Jennie's Threads

Wow - that was unexpected. Back when I wrote up my Quarter 1 Finish Along List , this quilt was definitely in the "totally unrealistic" category, yet I'm very chuffed to share it as a finish here today! We took the photos at Matfen Country House Hotel where I was treated to a birthday afternoon tea today. Turns out that neither Michael nor I feel comfortable photographing quilts in public, which is why this is all I have! It was also blowing a gale and starting to snow.... I'm not 100% sure why this made it to the top of the pile, but I got some lovely feedback both here on my blog and on Instagram when I posted my goals, but most specifically about this quilt. Maybe that was the push I needed - so thank you! The story of this quilt starts back in June 2015: Although the pattern is straight forward, Katy Jones (@imagingermonkey) headed north to take a class at a local quilt shop, and I decided to go. A nice, child-free day. The pattern calls for 8 different fa...

This year I decided not to take part in any BOM programmes. I did decide to take part in a block of the day quilt, and I'm still supposedly making two Farmer's Wife blocks a week. That's plenty. Until I saw the Zodiac Block of the Month from At Blank Pages. I didn't take a lot of convincing.... The first block, Aquarius was in my inbox first thing on 21st January. Filled with the enthusiasm of a new start, I got started cutting my fabrics straight away: I've decided on no particular fabric pull, rather any warm colours that take my fancy. The grey frame will run throughout the quilt pulling it all together and I'm planning on using my birthday money to buy enough of the Modern Background fabric I've picked for the background to do the same. Oranges, purples, pinks, yellows, reds, peaches.... all in scope! For someone who normally includes aqua or green in her quilts, this is a bit different for me! For this first block I've used Pearl Bracel...

I haven't blogged in a week, but that does not mean I haven't been sewing. I just figured that actually you didn't need to see each block as I completed it. I have been sewing up a storm - first up: blocking! The Farmer's Wife quilt: I've made further progress with 8 blocks: this brings to 28 in total and all of the blocks scheduled in 2015 are now done. I do still have 6 blocks to make to be properly up to date, but I'm getting ever closer! If you're a real Farmer's Wife fan, you may be observant enough that you don't recognise the block bottom middle. That's because it's not in the book. The block that should be here was called daffodil, and looked like...well....a daffodil. I really don't like it - along with most flower and basket blocks. As this will be my quilt I'm substituting such blocks with some of my favourites from my Blocks Pinterest Board . This particular block is called Urban Churn Dash . The 365 Challenge qui...

When I posted my Finish Along goals here and on Instagram last week, I got some lovely comments, but especially about my pixelated heart quilt. And possibly because of that, it made it to the top of the pile. After some backwarding and forwarding over the border I just went with my original plan and got piecing. I'm pleased I did! I have to confess that I never want to piece a 3" square ever again at this point, but I love how the finished quilt top looks. I got some help basting it on Monday, and some willing quilt-holder-uppers helped me get this photo. It's not great, but with the weather the way it is at the moment, it's the best I can manage.  And even better: this weekend, Daddy will be in charge and Mummy will be sewing. Or more precisely, quilting this monster, because I can't wait to get it on my bed!

Apologies if you read my post from yesterday with the background as to why this particular quilt has made it back to the top of the pile this week - I'm going to repeat myself. I have a suitcase containing not quite half my fabric stash, which I keep under my desk. The rest of my stash is in its cupboard. Upstairs. The logic is that for this quilt I don't want to plan too far ahead. I just want to grab the next fabric that speaks to me. I can't do that going up and down the stairs. But at some point my beautiful daughter, who is already stealing and reading my magazines before me, will suss out the contents of the suitcase, and it will no longer be safe. I am very careful not to have it out and open in her presence. This fabric stash needs to be rehoused soon. My Mum is coming to visit in mid-February and she's very good at folding and organizing my fabric stash with me, so here's the plan: finish piecing this quilt top before she arrives. I'm about ha...

This list has not been easy to put together, because none of the projects I have are particularly close to being finished. Normally I can split my list into two halves: those items which are realistic finishes and those items which are totally unrealistic. Every so often an unrealistic finish makes it, but mostly they are put on repeat until they become realistic! This time, I don't have many projects that fall in the first category.... perhaps only one. And of the unrealistic quilts, those closest to being finished need quilting. And the machine I normally use for quilting needs to be serviced... So here is my list, and I'm not expecting many finishes. I think it will be a personal success if I can simply make progress on a few of them. If one accidentally gets finished, then even better! Aspen glow: you'll have seen this one before no doubt, but it's a been a while since I even bothered to add it to this list. But it's a gift for someone special, and I'd r...

I started my 1930s Farmer's Wife in September. I now have 20 blocks! The observant amongst you may be aware that these blocks look somewhat different to the blocks I've shared so far... Because I've started again. I just didn't love the blocks I'd made. Some of them I love individually. These will no doubt become something one day. But all together they just weren't speaking to me. So I stopped making them and fell behind the two-blocks-a-week schedule. Then, at the start of December I accidentally  bought myself 20 fat quarters of Simply Colorful II from our local quilt shop. It was an unplanned, spur of the moment decision. And it took me a few weeks to convince myself that perhaps these were the fabrics I'd been looking for. It's been a long time since I made myself a quilt from a single fabric line. I've added Kona solid in what I think is bleached white and found a couple of extra fat quarters from other sources! I was planning on...

Happy new year! I have so many plans for 2016! Today I'll share with you the most unrealistic: I may have gone mad, but I've decided to join in with the 365 Block Challenge ... a block a day for the  year. And I'm pleased to report that one week in and I am still on track - I have eight blocks (7 days and one bonus)! Apart from the bonus block we received on day one, all of the blocks have been very straightforward, even if they are only 3" x 3" finished. Unfortunately I have a feeling that the blocks will become more complicated and I will inevitably fall behind! If you follow the link above, you can see the full sampler. It will finish at 90" x 90" and there's no sashing to bulk it out! These first three months worth of blocks all fall in the dark border, so I'm using a variety of black prints as "backgrounds". I'm then picking random fabrics from my stash with a vague idea of doing a rainbow. And possibly not repeating a ...

Let's be honest, my list for Q4 was a little ambitious, wasn't it? Even I'm surprised with how much I achieved! My final finish for the quarter is a towel for Mia - one of those projects I have put off and put off for absolutely no reason! It probably took me about 30 minutes start to finish! But I have loads of the flannel left, so there will probably be a few more in some nice garish colours if I can find some in the sales! The flannel is from Riley Blake. Here is a round up of the progress made on the rest of the list.... Schnitzel and Boo mini swap : I finished this and got it posted in time. Tracking tells me it was delivered. Pity my partner hasn't seen fit to acknowledge its arrival. I still plan on making the same quilt for myself in the future - all the fabric is cut, but I'm all curved out for a while! I finished the UK Easy Swap Sew Together Bag . By a whisker I finished Mia's advent calendar before the start of December! It was a...