Thrifty Patchwork Quilt Part II and a bit of Fabric LOOVe

Well at last I can show you the biggest Ta Da, Ive finished yet.  But first sit back this Saturday Evening and enjoy abit of fabric loooove♥

Ok a trip to the charity shops and a bargain find is an instant delight,  Ive been searching sometime for some furnishing fabric to finish the thrifty quilt.  For those of you who have not heard of my Thrifty Patchwork quilt.  It is a quilt made from fabric samples kindly donated from my local painter and decorators shop, also my first attempt at proper quilting (so be kind to me).  So on Thursday I was thrilled to bits when I spotted this

2 pieces of Sandersons "William Morris Water lily" fabric for £1.00, and I have enough to make a cushion with whats left over.  Wow what a bargain.  But I havent finished there is more.  Because next to it with a price tag of £2.00 was this fabric, 1 door curtain and two short curtains.
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William Morris "Blackthorn"
I do believe this colourway is discontinued, its so 60s/70s retro, so of its time. I love it.
Im normally  drawn to chintz, Cath Kidston fabric pinks, greens, yellows,   But isnt this the most beautiful pattern. 

So back to the quilt.  Its finished, not perfect but Im very pleased for a first attempt. I wont show the back because it has a few small creases. I was inspired by Small hands one of the very first blogs I found, she no longer blogs but keeps a flickr account here  http://www.flickr.com/photos/56058041@N00  I love her quilts, they are so and fresh, colourful and intricate.

By cutting the fabric samples into strips and mixing them, it enabled me to  use all the colourways.  As you can imagine some of the samples were incredibly dark or  too bright.  Otherwise I wouldnt have been able to use them all.  I think it worked out well considering..




Hope you like it.

The House with "The Lurgy"

We have had a visitor to No.23.  It started with my husband, I blame him entirely.  For two days he was so ill that he took himself to bed (very rare), he went to the doctors the following Monday

"Ive got the lurgy" he jokingly said.  "Yeap" agreed the doctor and hes been off work since. 

The next day, Tuesday I went out for the day with my two crafting  friends, this time we were heading to the Quilt Museum in York. There was a very bitter wind, and dispite the good company I did not have a good day as hoped," I was nithered all day,  and later came down with  the lurgy. Now I dont get colds like "normal folk" suffering with my sinus' .  But for the first time in about 10 years I actually needed to blow my nose, I cannot say Ive missed that one!    Any way enough of that more of the quilt museum....

The Museum, yet another beautiful building, sadly no photos were allowed of the quilts. 

The Exhibition was "Decline and Revival" in the 20th century

showing how patchworking declined during the 1st and 2nd world wars, due to the hardship.  There was a delightful suffolk puff blanket made from every type of available fabric scraped together during the second world war, that I liked.  

After the war patchworking declined  due to the competition of  manufacturing.  It wasnt until 1960's  the  revival began.  Alot of reference was made to Averil Colby.  It looks like she produced  quilts by carefully selecting  certain patterns in the fabrics, creating patterns with a pattern, a more wasteful way to how quilting was  originally done. There was also some lovely examples of Italian quilting and quilting.

The above is at the end of the revival.  It was 3 dimensional in layers, we all liked this one, very clever.   My personal favourite that inspired me was daphnes show and tell it was fun and alot of different techniques, I particularly like the descriptions of the characters,  Which one are you?

So what else has been happening.  Weve been in the gardening tidying up and moving logs, this Summer we are tackling the top end of the garden and reorganising  the sheds.  I cant wait to get out there now the snow has lifted.

 

On my last post I mentioned my ebay purchase. I was so excited, Id hoped to show you pictures (sadly the pic above is not mine) mine is in a box slowly heading for the nearest dustbin. I accepted it knowing it wasnt working.  The seller stated it should  cost about £10 to put it right.  I could have bought one in working order and it could have broken a few weeks down the line, so I thought it was worth the gamble.  These machines are 40+ years old.   We noticed a loose connection  and hoped that was the problem. Plugged it in,  it went up in smoke.  We think the motor has gone.  A friend is going to have a look at it to see if its worth repairing.  That was my 3rd Ebay disaster in a row. They say things come  in threes. 

Quilting Fun

Just a recap on my last post, just when I though autumn was here  the sun came out and shone on Yorkshire. 

It is wonderful going out on the old bike again especially in this sort of weather.  The wind from the wolds is strong, a warm wind, at the moment, but very bitter in winter. Of course,  I ride it like an old lady, slow and steady, and I get miffed when I get overtaken, especially if they are older than me!!!.  My next job is some panniers for the back, jolly red ones I think.  Lots of  cyclists on blogs I follow name there bicycles, I havent.... yet.  As it was lovely and sunny I took the quilt out into the garden to show you a better picture, doesnt it look wonderful, next to the cycle.

I played around with the patterns for sometime with the quilt (arent digital cameras brilliant for this, click then compare.) I enjoy this part, mixing the colours around.

first I tried this idea



we also thought about traditional  small squares. My daughter decided on the 1st option, but as I had limited fabric I decided to only use 2 colours to the pattern and put spaces of purple inbetween.  Being a novice quilter I thought this was easier incase I didnt get good joins on my seams.


but in the end as we started putting the patterns together, we ended up going off a tangent and this is the end result. I know its not pefect, but my daughter loves it. Very young and vibrant. I cant wait to finish it.

