print as they look at the overall effect of it. You can train yourself to look at the constituent parts over time.

4. The Live With It Test. When you've chosen your fabrics just leave them laid out on the floor or in a pile and just live with them for a day. You'll find that just walking past and looking at your pile will often make it all so easy to see what goes and what doesn't. Try out lots of alternatives.

5. Add Pepper/Lime/Chilli Sauce to Taste. The biggest problem most of us have when choosing colours to begin is that we're too 'matchy matchy'. Every quilt needs a little seasoning, add in a darker/brighter/bigger scale pattern, something to 'lift' the other colours. It's the hardest thing to feel comfortable with, so don't worry if it leaves you anxious!

6. You're The Boss/It's Not a Test. If you like it, then it's right! Go with what you think looks good. It's your quilt, it's going to live in your house, it's up to you!

Happy Quilting!

Pink Project Pile

2010-01-18T21:39:00.003Z

The project piles are starting to take over the workroom. At a quick glance I have on the go;

i) Lime Dash ( awaiting lime quilting thread from the postman)

ii) Hope Valley Baskets ( awaiting more grey fabric from the postman!)

iii) My new MD&M boys quilt who I just finished hand quilting this afternoon so he is just awaiting a nice day to get his photo taken then I can cut some kits - very exciting. This quilt is going to be a great one for new quilters to make from the kit. Really straightforward, but looks fab - watch this space if you fancy making your first quilt and you have a little boy ( or one soon to arrive!)

I then have 6 assorted piles of 'ideas in waiting' sitting on my red wooden trunk. These Valentine Pinks have just joined them....... too many ideas....too little time!

On the Vagaries of the British Weather

2010-01-17T15:56:00.004Z

After the snow, and the ice, and the hail, and the rain, today the snow was gone. The sun shone and we drank tea in the garden under a clear blue sky.

The Hope Valley Baskets blew happily in the wind after their little submersion in the sink to float out the freezer paper templates. Aren't they pretty? Tonight when my small crawling helper/quilt saboteur is in bed I will start to play with the placement.

I'm not sure if less is more, or more is more. The original pattern I am following ( from McClun and Nownes Quilts! Quilts! Quilts!) just sets them within a plain wide border, but the fabrics are so pretty I want More!More!More! ( sorry, all those quiltish exclamation marks, I just couldn't resist). I'm wondering about prairie points, or maybe piano keys. When the kids are in bed the mummy shall play quilts.

Boys for Beginners

2010-01-15T12:43:00.004Z

I've decided I am officially hibernating. There's something quite liberating about deciding you will make like a Badger. On SnowWatch on BBC last night they said that the Badger ( sensible fellows that they are) eat like mad on the run up to a cold snap, then take to the burrow and just mooch about until it warms up ( and they slim down??). They don't full on go to sleep, they just accept that it's all a bit cold,wet and 'orrid outside and take it easy in the warm. Outside my burrow it is hailing. It's now too slushy to push a buggy in a straight line, too slippy to walk confidently with a baby backpack, too melted in places to pull a sledge. hummm. People in very cold places who deal with this all of the time - just how do you transport the little people about?

Anyway - the upside of hibernation is an increase in time for playing with piles of fabric. I have spent a very happy two days arranging piles of fabric and having a good old sort out. I have needed a Boys Quilt for Absolute Beginners for my Make Do & Mend Kits line up for quite a while, but boys can be hard. I now have a very exciting little pile enticing me away from the everlasting basket handle sewing. I can feel a rush of new quilts coming on!

Channelling my Inner Sarah Fielke

2010-01-12T11:26:00.004Z

Well LimeDash is shivering out in the frozen garden for it's photo shoot and I think I'm getting used to this new bold Quilting-me! It's definitely the most out there quilt for colour I have made and it's had me squirming out of my comfort zone a lot, but throughout I have been guided by the mantra 'what would Sarah Fielke choose here' and the answer I imagine is almost always 'more colour, more patterns' and so that's the route I've gone. Sarah and Kathy wrote the book Material Obsession. If anyone hasn't got a copy you must get your hands on one and have a look as that book changed my quilting life! Is that too dramatic? In the book they take traditional patterns but blow them apart using new scale, new colours and patterns to make totally modern quilts. I love that book. Anyway, in for a penny, in for a pound, I'm considering backing it in Amy Butler Love fuchsia spots with pink solid binding. I think it's all the whiteness of snow that is sending me mad for bright colour?!

