Jennie's Threads

2013 has been a year of ups and downs. Although we lost both my Grandmother and my husband's Grandfather, our niece was born in March, and two engagements mean two weddings next summer. It feels like I've been pregnant for ever but we are looking forward to meeting our baby daughter - she's due in just 6 weeks. Work has been challenging but I'm lucky to have worked with a fantastic group of people and my maternity leave has now started. And of course through everything I have been sewing.... I have completed 5 large quilts (some considerably larger than others...) Daniela's Quilt ; Pac Mania ; Medallion Quilt ; Steph's Quilt ; Debs's Quilt Nine Baby Quilts Murmurations ; Stepping Stones ; Baby Blue ; Indian Summer ; Bubbles ; EJ's Plus Quilt ; Rhubarb and Custard ; Baby's Quilt ; Baby Paws . And lots of smaller projects Paper Plane mug rug ; Pepper Coasters ; Block Keeper ; Swap Cushion ; Pembrokeshire Mini ; Triangle Place Mats ; C...

This was one of the projects on my Finish Along list - not a chance. But today I got a lovely parcel of fabric including the sashing and backing for this quilt so I pulled it out again and took stock: I had made up to block 65 and cut the fabric for most of the remaining blocks. So this afternoon I cut the remaining fabric, had a nap, and started piecing. Warning: there are a lot of photos coming up... No. 66: Aunty Catherine. This is a block for my Aunt, my Dad's sister. The fabrics are Kona Regatta, Kona Periwinkle and a batik. No. 67: Weardale. If you head south from here you hit the River Tyne and then the River Derwent and eventually the River Wear (pronounced like Weir). It's absolutely beautiful and was the location for a sewing retreat back in September. After a rough few months (before and after) with my pregnancy, it was so good to spend a weekend sewing, chatting with good friends and eating lovely food. The fabrics are Art Gallery Oval Elements, Art Gall...

On 23rd December I had my final Christmas finish! The batik wall hanging for Mum nearly beat me.... This project came out of a conversation in September 2011. I had started playing with bias applique - a Celtic Knot block, and was playing with batiks for my Farmer's Wife quilt and Mum put the two together... "wouldn't it be nice if....." I made a start in early 2012 and it was a total disaster. I tried using calico as a base and then used fabric glue to roughly attach the batiks to the calico then started stitching on the home made bias tape. Well, everything moved. I didn't get very far. It got shoved to the bottom of the drawer and I ignored it for a bit. In October 2012 I was reminded of it again. Pulled it out. Decided what I had done could not be saved. Started again. This time I pieced the batiks in the traditional way, cutting accurately, quarter-inch seam... etc. and ended up with this. Then I made up some bias tape and started adding it to ever...

The lull before the storm! Mum and dad have arrived, presents are wrapped, tree is decorated and the rest of the family is en route. And the Snowman and the Snowdog has just started on the telly. In this moment of peace I thought I'd share a quick tutorial with you. I posted a picture of my finished Christmas Tree table runner on Facebook and some friends asked for the pattern. So without making another one, and using just the photos I took when I made it, here is the briefest of brief tutorials... I started with 16 squares of low volume prints of a creamy persuasion rather than a grey persuasion. In hindsight I would have selected lower volume prints than those I did use. I pieced them together in pairs and then created the background of the table runner. Then I raided my scrap boxes. Green strips, red scraps and yellow scraps. I drew some stars on scraps of iron on interfacing and used it to attach the stars at regular points along the table runner. This was the only ...

... and I've finished work today. Not just for Christmas but for maternity leave. I don't think it has really sunk in yet - maybe when I don't have to go back to work after Christmas it will feel more real.... In the meantime I have finished some hand made Christmas decorations. These will be winging their way to some Bee mates who have had to wait rather a long time for their blocks... a couple of them will get this hopefully just in time for Christmas, the other possibly not.... I got some Christmassy scraps and started with some crazy patchwork with a piece of calico in the middle. I quilted as I went and crossed my fingers, as crazy / improv patchwork isn't my forte. Once it was pieced I drew a Christmas motif and got out the perle thread. The holly is backstitch and the berries are lots of French knots - I nearly regretted this half way through as it was a lot of French knots but I love the texture it created. The Christmas tree is chain stitch, backstitc...

It may only be a week till Christmas but more importantly it's only 2 more days left in the office until my maternity leave starts! But Christmas is what the sewing is all about round here! At the weekend I finished a Christmassy table runner - you can read more about it here , but I wanted to share it again because I just love it. A couple of friends have asked for the destructions so with enough naps maybe a tutorial will appear! The WIPS are also Christmassy and just as spur of the moment as the table runner. This is as far as I have got - do you see a theme? Improv (well, improv for me anyway), dense straight line quilting.... I got these three to this stage yesterday and it was such good fun - I sewed straight onto the wadding and quilted as I went and made it up as I went. Each will have some embroidery in the middle... but what will they be? The other big WIP this week is the batik wall hanging for my Mum - I still have hopes it will be done for Christmas... she kn...

I have four finished table runners to share today - three very different designs and techniques! First up is a finish that qualifies for the Finish Along - and has appeared on my list a few times now. I finally can share the finished piece with you. This was the very first English Paper Pieced project I ever started. It was my holiday project for Sidmouth in August 2012 and the colour scheme was inspired by a palette I found on Design Seeds . The fabrics are a bit of a mixture: lots of Art Gallery, some beautiful low volume texty fabrics and some proper black fabrics! The background is Primitive Muslin from Moda, the backing is Nature Elements from Art Gallery and the binding is Floral Elements from Art Gallery. I finished piecing the hexies months ago and did the applique when I stayed in Budapest in March.  Basting was interesting. And possibly a contributing factor in my current bad back! It took a lot of time to decide how to quilt it, but I dec...