String Bag

Don't faint, it's me, posting for the third time in four days! Must be spring fever.(Or should that be string fever?) As strings are all the rage these days I got out my strings that I've been sewing on and off for about a year. I first wrote about them here and here My original intention was to make a throw for the sofa in my kitchen (and one of these days I'll post a picture of it without a throw on it because it may well qualify for the title of most ugly sofa in Britain). In its defence, though, I must add that it is very comfortable. Because I knew that the throw would have a lot of wear I used what we in the UK would call calico (for the foundation - the strings are cotton shirts or quilting fabric), which is a very thick utilitarian furnishing type fabric, not like the printed calicoes in the U.S. I am now thinking that maybe this wasn't such a good idea because of course it is also turning out to be very heavy. And ... having made a 10 1/2 in string block for Nancy's birthday, I also think I've made my blocks too small, they finish at 6 inches square. So, I made a great big shopping bag. I'm trying to think of what else I could use the blocks for because I do think they are too heavy for what was intended (actually, even the bag is quite heavy, but I think it will be okay). Then, I'm going to start again with a lighter foundation because my string bin is overflowing.

On another note I feel I must apologise that I haven't been commenting on blogs much the past few days. No excuse really except I'm just so tired, after travelling to Chesterfield yesterday I've been to Stoke on Trent today and I just find driving so tiring. I've promised myself a blog fest tomorrow night where I'm going to catch up on what's been going on out there and comment away merrily.

Chesterfield

Just a quick post. Today I had occasion to travel to Chesterfield in Derbyshire for work. Wherever you drive in Chesterfield you can't miss the famous crooked spire. I would have taken my own photo but as I was driving at the time it would have been a bit impractical, not to say dangerous. Now, this caused a problem, as I found pictures of the spire here and here and here but as they are all copyrighted I couldn't use them in my blog (fair enough, I wouldn't really want other people to use my photos either). So ... how about a vintage postcard from e-bay - the spire hasn't changed much in the meantime. The links I gave earlier tell you the history of the spire and some theories as to how it got to be so crooked.

Bargain!

DH has bought me the loveliest book - we were shopping in WH Smith when I saw it. It didn't have a price on it so I took it to the cash desk, fully expecting it to be in the £20 - £25 range as it is a big thick book cram bang full of beautiful colour photographs of fabric. She scanned it and it came up as £9.99, we did not have to think twice, but it did seem ridiculously cheap. When we got home I looked it up on Amazon, here, and their discounted price was £21.45. I think there must have been an error when they stored the price on the computer system because it wasn't on sale or anything and WH Smith don't seem to discount much these days.

It is such a fabulous book, I would gladly have paid that much anyway. It has photographs of textiles from the last 200 years, categorised by motif, colour, period and design, mostly from the collection of the author. Amazon describes it as 'the biggest and most lavish survey of printed textiles ever published'. There are many American cotton fabrics from the last (20th) century included. I like the way the descriptions are written too, because although it looks like quite an academic book, they are written in a chatty, conversational style. Certainly well worth borrowing from the library if you get the chance, I would highly recommend it.

I knew this would happen

Remember those brights? The ones that were meant to be leader/enders whilst I sewed the blocks for the lilac top? They kind of seduced me and I couldn't stop sewing them. Chain piecing was just bliss after piecing block by block. In the book I took the pattern from, Quilts from the Heart, by Karin Renaud, calls this setting Road to Arkansas but I looked on the net and it came up as a completely different pattern. I think I've seen the same pattern, or something similar on Finn's blog a while ago. Whatever it's called (and I hope someone will tell me) it was a joy to whip up. The picture quality isn't great but I didn't finish it until after dark last night and DS kept moaning about the cold when I asked him to hold it down outside this morning (kids these days - they're so soft, I blame it on central heating). Maybe I'll get a better picture when I put the borders on.

