Phew finished 2011 Journal Pages

Done it.  It's not at all what I started out to do.  My first inclinations were to created a journal page using buttons and buttonholes as the main focus of the piece.  After three false starts I threw them all in the bin and no I didn't take photos they just looked like sewing class samples.  However I came across the piece of sateen that I'd taken to Summer School and lost all the screen printing on it because it wasn't cotton.  I also found some sheets of paper I'd transfer painted - Idea!!!  I loved the fabric I'd created, it reminded me of that time in Winter when the tips of plants are just coming through.  Well the JP has nothing to do with that.....   I cut off some of the yellow from the piece and created flowers using my Accuquilt and appliqued them onto the blue part that was left over.  I had great problems fmqing - the threads kept breaking, the needles kept breaking and I ended up shouting at my machine.  I left it and went back the next day, all was calm and collected and sewed out beautifully.

As I'm sure I've said before I have an aversion to buttons, however, there are a few that I can handle with care.  Some of these are the ones my dh makes.  I painted them with an overlay of green, purple, blue, wiped it all off then painted interference paint to give some shine.  Enough, here's the finished result.

Don't know why Blogger has turned the photo sideways, again!! It is the right way up in my albumn but you get the picture.

It's done the same with this one which shows the buttons a bit better.  Colours are about right.

December Journal Page

I've spent a busy few days just trying to catch up.  I'm determined to get both 2011 and 2012 JP's done before the month is out and then I'll be back on line.  It's frightening how quickly you can get behind without meaning to.  

On the December JP I've been trying out the shadow/trapunto quilting.  By this I mean I wanted the central image to be raised and shown against a different translucent background.  It's the 'add buttons' feature of this challenge that is giving me problems.  I don't like the feel of buttons, odd I know but it stems from those rubbery ones on liberty bodices I was forced to wear as a child, ughhhh.  They still make me shudder.  Anyway here it is.

I call it "Button Tree" after I heard there was an American wood called Buttonwood.  I first drew out a 'treeish' shape and used this as a template.  I placed felt on top of a cotton backing, drew round the template then sewed on the drawn line.  Next I cut it back layered a sheer organza over the top and sewed it to the background.  With wadding behind I then echo quilted round the piece.   As I said I don't like buttons but made some embroidered and some Dorset ones to finish off the piece.   Keith has made me some wooden ones for the January's JP which is on its way to being completed.

Work in Progress

In between these two JP's I've made a weighted pincushion to take to workshops etc with me.  I never know what to do with waste threads etc and although I always pick up as many as I can I feel sorry for the cleaners who have to come in an clear up the mess some people leave.

I've also joined the Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge - see sidebar - but so far have only done the first one, herringbone stitch on a very small project.  I intend to be a bit more adventurous with this stitch but just wanted to make sure I'd done something.  It's a covered tape measure which is very easy to do.  I  picked up one quite cheaply in the market, drew round the diameter and cut it out with seam allowance twice.  I cut out a strip of felt to go round the outside of the tape, embroidered both top and bottom and buttonholed the two pieces together.  Buttonhole stitch is the second TAST stitch but I wasn't going to use this as the TAST piece.

I'm a bad bad blogger

It's almost a week into the new year and I haven't posted a thing.  Just don't know where the time goes these days.   I've actually found it very difficult to get down to doing any work at all after all the festivites.  Hope you all had a good New Year and this year will be one of creativity, productivity and enjoyment.

I've got to admit that I'm behind on my journal page challenge for the Contemporary Quilters.  However I've now finished Novembers and am making a start on December's tomorrow.  That just leaves January's to complete.   Next years challenge reverts to A4 but has a colour theme.  The first four months are red, the next four yellow and the final four blue.   I'll find this a real challenge but am looking forward to it.

