This foot? Or that foot?

Today I have been getting ready for the three classes I am running this weekend, and I have been brave: using feet (for the sewing machine!) that I either don't normally use, or have never used!

I used the quilting foot to free motion quilt the tree branches and the sky (not something that I often do). I used some Aurifil thread that I got (on blog recommendation) at FoQ. I have to say that based on the fmq it is great. My reluctance to do any significant quilting is due to unhappiness with tension issues, and this seems pretty darn even!

and then I used this foot that I didn't even know I had - like the 1/4 inch foot it has a little blunt blade that sticks out below the foot.  Where as the 1/4" one guides the fabric, this one seems to sit it the ditch, so where I used in the ditch stitching to quickly attach the back of the binding, the seam is actually in the ditch and is invisible - I'm really chuffed!

 So the Owl wall hanging is [almost] complete ready for the library class (yes, Hadley, I just realised Pink still doesn't have a beak, I will sort that out eventually!)

I have also not finished but prepared as far as I want to the flying geese for the Museum class

So that's a big green tick for all my homework :-)

where did that week go?

I cant believe I haven't posted for over a week, although we've been so busy that maybe I can believe it!

We had a weekend in Weymouth with husband's family followed by a week which included Niki getting into a tangle with another driver (totally his 'bad', luckily no one hurt at all, but very scary, ) and time out to get quotes and arrange the insurance claim, and the old furniture being collected by a charity (who refused the sofa bed due to a tiny coffee stain on the mattress!).

Saturday's Library class saw us making paper pieced hexagons, and the Church class involved starting to copy a handbag, and putting a new ribbon on a hat!

 I managed to squeeze in a visit to my local quilting shop  on Friday (I had to take one of my church ladies to get fabric for her bag!) and today we took a trip to Portsmouth to see mum, and while Brian drove, I stitched running stitches onto some gingham for the museum class on Friday where we are going to tackle smocking

The Five A Day quilt has has a black border added, and scrappy binding has been machine stitched to the front and pinned to the back: I just need a little time to finish it!

(Photos are from my fancy new phone - any distortion will be my fault for not driving it properly!!)

Now I'm off to bed!

A week without stitching :-(

I cant believe a week without blogging and nearer two weeks since I did any significant stitching!

I ran my first Fun with Fabrics course at Chertsey Museum last week.  Six ladies came and seemed to enjoy the felt picture applique.  Most of them knew how to sew (Jenny was taught at her convent primary school, and had to stitch at 14 stitches to the inch!!! ) but this was a first in that it was for pleasure rather than compulsory!

We based the designs on ideas from WeeFolkArt.com's lovely designs- some ladies following the original, and others going off at a tangent!

From the top, these are

Barbara's,







Monica's,









Iris's and

Kay's,






 


followed by Monica's.





Charmaine made a 3D heart which we stuffed with scraps (but I didn't get a picture).

And Jackie made ... (bother, I've forgotten!!!  It will come to me I hope!)

Windsor Library went well too.  Just three ladies, but they had done their homework so we looked at ways to arrange the Rail Fence blocks, and suggestions for completing the projects (one will be a pillow, another is destined to be a place mat).  They have taken their blocks home again to join the blocks into strips ready for nest time (stull keeping to the easy short 4.5 inch seams!)

At St Michael's Church we had five ladies again (two new), and two sets of visitors.  Lisa learnt how to crochet (again), Janet has started a Rail Fence block, Eileen brought some embroidery to show us and talked about a patchwork that she will bring next time, and Debbie got on with another crochet blanket.  We seem to be heading for an alliterative name ... A Cuppa, a Craft, and a Chat, in Church.

Crafty Saturday (part one: The Library)

As I'd already volunteered to teach Fun with Fabrics at the library one Saturday a month, and then wanted to start a monthly Craft session at church, it made sense to run both on the same Saturday... and for January that was today

The session at the library was making No Sew bags.  (One lady thought maybe some clever way of folding a square, but confessed she much preferred what we actually made!)

I had made them basic bags just sewing 3 sides together, and they first pinned cut or ripped denim from the top of one side, down and up the other side (becoming the warp), and then wove other lengths around the bag (the weft)

This time I had my phone with me so I managed to get some photos ...

Steph used just one pair of jeans, so the bag has only subtle colour variations, and she managed to include a pocket panel which I hadn't thought of

Tita nearly finished her bag, just wanting to add a border around the top

 

 Kate managed to get hers finished - she dithered about some buttons but decided it was finished without

Kathy has nearly finished hers, and will carry on with it next month

 

And Jess finished hers ... When Brian looked at the photos he said that was obviously the expert's one!  Jess has far more imagination than us: she used uneven strips, some flat and some folded, and came out with a bag that is very unique, and VERY Jess!

 

Denim Weave

I have seen a fair number of examples of denim weaving in blogland: Spirit cloth and Beates fabric Art amongst others, and wanted to have a go.














At the same time I was wondering what to offer my class at the library for the 3rd lesson, as I wanted to have at least a work-in-progress to take next week.
















Then Niki gave me a pair of past-it jeans for my collection and I knew what I wanted to do. My library class is restricted in that I cant ask the students to take their sewing machines, but I really wanted to teach them simple patchwork ... so we are going to weave a patchwork instead!!!















My plan is that those who cant machine stitch theirs at home can use buttons to hold the strips (the weft and the warp?) together. Once the outer lines are firmly joined (by hand, machine or buttons) other squares can be joined ("quilted") randomly just to keep it in shape. Too many holes for a baby's quilt, but fun for a teenager I think!

I'm leaning towards red buttons for mine - I LOVE denim and red together. One of my girls had a denim dress with red hearts when they were little, and it seems the perfect combination.

(I used it before on Jess's 18th birthday quilt)














The downside of this idea is the the dust created by ripping the jeans into appx 2 inch strips - probably should have done this in the garden in the summer!

A fab website

I have fallen in love with the appliques available from the Wee Folk Art website. They are great to do in felt, and lovely designs, ideal hand sewing while watch TV or on a train, and are free patterns.















Thank you Wee Folk Art Folks - I've done two design from the website, and have been inspired to do two of my own, and think there might be a few more in the pipeline ;-)

A Blue Quilt, and a Christmas tree

Today I've been delivering a grant application and some PE kits, and done some work at school, but when I finally got home I NEEDED to sew!

So I've cut strips apart, sewn strips together, cut sewn strips into squares, sewn squares together to make bigger squares, and finally sewn those squares together to make a quilt top, and I feel very please with myself!

















I have also mounted a little Christmas tree project which is for the crafts with fabric course that I am doing at Windsor library next month. Slightly limited in what we can make without sewing machines, but I was quite pleased with the end result of this one, so we'll aim for this idea in the first session and see what people want to do for the next session (hoping that there are 'people'!!!)