Hand Quilt a long 2

Posted on June 3, 2018 by craftycreeky

It’s three weeks since I last showed my hand quilting project. This is just a little practise one before I get my Down the Rabbit Hole quilt back from being basted. I was hoping my quilt would be back by now but my computer managed to spam the message saying it was ready, so I missed it and now my LAQ is on holiday! It’s probably a good thing really since I’ve had a really busy couple of weeks so I wouldn’t have had chance to really settle down and plan what I am doing.

In the meantime…

Three weeks ago my panel looked like this…

I’d just quilted around the bird and I was deciding how to do the rest of the panel.

I decided to quilt what I need to practise, so I’m cross-hatching across the main square and then I’ll try a border strip at the top and two medallion type patterns in the little squares. It easier to see my stitching from the back I think, there’s a few missed stitches, but that’s why I’m doing a practise piece, so hopefully by the time I start my DTRH quilt I will vaguely know what I’m doing!

I’ve started the cross-hatching. I’m using masking tape as a guide and stitching about 1/4″ along side it. I was trying little stick on leather finger protectors last time, Kate suggested a Clover silicone thimble, it has a silicone side and a metal top. I bought a pretty pink one!

Using a thimble is a big learning curve for me, like I’ve never used one. Actually, when I think about it that’s a slight porky-pie, when I was a teenager I hand-quilted a double size quilt and used a thimble, but in those days we used the thimble underneath to bounce off, not on top to help push through. Thimbles work really well at protecting my fingers, because I seem to stop using that finger and use the one nextdoor instead!! On the embroidery course someone lent me a leather one to try and it was like I had my finger bandaged, it just sort sticks out and forgets how to work! I think it’s something I need to practise and work at!

One tool I am finding helpful is a teaspoon! I saw a clip on youtube a while ago where the quilter used a teaspoon underneath to lift the quilt and give the needle something to work against. With a spoon I can do three stitches in a row and it comes out much more even.

I’m probably about half way through the cross-hatching and it’s not coming out too bad…and I have to say it is quite relaxing 🙂

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Susan,  Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon and Bella.

I will also be linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday, so please follow the link to see more hand stitching.

Posted in Quilt-a-long, Quilting, Serendipity | Tagged | 29 Comments

Two for one!

Posted on June 1, 2018 by craftycreeky

Today you have a double whammy of photo challenges as not only is it Friday, it’s also the beginning of June so it time for the monthly photo challenge from Wild Daffodil as well as the Friday Photo Challenge from Postcard from Gibraltar!

Well, officially Wild Daffodils is due on Tuesday, but as the two themes are almost identical, sunshine and sunlight I’m amalgamating the two challenges for one big spot of sunshine 🙂Kiama Beach at dawn

This is one of my favourite photos from our recent holiday, the morning after the wedding Helen and I got up early and sat on the beach to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful, I love the way the sunlight just captures the spray of the wave.

Helen and Rosie sitting in the spring sunshine.

Radiant Quilt in Kaffe Fassett Fabrics

This was the quilt I gave as a wedding present in Australia, I called it ‘Feel the Sunshine’ after one of my favourite quotes, ‘To love and be loved is to feel the sunshine on both sides’ I nearly called the quilt Walking on Sunshine but I hesitated as it was played at a funeral I once went to, but the couple clearly love the song as they walked back down the aisle to the song.

My favorite tree in the garden, a magnolia stellata. It looks beautiful when the sunlight shines through the delicate petals.

Sunlight in the conservatory making Zachs coat shine, one day I would love to turn this photo into an embroidery…one day!

 

I love taking photos of sunlight through trees or foliage, so often you here people say you shouldn’t take photos pointing towards the sun, but some of my best photos are taken this way!

We’re hoping for a bit more sunshine at the weekend as it’s Askwith Show, a proper village show with cows, sheep, chickens,  fancy dress pony competitions, dog that looks most like it’s owner (Helen won that one year!), Punch and Judy, three legged races…and excellent refreshments in the village hall, I must go and bake some more cakes!

 

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Bertie the Blackbird

Posted on May 30, 2018 by craftycreeky

I’ve nicknamed my blackbird Bertie, as “my embroidered blackbird in the style of William Morris” is getting a bit of a mouthful! It was nearly Bill as I did think it could be a nod to William Morris,but he really doesn’t look like a Bill, so Bertie it is!

Bertie is a design by Nicola Jarvis which I started at Stitching in the Dales, a three day embroidery retreat organised by Grassington Embroiderers Guild  where Nicola was our tutor. She does lots of other beautiful designs, mainly of birds, in either silk thread or crewel work, so do follow the link if you are interested.