Long time No See

Well it seems ages since I was last posting, days so quickly turn into weeks, and before you know it its Autumn. I cannot believe the wonderful weather we had earlier on in September, Harvest time is one of my favourite times of the year ....

 I love to see the fields with bales of hay stacked.  Im definately a country girl at heart. This so reminds me of my childhood. 

Its such a hive of activity on our road  with combiners and  tractors going backwards and forwards, working from dawn to dusk.  Trailers full of potatoes or hay piled a mile high.  (this kind of heavy traffic I dont mind, after all we are rural.) 

I tried to get a photo of the hay coming past our window, all stacked high on the back of the truck, towering over our little cottage, but sadly I wasnt quick enough with the camera and just caught it going around the corner, it makes a nice change from a delivery truck.

Im now mobile having finally got the vintage bicycle restored.  Its lovely to be back in the saddle!! so to speak. Ive missed the old bike.

At the end of September I organised a coffee and cake afternoon as part of the Macmillian Coffee Morning appeal,  calling on good friends to help and bake.

Its amazing what a few balloons and bunting can do to the Church Rooms

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves

We raised £130.55, which wasnt bad going for a couple of hours. 

All the cakes sold well  except my little choccie buns (No surprise there, Id much rather sew than bake)

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(a friend took these photos, she wasnt sure how to use the camera!)

When I got home,  I had a  few stickers spare, my daughter and I soon found a use for them!!

Im still quilting but sadly I havent yet got that blessed walking foot.  Ive now started another quilt, I find quilting very addictive.  Yes I know I should finish the other one first.  You can catch a little glimpse of it resting on the back of the sofa above.

Its a lovely mix of purples, pinks and blues, I will post some better pictures.  Im just going to have to buy a new foot as I cannot wait any longer. Having never used one before I do hope it lives up my expectations.  

Crafting with a Plonker!

The quilt.  If you can remember I couldnt quilt it without a special walking foot for my machine, so I have painstakingly sat and quilted it by hand.  Well I finally finished it, I was so delighted and was ready to finish it off.  So off I went up upstairs all set to bind the edges when I spotted this information about the wadding Id used

CAN BE QUILTED UP TO 4 INCHES APART!!!!

Oh No!! I definately have spaces of more than 4".  My heart sank, all that time for nothing, there is no way I am prepared to sit and quilt the entire thing with 4" gaps by hand. So I have now come full cycle and I'm watching a walking feet for my precious Bernina on Ebay. (hoping I get a bargain).

I also have quite a stash of fabric and thought that it was about time I used some of them up. so I  have joined Sewdirect, a monthly magazine for dressmakers, which give you 2 free patterns when you subscribe. Im drawn to these two pieces of fabrics from my stash

A random polka dot in a very dark navy  (I love polka dots)

also this little gem

4 metres of  36" wide vintage fabric.  Yes only £1.59

  from my favourite RSPCA shop

 (I love this charity shop , its so old fashioned. They make there price tags from christmas cards. Such a treasure I hope it doesnt change.) 

Anyway I thought that they were crying out to be made into 50s' style dresses.  I decided to order this lovely vintage dress pattern so I could use these fabrics




What I failed to do was measure how much material I actually have.  the polka dots I have only 2.50 metres, which is not enough.  So I have 2 options (1) not make the skirt so full or (2) use a contrast for the top section of the bodice dress, neither option ideal.  I just cannot believe I was so stupid not to check I had enough fabric.

As Delboy would say to Rodney  "WHAT A PLONKER!!"

The Thrifty Patchwork Quilt

Today would have been my mother's birthday, she would have been 90. She was a very strong-willed Yorkshire woman, very hardworking and totally devoted to being a mother and housewife, as you can imagine I miss her very much . I will not waffle on, but when next you see your mother give her a big warm hug.



Mum looking very elegent (with my eldest brother)  late 1940's


 On a different note,  I started making a quilt and I know it is not perfect, but Im pleased with it for a  first attempt. Of course I blame Hen for this sudden impulse to quilt, and I have to say its such fun. Im already thinking about the next.

Because there is nothing good on the TV these days, I have taken to sewing alot more, Ive been sitting at the kitchen table on the evening with the french doors open, quilting till my little fingers get sore (solely because I cannot afford a walking foot for my machine £70.00)  Its been thoroughly enjoyable, the evening being  the best time of the day for my as I am not a sun lover.

By the way the quilt is made from a cotton duvet that I no longer use and the patterns are fabric samples from my local painter and decorators shop FREE  of Course, what a nice man.  Mostly Sandersons, I do hope they dont shrink!!  I will show you the finished result very  soon.  So I been surfing the net looking at patchwork fabrics what a selection out there.

Isnt this fabric fun I think I shall have to order some and make myself a pinnie

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My daughter on the other hand likes this print, very 70s looking, which I believe is classed as vintage, how mad is that!! ( sorry I cannot get her to embrace what I class as proper vintage)  I like this very clever and artistic and my era

HAPPY STITCHING
louise