All hallowes eve

A Halloween charity day at work included a pumpkin carving competition.  I had never tried carving a pumpkin before, I did not realise how much easier it would be than a turnip, I vaguely remember trying that as a child and barley managing a grimacing Jack-O-Lantern face .  So wanting something a bit more stylish I started my pumpkin too early. Based on a cross stitch design I had see in a Magazine the owl appealed to me. This picture was taken a day after I finished carving and it looks reasonable.  Sadly by the time the competition came around it was starting to shrivel and the lid did not fit so the light spilled out.  No prize winning entry this, it was beaten into submission by a crisply carved witch which deserved to win.   I did not even get a pie out of the endeavour!

Hall-owl-een carved punpkin

Block to plan to pattern to quilt

I borrowed a book from the library on  the Japanese  take on quilting.  Beautiful designs many of which were multi pieced with scarily complicated block construction. A couple caught my eye and I jotted down the basic block in a note book.  I am trying to use notebooks instead of any available scrap of paper, I have plenty of notebooks but they are related to bookmarks, as likely to be usurped by a used envelope or a receipt.

Spiral Log cabin

One block I was particularly interested in was a spiral, seeing this variation of a log cabin was a real duh! moment, why had I never thought of that.  I decided it would need a nice strong contrast to work and mentally filed it away for future use.

Along came some material, not necessarily my first thought of suitable quilting fabric but the teal was free and I bought the pink to go with it. So started my spiral log cabin quilt.  I decided to use one material the right way up and the other the wrong way to get a contrast of the shiny and the matt qualities of the material. I was determined the flue de le on the pink strips would all point into the middle of the block.

Linking blocks

After I had made the first few patches I began to think of how I might put them together for the quilt top. I did mention sometimes the designs sort of evolve.  I liked the idea of having the lines of colour on the blocks scroll into each other but felt for that to stand out there needed to be some separation.  So back to the shop for cream material.

I had to work out how the blocks would go before I finished the spiral patches.  I quickly realised there would need to be a few smaller blocks to make it fit. I worked that out in a notebook as well, it may not have been the same one but at least it is not an envelope.

Blocking plan

Top finished and boarders added it was time to think of a quilting pattern. The logcabin bits were obvious, in the furrows to emphasise the spiral, but for the cream squares and the top and bottom panels?

Spiral blocks together

 I got quite obsessed with the idea of Greek key as the way to go but none of my books had just what I was looking for or the size.  After several frustrating image searches on google I decided on how the cream square should be done and the boarders, so out came the brown paper and I worked out the lines.  Pricked holes in the paper  and transferred the design for quilting.

Greek key for the cream squares

half of the boarder quilting pattern

on the hoop for quilting

I quilt by hand using those hoops previously mentioned, it takes time this way moving the hoop across the quilt but I do not have the space for a full size frame, not even one of those modern z types.

I doubled up the thread on the spirals using pink and teal in the needle at the same time for the quilting between those colours, separating to one thread, pink or teal depending on the material shade for between colour and cream.



That kept my mind from wandering doing the repeats. Cream on cream was the way to go for the Greek key sections and I have been quite please with the results.

You might be wondering about the green lines you can just make out on the cream square in the hoop.  That is my marking out, what have I used? Well I have tried pencil, chalks (brushed off as I was working and moving the hoop) and those pricey water soluble quilt markers (to faint on pale fabrics and impossible on anything dark) so now I use washable felt tip pens made for children.  I test a bit first to make sure it comes out of the fabric I am using then off I go.  So far they have rinsed out of everything I have used them on.  Cotton, satin, raw silk and this.  So far at under £4 for 8 they are both workable and affordable.

quilting done

Greek key panel

I entered it in the sewing section of our local craft show it was not placed, hand made bags did well this year but not quilts.  Ah well there is always next year, of course with the quilting group I am in effect patching together my own competition. 

 

All finished, my spiral key quilt

A new start.

New kit started, the herringbone grid was a counting issue for me.  First time I have done this stitch.

Oh that is a blurry picture, here is a link to the finished project  17 years later Click Here

More bookmarks

I like to have some on hand gifts for those wonderful people who trust me with their books.  They are especially kind as I find it very difficult to reciprocate, my books are like family and I dislike letting them go visiting.

Little cross stitches glued onto ribbon make for a quick little tangible thank you that can be slipped into a book or even a birthday card.

There are lots of small designs that can be used and for the waste not hoarders (like me) it is a great way to use up the very tiny bits left over when a big project has been trimmed for framing. 

A bit of graph paper and simple geometric designs are a doddle, add a letter and it is personal.

I keep intending to have a whole alphabet of bookmarks to hand for emergency gifts. 

However, I have never managed it as I keep having to use them. 

Tiger, tiger (cross stitch)

Tiger on rock DMC design

This kit is my first go at working on black.  Fortunately for me only the black on the tiger had to be stitched, as sewing black on black can be a bit wearying to the eye (even with a white cloth on my lap to help see the holes in the fabric).

Tricky or not it was worth it and having got the first out of the way I think that doing another will not be an issue.  Nor will this be my last big cat.

As with many of my posts, and indeed my blog ethos am adding links to songs by Forestella. A Korean crossover quartet. This one is their arrangement on a traditional Korean ghost story specifically about the ghost of a person killed by a tiger (whilst trying to kill the tiger I think) who then tries to lure others to the same fate.  This is an official  version to You Tube from the groups Agency Beat Interactive, Vocals only. I have shared other versions of them performing it live on other posts , Halloween ones mainly. They are easy enough to search for, on here via labels Forestella link and on you tube just with the groups name if you are interested.

