Class coffee morning!

Last week we had a coffee morning for all the students, past and present, from my Wednesday morning class. It was great fun! Lots of work was brought in for a show and tell and everyone was most enthusiastic! Pictures are worth a thousand words so here goes!

This lap quilt was made by Yvonne. The fabrics were all dyed by Farne Designs. This was the last project of last term where we used the Drunkards Path block to make a quilt.

This was made by Heather. We made a kaleidoscope quilt a year or so ago in class and this was her piece. Very striking!

An unfinished applique wall hanging by Ellen. A really fun piece. 

Jane's beautiful and large applique quilt. A work of art! 
Below are four pouch bags made by Barbara from kits she purchased from Farne Designs. She made one and so enjoyed doing it that she decided to do more and give them as Christmas presents. She has done an amazing job and the recipients will be thrilled I'm sure!

This is several of the group including me, holding up Jane's quilt. It was twice this size as it was folded!

Tina's quilt for her grandson. A really lovely piece.














Barbara and I showing off the backs of our crazy patchwork waistcoats!

Some of Ellen's beautiful Baltimore Album quilt. This was a project a while back and Ellen is still putting hers together. The blocks are all done and the quilting.

We hold our classes in the local rugby club and this is a view of the room complete with pool table which is such a good height for cutting out on. It is a lovely class and I can't wait to get going again in September. This coming term we are going to do a quilt as you go double bed sampler quilt with lots of learning curves!

For information on classes do email me!

This and That!

I am at the moment making Christmas stockings. Both in felt as those above and also in crazy patchwork. With the weather as cold and miserable as it is it doesn't feel at all strange to be doing this! I want to organise some kits to sell and it seemed as good a time as any to get started. I'm also thinking of making a kit for the armchair tidy below as several people have asked for the pattern!

The collage below is of some embellishment stitches that I have used on other pieces of crazy patchwork. I'm particularly fond of the lilac and had great fun doing this.

The small bag below featured some applique and machine embroidery that I devoped from a picture of lilac but I used a heart instead of the flower. It makes a lovely evening bag!

Tomorrow with my class we are going to be making faux chenille cushions. Faux chenille is such fun to do. Below is a bag I made using a piece of special dyed fabric in a faux chenille panel. I have used this technique several times in bags as well as using mandala dyed pieces in cushions. The faux chenille shows off the dyed fabric beautifully! 



From Start to Finish

This is a step by step journey from inspiration to the finished article. I was inspired by this picture.

I had a piece of hand-dyed fabric that looked like the table top with shadows and light that would be marvellous for a background. 

The first thing I did was to play around with the above picture in Photoshop and see what effects I could get. 

 




 


















The above are some of the results but I was most taken with the last two and in the end I used the very last one with hints of the one above to inspire me. 

I stitched the outlines onto the background fabric adding plastic and wax, and used a small heat tool I cut out areas of the plastic and heated the wax so that it ran unevenly. 

I added more stitching and overlaid threads and wool. I worked heavily into the fruit shapes to make the stalks look solid.

Then I used net to get the shadowy effect and to highlight certain areas. 
 

And below is the finished piece. I worked on it for about a week perhaps a bit less. Once I got started I was full of enthusiasm and worked every moment I had. I added the shaped border to represent a table cloth. The fabric background highlighted the apple shapes and continued the theme of light and shadows. All in all I was pleased with it!

Inspiring photographs!

 These are all pictures I've taken recently that will be the start of some creative inspiration.  The tree above and below was just amazing with it's texture and shape!

Sandown Quilt Show

Sadly Sandown was not as good for us this year as it was last year but we had a fun time and met some lovely people. They included the very talented Kim Shaw. If you get a chance to take a class with Kim then do so as her work is spectacular! I was also able to buy some lovely beads from Images of Egypt and some beautiful fabric and threads from Empress Mills. Our kits for making Crazy Patchwork Pouch bags sold out which was wonderful and has had me being very busy making more! I have lots of ideas for new Crazy Patchwork kits so watch this space. And our draw for a Tote bag made out of our mandala fabric was very successful. The winner was Julie Fieldsend and the bag will shortly be winging it's way to her. 

I made a large and a small grab bag. The jury is still out on whether or not I like them! :-)

We stayed on a lovely campsite just two miles from Sandown Race Course. It may have been so near but wasn't the easiest of places to find due to the one way system in Esher. However by the final night we had it off pat and arrived with no diversions! The campsite was by a river and I think we were the only people there...well we saw no-one else! Quiet and peaceful.

Our next big show will be Harrogate at the end of August but we are doing a one day outing at Stithians show on July 16th as I am judging there. Now we just need to prepare lots of new stock so it will be dyeing every day for a while!

Even more bags!

I'm on a roll when it comes to bag making. I made these two bags today after lunch! Took me about six hours in total.

The bag above is shaped and very simple. I free machined feathers up the fabric following the bars of colour. I'm really quite pleased with it and I was able to find an antique button to go with it. 

The above bag is just a normal tote bag with squared bottom and loop fastening. Again I was able to find an antique button to go with it. The quilting followed the lines of the mandala fabric and was, I think, quite effective. There are plenty of pockets in all the bags!  I shall offer this bag as the prize in the draw we will run at Sandown. The draw at Malvern was very popular so we will repeat it. 

The black bag was made a while ago and I used faux suede and a woven panel which I did using two fat quarters. It is very effective. This bag has a shaped bottom with feet and a bag stiffening at the base. All the bag findings were got from U-handbag. (See earlier post)






Below is a piece of crazy patchwork I have started to make another bag. It is good to have some hand sewing to do in the evenings.  

Bags of fun!

I love making bags! I have more bags than I know what to do with but still I make more. Occasionally I'll give one away and they also make good presents. Today I have made two loop bags. I don't know whether I like them but what I do know is that if I make another one I won't use any stiffening between the lining and the outer bag pieces. In these I used iron on Vilene and I think the bags are too stiff. Usage will tell in the end! 

I love pockets so I put pockets across one side for things such as mobile phone and keys. 

 This is one side of the larger bag. I modified the edges on this as I found with the smaller bag the opening on the edge wasn't easy to get neat at the join.

 This is the bag looped and closed, showing the other side with three flowers. I think if it wasn't stiffened it would hang better.

 This is the small bag which hasn't been modified and does not curve at the top of the side seam.

Other side of the small bag. 

This is the small bag looped closed. I like this small bag as it just fits over the wrist and would be good for the evening. 









I have a new book which was given me by a friend for my birthday. It is all about bag making! It is called 'A Bag for all Reasons' by Lisa Lam. It is great and I'm going to have fun working through the patterns. I also have to say that Lisa Lam is great for bag findings! Click on her name to go to her site. You won't regret it!