Happy Hope Valley Baskets

2010-01-11T09:40:00.004Z

It's still snowing outside, but inside there is Hope Valley Happiness! I have started piecing my baskets and I am just loving how this fabric is coming together. The snow is falling and I have an afternoon of basket handle applique ahead of me whilst Baby Button sleeps before we brave the backpack cold again on the school run. Outside it's like the world has gone to sleep too - but for the Hyacinth determined to remind us that spring will come.....eventually! Keep warm and happy wherever you are!

Lime Pickle

2010-01-09T15:54:00.003Z

Hummm... have spent all day moving my Lime Dash blocks around and nothing looks right.

This original planned layout is just all too messy

But spread out it's too sparse!

I'm much happier with this, going back to a block structure but throwing in some big patterns and plains to allow the eye to rest a bit!

I think I'm happy with this layout - but my brain is (lime)pickled so will leave it today and come back with new eyes tomorrow.

In true scatter gun approach I just received my long awaited little stash of Denise Schmidt Hope Valley prints. I loved the Hope Valley quilt that Rita at Red Pepper Quilts made and have been combing my old books and magazines for ideas of how I can do the fabric justice. I have really enjoyed going back to piecing a traditional block again. I have done a lot of quick piecing and applique in the last year, but 2010 is leading me back to the traditional quilt patterns. Anyway, I've decided on a 1930's basket block, set in a grey background, I think it will have some sashing too, not sure yet, will make up some blocks and have a play.

Mr Chilly and Mr Chilly-Cake

2010-01-07T11:46:00.006Z

Well I did manage a wry smile when I re read my last post. Just 2 days on and the kids are back at home, we're snowed up and my house is a trailing wet puddle of waterproofs and Lego again! Its been snowing now for 3 days and there is no school, but contentment comes in many flavours and luckily I like the messy fun version as much as the serene tidy version ( almost!).

The kids have taken up residence on the re-erected den on the landing, and Baby Button has taken the very sensible view that hibernation is the only route for a baby in this weather and is taking fantastically long lunchtime sleeps so I am getting lots of indulgent sewing time!

I finished off my matching sister quilts for my cousins girls. They are really simple and just feel so lovely to the touch. They are made in Tilda cottons and it is just the loveliest thick but soft cotton, it has a kind of old fashioned crispness to it that makes it feel even more vintage - I love it - think I will have to buy some more and make a bigger quilt for the Little Madam

I've also started sewing my Lime Dash blocks which are still bring a dash of (premature) spring to my days. I think it still needs more pattern so off to cut out some more squares and play with the placement.

Contentment

2010-01-05T13:17:00.003Z

Supper is cooking on the stove, the washing is in the machine, the baby is asleep, the big Smalls are at school, my house is clean, I have a new project all cut out and ready to start piecing......contentment!

p.s just had to mention - look how fabric efficient this churndash pattern cutting is?!

A New Quilter for 2010

2010-01-04T12:11:00.007Z

I had one of my favourite sorts of e mail yesterday from Alex who told me she had received one of my MD&M Quilt Kits as an Xmas present, and she's made her first quilt already! I think it's a record! Doesn't it look fantastic? Can you believe it's her first quilt? Check out Alex's blog where she tells all ( and check out her great free downloads for envelopes and mailers!). She claims she is converted to quilting, my work here is done! Welcome Alex and thanks for letting me share your fantastic work with everyone.

I've been cutting out my Dash of Lime blocks, and doing some quick hand quilting on a pair of matching quilts (one strips, one squares) I'm making for my cousins little girls, they welcomed a new baby this snowy Xmas Day, isn't that romantic?

Anyway, it's my last day at home with the Little People before School comes a calling again tomorrow so better go and play in the den that has been constructed on the landing!

Dash of Lime

2010-01-03T19:14:00.005Z

Don't you find that there is a melancholy reflective vibe about New Year, especially when you have young children and the passing of time is so marked? But today the weather kindly lifted us from those feelings and threw me headlong into 'Remember, next up, Spring is a coming' mode. Now I know it's very premature to think about Spring at this stage in the year with the weather man threatening more snow. But as the sun streamed in the window and my hyacinth buds began to push out their flowers, a pile of zingy lime fabrics I have been collecting for a while suddenly called out to be used.

I have had in my head a quilt made up of Churn Dash blocks all different sizes, I think I saw it done once in a magazine, but I can't recall where or when, but it's been nagging me recently. I've spent the afternoon with the sun on my back through the window playing around on graph paper to make a pattern for a ChurnDash Lime quilt - or A Dash of Lime Quilt as I think it will be called. I've got that new project excitement rush, I'm off to start cutting out!

