Jennie's Threads

So instead of jumping on ahead I'm now pretty much up to date and in line with everyone else in the City Sampler Sew Along, which means I can go back to sharing just three blocks a week - until I have a little addiction again. Block 55: Retirement. I've called it this not because I am retiring, but because my mother-in-law just has and a very good friends from did the same on the same day - and now they won't shut up about it! I have no idea what the fabrics are in this one! Block 56: Heart Beat: I actually stitched this block up a few weeks ago now - it coincided with a visit to the mid-wife to hear the baby's heart beat - the baby wasn't quite as keen on being prodded and led a merry dance around my abdomen, refusing to be found - what should have been a five minute appointment turned into a 20 minute appointment! But we found her in the end! The fabrics are Kona Chinese Red, Mama Said Sew from Sweetwater and Chez Moi Boutique. Block 57: Tintagel: ...

Looking back at September I'm quite proud with what I achieved! I have a finish, which I shared yesterday - my Rhubarb and Custard Quilt ! I am up to date on bee blocks (at least I was until today!) I was up to date on the Lucky Stars BOM and now have a plan. I've made a couple of Dear Jane blocks And I had a fantastic weekend at Horsley Hall and started a new quilt. And I made myself a hot water bottle cover ! Linking up with Lily's Quilts

This is one of my longest running WIPs - I started it in Summer 2010. Unfortunately I did it in a class very early in my quilting career and we weren't given the instructions on how to put it together - it was my first attempt at quilt as you go and I didn't have a clue. Roll forward to the beginning of this year and I found the tutorial by Leah Day for joining QAYG blocks with narrow sashing - a little light bulb popped on and since then I have moved this project from barely-touched-since-leaving-the-class, to finished quilt which I love. The fabrics are a bit of a mixture but most of the heart/flower fabrics are from a Benartex range called Sweethearts. The layers were all joined together with some really poor (hindsight is a wonderful thing) hand quilting - I did it like I did embroidery, so the front is fine but the back not so great. Speaking of the back... the plan was a chequerboard effect. Oh well! This is a wall hanging - there is too much hand sewing fo...

I have just got back from an amazing weekend retreat! It was organized by Kim and Debbie from our Local Quilt shop. The venue was Horsley Hall in Weardale - it's about an hour's drive away from where I live and the journey is through some beautiful countryside, especially over the moor before dropping down into Weardale. Just a few minutes outside of Stanhope but it felt like the middle of nowhere. The Hall was gorgeous - this was the great hall where we ate and sewed and the drawing room, where we cut, pressed and relaxed There were 23 of us - some I knew, some I didn't - we did nearly as much chatting and laughing as we did sewing! The project for the weekend was a medallion quilt designed by Kim and Debbie and found in their second book "Shopping Days" which is inspired by nearby Beamish Museum. I'm using fabrics chosen by my God Mother - it will be a present for her and I want to get it finished before Baby comes. I made really goo...

Tomorrow is my 20-week scan. We may get to find out the sex of the baby - though in the words of my consultant, I am "well-padded", so we may not be able to see.... I also have the beginnings of a bump, but to anyone who doesn't actually know me, I still just look fat. :) I have also developed a rather beautiful back ache - I can sit in an armchair or walk around for as long as I want and I'm fine, but my work chair, and unfortunately the chair I sit on when I use my sewing machine, and I am in agony... so I will have to limit sewing machine time (no chance of limiting work time....) - more hand sewing for me! But the one thing that is helping a lot is a hot water bottle. A few years ago my mother-in-law made me a hot water bottle cover to replace the towel I had been using, but it was starting to look a bit tatty through overuse. I'm going to a sewing retreat at the weekend and I want to take my hot water bottle with me, so a new cover was in order. Pretty li...

I absolutely have to tell you about my new toy - Appliquick rods. Two steel "sticks" with various prongs and shaped ends - one holds the fabric and the other turns the over the seam allowance, using interfacing to create the shape, sticking it down with fabric glue and moulding smooth edges. All of a sudden I can do consistent applique! Here are the two Dear Jane blocks I have made since buying my "sticks" at the weekend. Linking up with Work in Progress Wednesday

100% up to date on all of my bee blocks! And I was quite a long wage behind! I pulled all of my stash out of the cupboard and spent nearly a week cutting fabric for bee blocks, a couple of baby quilts and a lot of City Sampler blocks. Stash Bee will come to an end in just a few months time, but I still had July, and August as well as September untouched.... So here is July - even though Diane has already made a fantastic quilt top , when I contacted her to check whether she needed a different block as I was running so late, she asked for the same log cabin blocks either to use on the back or to make  matching cushions, so here are my offerings. Log cabins really aren't my favourite things, but the end result when laid out in a quilt really is beautiful. August was aqua and red for Chelsa. This is a colour scheme that's growing on me and I love this block. It was pretty straightforward to put together but I really struggled with the requirement for red and white fa...