During the retreat Nicola started me on the various sections, moving me onto the next one once I was happy I knew what I was doing. Once home I decided to complete each section in the order of the instruction booklet. This is where I was when I last showed you Bertie just after I got home…Blackbird Embroidery by Nicola Jarvis

Next area to stitch was the ‘floral detail across upper back’, otherwise known as the twirly bits below his ruff! These are stitched with split stitch which doesn’t give as dense a coverage as satin stitch (or it doesn’t when I do it anyway!) but I rather like that effect.Blackbird by Nicola Jarvis

Once the twirly bits were done tiny seeding stitches were used in between the shapes. Nicola used that dreaded word when describing seeding, random, she did laugh when I mentioned that I hate that word, like I struggle with the concept. She had a student once who was a mathematician by profession, he declared that there was nothing in embroidery that was technically random as every stitch is carefully placed. I agree! Anyway, I managed a bit of random seeding stitches. I was meant to use a dark grey DMC thread but I couldn’t see anywhere in the instructions where I could use the rest of my black sparkly thread, so I used that instead, it’s just ever so slightly sparkly!Blackbird by Nicola Jarvis

The next area for me to complete is the large black leaf area in the middle. I stitched the satin stitch in class and I’m pretty pleased with the effect. Having checked the instructions I’ve realised I now need to turn it into “Laid work with Bayeaux stitch”, which basically means threads laid across the satin stitch to hold them in place with tiny holding stitches along too.

At the moment it almost looks like I’m nearly there, but there is actually still alot of work to do, once I’ve filled all the shapes in there is then lots of couching and edge stitching so I think it will be a little while before Bertie is fully fledged!Blackbird by Nicola Jarvis

 

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Monday’s Meander Round the Garden

Posted on May 28, 2018 by craftycreeky

Garden in MayWe’ve had a little bit of rain this week (that’s because I finally got round to buying a hosepipe!) and everything seems to have shot up another 6 inches. The garden is really filling out now and colour is popping up everywhere…poppy

This poppy flowered this morning, yesterday it was just a tight, green bud, I thought it would be at least a couple more days, but today it looks stunning. I was pleased to see poppies at all this year as last year I had to do a big clearance due to the weeds in this bed, though I did make sure I spread plenty of the seeds around last year. This one is right next to the conservatory, so I can admire it when I’m sitting having my breakfast.Clematis on obelisk

Some of the early summer clematis are starting to flower, I have two climbing my big obelisk in the AA garden, I love the big blooms of the pale purple one, they’re about 5-6″ across. Two of the clematis growing up the big fence are already starting to flower, I only planted them a few weeks ago.Clematis on obelisk

I’ve spent a few hours this week trying to clear the rose bed of weeds, I’m digging up the buttercups etc and spraying things like dandelions and bindweed. You can see the big bare areas where I’ve weeded, the area to the right gives you and idea of the size of my problem!!weeding the rose bed!

Over by the pond the rhododendron is taking centre stage, it fascinates me does this shrub as half the flowers are purple and half are cerise, I used to think it was older flowers and new ones, but I’m not so convinced now! Maybe it’s just reverting to it’s natural colour.

In the front garden I have a large scottish rose, it is covered in flowers this week and the scent is gorgeous, it fills the air as you walk up the drive. I’ve never worked out how to prune this rose as it’s a different habit to your usual garden roses, but it flowers so beautifully that I just cut a bit back at the sides so the postman can get past!

My next big job is to clear the weeds from the front garden and put a double layer of membrane down, I’ll then plant shrubs with shreddings on top of the membrane. It’s never going to be a cure with so much marestail, but we did it on the bottom tier of the front garden a couple of years ago and it’s certainly more manageable. You can see the size of our problem! My OH did laugh the other day when he was watching DC Banks, a detective TV drama which is filmed round here. A body was found in an attic with a piece of marestail, “Marestail is only found in three places round here” !!! Luckily he didn’t give our address out 🙂

Sometimes in a garden plantings can work by chance, the other day when I was weeding the rose bed I looked across by the fence and the alliums, geraniums, perenial cornflower and aquilegia looked lovely, all different shades of purple intermingling . It makes all the hard work worth it!

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Tall Year Square Etui – SAL 7

Posted on May 27, 2018 by craftycreeky

It’s three weeks since I last showed you my etui box, It’s a pattern in Classic Inspirations by Betsy Morgan and each side represents a different season. I’m working on summer at the moment. This is where I was three weeks ago having just started this side…Betsy Morgan, Classin Inspirations Magasine.

I’ve not managed a huge amount as I’ve been stitching a few other things as well, but I’ve managed two or three evenings concentrating on this one.