2009: Quite Quilty and Unexpectedly Knitty

2010-01-01T19:56:00.008Z

2009 was Quite Quilty. Lots of little baby quilts for my kits at my Make Do and Mend Shop.

Much beloved ones for the big Small People

and for the little Small Person
Some just for the joy of the season.............

In July I learnt to knit, there followed the glove obsession!

I learnt to knit a sock! Only one so far.......!The bird obsession! There was the birth of Make Club and the wonderful fun, and support and inspiration that has bought to my craft life!
And of course there was a fair amount of honest to goodness messing about with glue and buttons! Here's to more messing about with wool and fabric and buttons and ribbons in 2010!

Crotchety Crochet

2009-12-20T18:26:00.003Z

Last week when I visited my mum she showed me how to crochet. Well she showed me how to make a chain, how to hold the wool and then she began to show me how to make a granny square. I managed to make two little bits of something ( in the picture above) which do at least bear some resemblance to crochet.

Turns out I wasn't listening to my mother carefully enough ( oh how many times I have wished I had listened more carefully!). Today I was unable to construct anything more than a wobbly chain. My fingers felt like feet, I couldn't hold the wool, the hook kept falling out. It was a disaster! There was much under breath muttering and foot stamping. I gave up. 2010 is Crochet Year!

Liberated Table Runner

2009-12-19T15:05:00.004Z

You know how sometimes you just get seized by the notion that you must immediately throw yourself into a project? Well last night as I sat contentedly looking at my finished Santa Sacks for the kids and lazily contemplating my lately neglected knitting, this rather inconveniently happened to me.

You see after my 'office' lunch the other day I was putting away the laundered tablecloth and as it went into the draw I found myself thinking about my Christmas table setting, and it occurred to me that I have never really liked my red (and a bit shiny) Christmas tablecloth. In fact I quite dislike it. But the thought usually only occurs to me once a year, and then when Xmas is past the indulgence of a new red table cloth always seems a bit rich in the belt tightened atmosphere of January.

I have been a bit obsessed with a little pile of red fabrics that just haven't found their perfect usage yet, but last night inspiration hit. I would make a Christmas table runner that could sit over the top of my usual tablecloth. I knew I wanted stars ( I love them), but I was a bit bored of fiddly piecing and knew I needed stars fast! I remembered in Collaborative Quilting by Freddie Moran and Gwen Marston there was a technique for Liberated Stars. I decided I need some liberation, and by bedtime I had a Liberated Table Runner.

Now it needs to be a bit longer so I think I will add a pieced section at each end with little squares of all the much loved reds to give it a bit more patchworky look. Now I am fighting the desire to make it reversible and do Gwen and Freddies Liberated Trees on the back in green? For Boxing Day? Just turn it over et voila?! Hum, time may be against me!

However the snow lies deep and crisp and even outside this afternoon so perhaps it will get done!

"Office Xmas Lunch"

2009-12-17T18:41:00.004Z

When you are a stay at home mum, one of the few things that you do miss with a pang is the excuse to have a good old fashioned, guilt free knees up at work at Xmas. I have three lovely friends who all had their 3rd child at the same time as me and we meet up weekly for babycentric fun and games. Today we went mummy-centric! We had a lovely 'Office' Xmas Lunch in my kitchen (my official office of course), there was a proper linen table cloth (not laminate!), there were candles, there was Winter Pimms with orange and cinnamon, then Bellini Cocktails and grown up nibbles. There was of course also raisins all over the floor, spilt drinks and mid meal nappy changes for our smaller guests, but heh, we mums had fun! We awarded ourselves a great appraisal, we deemed ourselves to have hit our stretching targets, so we had a bonus - Raspberry Pudding Cake from Nigellas How To Eat book - it's a classic. Sadly I had stopped photographing and started eating by that stage in proceedings so no photo. Sorry.

I also promised you a little secret look at my Elf Project. All things related to Xmas secrets are known as 'Elving' in our house and this is firmly in that camp. I am making Father Xmas sacks to hang at the end of the beds of the Smalls. I found the perfect linen, french style material in The Axminster Quilt Store, in Axminster in Devon. Lorette always has the perfect bolt you have searched for elsewhere. I'm hand sewing appliques of the Smalls names and hearts and stars. Obviously I'm on a bit of a immovable deadline on this one so I had better stop messing about on the computer and use this kids-in-bed-time to get on with them! Bye!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

2009-12-16T18:57:00.004Z

OOh I do love the promise of snow. I know that when one is a Grown Up one is supposed to mutter about trains not running and gritting, and slippery pavements for the old folk. But I confess I ADORE it when it snows! You see as well as the sheer joy of it, snowy weather here in the UK where we tend to make quite a fuss about it, counts as a Genuine Disruption to Normal Life. And genuine disruptions to normal life that involve being all nice and warm at home whilst the world turns without you means more time for Making Fun! Today the snow has been flurrying (great word! Not used nearly enough in daily life), and whilst insufficient for a complete halt to the proceedings that is school runs and groceries etc. I have sat all day (in between cold walks to and from school) looking out at the grey sky and knitting, and sewing Xmassy things. What could be nicer?

