My Great Quilting Expedition

I wrote a list in February of UFOs, WIPs and new projects.  What progress did I make? My list at the start of 2017 Works in Progress Carol’s friendship quilt Hearts and Flowers 2 TQS 2017 BOM Daisy’s quilt Passacaglia quilt 2015 Quiltmania Mystery Quilt Hexi wallhanging Gem quilt Phoebe quilt Rambling Ways International Miniature Quilt Exchange ...and a list of projects to start Waiting to start Etoile Rouge 2017 BOM Quiltmania 2016 Mystery quilt Amish II Nancy Rink Quilt Diamond Hill by Esther Aliu   So...what progress did I make IN 2017?   Works in Progress Carol’s friendship quilt -FINISHED Hearts and Flowers 2 - FINISHED TQS 2017 BOM - HALF COMPLETED Daisy’s quilt - FINISHED Passacaglia quilt - NO PROGRESS 2015 Quiltmania Mystery Quilt - NO PROGRESS Hexi wallhanging - NO PROGRESS Gem quilt - FINISHED Phoebe quilt - NO PROGRESS Rambling Ways - TWO BLOCKS DONE ...and my list of projects to start ...

I signed up for a Christmas postcard swap with the FB group UKQU Postcard Swaps and made two. I used my usual method of ironing the cotton to freezer paper before starting to colour.  This stops the fabric from moving while you colour or paint.  It also protects your table surface once you apply fabric medium and start to blend colours.  I trimmed and backed the pieces with Timtex and them free motioned  - I hesitate to say thread painted as I used the thread sparsely, using black thread.  Lastly I fused some white cotton to the back of the card and used a zig zag \ satin stitich around the edge.  I hope the recipients will like them. I so enjoyed making the Christmas robin postcard, I thought I'd have a go at a wren and a kingfisher.  Once they were painted, I didn't really know what to do with them.  I decided to make table mats from them.  It is such a bonus when you can find coordinating fabrics in your stash!  These were ...

I have been having fun painting on some pfd white cotton.  The designs are by Jacquelynne Steves, from her Art of Home Club.  I used Jacquard Textile Color paint in a palette limited to 5 colours.  I have always admired the traditional folk art on canal barges in the UK and chose my colours as a nod to those cheerful, happy barges. I'm thinking of adding sashing around each block and then, maybe adding an outer border painted with some of the garlands on the blocks... maybe slightly enlarged.  I'm not sure yet.

It was all hands on deck to finish the Billings quilt before the Hawkinge Patchwork Show.  I am so happy with it after more than two years in progress!  I also managed to finish my Roman mosaic test piece.  I learned a lot from the process of making this small piece.  I have always wanted to make a Roman mosaic quilt and when I saw a youtube video showing Cheryl Lynch's method, I just had to try it.  I printed out my source pattern fish on paper in colour - A4 size. I taped it to my light box, and then removed the backing from a piece of Steam a Seam Lite and carefully taped it on top of the source photo, tacky side up.  I found it easiest to use scissors to cut up small pieces of fabric in my chosen colours.  I then uded pointed tweezers to position the mosaic pieces onto the fusible.  I love the Steam a seam as it is so easy to reposition the fabric pieces due to the tacky surface.  When all the mosaic pieces were in position, I r...

I have finally finished my 'Daisy' quilt - otherwise known as the Hertfordshire Quilt, pattern by Carolyn Konig.  The pattern is inspired by the Billings Coverlet in the UK Quilter's Guild collection. About three quarters of the quilt was hand pieced.  Parts of it are well-travelled, as little baggies of cut shapes, needle, thread and scissors travelled with me on every holiday. I made some changes to the outer border.  The original had 2200 small honeycombs to be English paper pieced.  I used my Sizzix to cut the honeycombs.  They are larger than the original pattern.  I English paper pieced each motif and then appliqued it to the border background.  This reduced the number of honeycombs to about 600. I machine quilted in the ditch over nearly every seam in the quilt.  None of those hand stitched seams are going to fall apart.  I did some stipple in the outer and one other border.  With a quilt this busy, fancy FMQ is a waste of t...

I have managed to make good progress on Daisy's quilt over the past couple of weeks.  Only two more borders to go.  I have started cutting the pieces for the penultimate border - over 500 pieces. At the same time, I have started preparing the honeycomb pieces for EPP in the outer border.  The pattern calls for about 2200 pieces, but I am going to EPP the coloured pieces and then applique them to a background border - hopefully saving some time.  The nice thing about the EPP is that I can work on it in the evenings and at patchwork group...and there is a LOT to do for that last border! Happy quilting, all!