In the ditch (quilting)

is there anything that gets on your nerves purely as a matter of semantics?

I dislike referring to quilting along the seams as 'stitching in the ditch' I prefer 'sewing in the furrow' if euphemism is a must.  Now why am I so inclined, after all if you check for a definition of a ditch it gives furrow as an alternate.

I have been thinking it over, well there is the expression lying drunk in a ditch, the inference that a ditch is found at the side of a road and is full of dirty water.  So for me ditch is something that denotes a less than desirable thing.  A Furrow on the other hand makes me think of neat straight lines ploughed ready for new growth.  It is suggestive of progress and precision. 

Now that might sound a reasonable position from which to form my dislike of the term however more thought and a measure of honesty have brought me to the conclusion that there is a little more to it than that.

At a visit to a local museum some years ago there was a quilt display.  The quilts on display were a combination of patchwork and whole cloth.  Two women were quilting (on those newer z style standing frames) and were answering questions about the craft.  They were both whole cloth quilting and in the Durham quilting style.  The were obviously in both their tone and phrasing, disdainful of quilting 'in the ditch' and I think that the sneer in the way they said that phrase has stayed with me.

Now mostly I do use the seam line as a guide when quilting, occasionally in sympathy with the pattern I do something different.  Those ladies opinion did not change how I do my quilting, it just makes me dislike one of the ways commonly used to describe it.  Odd how our mind works.   

I have recently joined some quilting groups on Facebook and this term is used on a regular basis with no derision attached, yet each time I read it I think no, not ditch, furrow!  I wonder if repeated exposure to non-derogatory usage will fade away my dislike of the term, like fabric left in the sun or is the dye of that one disdainful encounter permanent?

A little addition (1.6.2019) of a link  to a poem with the magic furrow word in there Emily-Dickinson's poem feels like a tiny vindication.



 

Blackwork

I have a book on blackwork, by Lesley Barnett (title is Blackwork).  It has some amazing designs in it.  But none of the simpler patterns suitable for a beginner appealed to me.  Then I struck lucky and found the pattern for this blackwork stitcher, in a charity shop for £2.  At that price and this design how could I resist.  Now in general I am not a fan of back stitch and often contemplate if a design really needs it after I finish the cross stitches.  Invariably it does however, I find them a bit of a chore, necessary but not enjoyable.

So I expected that this would be slow going on the same basis as after all blackwork is lots and lots of back stitching. Quite the opposite, to my surprise it was quick, interesting and relaxing.  The only niggly bit was adding the goldwork to the dress and then just carrying the thread over at the back (oh Lesley Barnet does a book on that as well titled, yip you guessed it Goldwork).

So now I am on the look out for another blackwork pattern with an appealing subject.

Oh, I almost forgot, this design is Blackwork Stitcher by  X-Calibre Designs.  They do a Lacemaker as well so perhaps....

Sepia windmill (cross stitch)

Wimdmill

This small design introduced me to a new concept of the half stitch. In previous patterns that meant taking the needle from the corner to the middle of the square for the first part of the stitch and then corner to corner for the second, making a triangle.

but for this pattern a half stitch is a full cross which takes up half of the square, either horizontally or vertically.

It helps smooth out angles and give sharper detail to the silhouette which is the signature of the series this windmill belongs to (Heritage Crafts).

I took this kit on holiday with me and got quite muddled with the half stitches down the side of the windmill. Sorted it in the end and although I like the result it is still waiting to be framed.

Two for a pound ? (cross stitch)

Have you ever seen the cross stitch patterns in pound shops and wondered if they are any good?

Well at two for a pound I could not resist.  I figured even if the pattern was not great I could use the  14 count for something. The chart was in colour, no symbols and although not many thread shades sorting out what was what was a little tricky as the illustration shades by no means matched the thread provided.

But at that price for a full kit, yeah needle as well it was surprisingly sewable and easy to stick in my bag for those little stitching opportunities. The other pattern? A country cottage is unlikely to get done any time soon.  Tried this so I would know however, many a project in line to be done before I go back to the 50p kit.

Lighthouse for 50p, bargain ?

Postage stamp quilt.

This quilt was made from a bag of scraps from a clothing factory.  The fabric was from making blouses.  Blue, pink and white, each with a fairly large flower pattern.  The scraps were a combination of the pattern off cuts (the outer boarder) and thin short pieces, I presume edge off cuts, and some sleeves.  The bigger pieces had been cut into hexagons for a flower quilt (not feeling very chronological so will feature that quilt later) leaving little bits. 

I , as previously mentioned am a hoarder and to add to that I abhor waste so small or not fabric = quilt.

I find postage stamp rather relaxing as I do not worry about either matching up the colours or even the points on the blocks.  I like the random aspect.  Although admittedly working with more than one shade of the same pattern fabric does help bring it together.

This quilt was given as a gift to a family friend in appreciation of many years of support and friendship. Indeed the recipient attended my school play (infants) when my mother could not be there so I would have someone I knew to wave at.

Anne with the quilt I made for her.

Now she is a member of the little quilting group I facilitate, and currently she is working on a postage stamp quilt of her own.  Her quilt is destined for her granddaughter.  In keeping with the no waste philosophy (if not motto) of the group the scraps from that form the top for a dolly quilt to go with it.

Anne with the quilt she made

Baby size postage stamp quilt

I love the sense of continuity and community quilting imparts, dual function gifts, warmth for the body and warmth for the heart.