I'm knitting a woolly cushion cover with this gorgeous shimmering Manos Del Uruguay wool. It's going to be stripy and chunky. I have started knitting it in stocking stitch, but i think i like the knit side best at the moment as the colours kind of merge into one another. Will resist my usual Mid Knit Crisis and push on!

I am also midway through a little xmas sewing project for the Smalls which necessitates stealth sewing so no pics yet as too dark, will show you tomorrow if I get a chance!

Oh and the very indulgent bunch of tulips in just my fav shade of Damson were a present from my lovely Make Club as last night was our Xmas Make Merry night, and a fab time was had by all, just a teeny bit fragile today so knitting therapy just what was needed. Thank you Lovely Friends!

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

2009-12-13T19:45:00.005Z

You can't beat the English Seaside on a crisp winter day, in low sunlight with a stiffish cold wind whipping about. We have had the loveliest weekend by the sea, in fact my weekend was full of the best things in life;

1. The Seaside
2. Family
3. Knitting a new skill ( I learnt to knit flowers)
4. Visit to favourite Quilt shop and purchase of exciting new stash items.
5. Ice cream

I also tried my hand at learning to crochet under the patient tuition of my lovely mum. Humm. I was not a natural, more practise needed. Think crochet will be my 2010 new years resolution!

Until then I will be knitting flowers and adorning all knitted items in sight!

Aren't these beach-hut-fingerless-glove-tastic?!

Moments of Material Inspiration

2009-12-11T08:58:00.002Z

I do love the day my Country Living pops onto the doormat each month. It does feel kind of wrong to read the January issue when we haven't yet had Xmas, but just look at this irresistible cover shot. Every now and again a colour combination just seems to keep popping up and asking to be used. A couple of days ago I was reading this at Crazy Mom Quilts and admiring this beautiful xmas quilt Figgy Pudding. You see such a lot of red and green together at xmas, but I just loved the pairing of the mossy green with the smokey red.

But as is often the way, with this colour combo in my head, I started to realise that I was already pairing them;

The choice of wine coloured berries on my mossy green front door...

Father Xmas sitting happily against my mossy green living room wall.........

So the inevitable little fabric pile has now been compiled to sit on my desk and call to me whilst i twirl like a dervish in the last weeks before xmas making nativity costumes, wrapping presents, making lists, wishing I was sewing!

Quilty Snugglers

2009-12-09T13:10:00.004Z

My son has always been one for a raggie or vooovoo to snuggle in bed. The loved items have usually been rather rag tag and included an old baby sleeping bag, a muslin square, and a pillowcase. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that his new Sailing Boats TV Quilt has been finding it's way upstairs into bed, it's soft quiltyness making it a near perfect snuggler, so I decided to turn my hand to creating the perfect Quilty Snuggler.

I mentioned my new task to a few friends who all agreed that a Mini Quilty might make a great first quilt project for the nervous! So I have spent the last few days cutting a few kits, and packing the most delicious little square Quilty Snuggler Boxes with kits.

I am off to my first fair tonight, the More Than a Mama Xmas Fayre at Berkhampsted in Herts, so will see if they find homes there! Come along if you are in the area, it looks like it will be a great evening. It is a group of Mums who Make, exhibiting for other mums to come along and shop, I'm very excited. Anyway better go and pack some boxes!

Ducks in a Row

2009-12-05T09:22:00.006Z

It's finally ready! My Ducks in a Row Quilt Kit, the newest addition to my little Make Do & Mend Quilt Kit business is finally ready to waddle off to a new quilter to be handmade into a cherished heirloom, and hopefully to convert a new quilter to the fold!

I wanted to make something very graphic, but simple to piece, as I have found that my new quilters fall into the hand applique camp (less chance to get run away with by the sewing machine), or machine piercers camp ( I need fast progress!). So this is my fast progress for modern results kit! It will be available on etsy and folksy later this week when my final piece of backing arrives for the kits.

