Odd bits...

Yes Ok I know it's been ages but I have been creating you know!! Over the summer hols I did a bit of finishing off and some small projects. I need to take some pictures but here is a little project that I did when I got back from my holiday in Scotland. A cosy for my cafetiere....in the colours of my kitchen!

I liked this one so much that I made one to go in our camper too!

And here they are together...

No colour scheme to adhere to in the camper, just a mix of my cottons!

Pinwheels....

I get very distracted in the holidays......I am meant to be packing but I keep getting sidetracked by my stashes of fabric lying about! I got this fabric at Sandown...just £5 a metre.

Look at these fab little houses

When I was in America last year I bought a twister tool that is an easy way to make pinwheel quilts. I have been desperate to try it out so today I quickly whizzed up some four patches.

Just look at my nested seams!

Then you lay the twisty thingy on the top, lining up the seams and re-cut the squares; these are now 10" squares.

Then you arrange them all into the pinwheel shapes and sew them all together.

BAM! one pinwheel quilt; but it needed some borders so I went for a 2" one in green

then a 4" one in the gorgeous houses to make it a bit bigger.

And here it is all together! Those pinwheels just look so effective! I can't quite believe how easy it was...it took me just under 4 hours to do!

Vintage squares.

A couple of weeks ago I answered and advert from a gentleman selling patchwork fabric that had belonged to his wife. When I actually got to see it , it was lots of cotton lawn blouses that she had made, they had got rather worn and faded, so she had put them aside to piece at some point. I chopped them all up with Burnice's help and discovered many beautiful prints.

I also became the proud owner of a 1900 Singer sewing machine that had belonged to hubbys mother and was sat in my loft. I thought it was an electric so when ai discovered it wasn't I whipped it off for a quick service so I could use it again. Look at this little beauty...

Just look at this amazing bobbin winder...

Anyway back to the quilt. I sorted the fabric a bit....remember the bird

First job was to cut all the fabric into 2.5" squares. I decided to use this red for all the cornerstones as there was lots of it. I think it had been a skirt

All the other colours I joined into four patches

These were then sashed with 2.5" x 4.5" strips and so were the red squares

Then finally they were joined in alternating rows and a 2.5" white border added!

The colour isn't great. Remember that bird.....

And look at those corners....pretty good I think!

There is someone I know who I think might want this one. Sadly I love it so much that I'm afraid it's going to be a keeper!

Job half done....

Don't know about you but I am REALLY bad about labelling the quilts I have made. I have never, ever labelled one. Not a single one. I have thought about it; I have even looked for a simple label solution but somehow it has just not happened! So today Eliza was bored. "Why don't you see if you can work out how to use the memory on my sewing machine and make me some quilt labels" say I. "Ok" says she. So of course once she has made them I have to sew them on.

Turns out I've made quite a lot of quilts! And these are just some of the ones still at home! I still have about 5 to go but we got a bit fed up. I also have a label ready for Jess's quilt that now lives in Bournemouth. So maybe they aren't perfect; a little wonky and wibbly in places but hey...they say who, why and when and what more do they need?

Jane again...

Still obsessed.....

And these blocks complete the first row of the quilt! Now because I have no desire to handstitch all 13 rows of sashing in one go. I decided to join each row as I go so here is the first finished row....

It's actually the last row because I decided to start at the end instead of the beginning! Quite liking it so far....

Another one bites the dust!

Another thing I bought at Sandown was the fabric needed to back and therefore finish, two unfinished quilts. Now I have cheated a bit and started my Dear Jane quilt but I was a good girl and dug out a disappearing 9 patch quilt that I made a while ago at a class. Once I got going it was very quick to do and I am quite pleased with the red and grey together! Grey is not a colour I would normally use but it was just right for this!

Dear Jane....

I am ashamed to admit that I am an addict. My name is Natasha and I am addicted to my newest project.....a Dear Jane quilt! For those of you who don't have a clue what I am on about take a look here This lady sewed her quilt over 5 years and her quilt design has been converted into a book form so we can make our own "Jane " quilt. So I have begun.....hand sewing it all.

There are the first 8 of 225! A little way to go but it is completely addictive. There are 13 rows of 13 squares and I am going to make a row, join it together with the sashing and then do another row. Let's hope I make it......

Its been a while!

Look just how long it has been since I blogged! Life has been super busy, what with SATS at school and my children doing exams and concerts etc etc. But I have been busy and creating. Way back in February a lady at work announced that she was having a baby. I was keen to knit for her and she said what she would really like is a large, white shawl. I remember my Aunt knitting me a beautiful lace one for my first child and then when I announced I was expecting twins, she knitted me a second one! They are much used and treasured and the most useful of items so I asked her for the pattern and decided this was THE ONE! Well many a time I wondered just what was I doing, attempting such a pattern! It was lacy and huge and in 4 ply but I soldiered on and finally, finally I have finished it! Just as well because there was a surprise lunch for her today and it is the last day to see her!

This is the pattern of the centre....about 5ft square.

And the lace edging; miles and miles and miles of it!

A rather nicely eased corner (if I may say so)

And the final thing; that's on my king size bed for scale! I can't deny that I am relieved it's finished. There are several mistakes that I just couldn't rectify but hey, it's handmade. She was delighted with it....now I just hope she will use it or my labours will have been in vain!