disappearing 4 patch block and Tula

I learnt about the disappearing nine patch which I really like and now I have found out about the disappearing 4 patch   form Sarah at Sew Me here is a link to the page "More Like Magnus":   I can not believe I have achieved this,   will just click and see if it has worked  yes it seems to have.  I cut my blocks 3" two of each colour making four and joined them up as in a four patch block.  I then cut them 1" away from the centre on each side of the centre seam both vertically and horizontally

this is the block cut

here I have flipped the pieces to make the correct pattern

the finished block.

I can see me using this again but will try and be more accurate next time.

Two firsts for me on the blog today,   managed to give a link to another blog and have given a mini mini tutorial!

Now for the next 6 tula pink blocks, we are still in the stripes mode with these.

Block 61,    this has been personalised, the 4th row is not correct the two orange strips need to be swapped, I call it personalising it but really it is doing it wrong but I did not notice until I loaded it onto the web page

block 62

block 63

block 64   rather like this one

block 65,   this is my favourite, I had a jelly roll of batiks which I have used up making little bags etc and  have used the rest up on some of my blocks,  must get some more batiks for my stash!

block 66

That is it for today, only 34 more blocks to add,   they have all now got their sashing on and I have ordered a 8.5" square so I can get them cut accurately, will then be back asking what I should do with them!

crazy quilting

Here goes again,  I have just done a blog but hit some button on the keyboard and have not a clue where it has gone or if it will come back so will try again!

I realised I had not posted about the October block so here it is now.  Could not decide what to do at first then hit on the idea of doing a bock around Halloween.

I do like my catbat in the left hand corner and the spiders web has worked quite well with a tatted spider that is a little on the large size for it.    I feel it needs a bit more on it but not sure what so will leave it till all 12 are done then hopefully inspiration will come.  The orange ribbon looked rather in my face but see on the photo it has calmed down a bit. Of course I could not resit a few bits of tatting, no crochet this time though.  I also used Sharon`s stencil, these have been a great buy,  have not used them to their full potential by any means,   they are from Sharon she can be found under pintangle,  sorry have not worked out how to add as a link, have had a few instructions but still not there yet!

I have signed up for CQJP 2014 but think I will not make all 12 blocks in advance like I did this year as I want to add more lace etc and maybe do the blocks in different colours and with more patches on them  who knows i could change my mind half a dozen times between now and then

I have added a sizzix big shot machine to my collection of bits and pieces,   it was an offer to good to refuse at hobbycraft, down to £50 for a few days, normally about £75, have also bought the hexagon and tumbler dies but not worked out how to use it yet, must take the bull by the horns and have a go!!

Will put the latest Tula blocks on tomorrow when they get uploaded to the web site.

birth sampler cutting and more cutting

Being one of 5 children all but one having had children there are now new arrivals coming with another generation.My sister has 3 grandchildren,   17, 15 and 13 years old and I have one Sal who is 15 then no more until last year when 2 of my brothers` sons became grandfathers for the first time  I made samplers for each of the new babies. these were given unframed so they could decide whether they wanted mounts and choose the frames they liked rather than me picking them for them..  In august my youngest brother became a grandfather for the second time in 18 months so another sampler was required, this I have stitched over the last couple of days and my new camera managed to take a reasonable photo of it, the previous 2 were taken with my previous camera but they did not come out well enough to share with you all.  So here is the latest one stitched for Peter

sorry the picture is not as good as I thought

the words at the bottom read 

God bless this child

with all thy kindness.

Guide this child with tender love.

show this child

the ways of goodness

Fill his little heart with love.

I am not sure where I found this little prayer, I have quite a few I have written in a book that I browse through and add to when I can and thought this was just right for this latest dear little boy.

I have recently had a photo emailed to me of the one done for Molly last year, here it is

unfortunately it has caught the shadow of my brother, have asked him to try and get a better one as he and Sue my SIL are up in Scotland visiting their son and family this week.  The words at the top read 

   

someone special, someone dear

someone new to love is here 

and on the bottom i

I have put

cherish yesterday

dream tomorrow

live today

and

during your life I wish you two things

one is roots and the other wings

unfortunately I have no photo of the other one I did last year but it had the same sayings on as Molly`s but was done in blue as it was for a boy.