I have been so frustrated by the weather in trying to get a great shot for the front of the box. It has been so grey and rainy, and so getting a break in the clouds and some decent light has been a month long challenge! As Baby Button is not the worlds best photographic assistant yet, it's a whole family weekend kind of a job, and it takes so long to get three kids under 6 out the door in the winter that any sunny days have long clouded over by the time we make it out!

Finally we got lucky on a trip to the Hambledon Valley, which is between the Chilterns and the Thames, and it a beautiful spot where time seems to stand still, but just 25 miles from London. There are about 4 or 5 picture postcard villages nestled in rolling hills. It's where they film the Vicar of Dibley and I think Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was also filmed here as well as all sorts of period dramas looking for a lovely brick and flint background. Go visit it if you ever get the chance and take a walk along the river, you may feel the need for a parasol!

The picture is taken on the churchyard wall of this lovely church at Fingest. The Norman tower is from the 12th century. A fittingly old background for this modern quilt. I hope you like it.

This is a pic from their website, take a stroll around the villages in the Hambledon Valley and their churches and their history here.

Little Knitting Bag

2009-12-03T13:30:00.003Z

Look! Look what the postman bought for me today! It's just the most perfect marriage of form and function realised in a knitting bag for carrying your knitting with you in your handbag! It comes from Sarah at Plain Jane Textiles and I bought mine on Folksy here in the UK. Sarah designs and hand prints all her own textiles then makes them into lovely things like this.

I had been wrestling with the problem of tangly handbag knitting for a while. Since I have embraced the dpns too this is compounded by the problem of losing the naked(?) needle (is there a proper term for the one left over???!). Given that my knitting window when watching swimming lessons (my usual travelling knit venue) is a very tight 20 mins all in after you've finished wrestling them into swimming costumes/hats etc then turned all their clothes back in the right way for the even more troublesome wrestle back into clothes! So you see you can't waste time winding balls and hunting in the black hole that is my handbag for a needle.

So this is the perfect solution, but it is so so much more than just that. It is a thing of beauty don't you think? I need to get out more just to show off my knitting bag! It's a Knitting It Bag!

The medicinal effects of bunting!

2009-12-02T10:04:00.004Z

Oh, we have had some fun with the xmas stencils this week. It's been quite a handmade production line. I have had a small person suffering with a fluey bug as my special helper. He selects stencil and draws around the shape, I cut out the felt, he adds embellishments, eyes, buttons etc, I sew them all on, he arranges, and re arranges and arranges again the eventual bunting order. It's amazing how quickly a day can pass when under the influence of the medicinal effects of bunting!

Christmas Craft Countdown!

2009-11-30T11:32:00.006Z

The Christmas stencils are out!

The Christmas fabric piles are inviting!

I have a little ill -home-from-school-craft apprentice to amuse. I feel a Christmas Craft Frenzy coming on! Got to go and trace and cut and stick and sew...............!

No Such Thing as Too Much of a Good Thing.

2009-11-28T13:53:00.007Z

I finished my PurlSoho gloves yesterday. Baby Button is under the weather so an enforced day at home meant bonus knitting time. I had reached the beginning of the wrist, was looking longingly at the gorgeous dusky pink wool, wishing it was time to swap colours. I just enjoy knitting more with the colours I love the most, don't you? Anyway, Michael Palin was being interviewed about the book of his diaries and Alan Titchmarsh asked him what he had learnt about his younger self and what advice he would give himself. He said " I would tell myself that there is no such thing as too much of a good thing. I'd say do more of what you love".

I decided that this was a message that should be heeded, and changed to the dusky pink even though it wasn't 'time to'. I love my wonky gloves, it kind of reinforces the fact they are handmade and totally mine I think. Am now deciding whether to try and embroider a flower on just sew on these silk ones pinched off of my gorgeous hydrangea.

Clearly my children already subscribe to this way of thinking. This is my superduper birthday cake they spent the afternoon constructing! I love it!

Sunshine in a Rainy Week

2009-11-25T11:20:00.005Z

Yesterday was quite horridly like this..............

So we decided we needed to be doing this..................

Today it is quite deliciously sunny, so off for a walk into town. You see I need a walk and a think. When you have a small person (or two, or three) around, proper thinking can be in quite short supply. I find walking is the best time for cogitating.

You see I have a lovely problem. This pile of fabric, the beginnings of a Big Idea, and a parcel of lovely grey background fabric winging it's way from Hancocks of Paducah after a moment of quilting serendipity when reading this yesterday. Ummm I love having a Big Idea on the boil on a sunny day!

