Jennie's Threads

It's been a busy couple of months with one thing and another... so busy that I didn't get to link up at the end of July, so this is a double round up. A lot of my sewing hours in the last two months have gone on my City Sample quilt which is just totally addictive! I have rushed ahead and I'm up to block 55 - I just need to find time and opportunity to lay them all out together - for the meantime a mosaic will have to suffice.... There are 56 blocks here - one is a reject! I am absolutely loving rummaging through my stash. I have just one rule - no two fabrics from the same line in the same block (I've broken it once, with good reason). However, this process has highlighted some of the holes in my stash: purples, fussy-cutable fabric and solids. We went to the quilt show at Harrogate yesterday and I worked hard to fill some of those gaps! I also fell totally in love with Tula's fabrics - Acacia is to die for! I made a few other blocks too: another ...

Yesterday I should have been in Edinburgh for the Stitch Gathering. But I wasn't. When the baby is a teenager I am sure I will get my own back and say that they can't go out and do something they want to do either.... When I woke up feeling great on Saturday I started to regret cancelling, but yesterday morning didn't go quite as well, so my decision was the right one. To make up for my disappointment, Linda and I spent Saturday at our Local Quilt Shop. Because I a, in desperate need of new projects (not) we started a new one. We both signed up for the Amish Twist II block of the month back in May and finally made a start. There was a lot of cutting and not much sewing, so I don't have anything to show for it yet.... ...and if that wasn't enough I also gave in to temptation and bought Block 1 of the Best Friends Froever block of the month from Rosalie Quinlan. This will be a long term project - partly because it could take me that long to pick which fabrics I ...

Well - I'd better put some plans down before the end of the week. What would I like to achieve between now and the end of September? The answer to that question is very different to the answer of the question "what could I actually achieve between now and the end of September?" In the spirit of quarter 2, which was quite successful, I'm simply going to list everything, along with a couple of goals which won't eligible for prizes, but accountability is a good thing. I would love to finally finish my hexie table runner. This was my go to project on holiday in Sidmouth last year and it is nearly Sidmouth-time again - 20 days (not that I'm counting). I need to baste, quilt and bind. Easy. My Rhubarb and Custard Quilt didn't quite make it in quarter 2. Maybe this time round..... Neon Stained: I now plan to quilt each square individually with a different free motion design (within reason) - that does mean this will not be a quick finish, but it wi...

This year just seems to be rushing by! I spent the first half of the month working in Budapest again, and Jane came with me. I made five blocks using English Paper Piecing technique (blogged here and here ), and wrote a tutorial on how I did it. When I got back I completed my entry for the Emerald Challenge - a block keeper for storing all those blocks I'm making as part of many many BOMs. I have written a tutorial for this too - you can find it over on Leanne's blog today as part of the 2013 Finish Along  I'd love it if you'd pop over and take a look. The second half of the month was about catching up and starting new things I made my block for Stash Bee - It's enormous, and not my normal colour scheme but I really enjoyed it. And the Queen Bee for April has picked the same block in different colours, so I get to play with it again! I made the March block in the Lucky Stars BOM - I absolutely love these little blocks and have s...

Have you noticed I have a bit of a thing for Art Gallery fabrics recently. They are just SO pretty. In the last two days I have started two new projects, both with Art Gallery. Fireworks This is a new(ish) pattern from Camille Roskelly (who also designed Swoon) and as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to make my own version. I was just waiting for the perfect fabric. In the end I was a close decision between Luxe in Bloom or Rock and Romance (both Art Gallery), and I went for Rock and Romance - the combination of purple, peach and grey is just so unusual, yet so pretty. I made the first of sixteen blocks last night. The background is Art Gallery Pure Elements in ash. Double Wedding Ring I can remember when my Grandparents lived at Datchworth, my Granny was making a double wedding ring quilt. They moved when I was 12, so this was at least 15 years ago I would say. She used templates, and cut all the fabrics by hand and hand pieced a whole quilt. It was beautiful - ve...