Here's November's

I love Angie Lewin's work and bought her "Plants and Places" book last year.  I have not done justice to her drawings.  I didn't want to copy her work but to be inspired by it.  My plants look nothing like hers but Angie's work is the source.   The background fabric is a piece I made in Summer School last year then brought home and dumped it.  I came across it by accident and decided to try discharging colour using a nappy liner stencil, again made at Summer School.  I used Finish dishwasher gel as the discharge medium and it worked very well indeed.  I shall certainly use it again.

I've used a photo of a thistle I took last Autumn, the background is a close up of the thistle 'petals' can you call them petals? I'm not sure what they are called but they give a lovely texture.  I want to print this onto fabric and fmq it.  However I've forgotten how I split the photo into four parts, poster printing I think but when I tried to do it tonight this is what I ended up with.

Not a lot of good, one is chopped off and the others are too small.  I changed the print size but they remained the same size.  So its back to the drawing board, I won't let it beat me.

Keith also has been having a play, he made me a 'boat' to hold bobbins or thread to take to workshops with me.

Cute isn't it.

Tomorrow I'm not sure whether we'll have a cooked meal.  My cooker is beginning to heat the kitchen rather than the oven so tomorrow I'm having a smart new bright red one installed.  However, they won't give me an exact time for the fitting just sometime between 8am and 4pm.   Guess we'll have to eat sandwiches.

Getting close to New Year

In this part of the world and I'm sure in others, the New Year must be met with a clean house.  All the old rubbish is thrown out, cupboards cleaned, floors scrubbed well you know the rest.   The next two days here will be dust bunny blitz time and I may be too tired to blog so I'll let you know what I've been up to.

Boxing Day I finished the Stitch In with 11 tray cloths for the local hospice made from my 1960's cotton curtain fabric.   I first made a cardboard template from one of the old clothes, drew round it on the back of the curtaining and set off to sew.

I had to tape several sheets of card to make the template as I didn't have one piece big enough to cut it from.

And this is the finished result, 11 1960's style tray cloths/placemats

I forgot to show you my swish lighthbox and new rotary sharpener both of which I'm really pleased with.

And last but not least this is what I've been doing this afternoon.  I followed this tutorial on the SewWeQuilt blog.  I've made two but only have one left as Sy has taken one for Julie.

I'll try and pop in again before 2012 but if I get lost in the dust or thrown out with the rubbish have a prosperous and creative New Year.

I'm spending Boxing Day Sewing

I saw on the net that a Boxing Day Sew In was being held here naturally I didn't see it until after lunch today but I'm still going to do a BDSI.   A few weeks ago I offered to help a friend make tray cloths for the local hospice.  They are three layers thick, no wadding just fabric, but must be washable.  This is one of the hospice old worn ones.   EG members made 20 Christmas themed ones but they need at least another 20 everyday ones.  They are to put on the food trays of those patience too ill to go to the dining room.

One day last month an old friend rang me and said she had a bin bag full of new cotton fabrics and did I want them for patchwork.  I thanked her and went to pick them up.  This is one of the furnishing fabrics in the stash.  All are rather dated patterns I'm afraid but I've made several shopping bags for charity out of them until this is all that is left.

 These will be the tray cloths for the local hospice and my task for today's BDSI.  Hope you approve.

Cut out, about to be ironed and sewn together.  It's a rather straight forward job but it will give me the added opportunity to listen to one of my audio books.

Hope Santa was kind to you all, he brought me a very swish light box, one of the new rotary cutter boards, lots of cutting dies to play with and some lovely warm pj's from dh with hearts on them.

Last two Christmas postcards

Snow is Falling from Pauline



Angels Sing from Jane

 These are the last two postcards from the Christmas Song BQLPC swap now all I have to do is work out some way of displaying them all together.   I love the snowflakes on Pauline's card and the linen background on Jane's embroidered angel.  I'm sure if I tried to fringe linen I'd end up taking so much off that the angel would be clinging to the background for grim death.;

Well I'm almost ready for Christmas, last present is wrapped, last bauble beaded and last card posted.  All I have to do now is clear up the mess and then sit back and eat the chocolates and drink the wine.  Not too bad an idea is it.

