Sunday 17 February 2013

Scrappy Triangles

Years ago, and I am talking pre online shopping, Doughty's used to send sample packs of fabric for mail order. When they arrived we used to choose what we wanted and send the sample back to them and the fabric would then arrive back in the post. What to do with the unwanted samples? I just put them in a box, closed the lid and forgot about them.

At one of my sewing groups it was decided to make some small quilts for wheelchair users of a local charity. We had to swap some fabrics and we could add to them accordingly. Being way behind as usual I thought it time to get a move on. I liked the fabrics I was given but they were very pale and I just couldn't think how to use them. Inspiration struck with the box of sample bits. One of the packs was a batch of cut triangles.


I paired them all together and chain stitched them into squares. They now measure 2.5".


My next thought was pinwheels. Having stitched a few together I decided that I didn't like them. So, some unpicking ensued, plus, I realised that they weren't very square so, they all got trimmed. This time they were paired again to another block to make flying geese.


They went together very quickly and were sewn into two strips. Using only what was in my stash I added the red and the grey. Now it needs to be sandwiched and quilted. It measures 36" square.Needs a good press.


A quilt isn't a quilt until it is quilted, right? But, it isn't properly finished until it has a label. Here is the label for Daisy's quilt. I appliquéd a flower over one of the quilted motifs and kept it within the quilting. All the information is in the centre.


In all the grey and gloom that has stricken us for so long this lovely bit of colour found its way in Kate's garden. I love Hellebores.


As I sit here writing this the fog has lifted and the sky is beautiful. Doing a happy dance.



Happy Stitching.

Love Shirley.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

A BAFTA Winner

Saturday tea time the phone rang and it was Olly saying would I please give the spare house key to a friend who wanted to borrow his dinner suit. I asked why he needed it and he said that this friend Tom Litten had been invited to The BAFTA's in London. Anyway, key and suit were collected and key returned and I wished Tom fun at the awards. I sat and watched it on tv but didn't really pay attention until suddenly Tom's face popped on the screen. Nothing really registered as I was engrossed in some crochet.  Sarah called in from work yesterday to tell me about Tom.

Tom had auditioned for a part in a short film that was being made as part of the Olympics and was being shown on BBC and in Cinema's. Tom won a scholarship to the prestigious Millfield School for his swimming ability and he is Olympic standard. He got the part. His film won the Best Short Film Category and you can watch the producers accepting the award and honouring Tom for his role.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw3EGQfn-Kk

You can also watch the film but I could not get the link to work so if you wished to see it then the film is called Swimmer.

Last night Tom popped in to return the Dinner Jacket and show off his well deserved BAFTA award.


Sarah and Olly proudly boast that they were Tom's babysitters. ( Tom is on the right and is just 20 years old). Olly and Tom's families are great friends so, how exciting for them and what a great addition to the trophy cabinet. I think we can safely say that this young man is going places.

I know this isn't sewing related but sometimes things happen which need to be spoken about and it is hard not to include life as it is happening. It makes the quilter's life more real.

Happy Stitching.

Shirley.

Note:- BAFTA stands for The British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Our New Sewing Venue

In the New Year we, the good ladies of Apple County Quilters changed our venue from the cold, dark and dreary hall that we had been using to the beautiful light and airy Orangery at Nynehead Court in Somerset. Nynehead Court is a private nursing home in a Grade II listed building and the Orangery is part of the set up and hired out to anyone who would like it at a reasonable cost. There is underfloor heating and it stays cosy, when the sun came out the windows high in the roof suddenly opened to let a breeze in.


Opposite the Orangery is a very pretty sandstone church that is part of Nynehead Village.


This is the walkway to the church. Those branches made some interesting shapes and in Summer I imagine it will look very different and provide welcome shade.


The grounds are simply amazing with beautiful manicured gardens and woodland walks. The sun was trying to break through the snow threatened clouds. Notice that there is a little bit of blue sky. It does so much to make you feel better.




Showing you the activity inside.

To my right  Sue was busy cutting up quite a collection of batik fabrics. The observant of you will notice that the rotary cutter is lefthanded.


Sarah is busy making a quilt from the new Jelly Roll book by Pam and Nicky Lintott.


Marie loves all things pretty and is making a Valentine's cushion, her work is always beautifully stitched. Bernina's seem to be the order of the day .


This is Janet Kittow who loves hand stitching and who refused to look up at me.  For the past two exhibitions Janet has won the Viewers Choice Rosette and they were well deserved. Here she is finishing off a past challenge quilt. Better late than never and far better than mine as mine still is not even sewn up.


You can see how nice and light it is in this room and how busy everyone is.


At the other end of the room are nice comfy chairs where we decamp when we eat our lunch and sit and chatter and discuss various proceedings. I adore and wish I had somewhere to put that magnificent painting. It is a giant but looks almost real it is so beautifully painted.

 
We are all so happy to be there in the delightful surroundings and know that it was a good move. Now we sew ther all day rather than the half day that we used to have. Dotty Dolly also use it for their workshops.


It has been a while coming but today I finally finished sewing on the binding for Daisy's quilt. It has taken me  far too long and as this is the smaller one of the two quilts  the bigger one most definitely will be machine quilted, simply. Attaching binding is for me one of those tasks that sometimes is a pain but this time it went on like a dream with no unpicking and with the corners all neatly filled. I used perle thread no.8 in a deep lavender for the daisies and a rose for the other quilting. I am not over keen on the big stitches as  the tightly woven fabrics were not easy to stitch through. However, it is now done and can be crossed of the list. I shall be able to hold my head up high when I next visit the Worn and Washed stand and say that I have at last used up one of her bundles. Yay!


Hope you enjoyed the visit to our new venue.
 
Happy Stitching.
 
Shirley.