more eye candy

As promised here are some more photos of the Malvern quilt show.  This is the 3rd attempt to load them,  the first I made a mistake  and deleted it, the second one I thought I had saved whilst I had some breakfast but if I had saved it I can not find it now so here goes,   3rd time lucky.
    I think I am right in saying this first quilt came overall second in the competition. This is one of the ones I like best.  I seem to be drawn to the applique ones at the moment but want to make a patchwork block one first.

the next one is all hexagons which I did not realise until I got up close they are easily seen on the light fabric but the dark mislead me.

Now these are just a selection of some of the others on display.

eye candy

This is my 100th blog, my how time has flown,   it will also be the best blog so far as I am putting on some of the 400+ photos takes at the Malvern quilt show.    sorry no names as do not know who did which but if any of you bloggers have done one please let me know.

think this is enough eye candy for one day, will add more tomorrow,  I do hope you enjoy these.

Malvern quilt show

What a lovely time I had at the quilt show on friday.   Coach trip to London went well on thursday and we arrived early. Cheryl my friend was there to meet me and we made our way on the dreaded underground back to her place where we talked and talked for hours, it was 2 am before we got to bed!

Cheryl drove to Malvern and there we were in awe  at all the quilts, between us we took over 400 photos and it would have been more but my camera died after 123, will have to get it sorted as I had fully charged the battery, never mind I had my memory stick with me so was able to load Cheryl`s photos onto it and now have them on the computer.   Along with the quilts there were also trade stalls, I managed to get a cutting mat which has one dark and one light side, find cutting out dark fabric a problem on a dark mat,   also could not resist a few half metre lengths and also some template plastic,    which reminds me I have not seen it since I got home,    will have to spend time searching, with a bit of luck it will be inside one of the books I took with me, lets hope it is not inside the one I left for Cheryl to look at.

I have come home with loads of ideas, now know I would like to do a kaleidoscope piece, and a winding roads piece but have also signed up for the Tula Pink quilt project and Pippa`s vomit quilt so not sure whether I am coming or going as I am still doing the CQJP project, started may`s block yesterday.

We had a lovely meal in Worcester prior to returning to London and then saturday we went  to the fabric shops in Shepherds Bush,   wow loads of them, we have one in Leeds! plus 2 market stalls with fabric.
Of course I was tempted with a few more fabrics,   must stop buying now.

I came home on sunday after having another late night saturday, so much to talk about and was fascinated with the EQ quilt programme C has on her computer.
Not sure what photos to show so will show the collage of C`s photos and the winning quilt for now just to tempt you and add more later.

this is rather mean but do not know how to make a collage of fewer than what was taken!

unfortunately in my rush to get into the show and I did not buy a catalogue, none of the quilts had the makers names on them so cannot give more info as when we left the programme sellers had already gone.

News about the stolen quilts from Empress mills,   7 quilts have been returned, a lady saw about the theft on the tv or in the papers and she had been given them so took them straight back, do not know if the culprit was caught but hope to hear if the others are returned too.One poor lady lost 8 quilts.

pin cushions

I have made a couple of patchwork pin cushions these last couple of days,   how relaxing it is to sew these little pieces.   The fabric was bits of left over batik from a jelly roll,   had to join two pieces for the triangle in the larger one.  This was from the"quilting on the go" book I recently purchased, all on English paper quilting and the smaller one I stumbled across the instructions on line on the abyquilt blog. Think I will be making more of this shape.  It says in the book to stuff with crushed walnut shells but have had looks of disbelief when I ask for them, apparently pet shops sell them, well not in Leeds. I also asked on a nut market stall and had a totally blank look from them so they are for now stuffed with stuffing,   Helen my daughter has a couple of joiner friends and have asked her to get me some sawdust shavings as they keep the pins from rusting.

I think I will do a few seam treatments on the larger one to give it a bit of a lift.

I am off to London tomorrow till sunday evening, staying with Cheryl a dear friend and on friday we are going to the Malvern quilt show, hope it warms up and dries up as part of the displays are in marques. On saturday we are having a play day and she is going to help me understand how to make quilts. Will take the fancy templates I have bought and we will have a play with those and see if they are really necessary or if it is easier cutting the shapes the traditional way.

