Jennie's Threads

My final post for this evening. As I said previously, January also involved some patchwork. Aunty Barbara, Linda and I continue to do the Mystery Quilt Block of the Month from the Fat Quarters. So far we have just completed our fourth block. Here you can see all my four blocks laid out together. The top left dresden plate design was completed over Christmas: I pieced it by hand and then appliques it by hand. I'm not very good at needle turn applique, so I attached it with some blanket stitch and I'm really pleased with the result. Bottom left is the latest contribution, also pieced by hand. The two on the right were both pieced by machine. Whilst we at the shop to get our fourth pattern, we signed up for a couple of workshops. The first is a series of at least 6 workshops (one a month) based on the Essential Sampler Quilt book by Nikki Tinkler. It's 25 blocks, each different, and we learn a different technique each month, spend the day making up the first...

A new year means some new projects. The first of these projects started in December and will continue all year. Back in September, Debbie, from Letters Tied with Blue, asked me to stitch some models for her, which I have done. It is a set of 12 Calendar Girlies, one for each month. I decided to stitch the set as Christmas presents. Initally I planned to do a set for Granny and a set for Sheila, then we had the idea that Aunty Mary and Aunty Margaret would like it too. Then Aunty Barbara said how much she would like them, and Linda made some less than subtle comments. In the end I stitched 6 January Calendar Girlies which I gave as Christmas presents with the promise that Miss January would be followed by 11 sisters throughout the year. This is Miss January (one of my favourites). The fabric came from the Fat Quarters - I thought it looked wintry without being Christmassy. Throughout January I was stitching 6 Miss Februaries. This fabric also came from the Fat Quar...

So it's been a while since we had an update. Christmas is long gone, so I can now post some pictures of the presents I made: The bag pictured here was a paatern from Moda Bakeshop. Originally designed to be made from a charm pack, I bought 5 fat quarters in Moda fabrics from the The Fat Quarters and cut them to the size of a charm pack. The design is made to be reversible, so on the inside it is lime greens adnd on the outside it's the purples. The straps are the same - purple on one side and green on the other. I love the design, but if I did it again Iwould do the topstitch in a colour that matched the inside colour, as it's not easy to keep the lines matching on the back where you can't see it on the machine. This was a Christmas present for Michelle. This needlecase was made for Aunty Catherine as a Christmas present. The design came from the Art for Heart Sew necessary book by Nancy Halvorssen, which Ive already made the pincushion and thread catcher f...

Christmas is creeping up on us..... and I have made a start on my Christmas present making. By it's very nature I can't share much here, but there's a few things I can show you. I'm also going to update my slideshow with some cards I made for last Christmas and some other photos I found on my camera before I wiped it! To start with I spent yesterday morning finishing off four cushions: two for James, and two for Jane (guess who's is which!) Firstly two pirate cushions. Both are the same so here is a picture of back and front. The pirate fabric came from Harrogate and the spotty and stripey fabrics came from the Fat Quarters. The cushions have envelop backs to I don't have to do any slip stitching, and so they are easier to wash (vital for a three-year-old!). The pink ones are inevitably for Jane. The pattern came from a summer issue of Qutmaker magazine, and I have been collecting up fabrics to make a quilt of the same pattern but in blues and browns (...

I have been very busy, but I cant share a lot with you at the moment, because a lot of my current and recently comlpeted projects are Christmas presents or birthday presents - it'll be one hell of an update after Christmas! I can share some patchwork blocks. Firstly one of the blocks that I am stitching by han d - I've completed two and I'm half way through a third: The corner triangles are brown and haven't come out well. Each block wil be the same and I hope to make approx 20 and create a lap quilt. This second block is the first mystery quilt block of the month from The Fat Quarters. We get a different block each month and Linda, Barbara and I are each doing it, but with different fabrics: This is my one. I didn't enjoy the Y-seams very much, but the end result is lovely. The next pattern, which we picked up yesterday, seems a tad more complex! No Y-seams but far more pieces. Today's plan is to make up some Christmas presents. I an share th...

It's been a while, but I don't have a lot to report by way of finished pieces. I've been working on some quite large projects recently, and that means that I've made progress on a few things, but I haven't actually finished anything. The quilt that I'm stitching by hand has had a bit of a revival. i was struggling with it because I couldn't get the seams to align. I've now started redrawing the stitch lines on each piece as I cometo it and it was remarkable how, despite using the same template to draw around, each piece was rather inaccurate. It also explains why the seams weren't aligning! I've now successfully complete two 12"blocks and made a start on a third and I'm really enjoying it - I can do it all from the sofa, rather than having to sit at the table with a sewing machine, which is really nice. Once I've completed a few more blocks, I;ll take some photographs and share the progress. Our local fabric shop, The Fat Quarter...

Another month is over and a few more projects have been completed. I haven't finished as much this month as some other months, but larger projects have been started and not yet finished, plus I spent a week working on a secret project for Debbie from Letters Tied With Blue.... more information will come, but not yet. The first thing to show you is a bit of a cheat, because I actually stitched it whilst on holiday in Sidmouth in August, but I only mounted and finished it off today: it's a small picture of swallow in a tattoo style that was originally a cover kit on cross stitcher. Instead of stitching it on the provided 14hpi fabric it stitched it on 22hpe hardanger fabric to minimise the pixalated effect. I've stitched it for Steph's birthday, so hopefully she doesn't look at this blog, cause she won't actually get the card till Tuesday! It was Natasja and Ruben's wedding last weekend (I stitched the hardanger ring pillow for them), so I...