EPP Tuesday!

Having been without a computer for several days last week, this week we have been without an internet connection off and on. So I am hoping to get this post written before it disappears again!

So here I am hopefully linking up with Anthea at Hibiscus Stitches as we Piece Ourselves Together. Thank you Anthea.

First an update on my hexie table topper which is now complete

and residing on top of my freshly painted chest of drawers.

In her last EPP post Anthea mentioned a new stitch along that was being organised by Barbara Brackman. Out of curiosity I visited Barbara's blog Material Culture
and read about the Morris Hexathon. Well of course, one look and I was hooked! Now as you know this is my Year of the UFO with no new large projects LOL. Well, I lasted 5 months and here I am with a new large project.
Anyway, back to the Hexathon. For 26 weeks Barbara is going to release the pattern for a large hexagon a week each linking in some way to William Morris. The finished hexagons are 8 1/2" across with 4" sides. On her blog Barbara is showing the hexagons being made with beautiful William Morris inspired fabric. Now I would love to have bought some of this fabric but my stash was saying noooo! Then I remembered this lovely collection of Kona solids which I won a couple of years ago and have been saving for a special project.

Perfect.

So this was my first hexagon called Westminster Star.

Well that was easy I thought - I wonder if I could make a smaller version using 1" diamonds? So I did.

So of course now that is waht I am doing with them all. The other blocks so far are Crystal Palace

andCamelot.

Right, I am posting this before our connection goes again!

FNSI and CTTY!

I write this in haste as I have only just got my computer back from being updated to Windows 10 (so far so good, thanks mainly to our local computer whizz who has set most things up as they were before!) and we have guests arriving tomorrow and I want to catch the deadline on CTTY.
So here we go.

Many thanks Wendy for having us round again - good to be sewing with friends. Don't forget to go and vist Wendy to see what everyone was doing on Friday.

My next big UFO to finish this year is my Four Seasons crazy hanging and to do that I needed some fabric for sashing and bordering the blocks. I knew I wanted velvet and so having a large quantity of white velvet in my stash it was time to get my dye out. I bought a pot of olive procion dye powder a while ago in preparation and so as it was a nice afternoon out came my bucket and dye was mixed and used outside.
Here is the result which I am very pleased with - lots of nice subtle variations which is the look I am aiming for by not stirring the fabric about too much.

While I had my dyes out I remembered another UFO languishing in the cupboard. This bag was made a couple of years ago and then I didn't like the colour of the handles! And there was only the lining to add and it would have been finished.

Five minutes with the unpicker and the handles were free - why had I not done this before!!
The handles have now been redyed so watch this space for an update, hopefully on the finished bag.

The trouble with dying is that one thing leads to another and so another piece of velvet and some threads and lace were treated with some marine violet and lemon dye - I am very pleased with the results.

So next on my list while the fabrics were soaking in their dyes were these two heat bags which just needed machining together as I had finished appliqueing the hexagon flowers.

I have used the Anni Downs pattern which is like a pillow case so that the bag of wheat inside can be removed to allow the outer to be washed. Brilliant idea I thought. They have not got their wheat bags yet but as they are going in my Christmas present box they can be filled later and in the mean time take less space.  And so this is why I am linking with Anthea and Christmas Through the Year!

Thank you Anthea.

Have a great week.

Flags and a Trumpet Fanfare please!

Yes, it is finally finished - My Baby Dear Jane is all done!!!!

Started in 2002, she has spent a lot of time in the cupboard with brief flourishes of activity. But at the beginning of this year I decided it was time to get some UFO's out of the way and Jane was second on my list. You can read about how I decided to cut down the size here and here.
Having added the border it was time to layer her up for quilting and I chose a plain navy backing fabric adding in a few triangles that were left over from the border.

First of all I ditch quilted around all the sashing but then felt that it needed something more so I added diagonal stitching in both directions across each block. Finally more ditch quilting around the border triangles and it was time for the binding. I used some of the leftover red fabrics to make a scrappy binding as I felt it needed a bright edge rather than more navy.
And so there she was! Last night I added my signature to the back.

Today is bright but cloudy, perfect for a photo shoot so a couple more pictures to show you.

Now for my next UFO - definitely my four seasons crazy blocks so watch this space for my progress.

Have a great week.

It's EPP time again

Once again I am linking up with Anthea at Hibiscus Stitches on EPP Tuesday.

My two projects have moved on and my project folder is now complete.

The hexagons inside have all been stitched down. The Jenny of Elefantz stitchery inside is also complete. It is going to be the centre of a mini quilt and I will add little buttons to the centre of each flower when it is complete.

My table topper has all been pieced now

and hexies have been added and reversed to make a nice edge.

Now I just need to add the backing and batting and then some quilting.

In her post Anthea mentions a new EPP stitch along organised by Barbara Brackman.
 I am going to have a go at this and have my first papers cut - now I need to decide on some fabric! I am wondering if this could be a project for the pack of Kona solids I won a year or so ago. Will let you know next time.

Happy EPPing!  And thank you Anthea.

Throwback Thursday

It is a while since I linked up with A Quarter Inch From the Edge and

but here I am today with a real blast from the distant past!

In the mid 1980's I had a fabulous holiday in Tunisia touring in a small bus with around 20 French people. This bit was a shock as, having booked and flown from Italy we had expected to be with Italians! Having been living in Italy for nearly three years we had some Italian but spoke hardly any French.

We started in Tunis and visited the coast and the desert, salt flats and film sets - oh yes, and lots of Roman ruins! Of course we were taken to shops and markets selling local crafts and in one place we saw some amazing flat weave rugs which immediately shouted 'patchwork' to me.So I bought a postcard showing some of the designs

and when I got home I turned some of those patterns into a design for a quilt.

And here is the finished quilt

and a view of the border.

Not brilliant photos I am afraid as they are actual photographs - not digital - and I no longer have the quilt.

All hand pieced and hand quilted.

To see all the other 'Throwbacks' pop over to A Quarter Inch from the Edge.

Happy stitching.