No news on the stolen quilts,  a lady did post on my blog that one was her mother`s and another lady had lost 8 quilts. Hoping some photos will turn up so we will know what we are keeping our eyes open for.  Not sure how Angela found my blog, she is not a follower it shows what a small world it really is.

quilt show

It is a while since I blogged as I have not been too active with the needle recently.

On Saturday I went to Empress Mills in Colne, they manufacture threads and also sell fabrics and all sorts, well over the weekend they had a small show on with a few exhibitors,  Richard Box, Mabon Arts, Colourcraft and The Yorkshire book company to mention a few. There was also a exhibition taking part,  the North West Embroiderers Guild and the Halifax Guild were also there.   The quilts that were on show were wonderful,   a very sad tale, on the thursday night the place was broken into and at least 30 quilts were stolen, the poor ladies who lost their quilts must be so devastated,all that hard work and love that goes into making a quilt,  I do hope the police can find the culprits and return the quilts to the owners.
I have made a collage of the quilts  so will try and load it now.

That is great I have finally sorted how to load picasa collages, have even made notes for next time.
If any one wants to see an individual quilt just let me know as I have all the individual photos too.


Have done a couple more patchwork blocks,  I am now using cotton instead of ploy cotton but still not at the stage where I can use these blocks,   another collage coming now

The three blue ones are still poly cotton,   a small piece of drunkards path, a kaleidoscope and a five pointed star.
The green ones are stepping stones,migration, points practise and spinning star. The migration I have got the top left hand part set in incorrectly, it needs turning anti clockwise 90 degrees. These four were from the book  Fat quarters shape workshop blocks.
I seem to struggle with the easy angle (for half square triangles) and the companion angle ( for quarter square triangles)  have bought the specialist templates but wonder if it would be easier to try the old fashioned way,   I suppose the more I practise the easier it will become, well it had better become easier!
Thanks for visiting me and happy stitching.

apologies

Well I don`t know,   the photos show on my page on my blog but must admit they have a white background behind them, so will now try again but will put them on individually this time. Sorry about the last post.

box pattern

calico puzzle.

economy

Missouri star

road to Oklahoma

snail trail

maple leaf

hopefully you can see them all now!

patchwork blocks

This morning I have typed a long blog but it was to doneoto the accounts I set up at the beginning that never worked so will start again now! I have 2 blogs that do not work which I would love to delete     has anyone any idea how to do it.

Have been successful in transferring my google reader to bloglovin last week and it all seems to be working okay.

I have been having another go at patchwork blocks,   still working in poly cotton as I still do not really know what I am doing.

Thought I would use some templates I have bought but not too sure of them yet. The templates are the easy angle which makes half square triangles and the companion angle which makes quarter square triangles.

Maple leaf, road to Oklahoma, Missouri star and  snail trail  were done without the templates on monday but  box, calico puzzle and economy I did yesterday ( tuesday) using the easy angle and companion angle. I do have a problem working out which are half and which are quarter squares, any tips gratefully received.

I also tried to put the photos into a collage on picaso, it seems to have worked but could not put them onto the blog, must be missing a link out.



Well if you persevere you sometimes get it right,    had to send the photo to my email address and then copied it to this blog    wow I am getting better! I am sure there is an easier way but until I find it carry on ding it this way. Having viewed the blog I see the photos have not gone on right after all, never mind one day I will get it right.

Photos in order from top left     box, snail trail, maple leaf,  Missouri star,  calico puzzle, road to Oklahoma and economy.   They are all from the Quilters Recipe book except the Maple leaf and that is from Lyn Edwards  the Sampler Quilt book.

Other templates i have bought are,   5 point star  ( have not taken it out of its wrapper yet, looks far too complicated) , flying geese, fat cat, easy dresden plate, clamshell/drunken path, tri rec and tri mate, hexagon that makes assorted sizes, 45 and 60 degree diamonds, 30, 45 and 90 degree triangles, the dear Jane templates and the Australian jelly monster, jelly pointer and pin wheel.

