A fable (without the moral at the end)

I put quick posts on my facebook page www.facebook.com/catchacrumpsey the other week, but wanted to put some more details about what I have been making recently.

I have a sister.  She had a skirt. She wasn't wearing the skirt much because it was too long.  It was a lovely skirt - grey wool felt with a flocked design.  She was going to give the skirt to charity.  I said "Don't do that.  I will shorten your skirt, and then I will make a bag out of it for you".  I'm not adding that I said I'd give it her for Christmas, as it's now March and I only finished it recently.

SO, I shortened the skirt and my sister was much happier to wear the skirt.  Then, I was going to make the bag.  The plan I had was to make a little handbag (small and cute), but then my sister works a lot in that skirt, and it needed to be a bit more practical.  Something to fit her many gadgets inside (or at least some yarn, as she always seem to be carrying that around and knitting).  So we agreed on a bowling bag style.  Luckily I had a great book with just the pattern:

Ooh, you can see a tiny little picture of the bag style in the bottom centre picture.

This book Bag Boutique, by Amy Barikman, had some great bag patterns and shapes.  I had made a couple of them before. This bag was new, so it was quite exciting.  I had just enough fabric to make it.

So, I made the bag.  You overlock all the edges of each piece (outside, wadding and lining) on the right side, and then sew all the pieces together to make the bag up.  There is no fiddling with the lining separately.

It was a good bag to make.  The Soft n Stable wadding gave it a good shape.

The lining was Tilda fabric, Bella Red bought from Lovely and Lovely.

I think my sister will like it.  If there was a moral, it would be that if you are busy before Christmas, don't offer it as a present.  But what I have also learrned is that it's good to try something new, as you might surprise yourself.

Machine Quilting (in my pyjamas)

Oh dear, I noticed how long it was since I last posted something.  The past month has been so busy that I have hardly had time to think, never mind sit down and compose.

I have been making a quilt/wall hanging for a friend's birthday recently. It's her birthday today, and I held off posting anything earlier in case she had a sneak preview.

It started when I was spending time on Pinterest (just 5 minutes, honestly), and I saw a print which said "Oh dear. I really should do something but I am already in my pajamas". I think it's a quote from Futurama, but it made me laugh. However, the spelling of pyjamas was not the English spelling, (is it the American spelling?), so I thought I'd make my own. I changed the wording slightly, but the gist is still the same. Basically, we both love not having to get up for work/school and time off in the holidays is usually spent conferring about how late we are getting dressed in the morning. It's a well-kept secret I think as the more people I speak to, the more widespread this guilty vice appears to be.

I used my Wordplay Sizzix die to cut out the words and bonded to some plain stone-coloured fabric I bought from Lovely and Lovely. I pieced a border (I have never done traditional pieced quilting so this is as far as I get) and then set about machine quilting it.

I tend to have a ad hoc approach to free machining usually, but I have recently resolved to have more method and create pattern. A couple of things have influenced this. I recently reviewed a book by Angela Walters called Free Motion Quilting and I found it really useful.

She takes you through lots of different styles of machining and there are diagrams showing you how to 'draw' them. What I then did was use the advice given in the book and practice doodling patterns electronically before attempting them on fabric.  I found it helped a lot - you get into a rhythm of working and the pattern flows easier.

I also have done a felt course (more about that later) and it made me look up some pictures I had taken from The Festival of Quilts in 2008 of the work of Jacqueline Heinz. Her work combines felt and wool tops on large pieces of cloth with exquisite stitching. Luckily, I had a few close-ups and could see the kind of effect really neat stitching can have. It was with Jacqueline Heinz in mind that I resolved to do this wall-hanging with neat and tidy stitching.

Jacqueline Heinz.  I bow at the altar of perfect machining

Jacqueline Heinz

It took me quite a while, but I think I did a good job.  This is the finished piece:

Finished quilt

All the lettering was hand-stitched around the outline

Close up of machine stitching

Machining from the back.  Note that I cut away all my loose threads as my [late] New Years Resolution is to be fastidious in my work.

Next up will be a book I have been making for my daughter's teacher's leaving present.  And the felt course I was on with my very good friend Paula Watkins.  Her blog has a link from here, and there are more photos from this course.