This'n'that

Just been pottering really, I was off work from Wednesday to Friday because it's half term and the kids are off school. It was my birthday on Friday which I never seem to have to work because it always coincides with the school holidays. I don't know what the postman thought of the card from my friend 'S', as it was addressed to 'Dollface' which is what she calls me. Anyone with a face less like a doll than me would be hard to imagine, but I always laugh because it makes me feel like a gangster's moll from the 1930's.


Once again, I have not been able to quilt, because DS has renewed his enthusiasm for the art. He finished off his second quilt and then started on his biggest quilt top to date with 6 1/2 inch squares. The gorgeous novelty fabrics are all courtesy of the amazing generosity of Amy, the Calico Cat. When I posted about DS and his quilting last year, she sent a huge parcel of novelty prints for him. He just loves them and the ones you see in the picture are just the tip of the iceberg, there must be enough for another 3 or 4 quilts besides.

I made a couple of purchases from the Charity Shop on Saturday - this lovely flowered tape measure and a great big tray which I shall paint as it is currently a vile shade of orange. I find trays really useful for putting blocks and patches in whilst I'm working on a top.

Spring Flowers

Just changing my profile picture - I bought these primulas a couple of weeks ago. Spring flowers are the best and these are nice and cheerful. I'll do a 'proper' post later but I had to post these to get the URL for the profile. I was going to delete the post but then I thought they were so pretty they deserved a post all to themselves.

Sidetracked

I strayed off the quilt road this week. In the town where I now work there is a charity second-hand bookshop so I like to pop in and see what's come in now and then to add to my extensive collection of craft books - yup, I buy books about crafts I don't even do, I just like the pictures.



Anyway, whilst I was there I picked up these books on making stuffed toys. And herein lies another tale (but it is part of the story of this post). When I was a small girl I had a friend who went on holiday every year to Budleigh Salterton in Devon, a very traditional, very posh, very English seaside resort. Every year she would buy from a little shop there, a delightful miniature mouse made of felt, with covered pipecleaner arms and a dress made of gathered silk ribbon. Let me tell you, I craved those mice, they were so tiny and so pretty, but they were obviously handmade, probably by someone local in Devon so I had no chance of having one myself. I also suspect that they might have been quite expensive and that I wouldn't have been able to afford one anyway.



I've never forgotten those little mice, and I've never seen a pattern for them, I've tried to make my own over the years but failed miserably. So when I bought these books I had a little look for any mice patterns and lo and behold - there were mice patterns in the Beatrix Potter book, but to be honest they looked a bit rat-like and evil, not what I was after at all. But ... in the Jean Greenhowe book, Favourite Toys, was just the thing I was looking for - a little mouse made of felt. I made a few alterations to the dress to make it more gathered and to add a shawl or a collar but the basic pattern was fine. At almost 3 inches tall they are probably a bit bigger than the ones I remember from my childhood, but I think it's the closest I'm going to get (and anyway, I couldn't be bothered with pipecleaner arms). What I like most about the pattern is that they have such nice smiley faces. And for someone who doesn't do much handsewing, making them is getting quite addictive.

Star Blocks and Bright Squares

Not much to report - a couple more star blocks for the lilac quilt top. I don't have a huge stash compared to some of you, so when I cut the fabrics for this top I cut up all the greens I had, including the bright yellowy toned one in the bottom row, second from the right. Well, it doesn't work, it's toned down a bit in the picture but in real life it zings out like a neon sign - that block will have to go. I cut a few other green fabrics in that colour tone too, incuding the green in the centre square in the block second from left in the bottom row. I'll keep that block but I won't be using that green in any of the others. I probably cut for too many blocks anyway, so I've got plenty left to play with.

Now, I wouldn't like you to think that I don't like brights, I just don't like them in this particular top.Sewing these blocks you really need a leader ender project to maximise time and fabric usage, right? So I cut out some 2.5 inch squares and I'm going to make a Road to Arkansas with them at the same time as a leader/ender project. Perfect use for the green squares I can't use in the lilac and green quilt.

