Author: eli

Yellow

eli

My sister called Friday afternoon to ask if I wanted to go to the big Swedish blue and yellow shop. I jumped at the chance as I don’t drive and have to change trains and take two busses to get there.

I had been wanting to go for a while now to buy a rug for Little Miss Bossy-Boots’ room. Little did I realise that we would come home not only with a rug but a chair too. A bright yellow chair.

Yellow ChairI love the retro feel and I’m sure it will go well with the turquoise tv cabinet that’s arriving on Tuesday (and will, hopefully, hide all the electric leads). The best thing about it? It really needs another cushion and I’ve got an excuse to start a new project!

Sewing will have to wait a little bit, though, as I’ve slept awkwardly and have a very stiff shoulder. I’m alright doing some hand sewing (just finishing my DQS 14 mini) but the machine will have to wait.

 

Categories: Home Projects, Quilting2 Comments

Dear Blog…

eli

Dear Blog

I’m truly sorry for neglecting you for such a long time. Life hasn’t been quite what I wanted it to be these last few months and I’ve been struggling to find the motivation to read and comment on blogs and write posts to publish. However, now that the new year has started I’m hoping that I can see this as a new start and begin to love you again. I have many things that I would like to show as I haven’t been idle but  have been knitting and sewing. Both give me such wonderful comfort.

This morning Little Miss Bossy-Boots made a collage and I thought it looked like a quilt. I have a couple of bee blocks I need to finish as I’m already behind but I feel the need to give this little mini a go first.

Bossy Mini

So, I’ll see you very soon again, dear Blog.

All the best,

Elisabeth

Categories: Musings2 Comments

Advent Calendar

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Many, many years ago, my sister, mother and I sat down and embroidered an advent calendar for my grandmother. While talking about Christmas and advent calendars she mentioned that she had never had an advent calendar. My grandmother’s birthday was on November 30th so we thought it would be fun to make her an advent calendar that year and it was a huge success. For years she would give us her advent calendar a week before her birthday and we would fill it for her.

When she died the advent calendar disappeared into a cupboard and none of us really thought about it. That is, until my mother got it out and gave it to me for Little Miss Bossy-Boots. The calendar had definitely seen better days and most of the little bags were falling apart.

Advent Calendar Before

Therefore I decided last year to take all the bags apart and sew new ones.

Advent Calendar During

 

I also used some woven vilene to stabilise the embroideries. Some of the bags we made were hardly big enough for more than a praline so I’ve tried to make these a little bigger. The easiest way was to sew a ‘frame’ around the embroidery and for this I bought a lovely red and white stripe that reminds me of candy canes. The back of the bags is a green cotton from my LQS.

Advent Calendar After

I’m so happy that this advent calendar is in use again. I haven’t quite finished all the bags so I’m sewing like mad to keep up with finishing and filling them. This calendar will hopefully be in use for another twenty-something years now that it’s all fixed again and all the work is definitely worth it, I think.

Categories: Home Projects, Kid Projects3 Comments

Can’t Get You Out Of My Head

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Quite a while ago I ordered a jelly roll of Kona brights by Robert Kaufman; not because I needed it but because I love solids and it called out to me. Once it arrived I put it on my shelf and admired the vibrancy of the colours and how well the colours looked together.

Last year I opened it and grabbed the purples to use as binding for the Mindless Flannel quilt. Then I rolled it back together again, stood back and admired it some more.

On Monday the admiring stopped and the cutting started. After sorting out the yellows and greys I turned to one of my favourite fabrics ever and chopped that up too. ‘Heron’ is from the line Across the Pond by Cloud 9 Fabrics . The design of this quilt had been in my head for quite some time. I could picture it and I really wanted to do it but there was always something else I needed to finished first. The list of things I need to finish is still as long as my arm but the quilt top has finally been made and it’s just the way I imagined it would be.

Heron Log Cabin

Excuse the poor quality picture. We have been swallowed up by the fog and despite having all the lights on it’s still really dark. However, I love the bright colours in real life. It has, of course, been pieced with my favourite Aurifil thread 50wt colour 2000 which is a lovely neutral colour that seems to go with all the colours in this quilt.

It finishes at 48″ x 60″ and is going to go and live on our sofa once I’ve quilted it. Little Miss Bossy-Boots tried to get this one too (she already has two quilts) but I thought it would be nice to have one we can share.

My dilemma now is how to quilt it. Once upon a time I would have just echoed the log cabin but after taking three (!) fmq classes on Craftsy I really want to do something else. Should I go for feathers (very ambitious), dot to dot quilting à la Angela Walters or use some of the designs I’ve learned from Leah Day? Answers on a postcard, please!

PS I will post better pictures the minute we have a sunny day.

Categories: Quilting, QuiltsLeave a comment

Tea?

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I love being part of a bee as it challenges me and lets me discover new sewing techniques. Last month’s request by Di from Quiltova were tea cups in bright and contrasting colours and fabrics. The pattern is by the talented Sarah Fielke whose Craftsy course Big Techniques from Small Scraps I bought ages ago because I wanted to learn how to do needle turn appliqué.

