Jennie's Threads

 Do you remember the list? You know - The List! My List of all of my works in progress. I did a bit of a review recently, ticking off what I've finished, removing what I won't ever do and, of course, adding on a fair few new projects I've started since the last review. The total? 102 projects! Could 2023 be the year I actually finish more than I start? Unlikely! But let's start with the best intentions. Helen at Archie the Wonder Dog is running a bit of an informal finish along - Fettle Those Finishes ! Create a list at the start of the year, and laugh at your optimism at the end of the year - you know the form! Helen has also added the year she started her projects... I have not, though I will admit that the earliest project is at least from 2012! And so here is my list! I've tried to find photos of the projects, but some have progressed since the last photo I could find. Many haven't. 1. Norah Quilt - hand quilting has commenced but progressing slowly - I made...

Lockdown has proved to be a busy time for us: whilst my mother-in-law moved in and has been a huge support in home-schooling the girls and Joshua-wrangling, work hasn't let up - no furlough for me! I've worked on a few bigger projects during this time, but I have mostly been ddrawn to either hand-sewing on the sofa whilst watching Vera and Death in Paradise, or smaller projects for quick finishes. Pouches definitely tick that box! I've made a fair few retreat pouches - these are made using a free pattern by @emmalinebags and are slightly different from a regular zippy pouch because you create a channel just under the zip and add wire frames. And it totally transforms the pouch into something amazing. I've made two large and two small ones so far - here is one of the large ones - a foundation pieced pair of scissors on one side (pattern by @quietplay) and some lovely Tula Pink fabric on the back. And here's one of the smaller one - made with Liberty and hand quilted...

Early on in lock-down, Berene Campbell of Happy Sew Lucky released a new pattern - Hello Friend. She originally released it through a select number of fabric shops, as a way for them to raise some money in lock-down. Our guild, North East Modern Quilt Guild, decided to support this and arranged a swap - each member who wanted to join in had to buy the pattern and then make the block in colours and fabrics they felt reflected them as a quilter. We then swapped the finished blocks amongst the participants and each recipient chose to finish their block in their own way. This is the version I made - it had to be a rainbow didn't it, really? And I loved the black rainbow sprinkle fabric for the background. My finished block went to Jules @juleskerry_s And I received this beautiful block from Dona @creativeaccountant - I love it and it's a totally different colour scheme to what I would pick for myself - a really citrussy yellow and turquoise. I decided to hand quilt it and added a ...

This is my final finish of 2019, and I really didn't think I would make it! This is the Summer Sampler which was run a four-month-long block of the month by Sarah Edgar of Pretty Fabrics and Trims. Everything about this project was beautiful: the instructions were beautifully presented, the fabrics absolutely gorgeous, and the patterns are lovely: little blocks, mixing all my favourite techniques: applique, English Paper Piecing, hand embroidery and some machine piecing. And then there's the beautiful little extras - a touch  of lace here, and a button there... it's far and away the prettiest thing I have ever made! It's also quite the departure from my normal style, but I have adored every minute I spent working on this project - so much so that I have signed up for two more blocks of the month from Sarah. The quilt finishes at 18" x 24" and is entirely hand quilted - using the 12w Aurifil provided as part of the kit. I'm hoping to get this up on...

I love a good pouch! They can be quick to make, or embellished with piecing and embroidery and hand quilting. I've got a few patterns I turn to again and again. One of those is the Speedy Vinyl Pouch pattern by Aneela Hoey. I've taken part in a swap recently (I'll blog more about that soon), but one of the extras was "a notion": I picked up some of my favourite hand piecing threads and needles, and made a tiny pincushion, but decided to make a pouch to put them all in. I picked Liberty as my focus fabric, and lined it with some denim from an old pair of jeans. This is the medium sized pouch and perfectly held the bits and bobs. While I was making one pouch, I thought I'd make two. I love the way I store my threads in my All in One Box Pouch (also by Aneela) but I have just a few too many threads for the front pocket. So I downsized the medium Speedy Vinyl Pouch (not all the way to the small size - just enough so it fits inside the all in one pou...