The sampler is now in the post along with a little bag for Molly I had stitched some time ago

I have made quite a few of these for charities etc and they always seem popular. I have a few hanging on  various little chests of drawers that I have  and I keep pieces of jewellery in etc. I have a few larger ones too that are hanging from the curtain pole.

Today I took the bull by the horns and cut out 200 2" wide by 6.5" long pieces and 200 2" by 9.5" long pieces for the sashings around the individual Tula blocks,  it was not as daunting as I thought it would be so tomorrow I will start attaching them all.

my embroidery journey

I thought I would share an embroidery which got me into embroidery in 1989.   My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was little, unfortunately I was only 9 when we lost her but the love of creative crafts had been planted.  Nor much embroidery was done but I did start making my own clothes whilst as school and carried on making them for myself then my 2 daughters as they came on the scene until they got to the age when they were embarrassed about wearing what Mum had made. I continued to sew for myself and also made for a small clientele until I found the machine was causing me problems, spondiliitis in the neck which the hospital said was caused from too much machining.   That is when the knitting needles came out. Then I came across an old piece of linen in a shop with a picture on it which I purchased then put away for a few years in a  drawer. In 1989 I decided I would try and stitch it so went along to a class every week and the teacher would help pick the threads and told me what stitches to do,   I thoroughly enjoyed this project and even now when I look at the picture I feel pleased with myself,  the one part I would redo is the grave stones, they stick out like a sore thumb to me ,never mind .  After completing this project I started on a piece of hardanger (my grandmother`s mother was Norwegian) and from there my teacher suggested I take the city and guilds course which I started in 1992.
This taught me so many techniques, a lot I would never use again but on the whole enjoyed the course and completed part 1 in 2 years,   3 years away then a glutton for punishment I went back and took another 2 years to do part 2.  Sorry I have rambled on rather a lot,    will now share the photos of the embroidered piece that got me started and my first hardanger piece.

sorry about the reflection caused by the glass.

   Now a photo of the latest half metre lengths I have bought to add to the stash,  what a shock when I counted them today I have 153 half metre pieces,    time I got something worthwhile made with them!

these are a bit different,  camper vans, owls and tiny russian dolls.

patchwork blocks

I am today adding the latest Tula Pink blocks,   another six as I forgot to add the three for last week.

 block 55  have put this on the wrong way so have redone it at the bottom. This is the last of the triangles section.

 block 56     we are now into the blocks made of stripes.

block 57

block 58

block 59

block 60

this is block 55 as it should be.

I have now bought the fabric for the sashing which is going around each block individually,    black is the colour.  Many thanks go to Susan who kindly did the sums and told me how much I needed,  thank you Susan
I went to York for the fabric and when I got home found they had given me one metre short of what I asked and paid for,  a quick phone call and the extra metre was in the post.  Now to start cutting up 6.5 x 2 and 9.5 x 2 strips for each block, have washed it so no excuse not to start.

I have the october block for the CQJP challenge to do first and in a rash moment signed up for next year too.

I am also taking part in a round robin with 5 other girls from embroidery friends which is a group started when the EG stopped the forum on their web site, this group is open to non EG people as well    just as well as I have decided not to renew my membership this year.  My piece I started was based on gardens,  I stitched a pedestal which I see as a bird bath and then sent it on to the next on the list, wonder what every one is going to do with it.  Her is a photo of what I did.

so far I have stitched one more and today have received the next one to do so must get on with that too.   One lady taking part is in Australia, one in the Netherlands and the rest in the UK.

the quilter Ferret

As promised here are some of the quilts made by the amazing quilter Ferret that were at the Harrogate quilt show last month.   I have done them as collages but I am more than happy to re post any as whole photos or email them to any one who would like to see them closer up.

what an amazing girl she is.  The large black and white quilt she has a book on, have not bought it     yet!