I would lie if I said I loved making these tea cups. Or rather, I would lie if I said I loved making the first tea cup as I just couldn’t get my head around working with the templates of the saucer ends. The seam ripper came out countless times and the air was turned dark blue until I gave up and made some HSTs.

Tea CupsI went back to Sarah’s class and watched the two lessons for needleturn appliqué again before attaching the handles. That’s what’s so great about Craftsy, you can go back anytime you want and re-watch the relevant lessons.

I’m totally in love with these tea cups now and would love to make one of these quilts, which is called All That and the Hatter, myself. Isn’t that the best name for a quilt? I’m now hoping Sarah’s book will be put under the Christmas tree for me. Please, Santa, I promise to be good and stop swearing…!

Categories: Quilting, Quilts, Sew Euro-Bee-An1 Comment

Fly, Robin, Fly!

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Yeah, my internet, phone and tv have finally been sorted and I’m hoping that this means I can get back to blogging on a more regular basis. Somehow, it’s not much fun to write blog posts without being able to publish them.

Juliet, who blogs at Tartan Kiwi, is a very talented pattern designer who concentrates on foundation paper pieced blocks. I haven’t seen one yet that hasn’t impressed me so, please, go and have a quick look at her Craftsy store. It’s alright, I’ll wait for you here.

Ok, what did you think? Isn’t she wonderful? Well, she was looking for pattern testers a while ago and I put my name forward. However, with the move to Switzerland being more time consuming and stressful than I had anticipated I haven’t really had the time to test any of those gorgeous patterns…until now, that is. Check out this little cutie:

Paper Pieced RobinThe pattern comes together really easily despite some teeny tiny pieces. In fact I had the most problems with those long thin pieces around the legs and for the twig. Slippery little so-and-sos.

Close up RobinIf you like to FPP (foundation paper piece) and you love Christmas this little Robin is almost a must. The block finishes at 10″ so I’m now going to go and have a little rummage through my Christmas fabric to add a couple of borders before I turn him into a cushion cover.

By the way, go check out Amy of Amy’sCrafty Shenanigans‘ version out as well. It’s in the bottom row of her October mosaic. I wish I had some of that snowflake fabric so that I could make another one.

I used some Kona solids, a couple of prints from Carolyn Friedlander’s line Architextures and a little bit of Denyse Schmidt for my Robin. The fabric I used for the eye was a small scrap I had lying around. Pieced, as always, with my beloved Aurifil 50 wt.

I love him and I will be sad when he flies away to his new home as I’ve decided he would be a perfect gift for…whoops, I almost told you there, didn’t I? I’ll tell you some other time, don’t want to spoil the surprise, do we now?

 

 

Categories: Quilting, Quilts1 Comment

Practising

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Life here in Switzerland is still going in the slow lane. I have no internet, no phone and no tv at the moment and although I miss being connected to the quilting community I’m quite happy with the tv break. It’s funny how much more you can do when you’re not stuck to the laptop or tv (not that I watch very much tv in the first place).

However, I’ve been ‘stealing’ my mother’s wifi a few evenings last week and have been watching various courses on Craftsy, one of which is Ann Petersen’s Beyond Basic Machine Quilting. Yesterday evening I was watching her quilt fabulous feathers and was so inspired that I got my pencil and pad out and started practicing. This morning I sat down at my machine and tried to do it on a practice sandwich.

FeathersI used the Aurifil 50wt in 2024 that was already in my machine. It’s easy to see that the left side is easier for my brain to wrap itself around. My stitch length was also more consistent on the left.

I then decided to change to a slightly thicker thread and changed my top thread to Aurifil 40wt in 2150, a nice bright orange, leaving the white 50wt in the bobbin.

Orange FeatherI love the thicker thread and am now itching to go and order lots and lots of different colours. Both these feathers were free form and I loved having a bit of ‘air’ between the fronds. However, I thought I really need to try them without space too and drew a circle on another practice sandwich. I was trying really hard to retrace my steps and keep the fronds together.

Feather circleI first did the outside feathers and it’s fairly easy to see where I started in the top righthand corner. The inside was fine until I got to the last frond. Poor planning meant that my angle was off and it looks really messy. Alas, it’s only a practice piece and I don’t mind it one bit. After all, they do say that practice makes perfect and you learn from your mistakes. I’ve absolutely loved making all my mistakes and I now want to make a quilt that I can quilt with feathers in all shapes and sizes.

Ok, I’m off to watch the rest of my Craftsy course. I’m sure I’ll find more I need to try out soon.

 

Categories: Quilting3 Comments

Log Cabins: A Finish-A-Long

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These last few days have been a race to the finish line as I really, really wanted a second finish for Q3 of the Finish-A-Long.

My first finish was the Siblings Together quilt which I handed over at the Fat Quarterly Retreat.Siblings Together Quilt

This is only a picture of the top as I haven’t got any pictures of the finished quilt! You can find a picture of the finished quilt here.

