frayed at the edge

A post of two halves*

We start with last night's meeting at Abbey Quilters.  We had a delightful speaker, Vicky Mitchell, who was quite happy to have photos taken of her work, and of her!

 

a wonderful array of quilts

 

this large quilt is stunning

 

I love the landscape on the left

 

but my favourite exhibit was also the smallest - a delightful handstitched book

 

 

as we had a guest speaker, instead of just having a biscuit with our cuppa, Val (one of the committee) had made scones - her scones are fabulous, and it wasn't long before the plate was empty!

then we move on to today.  We picked up Maureen this morning, and set off to spend the day at Stitchin' Heaven.  Maureen hadn't yet been to the shop, so was looking forward to a day spent shopping stitching.  As always the ladies were working on all sorts of projects

Ros is now working on the outer borders of her fabulous applique quilt

 

Margaret is working on Robin's Nest, designed by Karen Styles, who also designed Mrs Billings

 

Annie was going to make a bag with these tiny squares, but has decided to use them as a background to an applique wallhanging

 

a new lady, Jill, was hand-quilting her sampler quilt

 

Maureen was finishing an Advent calender

 

Frances was making some tiny hexagon blocks

 

Carolyn was working on new stitchery patterns, which I can't show you as a naughty person has pinched one of her designs and someone has put it on Pinterest, so the new designs are under wraps

 

Anne's quilt is a combination of Mrs Billings and Robin's Nest

 

Sue was working on her Mrs Billings

 

to finish ....... this scruffy little robin was enjoying himself in the birdbath!

* football managers frequently describe a match as "a game of two halves" ....... all football matches consist of two halves, what they usually mean is that they were being beaten in the first half, but took the lead in the second half (or vice versa).

Rush,rush,rush

It's Abbey Quilters' monthly meeting tonight, and as I have been sewing all day, I am rushing to post this before I make the dinner (nasi goreng).  I have been working away on my sampler quilt.  Having made some blocks, I decided to audition fabrics for the sashing and borders.  Should I use red

 

or black

 

I haven't made a grandmother's fan block since I made my first sampler quilt in 1993.  Having made the fan, I had to make a template for the background fabric

 

unfortunately, as you can see, the finished block is a little bit small

 

however I have a cunning plan to sort it out!

 

next I made the maple leaf block, and pinned them all on to the black fabric

 

then I added the rail fence block, and the first stages of an applique block 

 

this morning I was pleased to see the ewes and lambs back in the field across the road

this last photo is for Jessica ....... I may not have pheasants in my garden, as she does, but I do have them in the field behind my studio 

That Friday feeling!

I am sitting in my jammies, with my feet up on my footstool, sipping a very pleasant glass of wine, just a touch weary after a very busy week.  We were a small company at patch'n-chat this afternoon.  Tricia was working on this delightful wallhanging for her granddaughter

 

Maureen is making this little wallhanging for a relative's expected baby in Arizona - hence the cowboy hat on the bunny!

 

she was also working on this wallhanging

 

I finished the sashiko for my little bag

 

then did some more quilting on the sampler that I started at a Sheena Norquay workshop.  I want to get it finished for Abbey Quilters' exhibition in the summer

 

the Friday cake was one of Annette's wonderful chocolate sponges - delicious!

 

tomorrow morning I will be going to a coffee morning at Abbey Row, being hosted by the little group that meets every week to make quilts for Project Linus.  There will be a display of quilts, and of course home baking - there is always home baking when quilters get together!  The forecast isn't very good for Sunday, so I don't think we will get out for a walk.  Whatever the weather, I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

The last class!

Well, that's it, we had out last "Get Set for Patchwork" class this morning.  But hopefully we will be getting together in May to do "Stitch a Sampler Quilt", as five of the ladies have already signed up for it (the sixth one will be on holiday), so when the classes are advertised if a sixth person signs up the class will go ahead.  "Get Set for Patchwork" will also be advertised again, so fingers crossed that another six people will sign up for it.  We were able to use the bigger room in the college this morning, with more room to work

 

when I made a start to sorting out the piles of paperwork, I found some patterns that I had forgotten about (oops!)....... I shall have to make room on the to-do list for them

 

 

when I was at the College this morning, I picked up a copy of this month's Jed Eye, Jedburgh's local newsletter.  The photo on the front is of the Handba, which caused my classes to be delayed by a week (the photographer must have been standing just about outside the College)

 

but I was more interested in an article inside the newsletter ........ an interview with Sandra, our lovely Linus lady

 

I have been painting my nails every Wednesday evening, so they looked nice for the classes ......... but the ladies agreed with me this morning that this colour was not a good choice!

 

I had a quick look for the photo of me being presented witth the bottle of wine for winning the triathlon, but I couldn't find it.  However I did discover these two (not very good) photos of me in action! 

Black and white

I have been busy working on the sample of the sampler quilt

the four blocks with sashing, clockwise from top left - Maple Leaf, Hearts, Rail Fence and Rose of Sharon

 

and with the outer borders added

 

I'll leave this sample with Tracey at the College on Thursday, so that she can show it to anyone who comes in to enquire about the class.  Of course I need a full version of the quilt, so what colours to use for this one?  The clue is in today's title.  I decided to use black and white fabrics, with red for the "pop".  The first block I made is a traditional block, Trip Around the World

 

the second block is the same as the one in the purple version, Hearts

 

the two together

 

I had a set of kits left over from the Get Set for Patchwork classes, so I have made them up.  I will give them to Tracey on Thursday to put in the window at the College to advertise the class, replacing the pink and blue version that I made originally

 

oh dear, I haven't any more photos to share with you today, as I was so busy sewing I forgot to take some more photos of the signs of spring in the garden.  I shall endeavour to do better tommorrow!!

