Just been pottering along

After all the fabric hunting I've come to a full stop.  I started making one quilt and ended up doing something different, so what's new there then.  I wanted a new log cabin block table topper in neutral shades but a bit more modern looking.  I started out making a block with a star in the corner.

But don't like the way its going together so I've put it away to unpick at a later date.  Then I found some foundation blocks already printed onto fabric.  Heaven knows how long I've had those but thought I'd make some up.

I've done ten so far and its more of what I had in mind when I set off but I'm finding foundation blocks tedious.  However I will make enough for something, not sure what though. 

In the meantime to take my mind of tedium I made a mug bag and mug rug to take with me when I go to workshops etc.

However its big enough to take a teapot!!!  It'smade from some batik scraps I had lying around and had forgotten about.  How many of you have a rummage through your stash now and again and find treasure?  I have enough of this left to make mug bags for the whole family.

And my final play was to make another mug rug from some fabric I'd previously used as a clean up cloth then stamped with a face.  Not sure that its actually practical as I can't remember what I stamped it with but it was a lovely 9pm curfew project.

Talking of 9pm curfew projects (the time when we both put down our toys and talk to each other) I came across a piece of work I'd obviously been trying out machine stitches on and wondered what it would be like if I added hand stitches to it.  I've been pootling along with this piece for a couple of weeks now and have almost filled in the gaps between the machine stitches.  I wanted to keep to a narrow range of colours, yellow, yellow-greens as that was the colour of the machine thread.  Here it is so far I think it needs a beads, what do you think?

Thinking about this piece it has almost all the stitches on it in the TAST challenge which I hadn't realised until now. 

It's an absolutley lovely day today, sun is shining and the temperature has risen to 18C, not bad at all for February up here.  We decided to take Buster to the seaside for a romp in the sea.

Who's a happy dog then.

Swaps and Challenges

 This month's BQL challenge is to make a cover for something like a rotary cutter.  I decided to use some of the selvedge bits I'd been storing for some time. 

 I really enjoyed sewing them together and would have continued making a selvedge fabric if I hadn't run out of time.

The BQLPC monthly swap is 'Nature's Gifts'.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do for this until I found some photos in my folder of sloe's and bottled sloes.  We made sloe vodka from them but it is more usual to make sloe gin.  In any event it proved very popular and we now have none left.  This year's sloes however were less fruitful so we decided to leave what there was for the birds.

At last I found the fabrics I wanted to make the table topper, Kona plains.  The colours are a bit dimmer than in real life.  I found four neutrals, a lime, a burgundy and a lime/burgendy print.  Now all I have to do is decide upon a pattern.

I've been looking for fabric - again..

Wasn't successful though.  I wanted fabric to make a new table topper to go in our living room.  I wanted neutral colours with a flash of something seductive (must be the Valentine's Day effect).  My LQS  is a good 60 mile round trip so we thought we'd make a day of it and go to Embsay Mills just outside of Skipton (about twice as far as LQS).   First call was to dh's woodturning store, then mine.  I was looking for creams, beige, white and perhaps lime or blue or something that had the WOW factor.  I was disappointed, they did have creams, beige, white etc but naturally the ones I liked were very expensive, not cotton or I just plain didn't like them.  So I ended up with some rickrack braid, magnetic catches and a Book of Baby Gifts (I did tell you didn't I that I'm expecting a great grandson - can't wait).

I also got the news yesterday that the CQ group want two of my button quilts for display at the NEC Sewing for Pleasure next month.  The two I've chosen are December and January.

You seen them both before but I thought I'd just show which ones I was sending.  Keep an eye out if you are going to the NEC next month and give them a wave so they can bring it back to me.

Valentine's Day

Hope you have all had a loving Valentine's Day, I only just finished our placemats in time, phew.

I tried to get as many red and white fabrics as I could, my stash is now much smaller.  I cut out the circles and hearts with my Accuquilt and sewed a different stitch pattern round each one, some I liked others not sure of.  But I've got the done in time for dinner tonight.

One other thing I've finished is a Biscurnu pincushion.  I've been looking at the pattern in the Embroiderers' Guild 'Stitch magazine for some time now.  It was one of those patterns I wanted to do just for the fun of making something an odd shape.  I even took it away on holiday with me but then never took it out of my project box.  A friend of mine said she was making one and this prompted me to actually do something about it.  It took me two evenings to complete and I used two different random threads, both perle 12 but sewn together with a matching perle 12.  The fabric is 18 ct even weave.

I joined the Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge and have completed it so far but not shown the stitches.  This is because I haven't done much else but the basic stitches on a monoprinted fabric.  But I will as soon as I get to the bottom of the piece of fabric, nearly there.

January Lace Postcards

I've now got all my lace cards from my fellow swappers to show:

 Pauline's card has a multitude of lacey bits and pieces and is very pretty, much more attractive than this poor photos.

 Top card is from Marian who has had fun playing with her new embroidery machine.  The bottom one is from Chris.  I always think black on yellow stands out well.

Top set on this photos is from Carole and she has used lace both as a background and as a motif.
The bottom one I love, its Janet Boorman's take on Lace, just wish I'd thought of it.

Brusing from fall on Friday is much better, less like a contour map so not such a good design source.  I've been amusing myself making a couple of Valentine placemats which I want to surprise his lordship with next week.  Will sneek a piccy in before then though.

February's JP

The second in the red dance series, this one Valentine Waltz.  The first four JP's which are the red ones have the same woven fabric backgrounds but the values change as the months go on.  This one starts out with the same as January then moves to a slightly light value, sort of dark to dark/medium range.  The background has "I love You" and hearts embroidered onto it and the edges of the velvet hearts have real gold thread couched round the outline.  Each heart has a waltzing line going from one heart to another. 

I am supposed to be giving the vote of thanks this afternoon at our Embroiderers' Guild meeting but who tripped and injured her knee?  Of all the silly things to do, I knew the steps were there just forgot to lift my feet.  Result, one swollen knee, sciatica, and a bruised bum that could put itself forward as a design source.  Hopefully it will be better tomorrow, what an excuse for sitting sewing.