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.

UFO update

Just a short post to update you on the progress of my latest UFO project. My Four Seasons crazy blocks have now been joined together using the velvet that I dyed olive green here. And I am really pleased with how the colour has worked with my blocks.

The first thing I did was to extend the 'forsythia' out of the spring block into the frame and also brought a climbing flower out of the summer block.

 

But I also wanted to do something that would unify all the blocks and so I have started to add a heavy chain stitch meandering around the frame with the intention of treating it differently as it touches each block. The first section is complete and I have given it a frosty treatment with sequins, beads and sparkly thread. 

I also added a button 'snowdrift' in the corner.

As a complete contrast to snow we have had a sudden heatwave with temperatures of over 30 for the last three days. Tomorrow they dip again with possible storms so ever changing here.

Back soon.

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.