I got out my 'Daisy quilt' on Wednesday.  I haven't worked on it in AGES - because small pieces of fabric, needles and a naughty, nine month old puppy are not a good combination.  I am hoping to complete this prior to the Hawkinge Patchwork Group show in October.  I am working on the 6th border and it feels like the quilt is getting large, so I must be over half way?  I took a look at the pattern, and so far, I've hand pieced 1836 pieces... My jaw dropped when I calculated how many pieces I have yet to sew - another 4960 pieces!  The outer border alone has 2212 pieces, including 1540 elongated hexagons.  This is a wake up call.  I am now thinking it might be finished for the show in two and a half years time.  Sometimes it is better not to know. The photo below is of the original Billings coverlet that Carolyn Koenig used as inspiration for her pattern in her book, Creating Heirlooms. Happy quilting, all!

I've had a very unproductive week so far.  It is one of those weeks, where everything I touch seems to go wrong.  It is frustrating as I have a lot of projects I could be getting on with...but I feel like I have lost my confidence.  I know this is silly, but there you go. Last week was good.  I managed to make good progress with the Etoiles Rouge block of the week.  I managed to do some catching up, by sewing and quilting 12 blocks - so I am now only 6 weeks behind.  I thought a while before taking on this project - not because I thought the piecing was beyond me, but because I was worried about quilting such a large quilt - there will be 49 blocks.  I have managed to quilt large quilts before with my tiny harp space, but it isn't fun.  This is the first project I have tackled as QAYG.  So far, I am happy.  There is something about knowing I haven't a huge quilting job to face at the end that is making the project more enjoyable. ...

Three weeks ago I started a Textile Printing course for beginners- only 10 hours over 5 weeks, but a taster of a range of printing techniques.  The first week we made foam stamps.  In week 2 we worked with linocut and this week we started screen printing. It's all fun but messy (I seem to be able to get paint into places that should be impossible!)  It is so much fun, though. I love autumn leaves, so decided to make a practice piece using a Sizzix die to cut out the foam for the stamp.  I discovered that acrylic blocks used for rubber stamps are great for self adhesive foam stamps.  The glue can be removed with surgical spirit, making the blocks reusable - unlike wooden blocks. I applied Jacquard Textile paint in a variety of colours to the block with a foam brush and using a dabbing motion.  Once the leaf was dry, I used the cut out of the leaf as a stencil to apply a small amount of Lumiere Gold with a stencil brush.  Too much fun...even if...

I have discovered I have more fun playing with scraps than making quilts from patterns.  Maybe it is the serendipity of not knowing what I will end up with.  I wish I was super organised - one of those folk who plan everything out, choose all their fabrics, cut all their pieces and then progress in an organised fashion. I have tried being organised with the pieces for the semi-circular flying geese border for the TQS 2017 BOM.  I chose all my fabrics and have cut them out...and they are presently sitting there is a box waiting to be pieced.   It is definitely more efficient to do things this way.  A lot of the time I don't have a pattern to follow from and make my decisions 'on the fly' - very inefficient.  Maybe the issue is that I can't discipline myself to plan, as I want to get on with the sewing. Can good things come from chaos?  I'm not sure...but I'm having fun, and that will have to do for now. I have a very large stash of ...

It has felt good to finish a project.  This is only the second finish so far this year.  The quilt top was pieced last year.  I prevaricated about whether to all an additional border or not...and then, somehow, it just got forgotten.  Anyway, no extra border.  I'm not sure whether the flange along the edge of the quilt was worthwhile.  It meant that the binding was machine sewn to the back of the quilt, and I just could not get the mitres as neat as when the binding is machine sewn to the front of the quilt.  It is done and it's a bright, cheerful quilt.  I do like the pattern.  I adapted it from a pattern on the Moda Cookshop blog.  I kept the quilting basic.  I used a ruler to quilt 3 lines around each jewel.  I then FMQ'd pearls between the first and second line.  Everywhere else I used a medium stipple stitch.  I used Hobbs Polydown wadding, which gave a nice puff to the coloured blocks. I finished the thi...

This is my first post since October due to flu and a new pup.  On January 1st, I made a list of projects still unfinished: Works in Progress Carol’s friendship quilt Hearts and Flowers 2 TQS 2017 BOM Daisy’s quilt Passacaglia quilt 2015 Quiltmania Mystery Quilt Hexi wallhanging Gem quilt Phoebe quilt Rambling Ways ...and a list of projects to start Waiting to start Etoile Rouge 2017 BOM Quiltmania 2016 Mystery quilt Amish II Nancy Rink Quilt Diamond Hill by Esther Aliu I've decided not to do the 2017 Quiltmania Mystery quilt this year. It is the 24th February and progress has been slow.  I have two finishes.  Carol's friendship quilt is finished and has arrived in the US OK.  I tried out a faux piping binding this time.  I finished my second version of the Hearts and Flowers Quilt.  I really enjoyed making the first version in Moda Fig Tree fabric scraps and wondered how the same quilt would look ...