Merry Christmas to everyone luv Annette

More Christmas Cheer

Good news - some Christmas Angel picked up my postcards and posted them for me, three have found their way to new homes.  A big bedraggled and looking as though they've been travelling the world but safe and sound.  Thank you Christmas Angel.

More Christmas cheer came in the form of three more postcards, Lois's 'Shepherd and his flock' wandered onto my doormat, Jacquie's 'Ding Dong Merrily on High' bells arrived peeling and Barbara's Rudolph has lit up my life.

I've been busy making lots of beaded baubles and still have some more to go before Christmas Day.

So far I've made two each of the large ones and nine of the small blue ones all in different colours.  I dream of beads.....

Christmas postcards

I've received four beautiful postcards from the BQLPC group whose theme this year was "Christmas song or carol".

From Alice "It was on a Starry Night"



From Janet "The Holly and the Ivy"




From Carole "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas"



This one is from Irene "Sew This is Christmas" her pun not mine, I just love the bit of tinsel.

Now for a confession - I've lost my Christmas postcards but I do have a picture of them.

Mine are based on the "Twelve Days of Christmas".  I had them all ready to go, stamped, just to pop into the postbox.   I decided to take them down to the main sorting office as I had a parcel to pick up.  I had them when I left home, I had them in the car but I didn't have them when I got to the sorting office.  We had had difficulting getting into the parking area at the sorting office, there was a log jam of cars all wanting to get into the same small area so Keith decided to drop me off and waiting a short distance away.   I don't know if I dropped them getting out of the car in the confusion of the moment but I went back to see if I had dropped them but there were no where to be seen.  There aren't in the car and they are certainly not at home.  I just hope someone kind picks them up and pops them in the post for me.  Failing that I'll have to redo them all again.

Ah well that's all for now folks, back to the bauble making which I'll show you shortly.



A cautionary tale

I'd been to a very instructive workshop given by Philippa Naylor on applique and decided to try and redo some of the samples we'd made.  I drew out the design onto fusible interface and ironed the interface onto the back of my fabric ready to cut out.  When I looked down my design had completely disappeared!!!   I had picked up the first pen (Philippa said pen worked better than pencil on copying designs onto iron on interface) I came to.   It was a Frixxon pen which I had completely forgot disappears with heat... durrh.

Here's |Philippa showing how to turn a narrow rouleau strip the easy way.   I was very impressed with the technique which I am sure is not new to many of you.   Before you start to sew the strip you pull out both top and bottom threads to a length longer than the strip you want.   Then right side facing up start to sew 2 or 3 stitches only at the mid point at the top of your strip.  It's very important that you stitch these threads into the middle of your piece.  Then fold the strip lengthwise with the right side inside, sew down the seam.   Trim the seam allowance and holding the tube at the top end where you sewed the threads, gently pull the thread tails and your tube will turn inside out smoothly.  I managed to sew a quarter in tube and was really proud of myself.

I mentioned last time that I was going to the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate.  Well I really enjoyed myself there but didn't take any photos as I was too busying looking.   The exhibition devoted to Beryl Dean was outstanding, just wish I could sew a faction as well.  I was dazzled by all that goldwork.

Keith bought me my Christmas presents there, I was hoping for an IPad2 but I think I'll have to save my pocket money for that.   I know I'm getting a lovely new lightbox and one of the new long rotary blade sharpeners and several books.   I bought lots of lovely Oakshott fat quarters for Philippa's workshop then never used them so I'll have to think of something else to do with them, ah decisions, decisions.

I've spent the last few days putting the final touches to Christmas presents and as my dil informed me she was looking forward to her's as she'd read my blog I am not putting up a photo until later.   Bought some beaded bauble kits at the show, all I have to do now is work out how to make them up.

I have finished my Christmas sampler, just half an hour ago, and here it is.