Mid Knit Crisis

2009-11-24T10:56:00.006Z

Does anyone else suffer this affliction? I seem to find that about a third of the way into any knitting project I suddenly get the heebie jeebies that I'm knitting on too big/small needles or I haven't cast on enough stitches and it will never fit, or the wools too thick/thin. Then I have this sudden 'I can solve this, I know what I should do, I know best' rush and suddenly I'm ripping out rows.....! No stop! STOP! TRUST THE PATTERN!

You see I'm a complete improv quilter. Even if I start with a bit of a pattern, I just change it around as I go. Quilting is kind, it lets you do that.

I haven't quite got my head around the fact that knitting needs more discipline (at least when learning I think!).

Anyway, after you would not believe how many false starts and reknits, I have one lovely glove from my Alchemy Temple wool that I have been loving. I had promised myself I would knit my next gloves in tandem so that I finished both gloves at the same time and did not suffer this glove-longing period where I want to wear them, but I only have one! Unfortunately the other glove succumbed to Mid Knit Crisis, got pulled apart. Then I was struck by a 'Making Moment' when looking at the little oddments left over from my stripy baby blanket.

In a moment of frustration and weakness with my own glove knitting I found I had used the dpns to start another glove for a small person. Oops. Aren't they going to be lovely? They are a kind of homage to the crochet ones of Lucy's at Attic 24, I wonder if she has made small person pair too?

Love Handmade Friday

2009-11-21T11:55:00.008Z

Yesterday I had a very handmade day. In the morning I visited the More Than a Mama Christmas Fayre in Berkhamsted. It's a great shopping event run by mums who make and sell items for babies and kids. Everything was lovely, from hand painted Keepsake boxes, to cushions and xmas decorations. It was a really fun buzzy morning, the place was packed out (with a few buggy traffic jams going on!). They have an evening shopping event at Berkhamsted Town Hall on Wed 9th Dec from 7.30pm - 9.30pm - we have been promised twinkly lights and mulled wine so if you live near Berkhamsted I would recommend it.

I indulged in a Lovely LOVE cushion which was destined for the armchair in my kitchen, but when I just went in search of it to photograph it, it seems it has relocated itself to The Big Little Ladies bed, fancy that.

Then in the afternoon whilst doing a speed buggy dash through John Lewis I was stopped in my tracks by a mini craft event going on! I met Pippa North who makes the most exquisite felted creations, I indulged in this gorgeous flower for my new Navy and Fuchsia Pink coat, doesn't it look fantastic. She was telling me all about her mother and daughter teaching days that she runs - what fun, I'd love to do one.

After all that excitement, I did also get a bit of knitting done and my buggy gloves are now a happy pair, meaning I can start knitting my lovely pink and purple wool for gloves to go with Navy Coat and new flower!

Autumn Leaves Quilt Blowing in the Wind

2009-11-19T11:59:00.010Z

I finished the top of my Autumn Leaves quilt, which is just as well as there are not many leaves left on the trees about here with this wind blowing. Thus it was very hard to get a shot of all of it in one go, too gusty! Don't have any backing for it yet, but don't want to loose the momentum.

It started life as a very promising pile of autumn loveliness back at the start of October.

We collected a selection of different shaped leaves, scanned them, drew around the fuzzy edges to make a hand applique friendly shape, traced them onto freezer paper and then hand appliqued the shapes into a wreath shape. This image from my pin board was the original inspiration.

I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Now I want to back it in something warm and cosy and will hand quilt it in perle cotton, with a wool wadding for maximum chunky cosiness. I love having seasonal things to bring out each year to mark the seasons turn. I think this will live on the leather chair in front of the fire when it's all finished.

Yarnish Temptations

2009-11-18T10:01:00.003Z

I must resist, I must resist.

After a long overdue tidy up and audit of my workroom this weekend it became very apparent that I am not a 'completer/finisher'. When I used to do a scary job where everyone else was very ambitious and high powered except me (I spent my time dreaming of pottering about at home in a pinny), we used to get subjected to these horrible personality audits where they would tell you 'what kind of person' you were and how you could 'flex your style'. Ooh it gives me the shivers just remembering. Anyway, they always said I was not a completer/finisher. Which if you are an optimist just means I am a very good starter/beginner!

Anyway. I now have a tidy workroom and a large pile of unfinished things that need to be finished before I start anything new. Yes I am feeling very strict with myself.

But ooh, just look at my lovely new wool, just waiting to be knitted.

I'm planning to knit this pattern for 'proper' fingerless gloves from Purl Soho. They have kind of finger bits and are knitted in the round. But before I can start I have to finish my made up gloves which I fondly call the Ultimate Buggy Gloves, or rather the Ultimate Buggy Glove as there was only one for some time as I had to track down another ball of the lovely Mission Falls wool. Anyway, it's been quite strangely mild so I haven't really missed the other glove (no, I haven't just been wearing one), but a cold snap is no doubt on it's way so a second glove must be finished first.