I still don’t find the charts easy to read, whereas with cross-stitch charts usually one square represents one stitch, here each line represents a thread which I’m still having to really concentrate on. I’m also using my own choice of threads, selecting a few DMC variegated threads which I feel represent the season. Last time I still wasn’t 100% sure on my choice but I went with it.

The next border was the twisting lines, I still wasn’t too sure on colours but once I finished it I loved it, it just reminds me of a traditional cottage garden in summer, all blues, pinks, greens mixed in together. I’m still not sure about the purple at the bottom but it is staying, I’ll make sure there’s more in the top borders, I wanted it in for the heather on the moors in the summer.Tall Year Square

I’ve nearly finished the frog border, it’s in cross-stitch over a single thread, so I need good light to do it! He still needs two black beads as googly eyes and I need to stitch the second waterlily, these are stitched with bullion bars. I need to finish the leaf first but I’ve just run out of the green thread, so the lily will have to wait.Tall Year Square

The next border is the dragonflies, it looks beautiful so I’m looking forward to stitching this one. This is Betsy’s version;

Betsy Morgan, Classic Inspirations MagasineThere’s quite a few of us taking part in the SAL, so please follow the links to see lots of amazing embroidery. If you fancy joining us just send a message to Avis.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, LucyAnn, Kate, Jess, Sue, Constanze, Debbierose, Christina,

Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Steph, Linda, Mary Margaret,

Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Tony, Megan, Timothy

I’m also linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday.

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Blackwell House

Posted on May 26, 2018 by craftycreeky

Once a year my Embroiderers Guild has a day out instead of our monthly meeting, so on Monday we travelled by coach to visit Blackwell House which is situated near Windermere in the Lake District. This meant we had a lovely scenic drive up through the Yorkshire Dales and then into the Lake District and the sun shone all day too…

Blackwell is an Arts & Crafts house, I’ve been fascinated by the Ats & Crafts movement for years, I love the work of William Morris and his contempories so I was really interested to visit the house. We had an excellent talk and tour by one of their volunteer guides and we were also given a useful leaflet which explains the Arts & Crafts movement…DSC_0188

‘The Arts & Crafts movement was one of the most influential design movements of modern times. During the late 19th century there was a resurgence of interest in hand-made crafts, encouraged by William Morris and John Ruskin. Ruskin lived near Blackwell on the shores of Coniston. Arts & Crafts artists and supporters were passionate about keeping traditional handicrafts alive during the early days of mass production.

Arts & Crafts architects used local materials, building traditions and craftspeople to create buildings that were in harmony with the surrounding landscape and architecture. Designers…used organic shapes, colours and patterns to bring architecture and people closer to nature. They looked at every detail as part of the whole – from the door handles to the chairs.’DSC_0131

Blackwell was designed by Baillie Scott for a wealthy Manchester family who wanted a holiday home! It is situated just above Lake Windermere and unusually it’s main facade is facing south away from the lake. Baillie Scott designed it that way to maximise natural light, rather than having a lake view.DSC_0065

The interior is beautiful, lots of wood paneling and huge inglenook hearths with seating either side of the alcove. You can imagine during the cold Lake District winters they were a snug place to be.DSC_0096

The wood carvings were beautiful, these were screens high up in front of the minstrels gallery situated above the inglenook. I leaned out and took the photo pointing back, it captures all the detail of little birds amongst the trees and nests in the branches.

There is a theme running through the design details of rowan berries and bluebirds. The rowan can be seen on these wood carvings going all around the walls of the main hall.DSC_0060

There were lots of stained glass windows, often just little ones either side of the chimney, but they were beautiful, almost Art Deco in places. The bluebirds can be seen in many of these.

 

Many of the fires had a few decorative tiles too…

 

I loved the detail in the ironmongery, all the window catches were beautifully designed, all the door handles and even bolts were part of the overall image.

 

Outside in the garden were some pretty borders with a gorgeous wisteria, it did make me think I want one, to help cover up our big fence!DSC_0179

The house is also used as an exhibition space for ceramics, you can see a few in the photos above. There is also a fascinating ‘thing’ in the garden. I wondered what it was from the house as it is a big blue construction which kept getting in the way of my photos! When I explored the garden I realised it was a sort of natural kaleidescope. Inside a tube there were lots of mirrors to make several different images, here’s one of the lake..DSC_0167

All in all it was a lovely day out, Blackwell is a fascinating house, it has a lovely cafe too in which I had a slice of the lightest Victoria sponge ever!!

