Jennie's Threads

I went away on retreat a few weeks ago. It was my first retreat and I wasn't sure about signing up to start with, but I am so glad I took the plunge! The retreat took place at Eaton Manor in Shropshire - literally in the middle of nowhere! It was run by the very lovely @tuppencehapennyquilts - she was a force to be reckoned with and the organisation and planning that went into the retreat were phenomenal. Her partner, Patrick, did all the cooking for us for the weekend - the only guy on site! But the food was amazing! The homemade flat bread with chicken and dips and veg and salad was fabulous, and I have never had such good sausage and mash! My room-mate for the weekend was Andrea @frustrated_crafter. I didn't know Andrea at all when the room mates were first announced, but it turns out she lives very near where we go on holiday every year, so we were able to meet for coffee over the summer and get to know each other, which was either a huge coincidence, or some very clever ...

Quarter 3 was definitely not my most productive quarter, with just one finish. It was however, a finish that took a lot of work and that I love. But by finishing it, I seem to have re-found my sewjo, so I'm writing my Q4 list with that in mind! Let's see if we can tick some things off the list, as recently I've been adding things faster than I've been completing them.... not really anything new! Bjorn Bear Quilt: a 12-block baby quilt for a little boy. Seven blocks are done already - here you can see that whilst working them on the recent Sewing Shindig retreat, I forgot to take the chin pieces, so they were square-jawed and unfinished - those 7 blocks are now finished and five more are cut waiting. Sloths and Unicorns Quilt: the quilt is pieced, the backing is pieced, the quilt is quilted. I just need to get the binding on.  Marcelle Medallion: I started this back in Spring as part of a quilt along. The quilt-along is long finished, but I have this in mind...

As you know, I'm a sucker for a sew-along.... and that often, but not always, I fall behind! Each summer for the past few years, there has been a Summer Sampler Sew-Along. I finally finished my 2016 quilt earlier this year and I love it. The 2017 quilt remains mostly untouched - I think I made about 5 blocks.... I love the setting, but the fabrics I picked just aren't inspiring me at the moment. I have thought a few times about just giving up on this quilt, but haven't made my mind up yet. Every time I see a finished version pop up in my IG feed, I fall back in love with it. Lack of progress on my 2017 one inevitably didn't stop me from signing up for the 2018 one ! I decided to use Palm Canyon by Violet Craft. The fabrics are beautiful yellow, peach, pink, aqua and grey/black. I'm not using the whole range, just selected prints, and I've also picked up the coordination Kona solids. I made it through three blocks before falling by the wayside this...

I completed my month-4 blocks for my Mandolin quilt back in early summer, but I never shared them here, so here are blocks 8 and 9. The fabrics are mostly Spirit Animal by Tula Pink, but there are some complimentary blenders thrown in as well, including Painters Canvas, Lecien basics, and some Cotton and Steel basics. Since early summer I haven't made any progress with these blocks. These blocks were made from the pieces I received in mid-April, so I've got some catching up to do! I also fell behind with the filler blocks, which I need to keep up with because they are quite boring compared with sewing together these pretties, so best not to leave them all to the end! Hopefully installment five will be with you shortly. The Mandolin Quit is a block of the month from Tales of Cloth.

It's done! 13 months after I started piecing in August 2017, I have a finished quilt. And I love it! We took it to Blyth Beach yesterday to get some photos of it! This was an English Paper Piecing block of the month design from Sue Daley: each month over the course of a year, I received the papers to piece 4 circular blocks, all the same. 12 different blocks, four per month equals 48 blocks total. My colour inspiration was a washi tape I own and I had originally intended to use royal blue as my background colour. But whilst rummaging in my stash for a different project I found a huge piece of Art Gallery Pure Elements in a deep wine-purple - I think it's called Cabernet, and it just made the blocks sing. The royal blue went back in the stash! My plan was to applique the blocks as I went along, as I knew I would hate myself if I left it all to the end. And then to quilt each block individually, using the quilt as you go method. This plan would have been fine if I had...

Well here are the final blocks! I'm pleased to say I've kept up with the quilt along the whole year. I've spent the last few weeks doing way too much applique and hand quilting aiming to get this finished by the end of the month. Fingers Crossed I'll have a reveal for you soon!

I've got a bit behind on these posts.... but it is one of the few projects I've been making steady progress on during the last 17 weeks of feeling crap! Month 9 was not my favourite... lots of pieces... and a little helper! Month 10 was very straightforward - a welcome relief given my lack of energy! And month 11 was another favourite month - I love how the different fabric placements gives two very different looking blocks - but all are the same block! The end is in sight! One month left to share.