batik quilt

Thank you all first you your comments and advice on the CQ  wall hanging.   I will leave it for a while as I have had mixed advice, some saying stitch on the seams others saying don`t!     Will ponder, I am good at that!

I went through the Tula blocks yesterday and pulled out those with any batik on,  I have 15 and thinking of doing a small wall hanging with these. The blocks will be cut down to 8.5", planning I think to cut them crooked then the eye will not notice so much the errors in the individual blocks,  not so sure I like the black now but what the heck I am a beginner and can and will learn form my mistakes. I think the correct way to go about it is to join the blocks  then add the wadding and backing then quilt it, after that I put the binding on and    wow all is done!!   just like that.

crazy quilt and tula

Once again it is time for 6 more Tula blocks.Only 19 to go after these and then it is all done!!

block 76

block 77,  love the colours and batiks used in this one

block 78,  the purple/yellow fabric is a bit I created with sponging silk paint onto the fabric, this is the nearest I get to dyeing fabric.

block 80

block 81   think this one is nice and fresh looking.

block 79,  this did not upload first time round and did not know how to put it where it should be!

I have now joined the CQJP blocks together.

maybe I am being overcritical but there are one or two bits I do not like.  The large yellow butterfly on the may block, is it too much in my face? and the block below may is the  july one both the centre flowers and the embellished orange flower seem to shout at me. The central flower I see I have not used any of that colour elsewhere,    what do you all feel?

Now I have to stitch over all the seams,   not sure how I go about this, do I do the same stitch all the way down from top to bottom in the same colour and use a similar stitch across the rows or maybe each block has its own stitch,  have it pinned up on the wall for the time being waiting for some inspiration.  Not thinking of adding a border just some narrow binding maybe in a tan colour.

My younger daughter Helen has asked me to do one with lots of pinks and grey for her lounge for next year so I have something to think about.  

blocks completed

I am ahead if myself this morning having done the CQJP block for december.  Of course it has a bit of a Christmas theme!  I think it could do with some more brightness looks a bit dull to me.

I then got all the other blocks out and put them in order on the table and here is what they look like

this is the first time I have looked at them all together and on the whole I am feeling rather pleased with myself!!       Now the big question    what shall I do with them.   Maybe a wall hanging,  if I do that do that should I have sashing?  or maybe make into a book,   not sure how to go about that though.  I suppose I would back each page maybe with a plain cotton fabric or maybe have it as a 6 page book and back each page with another crazy one.  I will take them with me to the K & S and buy some backing fabric,  was thinking of staying with a shade of green possibly dark or maybe I should look for a contrast, tan?  any advice will be greatly received.

I have signed on to do this challenge next year too,   Helen says she might like a pink and grey theme but have not decided yet.

9 more blocks

Time once again to add 6 more Tula blocks,   we are now three quarters of the way through,   well I have finished all 100 but adding them as I add them to the web site.   Oh dear just checked and it appears I have not added any for 3 weeks so have 9 to share with you today.  They are 67 to 75



blocks 67 to 70 still in the stripes design

block 67

block 68  I have really come to love the batik fabrics,  I bought a jelly roll a few years ago before I was quilting,  have now used it all so must replenish my stocks with more batik,   will have to wait till a quilt show then plan to but some half metre lengths!!

block 69

block 70  oh dear  can see a bit of a blunder on this one!

we are now in a section of blocks made using squares.  block 71, one of my favourites.

block 72

block 73

block 74    I love the patterned fabric here but have been unable to track it down,  have taken it to quilt shows and drawn a blank,  if I could find some I would buy 2 metres,  any one seen it anywhere please?

block 75 this is very plain but I find it quite pleasing.

that is all for today,  thank you all for all your encouragement, advice and comments how I love the blogging world!!

CQJP november

Just a short blog today to show my block for november.   My how this year has flown,  it seems no time at all that I started the block for january at the beginning of january and now I have only one block to do.

  My theme for the centre block this month was the falling leaves of autumn,  I am a bit ahead of myself here as we still have most leaves on the trees, never mind.  I used PVA glue on some fabric to stiffen it and then cut tiny leaves out and stab stitched them to the block, both on the branches and the ground below,  think of worked quite well as it is my first attempt with the glue idea.  In the top panel  are fireworks!!  maybe if you squint a bit and screw your faces up you will imagine they are fireworks!

I have also been busy making a few shopping bags, some pin cushions and Christmas tree decorations and have put some cards I made in the past in the bag too in memory of a dear friend who passed away recently.  Her family are having a charity stall at the K & S show in Harrogate to raise funds for the hospice that cared so well for Ann in her last few weeks,   lets hope they raise a large sum.

casalguidi and hardanger

I am today going to share a few items I made in the casalguidi technique and also a few more hardanger cushions.    These have been made for a while now, just never bogged with them before and I feel now I am on the quilting journey I never seem to finish anything to share with you that is finished.

this is a favourite of mine,  it is in the same colour as the green cushions I have on my bed and is on the bedroom wall in a frame that is a darker shade of the fabric. I put wadding behind it to give it a bit of a lift, think it works well

I worked this piece as a sample and then it lay around for ages decided to make it into  a little bag measuring 6. 75" by 9. 25",  the fabric was a bit I had dyed.

I went through a phase of making these little pouches, not much use for anything but they sit very nicely in a large dish I have in the lounge, this one measures 5. 75" by 3. 75". I have lined it with a piece of dyed poly cotton.

this green one is similar to the blue one measuring 6. 5" by 3. 5" and lined with dyed poly again

This pink one Helen my younger daughter claimed, it is a bit bigger than the other two

this is a set of four cushions I made for the 2 couches in my lounge,  they are all the same size  but different designs.  I do  not draft onto paper but start in the middle and go where the needle takes me, it seems to work quite well.   I have decided the cushion pads are not full enough so must get some more, think they need to be bigger as well.  When I look at the hardanger I have done it makes me smile as I get so much pleasure from this technique.

Sorry about the photos, photography is not my forte!! The cushions I put on the floor but seem to have been a bit skimpy with them