As part of my new completer/finisher boot camp I am also doing the Tall Grass Prairie New Year Challenge to list and finish as many UFO's as possible before the new year. I am one down, lots still to go! Seems my style is not quite flexing enough!!

The Lure of the New

2009-11-17T09:37:00.006Z

This week there has been a lot of temptation about.

You might remember a few weeks past I won the QuiltHome blog link of the week and was given $ to spend on fabric. I love ordering material from the US as the anticipation of waiting for the fat parcels to arrive is more than worth the shipping costs ( which are usually really reasonable anyway given you don't have to spend money on petrol or parking, or any of the other things that a trip out to a fabric shop finds you 'accidentally' spending money on. In fact I think it saves me money, humm I like that line of reasoning!).

Anyway, this week the postman bought me this exciting pile of possibilities which is now looking enticingly at me from the corner of my workroom and generally being very distracting.

But I am being very disciplined with myself this week and have forbidden myself from starting anew until this is finished

Which I think it a step forward for my usually scatter gun approach to projects on the go. I am also battling extreme wool temptation.......... I'll tell you about that tomorrow, to run to MakeMorning Knitting Group

In Appreciation of Buttons as a Gateway to Happy Feelings

2009-11-13T13:44:00.008Z

It's very grey here, and very rainy, and everyone has a cold........so perfect conditions for the power of buttons to work their magic! Today I decided was the kind of day for the most trivial type of making, which is all so often the most satisfying kind don't you think?

You see I have been on a mission to make my MakeRoom a bit more 'Studio'ish! I have looked at many many lovely, colour coordinated, organised, beautifully storaged studios on different blogs, and frankly, mine is not a thing of beauty. I am lucky enough to have a bit of a 'room of ones own' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Room_of_One, but where as in life I am quite tidy, in craft I am a bit of a scruff. By the way isn't the original cover of Virginia Woolf's essay quite beautiful? It could be a lovely New England blue and white quilt couldn't it?

I digress, anyway as part of my MakeRoom MakeOver I bought some cheap and cheerful pin boards in Ikea and painted the frames a lovely Barn Red. Then I have assembled all the scraps of things I tear out and print off for inspiration, that previously have just formed a little dusty heap of curling edges. But when it got to the pinning on bit, I felt a lack of something. I googled 'fun drawing pins' but it seems they don't exist? After a dejected trawl through Rymans and the like I found to my joy thatI was not alone in my dissatisfaction of the humble drawing pin!

http://ruthieksews1.blogspot.com/2009/01/button-themed-drawing-pins.html

Now I know there are probably much better things I could be doing with my time, but in a time~related to~enjoyment type equationy way I think this is just about a perfect way to spend 20mins on a very rainy, coldy, Friday!

It's as simple as get some pins, glue on some colourful buttons ( not your fingers, it's a bit fiddly), feel happy...........Life can be very simple when you let it!

Home Comforts

2009-11-10T12:20:00.010Z

Today has been full of delicious homey moments. The postman bought my Country Living fix, lots of gorgeous pictures of roaring log fires and Christmassy loveliness. On days like today where cold rain falls from dark skies, Home is such a lovely concept. Warmth, comfort, safety, lovely cooking smells, quilts = Home, to me. Home Making - it's a job that doesn't get enough credit. So with a big mug of tea, whilst my biscuits baked I have been enjoying some uninterrupted recipe browsing. I bought this lovely book at our local National Trust stately home gift shop at the weekend. It is full of really lovely traditional hearty fare, just the thing for cold dark dank November days!

I have also indulged in a little Xmas Craft Planning! My little pile of christmassy fabric is starting to call to me...........!

Fleeting Moments

2009-11-09T11:11:00.006Z

Every now and then life freeze frames and seems to remind you to look around, remember this moment, stop racing ahead.

My little people are growing so fast. Back at the start of the autumn my boy Badger and the Big Little Miss requested a 'Snuggly TV Quilt' each. I finished Badgers first (partly because he has the greatest TV need being a boy?!).

Little Misses was designed and pieced, but had kind of dropped to the bottom of the queue. She had specifically requested butterflies, and it HAD to be pink, and it had to 'match with her fairy stuff'. After a little creative tussle we had settled on Charlie and Lola style butterflies (her design) and 1930's fabrics, pretty but not totally pink (my design).