It was my nephew's 21st last Sunday and the family gathered to celebrate.  His mother put on a tea for him which we all thoroughly enjoyed.  

My sister Lesley and my nephew Chris.

Catch Up

Although I have been working hard I haven't been able to post photos because most of what I've been doing are Christmas presents and I know the recipients check my blog occasionally.  However my pre-granddaughter does not so here is something I've made over the weekend for her.

It's a small back cushion which I thought, being pregnant, she might appreciate later on.  The buttons on the back Keith made so its a combined effort.  I used my Accuquilt cutters to cut the basic shapes but the sizes were really too large onced I'd made up the blocks so I cut a piece out of each one so now the roof is a slightly different shape.  I doubt Siobhan will notice though.  Just hope she likes the colours as to my mind they are a bit dull however she likes browns, mustards and neutrals so hopefully it will be okay.

Matty came down to show us the 'scan' photo of our new great grandchild.  To me it looked like a peanut but they are both really happy and I ended up laminating it for them.

Keith too is busy making wooden presents which he hopes to put inside wooden crackers but I think he's being a bit ambitious as he likes to take his time and do a good job. 

I'm off to Harrogate on Thursday to the Knitting and Stitching show.  Don't have a long list of 'needs or wants' but I'm sure I'll be tempted.   My friend sent me a book on Beryl Dean's work which she bought when the K&S show was at Ally Pally and I'm looking forward to seeing her work.

Norfolk Noel

We've just got back from Great Yarmouth where we spent a pleasant couple of days.  The hotel was facing the seafront and the weather was sunny if a bit windy.

We stayed at the Imperal Hotel a short walk from the town.

View from our bedroom window

It's over 30 years since I was last in Great Yarmouth and the thing I remember the best are the sand dunes and the sea being a long way off.



Best of all from our window was the rising of the sun, it was very similar at sunset but I had to open the windows wide and hang out to get a picture without showing the window frame.

 Another longstanding memory of Norfolk in general is the quartz stone walls.

Very pretty but I'm not sure what they would do to the skin if you fell against them.  See how they've been used in patterns along the bottom of the church.

Our main intention in going to Norfolk was to see the Christmas Spectacular in Thursford (hence the title).  We had heard about this show from various sources all praising it.  We arrived in darkness and the lights were at their best.   From outside the Fantasy Land building, where we were entertained by a 4D short film to the 140 ft stage in the main building the lighting was spectacular.



This waterfall of lights was constantly moving and was much better than my photo depicts.



The main 140' main stage (this was taken at the interval so there are lots of people wandering around) the ceiling and stage decorations change according to the scene and music.

I don't want to say much more as some of my friends are going to see the show.

November already

Thought I'd share my recycling projects with you.  I used a pair of old jeans and a remnant of curtain fabric to make these.

A couple of totes for the charity shop, a lunch bag for a family Xmas present, no names in case they read this blog.   And a couple of shopping list wallets.

The bag has yet to have its beads added along the tendrils.  Its the Poppy Bag from Quilters World magazine, February 2011 if anyone wants to make one for themselves.  The pattern called for wool but I used a pair of old jeans and added the applique felt poppy.   I'm quite pleased with it and might make another one for myself later.

A tutorial for these wallets can be found here I thought they would make good shopping wallets where you have a notebook and places to put your loyalty cards and money off vouchers.  I always misplace my vouchers and then find them when they are out of date.   You could use them for anything.  Again I made mine from a piece of the old jeans and added a crazy patchwork puzzle piece I'd had lying around for some time.  I didn't make the puzzle piece, it was part of a swap I took part in ages ago.  The front of the second wallet (open one) has a swirl cut out of the curtain remnant with the Big Shot and bonded onto the front.  As you can see the lining is also from the curtain.

Next job is to try and make a Domina Chix, I've been looking round for some shiney black fabric but couldn't find anything I liked so I'm now going to bond a bin liner to cotton and see what happens.