The list had a few smaller projects on it but I was determined to finally finish Little Miss Bossy-Boots- log cabin quilt. To be honest, I found it a little difficult to muster the enthusiasm for finishing it as I don’t like it. Or rather, I didn’t like it. I found the log cabins too busy and bright. However, toning them down with some white squares helped tremendously. As I didn’t have enough white for more than four squares so added some polka dots which I had bought for the backing.

Log Cabin QuiltThe quilt has grown on me and I rather like its cheerfulness. I decided to have fun with the quilting. First, I quilted some square spirals on the log cabins simply following the lines with my walking foot. Then I decided to quilt a big flower in the white squares, again with my walking foot. This was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the process, although turning the quilt so many times was a bit of a pain.

Quilted FlowersFar from perfect but I don’t think my five year old is going to notice.

Next I thought about the polka dots and decided to practice my fmq with some stippled hearts.

FMQ HeartsAgain, this is far from perfect but I’m proud I did it and had fun in the process. When I told Little Miss Bossy-Boots I was going to add her name as well she asked if I could also add Charlie’s name as he likes her quilts too. So I did.Charlie

And then I was asked to quilt some cats too. Cats? That’s pushing me to the limit. In the end I managed to hide a few cats amongst the hearts.

Cat

The quilt finishes at 45″ x 45″, just the right size to snuggle under while watching a movie, and is entirely pieced and quilted with Aurifil in white (2024, 50wt). I’m so pleased with how it came out in the end and can’t wait to stick this quilt in the washing machine and tumble dryer. I think it should crinkle up beautifully.

Little Miss Bossy-Boots loves her new quilt and I love that I’ve been able to make my bestest girl happy.

 

 

 

 

Categories: Quilting2 Comments

A Dashing Echo

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Two years ago I fell in love with Lotta Jansdotter’s first collection, Echo. I bought a fat quarter bundle with nine different fat quarters in the blue, teal, brown and grey colour way. They were earmarked for a quilt and hoarded together with a pink fat quarter that I received in a swap. Last month both queen bees of the two bees I’m in asked for churn dash blocks. I hadn’t made any before but always liked the look of the humble churn dash. Making these blocks  was so much fun and it made me want to make more. I got my greens and yellows out but they were really all bought for a specific quilt and I just couldn’t get myself to cut into them. That’s when I remembered Echo. I wanted to see lots of the gorgeous fabrics so decided to design a big churn dash that would use up the whole fat quarter. In the process I also linked the churn dashes which again triggered a different design in my head (but more on that later). A Dashing EchoYep, photo bombed again. Charlie does get around…

It was, of course, pieced with my beloved Aurifil 50wt, this time in white (2024).

The blue sketch in denim was the only yardage in my stash that was big enough for this project. It was one of these situations where the sewing had to be done there and then. No way was I going to wait for fabric to arrive. I’m still not convinced by it but am hoping that I will like it better once it’s quilted, bound and lying on my bed. The quilt finishes at 56″ x 72″ and is my biggest so far. I’m hoping to do some free motion quilting on it but am a little worried because of its size. As I have to order wadding and piece the back before I can start basting and quilting anyway I’ll just put this in the wip (work in progress) pile and forget about it for a little while.

Next up: basting and quilting Little Miss Bossy-Boots log cabin quilt. If I’m really quick I might be able to finish before Q3 of the Finish-A-Long ends. Wish me luck!

Categories: Quilting, Work in Progress2 Comments

I’m Back!

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Hello! Wow, that was a very long blogging break and I have missed it big time. What’s new? I’m now talking to you from wonderfully hilly Switzerland rather than very flat Cambridgeshire, UK and my sewing machines now have their own room rather than a corner in my bedroom. There have also been changes on a more personal level which I might tell you about at a later stage. Now I’m just happy to show you around my little sewing space.

Sewing Corner

My sewing room was the first room I (almost) finished in my new flat. There are  still a few things I’d like to add such as a design wall and a few shelves but all in all it’s already pretty functional. I love the fact that I share this space with Little Miss Bossy-Boots.

Fabric Cabinet

Below is her corner of the craft room as we call it. She loves to draw, cut stick and paste and I thought it would be fun if we could do it in the same place. I can sew and supervise or help if needed.

Crafty Corner

The rest of the flat is still rather messy as I need to buy a few pieces of furniture to get rid of the last boxes: a bookshelf, a sideboard, a shoe rack and a desk. Next week I’m going to hit the charity shops to see if I can find some nice bargains. Otherwise I’ll hop on a train to Ikea to see if I can find some bargains there.

PS These pictures are from last week when the sewing room was still fairly tidy. Since then I’ve sewn a few bee blocks and started on a quilt using my hoarded Echo by Lotta Jansdotter. The sewing room is now very messy and needs a good tidy up. Hey ho, at least I’m sewing again.

 

Categories: Musings, Quilting2 Comments