 

I would have used my light box ..........

........ but it is currently pretending that it is a shelf!

 

so when I wanted to mark out the pattern for this sashiko bag (part of the year of making kits)

 

I had to do it the old-fashioned way and tape the pattern and fabric to the door

 

I made a good start to the stitching at patch'n'chat

I have also done some more work on blocks for the samper quilt.  I pulled out some more fat quarters

 

if you are wondering why I have picked an orange fabric along with all the shades of purple ........ it will be used in very small quantities to provide a pop of colour in some of the blocks.  I have now made three blocks.  The calico looks out of place against the pale pink of the design wall, but when the quilt is assembled I shall use a dark fabric for the sashing

 

we were delighted this afternoon when we went through fror our cuppa and found that it was our most favourite apple and sultana cake

 

the forecast is good for the weekend, so hopefuly we will get out for a walk on Sunday (no doubt followed by some sconnage!)  I will be working on more blocks for my sampler quilt, and I may also have a bit of a tidy, so that the light box can go back to its proper purpose.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Spring cleaning

I wonder if this robin had romance on his mind, as he had a thorough bath yesterday morning?

 

we have had a pair of blackbirds in the garden for the last week or so.  They keep vanishing into the climbing rose and honeysuckle over the lounge window, and we have finally discovered what they have been up to.  They have been building a nest - you can just see the moss through the leaves

 

and you can just see the blackbird through the leaves in this photo

 

this sparrow was also gathering nesting materials

 

in the back garden, there were more signs of spring

 

of course I was working this morning, teaching the third class.  Today the ladies made a start to their scissor holder, then put that aside to do some sewing on their bonus project.  I had intended to give them an extra project, but hadn't decided what that would be ....... then on our first morning, when it came to cuppa time, we discovered that we had to drink from horrid polystyrene cups.  I mentioned that quilters usually take their mugs with them, carrying them in  (what else) a mug bag.  So I decided to give them kits to make their own mug bags.  This is mine

 

the ladies have all finished their needle cases and pincushions, and hope to have their scissor holders and mug bags finished for their last class next week - there was certainly lots of sewing going on all morning

 

when I arrive at the College, I have to get my class register to mark the students (and myself) as present, and I also have a folder of paperwork.  I was somewhat surprised to find this in my folder this morning - do the College authorities really think that I am going to take up rugby?!

 

Sew much to do ........

........ sew little time!  OK, you can stop groaning now!  Over the weekend, I prepped lots and lots of hexies

 

and made a start to sewing them into flowers

 

out in the studio this afternoon, I finished getting organised for Thursday's class

 

it was only sometime later that I realised that this was still pinned to the design wall, when it should have been in my bag!

 

I wanted to make a start to designing the samper quilt, and not have a rush at the last minute if the class does go ahead.  I drew out a scale plan, then marked in the blocks

 

I looked out a half metre of calico and four fat quarters to make a start

 

using a template, I drew four hearts on fusible web

 

and cut them out, leaving a small margin

 

next I ironed the fusible web on to the wrong side of the fabric

 

having cut the hearts out, I positioned them on a square of calico

 

the last job of the day was to prep some diamonds with scrap fabric, to make a tumbling block

Where's my breakfast??

No, that wasn't Malcolm shouting at me this morning, but Mrs Blackbird and Mr Robin

 

at patch'n'chat this afternoon I finnished the little macaron case which Glenda in Melbourne sent me

 

when I watered the orchids this morning, as usual I checked to see if there were any new flower shoots and buds.  This orchid has clung on to its last flowers since before Christmas, and has now put out a new shoot

 

this orchid hasn't flowered for months and months, but now not only has it put out a tiny shoot .......

 

....... it has also put out a tiny new orchid!

 

I must go, as Stuart and Alison will be arriving shortly to send the weekend with us.  We have a bottle of fizz chilling in the fridge, to celebrate Stuart's very big promotion at work!  So, as always, to end we have the Friday cake.  Annette had planned to bake our favourite apple and sultana cake - but she couldn't get the apples she needed when she went shopping!  But we didn't mind too much, when we tucked into her light-as-air fairy cakes (most of us had two!!)  Have a good weekend, love Anne 

Model pupils!

We had a much more relaxed morning at the college, as the ladies stitched away on their hexagon pincushions.  Last week they hardly spoke as they concentrated on the sewing, but this week there was lots of chatter as they prepped their hexagons and started stitching them together.  I didn't get round to taking photos until we were having our mid morning cuppa (again, biscuits may have been consumed)

Rosemary, Susan and Betty

 

Vera, Jane and Jo-an

 

I was sewing along with them

 

that looks familiar!

 

I almost finished my  first side - just one seam to sew

 

by the end of the morning, the ladies were well on the way to finishing their pincushions - did you notice their finished needle cases in the first photo?  They are looking forward to making their scissor holders next week, and they will also be getting an extra project - but you will have to wait until next week to find out what that is!

After the class I headed to Kelso to go to the hairdressers (that's why it was raining today!).  I had some time to kill, so I had a potter round the craft department in the Garden Centre.  First, I got some pressed paper eggs, to decorate and hang on my driftwood tree for Easter

 

this is sticky-backed fabric ........ I'm not sure what I'll do with it (cover notebooks perhaps), but it was reduced, which made it  a good buy

 

and last, this magazine was half-price ........

 

......... and who could resist these tiny buttons!