An Amazing Day

There is a small group of us that get together to do a class at Material Obsession however our tutor hasn't enjoyed the greatest of health so she is taking a short break. Very kindly one of the girls in our group invited us to her home (divine)for a day of sewing. What a day ! we had the most amazing time. We were like the naughty school girls escaping from a day of reality into another world. Laughing, chatting , chatting with such excitement that we probably talked over one another but you know how it is, we girls can hear every conversation that is going on in a room and can even enter into that conversation add a snippet and return to the original conversation we were having.
Sharon was such a great hostess and gave us the run of her home but especially her sewing room which by the way is to die for.
I just couldn't resist photographing the fabric collection. Everything beautifully organised with drawers full of Yuwa , some of them original pieces that we all wanted to covert.

And another drawer but that is only 2 of probably many.

Cupboards full

All beautifully colour co ordinated

Just look at those spots

Many wonderful quilts have been constructed here

and these are some of the results

This WIP is stunning , just needs some finishing touches

Another work of art

Everwhere we looked there were quilts, even on walls

On every bed

A version of the trundle quilt

How could you not look happy having such a fabric and quilt fix (yes we are fabric junkies)

and this is what we had to look at while having all this fun

and this

and this

I guess I should say thanks girls I had the most amazing day and also thanks to Greg for allowing all of us giggling girls into your home .

No Wonder I had a migrane driving home, Far too much excitement for one day.

Bags Bags and more Bags

I think you can safely assume that I just love making bags. When I saw this wristlet pattern for sale on Katies Blog through her Etsy shop I just had to have one. It was in PDF Format so no waiting for the snail mail (hopeless when you are just itching to get started, snail mail that is).
The week that I spotted this pattern I had to go to a conference so no time for sewing before that,however I was home reasonably early on the Friday so to get the conference out of the system I got out the sewing machine and got started. I completed this the same evening and even managed to hand quilt the back panel of the wristlet.

The owner of this pattern Katie has agreed to me making some of this wristlets for a charity stall for the country hospital where we have our Humpy. These small country hospitals need all the help they can get otherwise they end up closing and it is miles to the nearest hospital, so I am going to get into the community spirit, but will acknowledge the owner of the pattern.

I think they will be a hit with the tweens of today but I will make them in different colour ways. I'll show you when they are completed.

2009 Major Work

My major work this year is a sampler using the 1797 Sundial quilt for inspiration. It is truly divine but a huge commitment, however I am up for the challenge. The teacher drew her inspiration from the

Sundial Coverlet which is in the collection of the V & A Museum , but the teacher has put her slant on it. The teachers quilts are almost always typically english in style.

Here are the colours that will basically set the scene for my quilt, I hope to post as each part gets completed. Maybe you will join the journey with me.

Journalling

As many of my friends know I love to blog surf , aside from all the wonderful inspiration ,one can actually learn so many amazing techniques. Blog owners are so sharing of their knowledge ,and there is a myriad of tutorials out there, such was the case with this journal cover that I made recently. I found the tutorial for this on Bloom's blog. I have to say Bloom was very helpful when I got stumped at a certain spot, considering it was a Sunday evening. I think Bloom was afraid the cover may have ended up a UFO but I persevered and it was completed that night, so I am now looking forward to making more for a couple of gifts that are needed soon. I will change them but the concept will remain the same.

A girl can never have too many journals and already my head is buzzing with different versions I can make. One for each day of the week .

Bag Fun

I have been having some fun lately sewing a bag. I really love all the bright clear fabrics that are around at the moment. I can't really see a quilt made from them fitting into my current decor but I can't resist purchasing these fabrics , so what to do.
I came up with the idea to make a bag. I hand quilted the front of the bag in a cross hatch pattern using the perle thread which is quite in vogue these days.

On the back I decided to just quilt around a few of the paisley shapes just to hold the layers together and also give it some dimension.

I decided that I would pipe the handles using a tutorial that I found on this blog http://bloomandblossom.blogspot.com/. The tutorial was very well explained so they were easily constructed.
So continuing on with the piping theme I thought I would pipe around the top edge to give the bag some balance.

I really loved making this bag and especially as it was being made for someone special . I hope she likes it .

A Little Corner of My World

It has been a while since I posted so I thought I would share with you a couple of pics that I took today mainly to show the little charm that I asked Cathy
to make for me.
It is double sided so depending on my mood I can either display Savon or turn it over and have just plain S on the other side. This little glass cloche sits on the vanity top in the downstairs bathroom at our Humpy . I just love this French Soap and what better way to preserve it for a while.

Work in Progress

I have many WIP's but when you attempt a sampler this size, one's interest can wane after a period of time.
I always come back to them though and this one is no exception , I am so close to finishing . I have to say though that it is very taxing on the eyes as a lot of the thread colours are so close to the linen colour . I am only using 1 strand of thread as I am stitching this on 36 count linen. The chart is one from an old Antique Sampler and Needlework magazine. I think I commenced this sampler back in 2005, so yes it is time to complete it.