Can't believe it's February, where does the time go?

London Eye

A couple of pics taken from the London Eye, 'the world's tallest observation wheel' on the bank of the Thames. The views are great but we won't mention the hour and a half that we waited in the queue, even though we had pre-purchased tickets. We have been in London for the weekend with my Mum and my brother and his wife to celebrate my Mum's 70th birthday. The trip also included a visit to the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising, a real nostalgia fest of all the brands that we grew up with here in the UK. The museum sprang from the collection of one man, Robert Opie, who collected all sorts of packets and tins. It has moved to London from Gloucester and is in the chic Notting Hill area, very close to the Portobello Road Antique Market.

We always seem to run out of time on trips like this, we wanted to go to Liberty's, but couldn't make it there before catching our train back to Leicester. We don't go to London all that often, yet the journey there only took an hour and ten minutes by train and you can get fairly cheap tickets now if you book well in advance. Soooo, no sewing this weekend.

I've been baking. I love to make cakes. Where I last worked, I used to run General Knowledge quizzes at at lunchtimes and make cakes, so that they paid an entry fee and got a free cake and all the proceeds went to charity. I think they just humoured me with the quizzes and all they really wanted was the cake! Whatever, it meant my favourite charity got a donation. Me and DS made these choc-chip muffins this morning. I used a recipe from Jan at Be*Mused - it worked out perfect! DD had her friend to stay over last night so they had them for breakfast (at about 11.30) and DS and his friend had some this afternoon.

I made a little pillow and sheet to go with the doll-quilt - I think it adds a little something! I posted it to the little girl - it's always exciting to get things through the post (well, I think so anyway).

I picked up a couple of plaid shirts at charity shops this afternoon - that only makes about 20 I've got to cut up now! Best get on with it then.

Well, I've been merrily ticking things off my list this weekend. First, I did my tax return - it has to be in by January 30th. I have been putting it off and putting it off, and how long did it take me? About 30 minutes! I used to do some self employed work as well as a salaried job so that is why I've ended up having to complete one, though I haven't done the self employed bit for 3 or 4 years now.

So, once it was out of the way I could enjoy myself. My friend's little girl had asked me to make a patchwork quilt for a little animal doll she has. It only needed to be 5 X 7 inches. I cut 1 1/2 inch squares from leftover strips from Antique Cutie to make it. Somehow I don't think miniature quilts will ever be my thing. On the picture for scale (though I don't think I'm in much danger of anyone mistaking it for a full size quilt) you can see my favourite sewing tool, a pair of little thread snippers. They are so cheap but sharp and they just fit my hand and I don't know what I'd do without them. You can see how much use they've had from where the paint has rubbed off. I saw another pair when I was in Carlisle and bought them so I could have a pair by the sewing machine and a pair by my sofa in the living room - at £1.25 who could resist? What is your all-time favourite sewing tool?

I also made up a string block in honour of Nancy's Birthday Request. Thought you might like to see the clutter in which I work - and you know what, I kind of like it that way! I did another star block too, but I'll wait to show that until I've got a bunch more done. Hope the pics will enlarge if you click on them, but it doesn't always seem to happen.

Now I'm back in the throes of working I think my posts will get more sporadic again. I think I'm better at posting in the summer - you can work better in natural light. DH and I went for a walk this afternoon as it was actually bright and sunny - we are thinking of moving, probably in the same neighbourhood, but we need more space so we thought we'd go out and see what we could see. Not a lot, I think people wait for the spring to put their houses on the market. Means we've got to get our act together by then too, and sort out that loft. Oh yes, that would be the one that is so cram bang full of stuff that you can't walk from one side of the room to the other :-( It's going to be a mammoth task!

A couple of blocks

Not a very productive or pleasurable weekend (and I didn't even get round to doing my tax return, which was what I'd got planned). A series of unexpected events and requests meant that I had very little time to myself or to do what I'd been looking forward to.

