Another Mystery Solved

In 2014 I started making a Mystery Quilt from clues given in the four issues of 'The Quilter' that year. You can read about it here although I don't seem to have blogged about it very much. However it did get a mention here a few weeks ago when I layered it up for quilting.
Having decided on a simple wiggly line for the quilting it went very quickly and I soon had a finish - but for some reason it has taken me until now to get it photographed!
So finally, here it is.

The fabrics are all hand dyed and are mostly recycled cotton and linen clothing with some Egyptian cotton sheeting. The curved section is hand pieced, the rest is machine pieced.
This was a budget production using mostly fabrics that I had already in my stash. The border was dyed to work in with the rest of the colours. Sticking with the theme I bought a cheap cotton sheet from the supermarket and dyed it ultramarine for the back.

Being cheap meant that it was quite soft after washing so I starched it to get it to behave during quilting.
A few close ups of the blocks.

And of the quilting.

Great to have another project ticked off my list.

It's Piece Yourself Together time again!

Linking up with Anthea - do go and see what everyone has been doing here and why not link up yourself if you have some EPP to share.

I am also linking up with Heather at Books and Quilts: Needlework Tuesday

 I have two more Morris Hexathon blocks to share with you. The first is #11 Merton Abbey.

And the second #12 Hampton Court.

Hope you are having a great week.

FNSI for July

FNSI has come around again - and so quickly! even though it is a week late! Many thanks to Wendy for inviting us round again and thank you so much for your lovely 'Share the Love' design. Unfortunately as I write, there is more horror going on in the world, this time in Germany. Will it ever end.

I have spent this afternoon working on another 2016 UFO. This time it is some of the blocks I made last year for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project. I have eleven blocks that I made last year (somehow I missed December!). Four of my blocks work together because they are all black and another colour. Here they are trimmed and ready to go.

I felt that they needed framing with black and so rummaging through my recycling box I found a black velvet skirt that was perfect. I cut it apart and gave it a wash this morning.

So this afternoon was spent putting the blocks together and this is the result.

I have to say that I have not done so much reverse stitching in a long time! Even using my trusty Bernina walking foot I found this velvet very difficult to work with. I am not totally pleased with the result, just hope that quilting and extra stitching will even everything out. Any imperfections do not show up in this picture so please do not be fooled!

Hope everyone had a great FNSI and I look forward to seeing what everyone did here. Looks like there were 34 of us!
Have a great weekend.

A Crazy Finish

The Four Seasons crazy blocks that I made in 2014 are now altogether in a finished quilt! And here it is.

The blocks were 9" square and the finished quilt is 27" square.

The sashing is hand dyed velvet and I have linked the four blocks by adding stitch over the sashing which varies according to which season it is nearest. A few close ups (of course!)

The backing fabric is a beautiful Liberty lawn donated by a friend (thank you) and which turned out to be perfect to bring to the front to make the binding.

My thanks to Carli for setting me off the on the Four Seasons trail and to Jennifer Clouston whose book Foolproof Crazy Quilting inspired much of the stitchery in my blocks. Also to all my readers who have made such lovely comments about my work along the way.

A picture of three 2016 finishes altogether.

EPP Tuesday

A very quick post to link up with Anthea and EPP Tuesday although I am rushing to get this done in time as it is now Thursday!

Two more Morris Hexathon blocks to share with you.

#9 Red Lion Square

and #10 Thames Walk

and there is a variation to #10 using the same pieces but giving the triangle units a turn.

I am not quite finished on the mini version but we were away at the weekend so I missed the release of the design on Saturday.

I am dashing back to my sewing machine now to add the binding to another UFO which I hope to show you soon.

Throwback Thursday......

.....comes around a little too often for my liking. Another month has gone by already!

Linking up with A Quarter Inch From the Edge  It's exciting to see what everyone has dredged up from the past.

This month I am sharing my second ever quilt, made way back in 1982.

A few close up's - not brilliant as I only have the one photo.

All needleturn hand applique except the map! I think the blocks were quilt as you go and all hand quilting. Machine construction. All cottons, mostly Laura Ashley with some Strawberry Fayre.

I was very fortunate to have this quilt selected for The Quilters Guild second exhibition in 1983.

And that it was shown in colour in the catalogue as many of the quilts were only in black and white.

As the quilt is out on loan it is the picture from the catalogue that I have used here.

Unfortunately I was living in Rome at the time so was unable to see my work in the exhibition - but I did make the local press in what was then my home town, Norwich.

Do go and see what everyone else is sharing and have a great weekend.

Another UFO off the list!

Several years ago a friend came back from Le Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork with this beautiful bag.

All made with beautiful silks and velvets. My friend very generously allowed me to borrow it (thanks Mad) to make a pattern and you may remember seeing my almost finished bag here when I was unhappy with colour of the handles. They have now been re-dyed and the bag is complete.

I have made it using my own dyed cotton velvets plus some silk furnishing fabric samples which I have had for years and knew would come in handy one day!
The interior is lined with hand dyed silk and has one large pocket.

I have used a sparkly brooch to decorate.

Unfortunately my friend does not remember who she bought the bag from and there is no label inside so I am unable to credit the designer of the bag. If anyone recognises the bag then please do let me know so that I can rectify this.

Another UFO surfaced this afternoon and I got this Mystery Quilt from The Quilters Guild layered up.

It's from a few years back now and we worked on it a row at a time. Hoping to get the machine out over the weekend and make a start on the quilting. Meanwhile my Four Seasons Crazy just needs its binding hemming down and a hanging sleeve - handwork for the evenings while the football is on! - so hopefully that will soon be finished.

I have been playing with a couple of small projects. First of all I saw this gorgeous little dish in a charity shop in UK and at 50p it had to come away with me.

I found some gorgeous Tilda fabric that I had been saving and made myself a new pincushion.

I have see quite a few boxed zippy pouches around and had a go at making one using this tutorial.

Not a bad effort although the corners could have been more symetrical! I shall definitely be making more of these though.

Well I think you must have had enough of my pictures now! Hope you all have a great weekend.