Now you can understand why I have to become proficient at patchwork   with all these templates surely I can achieve something worthwhile!!

a bit of laziness

Toady I finally caught up on the tast for 2013 but took the easy way put and did one small piece using 5 stitches,  woven detached chain,   breton stitch,  diamond stitch,  up and down feathered buttonhole and raised cross stitch flower stitch.  Can see some of these appearing in my crazy blocks,  especially the up and down feathered buttonhole stitch.  Only a small sample but at least I have caught up for the time being.  One day I would like to take these stitches further,  the problem is there is so much I would like to do and then I spend too much time fretting about all I want to do and what to do next!! and I hate to admit it but nothing gets done.

I tend to but veg when on offer in the supermarkets as they keep very well in the fridge,  a few weeks ago I got a red cabbage which I put in a cupboard not the fridge and forgot about it. About a week ago ( just checked the date on the photo and it was 2nd april)  came across it at the back of the cupboard and was surprise to see new growth, I removed the cling film wrapper and I am now nurturing it!! not sure how long before the actual cabbage will   "go off"  but until it does it is quite nice to watch the new growth.

2nd april

16th  april.

Wondering what will happen next,  shame isn`t it that things like this amuse me, think I need to `get a life`

Maybe I will keep a carrot, onion and a few other bits and pieces and start a collection of sprouting veg!!

CQJP april

Today I am posting my block for april, I am disappointed with it but never mind I will get better. The top right hand side as you look at it is some cotton fabric I dyed but I did not like what I had stitched and when i unpicked it there were holes where the stitching had been so did a sort of botch job to cover them up with a crocheted flower and a bit of twisted chain.
I made all 12 blocks prior to any embellishing,   another regret,  I which I had put more fabrics on so the outer areas were not so big, also all blocks have been made in greens, green being my favourite colour, feel by the end I will hate the sight of green. Next year if I take part I will have a different system. I am not having a moan  at least I do not think I am , maybe you think differently.

Still waiting for spring here, today we were promised warmth and sunshine but it is dull, windy, drizzly and cold!Not sure when spring will come, I do have daffodils  and crocus out but the trees are showing very litle sign of life, never known spring be so late before. Did read somewhere the gardens are 6 weeks behind where they should be

disappearing patch block

  I am so worked up about starting a patchwork project as I haven`t a clue what I am doing but today after finding some instructions on the web thought I would have a go at a block using a batik charm pack that was lurking in a box.    Well it went better than I thought it would, made 3 blocks which have now been cut so have 12  6" ones to assemble. Not sure about how to put them together, they are spread out on the kitchen table at the moment but will not rush, I expect they will go back in the box for a while and maybe arrange them when I am with a patchworker, have a very dear friend Cheryl who lives in London,    hoping she will come and stay a while as she is  very good with everything to do with patchwork and stitching of all kinds.Of course I want her to come anyway,   sounds like I only want her for her talents!! no way   I have known her since we both lived in Manchester in the 1990`s.

oh yes I am feeling quite pleased with myself!!

brooches and bits and pieces.

I am today adding some brooches which I made with the embellishing machine a while ago. These and the bits and pieces are all I have done so far , The idea came form Stitch magazine and some of the bits and pieces are from  Jennie Rayment instructions,     wonder woman, I find her so inspiring and her enthusiasm is contagious.

  Some of these bits are bag ornaments  they are based on Jennie`s flowers and my fiddling about.but others just sit in a bowl on the dining room table.

these are the brooches based on a project from stitch magazine.

As you can see these are not done on the machine,  just scraps of fabric made into three and four petal flowers from one of Jennie`s books.

embellishing machine

I am now going to try and load a couple of photos which I have put on picasa.

I have a baby lock embellishing machine and find I can sort of create fabric using scraps, felt, wool tops, wool etc but then do not know how to take it further.  I also made the 2 trees which sort of work if I screw up my eyes and look sideways!

Success !!! whether I will be able to do it again is a different matter!