FABRIC BASKETS

There's a new love in my life - and it involves fabric (again!).  These wonderful fabric baskets are my new obsession.  After spending a lot of time on my daughter's quilt and the current Farmers Wife creation it's great to have something you can start and finish in a couple of hours - really satisfying.

I attended a workshop at Deb McGuire's PlainStitch Workroom and created a fab basket in about two and a half hours.

My first "kitchen" creation

That was it of course - spent the weekend gathering new fabrics and considering who would be on my list for a lovely little surprise gift!  That was a no brainer - ME :)  Spent Mother's Day morning at the sewing machine and had a ball.

Some storage for the bathroom

Just a small stash - Penguins a bit random but couldn't resist!

Even approached my sons expecting a firm "No" but was pleasantly surprised and now have to find some Marvel Heros fabric.

Still attending the Farmer's Wife Classes but I have also started a new project - quilt for son number one.  I'm using a large pattern for this one and it's growing nice and quickly.  In the meantime I think my house is going to be very tidy ;) as you can never have enough Fabric Baskets.....

Jane

More Farmers Wife from Towse

More Farmers Wife from Towse

Thanks to those who have also started to post - it is much appreciated. Now I've discovered how to re-find the tool bar I'd lost I can show what I've been up to. Here are my FW blocks for the last two months. I actually have Bouquet left to do but I've been leaving that until I feel like a fiddly sewing session.

I thought it might also be amusing for you to see the name badge I have constructed for the Fat Quarters sewing group in Missenden. They wanted people to wear names as it is quite a big group so gave us all pre-printed labels with the instruction to sew and decorate them how we fancied. Inspired by Carolyn's badge and having had her show me how to do chain stitch (I have never done embroidery) I decided to also get out the Heat and Bond and create a mini 9 patch quilt as well. Graham thought I had gone completely mad!!

Spreading the addiction

Some of you will already have met my neighbour, Doug, who has been initiated into the mysterious art of patchwork and is busy producing his own first blocks. Typically he has also gone off piste and started to experiment with distressed fabric with bleach. dyeing with various natural products and printing. He, like me, usually works cerebrally (he is a university lecturer) and was taken with the idea of going back to his artistic roots as well as a practical relaxation. I didn't realise that he would just start another obsession. His partner is also somewhat alarmed at the number of times she comes home to things bits of fabrics soaking in pots, or the ironing board in use! Here's some evidence ...

 

He's also completed a block of half square triangles and is now working on smaller triangles. Needless to say he is also accumulating his own stash, including some materials that I have never used myself!

Ta Dah! Finished At Last

My First Post :)

After nearly a year of picking it up and putting it down, I have finished my daughter, Kate's, quilt.  I think I'm in a competition for the biggest "monster" creation - who's winning Towse?

Here it is - my husband is hiding behind it, stood on the kitchen table holding it up!

 

I have quilted some flowers and butterflies on it and also her initials.  She is going to study Acting in September so I've also quilted masks in the top corner.




Hope you like it.


Now I only have the Farmer's Wife Quilt on the go but I do have a list of requests from the rest of the family, so onto another project - one just isn't enough.

Jane

The Leeds Challenge

  

The shoe box project

Back in July 2013 I was inspired by my friend to make a patchwork quilt for my daughter Katharine who is planning on going to Leeds University in September 2014. The challenge was to make a hexagon hand pieced top without buying any new fabric. Sadly that "not buying bit" didn't work. Anyhow since we  were going on holiday almost immediately I turned it into a project in a shoe box to make it portable.  In the box I put all the usual sewing kit, thread, scissors and pins. I had also prepared envelopes containing prepared fabric and papers. The papers were made by drawing around a cardboard hexagon template and then cutting along the line. 

 

Piecing over papers back

And front

I returned with this collection of "flowers"

March 2014 almost too big to photograph!

The paper was pinned to a piece of fabric which was then cut out with a small seam allowance approximately 3/8". The fabric was folded over the edges of the papers and pinned  and tacked in place.

This worked brilliantly. So easy to take away.

Each set of hexagons was then sewn together to make flowers.

I had forgotten how enjoyable hand sewing is.

I came back with a large collection of "flowers" to stitch together which took a while and focused my mind on the need to speed up. In January I discovered the Wendover Sewing Bee run by Deb of Plain Stitch. I had a lovely evening and met lots of inspiring sewers. I was also reminded of the marvellous product freezer paper. Thank you all so much.

Now the top is almost big enough to add borders and really tricky to photograph, I will fall off that chair one day!

It is interesting looking at the photograph as it highlights well the light and dark areas of the patchwork.

Thinking back, I should probably have made a plan for the patchwork but it was intended to be semi random which somehow makes it more difficult.

7" to go to finish the hexagon piecing and then on to the borders.