Its a Christmas pattern..... I love these nutcrackers and couldn't find anything large enough for my liking. So I made one πhe is approx. 50" tall so would look fantastic either side of the fireplace or the front door for Christmas! This pattern is for sale at £8.95 as a PDF or £8.95 plus p&p if you would like a hard copy. Please message me via email or my facebook page.
Monday 5 October 2020
Fabric Art
I have been known to do some fabric art.....
Gypsy Wife Quilt Pattern
So ...... I had had this pattern for, probably a couple of years. Then my husband went to Washington DC for a business trip so I sent him to JoAnns!! π
There he was in his suit with his briefcase not knowing what to do!! He ended up facetiming me so I could direct him around the shop..........We used to live there so I knew where everything was.... anyway amongst much hilarity and giggling from shop staff he managed to get a good collection of fat-quarters for me as well as some other bits.
So.. on his return I dug out the Gypsy wife pattern and read it through, then I read it again, then again. What had I let myself in for!!!
I took a deep breath and got on with it! The top took me a while...., you make up the blocks and then join them into bigger blocks until you have about 12 larger blocks of all shapes and sizes. Because I chose the fabric I did I also had to match the grey stripes all the way down the quilt π΅π₯΄.....won't do that again!!!
It got left again.....I had had enough and just wanted t out of the way. In the PHD pile it went.
Finally I decided to get it finished and bought the wadding and backing.
THEN I made a big purchase........talked into it by a friend @saminstitches π€£π I bought myself a Machine Quilter from Martha Milne. I LOVE it..so not only did I finish my Gypsy Wife quilt but I have now completed the majority of my PHD's.
Monday 28 September 2020
Follow along workshops.
So....back to Stuart Hillard. I follow him on Instagram and he did a couple of great follow along projects early on in lockdown. This is the tote bag results!
Quilts and Machine covers
I love The Crafty Nomad patterns. I'm really pleased with the vibrancy of the colours I have chosen for both of these pieces - from the same pattern.
The machine cover was not quilted on my Machine Quilter frame as I felt it was a bit too small to load on and I wanted to practice my free motion quilting anyway. Plus matchstick quilting around the edges and each panel would have been more difficult.
Bits and Pieces
I managed to make a few bits for myself and use some of the patterns I had bought and not got around to using.
Sugar Bowl Crafts have some great patterns and I love the size of this great project bag.
Machine Quilter
Just before lockdown I had ordered a Machine Quilter frame from the great Martha Milne. Instead of going to collect it and have a mornings workshop with Martha I missed out and had it delivered to home. Luckily her great videos and tutorials via her website were extremely helpful and I managed to get it set up myself and even working!!
The dog got a new quilt that day as I had a jelly roll around which was easy to make up and it gave me some great practice on the frame.
Stuart Hillard Workshop
We managed to squeeze this in just before lockdown. It was fabulous. Stuart is such a good teacher and spokesman. Scrap Happy Quilters had a great evening listening to Stuart and looking at some of his creations. A few of us were then able to take advantage of a workshop the following day. Excellent!!!
We made a Cathedral Windows cushion cover.
Lockdown Life
..... It's been a challenge, I can't deny it. However I have managed to get my head into a better space for crafting, gardening and other hobbies which had been put to one side. Starting with creating masks and scrubs bags for the NHS. I think most of my friends also did this and I know that between us we probably made thousands of pieces.