But anyway, I am getting very tired of cutting the pieces for the star quilt so one thing I did do was to dip into the bags with the cut pieces and pick out the pieces for a couple of blocks. I'm suspecting this top might just be quite a long term project. I didn't time it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that each block is taking me about an hour to make at the moment. I know I'll get faster the more I do, but I'm left with a sense of bemused wonder at the speed that quilters like Anne and Bonnie work at. Mind you, I did make two string blocks as leaders/enders whilst I was making them, so I suppose you could have the time if you didn't count them.

Here's a pic of the finished Antique Cutie - tried to use the light to show what quilting there is - apart from the quilting in the sashing it's all stitch in the ditch and round the bay leaves. I'm glad I took the opportunity to photograph it because I think that was the first and only time the sun has shone in two weeks (and even then it didn't last long).

Despite my resolution not to go to the sales I did have to go into town today to get DS some new school shoes - we were in the shoeshop for one hour. It has one of those ticket systems for being served and it seemed like everyone else in Leicester had the same idea as us. He couldn't do without a new pair of shoes so we just had to wait our turn. So, I bought him a pair of trainers while I was there too - got to save that time where you can.

As I happened to be in town I couldn't resist these dinky little slipper socks when I saw them - they are adult size, not children's. What a bargain for the princely sum of 50 pence each - hand made and all (not from the shoeshop I hasten to add). I got 2 pairs, one for me and one for DD - what's the betting that she pronounces them hideous?

Update: she is now wearing the red pair!

Took down the Christmas decorations when we got back - we usually do it on New Years Day but DH didn't get the boxes down from the loft yesterday. For once, the house is relatively tidy, I'm going to make a real effort for it to stay that way. It's been great having some time off over the holidays even if only to be able to update the blog a bit more regularly.

I forgot to add in my post yesterday that if you click on this link to Amazon, you can read an excerpt from 'The Quilters'.

Last night I made a red and white square for Clare at Dordogne Quilter. It was a complete cheat really, I had some red bandana-print fabric and just cut out the hearts, fused them on and blanket stitched round the edge. Kind of effective though, I think. I might do some more like that - at least I know they'll come out at 8 1/2 inches square.

I'm still cutting out the pieces for the lilac, green and cream quilt, which is slow work - I've got about 60 different fabrics and each fabric is used just once for each block part (hope this makes sense, Keryn of Quilting Twin explains it much better here in her blog, which is where I got the pattern and idea from). At the end I'll have 8 bags of fabric, for the different components of each block, numbered 1 to 8. I'm not going to lay out the pieces first, I'm just going to dip my hand into the bag and pull out the bundle that I come to first and when I have 8 bundles numbered 1-8, I'll have all the parts for the block and it'll come out how it comes out. Each block has to look different, because no fabric is used twice for a particular part of the design. I am so looking forward to the random scrappiness of making the quilt, but it could be some time before I have all the pieces cut.

I will try to take a pic of the finished Antique Cutie tomorrow - I think I need to do it outside in the light, meant to do it today but forgot about it whilst cooking New Year's Eve lunch for my parents and my brother and sister in law. Weather's terrible anyway - really windy and rainy, some cities have postponed their New Year's Eve celebrations.

What I've been reading

I ordered this book, second hand, before Christmas and it arrived on 23rd December, just before we set off for Carlisle and read it while I was there, in one sitting. I'm sure many of you in the US will be familiar with it, but if you are not, I implore you - go out to your library and borrow a copy. It is so fascinating to hear stories about quiltmaking in the early years of the last century and the relationship between the making of the quilts and the lives of the women. Their lives were so hard and the quiltmaking gave them both the opportunity to express themselves artistically but also to come together socially. Psychologically, it was an activity that took their minds away from the everyday hardships. I have been thinking about this and I do think there are parallels in the modern world. Whilst our lives are not hard physically as they were for the pioneer women, they are stressful, the world seems to move at breakneck speed. I work full time and I know full well that if I didn't have a craft activity of some sort to return to in my 'leisure' time, my quality of life would be diminished. For me, as I have said in my profile, the act of making something is as good as it gets. I have found that once something is completed I lose interest, I don't have much compulsion to keep everything. It's a bit like building a den in the garden when you are little, it's the building of it out of sticks and grass and whatever that is enjoyable, once it's built, the buzz has gone.