 

 

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Friday Photo Challenge

Posted on May 25, 2018 by craftycreeky

Today’s photo challenge is much easier than last week, todays word is ‘floral’, although my first thought was flowers from the garden, then I decided floral was a bit deeper than that, more of using a flower or the image of a flower, such as a floral arrangement, or floral fabric.

I haven’t done much in the way of floral arrangements, but we did have a mini workshop at our WI craft club where I made quite a pretty arrangement of flowers and candles.DSC_0020 (2)

My favourite dress at the moment is definitely floral, I made it last year and I have worn it lots of times. The fabric was a complete impulse buy, like it flashed up on facebook and within five minutes I’d bought a length! It’s one of those dress that makes me feel good, if ever I need a confidence boost I wear my red rose dress.McCalls 6966

If several flowers make floral, then I stitched a floral scene on wool at a recent Embroiderers Guild workshop. We felted blobs of wool on a piece of blanket fabric and then embroidered on top. I’ve put it in my Travelling Sketchbook as my theme is flowers.DSC_0022 (1)

Of course I couldn’t resist a floral arrangement of photographs from our garden…

 

If you would like to see more floral photographs, just follow the link to Postcards from Gibraltar.

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Cats and Clover

Posted on May 24, 2018 by craftycreeky

I finished my May cross-stitch from the Joyful World series ages ago but never got round to making it up. Having stitched my poppies humbug together I decided to keep going in stitching up mode…and stitched up three smalls!Cross-stitch smalls

I’m aiming to complete the whole set of Joyful World SAL by Snowflake Diaries, I think they are cute without being too twee. May is definitely cute with a cat and her kitten. This month I just made it into a simple pillow, twisted some cord from two green DMC flosses and hand-stitched it round. I’ve not even started stitching June so that one is going to be running late I think! I hang them in the conservatory just for their month.May; Joyful World SAL

The next two smalls you won’t have seen at all, I think I stitched them in the 1980’s and they’ve been sitting ever since in my workbox waiting to be displayed!

The cream cat is stitched in very fine needlepoint, over one thread, I can barely see the stitches now, never mind make them! I think it was a Lanarte kit. It was the second one I did like this and I vowed never again! One reason it was never made up is that it’s shape distorted to a trapezium and refused to realign to a rectangle, as there is a clear outline it stood out a mile if I wanted to frame it. It often is more of a problem with needlepoint rather than cross-stitch as all the stitches (and therefore the tension) go the same way. The other needlepoint miniature framed up beautifully, it’s of two cute kittens. I had two cats at the time so I stitched a few cat embroideries.

Anyway, back to the cream cat. I decided to ignore the fact that the outline wasn’t straight, and just squared it up. I found a pretty quilting cotton which coordinated with it nicely, picking out the soft pink of the pillow the cat is sat on. I cut a strip 1.5″ wide and made a log-cabin border around the edge to frame it and make it a bit bigger. The actual embroidery is only about 2.25″ by 3″Needlepoint cat pillow

I backed it in the same fabric and stuffed it. To finish it I found some ric-rac in my trimmings box, I think I bought this in Cool Crafting in Skipton, it’s a gentler zigzag than normal and has a sort of feather stitch down the middle. I stitched it over the seam with a soft pink bead on every zig-zag. I really like the effect.Needlepoint cat pillow

The third one to get finished is also from the 1980’s (yes, it’s probably been in my box about 30 years, all stitched and no where to go!) I stitched a few of these and I seem to think it was from a leaflet, I made the snowdrop one up a couple of months ago…Cross-stitch snowdrop

…I’ve a crab-apple in a cheap frame, earmarked for turning into a mini pillow, and I’m pretty sure I’ve a holly one too amongst my Christmas stuff. This one is a clover,which brings back childhood memories of fields full of clovers, hunting the elusive four-leafed clover.

I decided to make the clover one along the same lines as the snowdrop one, so I stitched a couple of rows of herringbone in two shades of green and added some pretty pink beads. I found a sort of clover pink ric-rack in my trims box which nicely went over the seam. Three little mother of pearl buttons just seemed to finish it nicely.Clover cross-stitch small

I’ve now got a few seasonal smalls on display in our dining room, in time I want to make a display box to put them in, but the window sill will suffice for now!Cross-stitch smalls

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Poppies in the garden

Posted on May 22, 2018 by craftycreeky

It’s time for a little happy dance! I’ve just finished my poppies humbug. It’s a design by Faby Reilly I started it in mid April, it’s been my ‘borrowed time’ project, 10 minutes here and there whilst doing other things!.

Some one was asking why they are called humbugs. It’s easy to forget just how local some words are when writing a blog. A mint humbug is an old-fashioned traditional sweet here in the UK. It is a very specific shape as you can see from the picture…humbug shape! These are handmade sweets from Scotland if you fancy trying a proper mint humbug!