On Friday I had a freeze frame moment as she decided what to wear to visit her cousins the next day. She announced that she had decided that pink was no longer her 'total favourite' but that she preferred 'kind of bluey green'. Now for anyone who has been through the pink phase you do long for it to be over. But now on the pronouncement I saw that Little Person phase slowly drifting away like fairy dust! She's getting grown up ( 6 years!) and if I don't finish the Butterfly Fairy Quilt soon it will be too late! I've spent the weekend quilting furiously, hope to get to binding maybe tomorrow. Oops, racing ahead again!

Made & Found

2009-11-06T11:03:00.003Z

The Little Lady was most happy today on two accounts.

Mummy had finished making her Ultimate Pinky Bike Gloves, they were deemed most warm and cosy, and most importantly 'Pinkish'.

Secondly a little mouse in a box arrived through the post. Last week on our trip to The River a beloved small mouse was given to Baby Button as a distraction during the fraught purchasing of school shoes. Sadly Mousey was ditched overboard at some stage by Baby Button, unnoticed. There was much sadness.

Thanks to the lovely Anne at Made & Found http://www.made-and-found.co.uk/ a new mousey arrived today looking for a home. He was made most welcome. He went off to school this morning clutched tightly inside the new gloves. I hope he makes it home!

Warm Hands and Warm Hearts

2009-11-05T12:40:00.008Z

After I've finished a 'big' project like my stripy blanket (Ok it's not that big but I still need to increase my Kph (knits per hour)), I decided a day of bits and pieces was in order.

Yesterday was a particularly Novemberish type of day here, unrelentingly grey with cold driving rain, boo. It was also Bikeability after school which meant a very cold, and dark, and late school run in the rain. Double boo. There were long faces and cold hands, and problems gripping the brakes on the bikes with slippy gloves on, on the slippery leafy pavements. 'Of course!' I immediately thought! It's a new use for the Ultimate Buggy Glove!http://makedoandmendquilts.blogspot.com/2009/10/ultimate-buggy-gloves.html

So last night I started knitting Little Lady sized buggy gloves, now renamed the Ultimate Buggy and Bike Gloves, of course! Super quick to knit so Warm Hands well on the way.

There was also some more birdy fun (OK, enough with the birds!) as the girls wanted birds for their rooms, here is Baby Buttons Warm Hearty bird garland. Little Ladies are awaiting stuffing when their new owner gets home from school! The hearts are made from 'Blankits',http://www.blankits.net/ little squares of recycled and re purposed wool blankets, dyed and felted. I bought a stack this year at the NEC Quilt Festival and they have been awaiting the perfect project. I'm thinking a Sue Spargo inspired pin cushion could be coming on?

And lastly, my final Warm Heart is a quilt that I made last summer when I was pregnant. I took the little gingerbread people pattern from Quilts!Quilts!!Quilts!!! by McClun and Knowles. They were lovely to hand piece and I loved them, but I was never happy with the centre of mine. In the real pattern they use 9 patch squares, but the contrast was too strong on mine and I felt it looked too busy so I didn't use it in favour of something simpler. Because I wanted it to be OK for a baby boy or a girl ( not knowing which flavour we were getting) I went with the blue to try and cancel out the fact it had all ended up a bit pink. But I was never happy with it, the blue is all a bit too cold and empty. So last night it got a warm hearts makeover with some scraps from the original quilt that we turned out of the bottom of the scraps bin. I know it's not much of a change, but I feel much happier with it now!

Anyway I have cold hands typing at the keyboard and a little Ultimate Bike Glove is waiting to be knitted so better get on.......!

Rainbows in the Rain, Robins & Roses

2009-11-03T18:25:00.010Z

Today was a very dramatic kind of weather day, black glowering skies and torrents of rain, then 10 mins later the bluest of blue skies and blinding sunshine, and wonderful rainbows.

It's the kind of weather to look at through the window whilst knitting I decided.

I have been working on a rainbow stripy blanket for a few weeks now, it was this...........

But now after a concerted rainy knitting effort, it is at last this.................

And of course I now feel the need to have a knitted blanket to match each of my baby quilts(!) so here it is with it's partner, my all time favourite quilt I have ever made, it was the first time I busted out of following patterns and just did my own colourful thing.
I also finished my last little robins and decided they would look lovely hanging next to my red curtains, so here they are where they will now live on my landing windowsill looking out into the trees in my garden.

Lastly Roses, still blooming in the rain in November, and even having the decency to match the burnished autumn colours so nicely. I walk past this rose each morning on the way to school and it makes me happy.

Got to go, it's MakeClub night, much Makey fun to be had.............