The stories in the book reminded me of my grandmother. My Nan was always making things, for as long as I knew her. She used to make wedding dresses in the forties, and in the fifties she made beautiful dance dresses for my Mum, sadly none of which survive. When I was little she made all of my dresses, I don't have any of those either, which I would dearly love to. She was always doing something, and her sewing machine was always 'up' in her front room, it was never put away. Later on, she took up crochet, but like those pioneer women, she didn't buy new wool. She went to jumble sales and bought old handknitted garments and washed them and unravelled them to re-use the wool. One of the first recyclers, I think - though this would be entirely in keeping with the women in the book, who rarely bought 'new' fabric. When I went to university she made me an afghan to go on my bed and it was bright and cheerful and everyone admired it. My Nan did the Daily Mirror general knowledge crossword every day and she bought me books, whole carrier bags full of books, because I loved to read.

So, I'm not making any New Year's resolutions (other than to try to be a little bit more organised so that I can buy myself a bit more time). For me, sewing and quilting isn't about the finish, it's about the doing. (Though to be fair I do like to have 'finishes' - I don't have many WIPS). I do what I can do in the time that I've got and I don't beat myself up if I can't. I have enough deadlines and tasks to complete in my working life, I'm not about to replicate that at home.

Talking of the home front, we have had a lovely day today. My friend and her small daughter came round this morning to play on DS's Nintendo Wii (very scarce still in the UK). DD had a friend sleep over and a friend of DS came round in the afternoon. I love for my kids to have their friends round. Because we lived in the country when I was young, that just didn't happen spontaneously. Since I was 18 I have always vowed to live on a bus route. Public transport = freedom as far as I'm concerned.

Blimey, this has been a bit of a philosophical post - must be that glass of Pinot Grigio Frizzante!

Crochet Squares

We spent Christmas in Carlisle and came back yesterday. Whilst I was there I crocheted some squares for an afghan maybe. The patterns were from this book by Jan Eaton, there are lots of different patterns that you can mix and match, just like patchwork! (Vera also has some lovely pictures of crocheted afghans on her blog today) I've had the book for a while and it's interesting to try to crochet all of the different squares, though I think experienced crocheters might find the patterns quite easy. I like to crochet, but I'm certainly not the world's best - yup, the squares are all meant to be the same size, say no more! I don't worry too much, they'll stretch!

In the background in the photo is a present from DH, a daylight task lamp. It was a real bargain, they usually retail at around £45 here in the UK but this one was on special offer for £16 - probably because it is the most vile shade of pastel pink. I don't care, it does the job and provides the light I want.

I don't have to go back to work until January 3rd so today I finished quilting Antique Cutie and machined the binding on. I love to handsew binding down so I'm looking forward to doing that tonight - I'll post a picture when it's all done.

And finally, proof that I'm getting older (and possibly wiser) - the January sales have started and I can't be bothered to go. All this getting and spending over the Christmas period gets a bit much - why waste time in shops when you can sit at home quilting?

Signing off for Christmas

Oh yeah, I hear you cry, thought she'd signed off for December anyway! Well, I promise to be a better (note that was better, not beta) blogger next year.