Anyway, this is where I was when I last showed you my poppies…Poppy Humbug Faby Reilly

I was chuntering about the DMC gold thread. Faby rightly said life is too short to stitch with threads you don’t like, she suggested some different ones to try. Somehow I’ve ended up with about six skeins of these threads, I’ve finished this project but I’ve decided I’ll see if anyone wants them at Embroiderers Guild, if not they can go to a charity shop!

Faby’s designs really come to life with all the back-stitching, beads and extra embellishments like Algerian stars and spiders web stitch. I found four different beads in my bead box that were possibles, three black ones and one gun metal grey. I decided these little black ones looked perfect. This is the finished embroidery just waiting to be made up.Faby Reilly Poppy Humbug

Making up is actually fairly quick, the edge was already back-stitched ready for whip-stitching together. The top and the sides are stitched together, then the bottom is flattened the other way and then stitched together…Faby has a tutorial which makes it much clearer!

Faby Reilly Poppy Humbug

It was a lovely evening in the garden last night so I took my humbug outside to photograph it on the mossy walls. The words on the bottom are poppy (going across) and coquelicot going upwards which is french for poppy.Faby Reilly Poppy Humbug

I’m really pleased with my poppy humbug, it’s a nice size being stitched on 28 count linen, my mum asked what it was for, I said it would just look pretty…and it does!Faby Reilly Poppy Humbug

 

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Monday’s Meander Round the Garden

Posted on May 21, 2018 by craftycreeky

The garden is really starting to flourish, though it’s getting decidedly parched as we’ve had so little rain this month. With heavy clay soil that means some of it is like concrete with deep cracks in it! Despite the lack of rain the geraniums are enormous already, the one at the front is Ann Folkard I think which has bright magenta flowers with a black centre. It’s a bit of a thug in the plant world but as the soil is really bad in that corner I’m happy it’s thriving.

I decided to start trying to fence off areas from the dogs. We have three dogs now as my mums dog has come to live with us, three dogs is proving hard work, especially in the garden; Rosie walks all over beds and plants, squashing all in her way with her big golden retriever paws, Zach digs holes, regardless of whether there is a plant there or not, two of my new plants were dug up this week as he is convinced there is a mouse under the patio (there probably is!), Lucy just poops everywhere!! I know the dogs don’t mean to but its disheartening when we spend so much time and money in the garden.

We’ve put a gate between the top and the bottom garden, so Lucy’s poops are restricted to the patio; at least it’s easy to clear up there! When I planned the AA garden I bought an arch with gates on so they could go in under supervision, it is nice having them sitting around whilst we have a glass of wine on an evening. Unfortunately Rosie ignored the gates and just walked straight over the beds!! This weekend I therefore spent a couple of hours constructing temporary-ish fences around the AA garden. They are not that tall, but it might just be enough to discourage an arthritic elderly dog! Any suggestions on how to stop a dog digging gratefully received!!Spring Blossom

The spring blossom on the trees and shrubs is looking gorgeous at the moment. From the patio I can see the choisya in front on the raised bed with its creamy white flowers, a deutsia covered in pink blossom which is actually up on the top bed with the roses and an old lilac tree on the back lane behind the summerhouse. I love this view as when I started this garden I envisaged a wall of plants and flowers where you couldn’t see the two stone walls and raised beds supporting them, it’s taken about fifteen years, but I’ve finally achieved it in the last couple of years. There is basically three separate beds all merging into one picture.

I spotted another iris in flower this week, it’s only short but it’s a very pretty lemon colour. Just near the irises are these seedheads, these are from the Pasque flower (Pulsatilla) I think the seedheads are just as pretty in their own right, in the right weather conditions they can stay like this for weeks.

Welsh poppies have started to pop up everywhere, they self seed all over the place without being invasive, I love the way this one is clinging to the mossy wall.

I’ve some alliums in flower around the roses. They’re a lovely shade of purple. Several years ago I planted a ring of alliums around the patio, (having seen the idea at Harrogate Show!!) they looked nice for the first couple of years, but they suddenly went rampant and took over the bed, when I was clearing the bed I found literally hundreds of bulbs and vowed never to plant them again!! Luckily these ones are much more restrained, a scattering of alliums looks lovely!

I’m having another weeding session at the moment, trying to clear the rose bed a bit, I’m aiming to tackle it properly in the autumn but I couldn’t look at the weeds any more. I’ve also been round spraying bindweed and mares tail, so hopefully I’ll make some progress on the weed front….then I can start on the front garden!!

 

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