Today was my last day in my job at the place where I have worked for the last 15 and a half years. When I started there my daughter was only 18 months old and I weighed a delightful 116 lbs, now she is nearly 17 and I weigh significantly more than that! (But, like Patti, I will do something about that in the New Year). The years have seen the best of times and the worst of times but as always, wherever you work, it's the people you work with that make the difference - whilst not many of them have now worked there as long as me, I do count them among my friends and a few tears were shed today.

But ... at the same time I am looking forward to my new job, I already know most of the people working there and I'm ready for the challenge.

I'm going to have a good rest over the holidays - maybe do a bit of crochet as well as quilting - we'll see, like Nancy, I'm not setting any goals.

Wishing everyone who reads this a peaceful holiday and a happy New Year.

I couldn't resist buying this Christmas decoration for my mantelpiece when I saw it yesterday. It has tealights behind the houses to give out a glow - you can see the back of the house reflected in the mirror that's above the mantelpiece. Sorry about the blurry picture quality but I had to take it without a flash and I don't have a tripod (I did try balancing the camera on the end of a broomhandle but let me tell you it doesn't work).

Nothing even vaguely quilty to show. Today I did stitch in the ditch (which in certain areas turned into 'stitch somewhere near the ditch') on Antique Cutie and now and then I have been cutting out pieces for the green and lavender quilt, which is taking me a surprisingly long time.

I am feeling guilty as I haven't commented on posts as much as I usually do - my only excuse is that I am still really busy at work - despite the fact that I leave in two weeks. I keep reminding them, but it doesn't seem to have sunk in as I still keep having to answer technical queries, get invited to meetings and work out processes. As I said to my boss, it's a good job I've got integrity because most people would have taken their foot off the gas by now whereas I'm still going at full speed.

Oh my, I've taken the leap and switched to beta blogger - hope it doesn't play up. Seems they must have ironed out the wrinkles that first occurred when people switched as I've noticed a few people have now switched and it seems okay.

The picture shows an advent calendar that I made probably 12 or 14 years ago. Didn't know anything about patchwork and quilting but I saw the instructions in a magazine and made it up. I'd love to say I put it up faithfully every year but ... every year I lose either the piece of dowelling to hang it up with or else the hooks that go over the picture rail. This year though I managed to find the hooks and something to thread through the loops at the top. In previous years I've gone rather more to town and wrapped up small individual presents but this year the kids will have to make do with a chocolate each in the pockets.

A couple of blocks

The last week was every bit as tiring as I thought it would be - in fact I'm still tired, I left work at 4 p.m. today because I couldn't concentrate at all. Might be something to do with waking up at 2 a.m. unable to sleep. When I wake up in the night, I get up, no sense in lying there tossing and turning. I wish I could feel like sewing in the middle of the night - just think of all I'd be able to get done. But I can't, so I do a crossword or watch the 24 hour news channel, then I go back to bed when I'm finally feeling sleepy.

Haven't even had the energy to sew much. I did do a couple of blocks as try-outs for my next project(s). The lilac and green star is this one that I saw on Keryn Emmerson's blog, Quilting Twin - she had done them in pinks and greens but it really caught my eye because I was looking for a pattern to make up a queen-sized quilt for my bed and I've got lots of scrappy lilacs, greens and creams. As Keryn showed, you can make the block look really different by varying the placement of colours. We just bought a new bed from that great British institution, Marks and Spencer's (now known rather more uninterestingly as M&S) and I wanted to redecorate the bedroom in shades of lilac. You may have spotted the 'oops' in this practice block so I'll have to be careful when I make more - but I'm not going to unpick it and it will go into the finished quilt - it'll get lost once there are a few more blocks together. I think this must be a sign that I'm getting older - when I was younger I probably would have had to unpick it - nothing less than perfection would have done - now I'm a bit more laissez faire.

The other block is a bit different - I'm looking for a pattern that will show off all the shirting plaids that I've accumulated, this is a variation of Scrapbagger, from Quilter's Cache but I'm not quite sure about it. I think I need to make up a few more blocks to see what the overall effect is like.

Have a good week, everyone.