Scrappy Blooms

Posted on July 25, 2020 by craftycreeky

I’ve been talking about making a scrappy quilt for ages,years in fact, my scrap stash is getting a bit ridiculous! I currently have six of those IKEA cubes pretty full of scraps! I’m reorganising my sewing room at the moment and I could really do with getting it down to two boxes, so I guess I’d better get quilting!

I was thinking of doing a half square triangle quilt when I spotted the finished Bloomtopia quilt by Pat Sloan. It was a free quilt-a-long which has now finished, but all the patterns are still on the website. This also means I can go at my own pace without feeling any pressure.

Rather than completely, randomly scrappy, I’m hoping to use mainly the blue, green, purple, pink sort of colour range. I was going to try and unify it with one background fabric, until I saw how much you needed, I would have had to go out to buy some which somewhat defeats the object of a scrappy quilt! So I’ve set myself the restriction of using from the scrap boxes if poss, but for bigger blocks, a fat quarter which has been in my stash for ages is permissable!!

The first week pattern was for two blocks. I tackled the butterfly one first. Pat used the same fabric for the wings and the body, I decided to use one scrap for all the bodies. The background was left over from my Coming Home and Staying Home quilts.

The second one was fairly simple with just half square triangles and squares, I didn’t have enough fabric to fussy cut but one raccoon worked out perfectly! These are both 12.5″ square. The background for this one was left over from some bunting I made a few years ago.

I went straight on to the block for the next week. This time there was one big block – it’s 18.5 x 20.5″, with three lovely big flowers. If I used two different pinks I had just enough fabric to make the three flowers. The background was a fat quarter, which I only just squeezed it out of – and I mean only just! One set of flying geese was stitched wrong, to replace the rectangle I had to use two strips!! Print direction went out of the window, but luckily it’s the sort of print where it doesn’t matter.

So far it’s all going together nicely and I’m getting the hang of this scrap business – they look pretty good together. I’ve just got rather a lot to use before my sewing room is in order!!

I’m linking up with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap, a weekly scrappy blog party. Please follow the link for lots more scraps.

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Stitchbook Collective

Posted on July 22, 2020 by craftycreeky

I tackled another box from the Stitchbook Collective over the weekend – I’ve caught up now, just the final one to do next month!! This box was all about making mock chenille. Apparently chenille means caterpillar in french, the fabric is so called as it does look a bit like rows of hairy caterpillars!

To make the chenille we sandwiched fabric in between two layers of denim. The layers were then all stitched together in rows, a bit like close lines of quilting. It could be done by hand, but I did the stitching on the machine. The rows were then carefully cut in between the stitching, leaving the bottom layer of denim. Then came the messy bit, the raw edges were brushed with a wire brush to make them fray, once all layers were fully frayed,, it was then washed, dried and then awaiting inspiration!

The first sample was made from two squares of cotton in between the denim. I stitched with straight lines. I found the denim frayed really easily but the cotton not as much. I’vejust kept this as a sample…

For the second sample I rummaged in my scrap box of silks – that sounds rather posh but back in the 1980’s we used to wear ‘ball gowns’ for parties, black tie do’s etc, I used to make dresses for my friends and I kept any scrap that was big enough to cover a coat hanger!! Anyway, I knew that silk dupion frayed very easily, so I chose two red and some orange silk. Instead of stitching stripes I stitched squares, so I could cut some away and not others. It did fray easily, but what I didn’t think of was that it was shot silk, so a different colour in the warp and the weft, what that meant is that the fibres hat were left depended on whether the cut was across or down. This sample was quite amusing when I washed it. Helen had warned us that the denim wasn’t colour fast – well neither is red silk, so there was lots of purple dye coming out as the two dyes merged!! This piece sort of reminded me of the red gingham and denim look, so I just added some red buttons..

The final sample was made by sandwiching a bag of scraps in between a folded piece of calico – in Yorkshire we’d call that a butty rather than a sandwich!! The scraps were all sorts of neutral fabrics which Helen had provided. I stitched this in a wave formation and boy was this a messy one when it came to brushing it!

Once it was finished it reminded me of rapids on a river. I decided to add beads like light twinkling off water. I rummaged in my bead box and sorted lots of pearly beads, sparkly ones, and just mixed neutral ones. I seem to have ended up with a lot of pearl beads – again this is from my twenties when I progress from ball gowns for friends to wedding dresses and bridesmaids!! This seemed a great opportunity to use a load!

I stitched them in lengths along the channels, fairly randomly. In fact the tiny beads were very random as I just stuck the needle into the mixed pot and used what came out! I really like this one.

So there’s just one more workshop to go, on weaving, then I can make a cover and put my textile book together. It’s been a great experience!

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Kunin Felt

Posted on July 21, 2020 by craftycreeky

I’m catching up with my Stitchbook Collective – this is the series of on-line workshops which Helen of Untangled Threads is organising. Each month I get a box with everything I need to try a new kind of textile media…only I was about three boxes behind! This week I tackled the kunin felt box.

There are three types of felt apparently, wool, acrylic and polyester. Kunin felt is a polyester felt, it’s totally eco-friendly as it’s made from recycled plastic bottles. The technique we tried was using the way it melts rather than burns. We cut shapes out such as flowers, hovered them over a candle until they started to curl and melt – it sort of reminded me of the craze of shrinking crisp packets under the grill when I was a teenager!

Helen provides everything – even a tea-light and a pair of tweezers so we don’t burn our fingers! I made some flowers to start with. They are simply made from a circle with snips in – we didn’t shape the petals at all, it’s just how it melts. I then tried strips and squares with holes. I then had to create something!

I stitched the red, yellow and oranges flowers onto the black felt with a leaf each, adding dots of kunin felt or beads for the centre. I found the braid in my stash which colour wise matched perfectly. It still needed something else, I rummaged in my button box and found buttons which echoed the flowers in someway…

I was left with the strips, purple flowers and holes!! Helen had provide some fabric samples and lengths of coloured cords to help us a long. The fabrics were mainly floral and not purple (!!!) but one was a soft purple check with lines of orange, blue etc. It gave me a starting point…

I couched some of the cord along the fabric lines,, running stitch along the orange one.

I quite like the flowers, I’m just not sure where I’d use them, maybe for vintage looking brooches…if I was into vintage looking brooches!! It’s fun trying all these things though and it is certainly pushing me out of my comfort zone as I try to create a piece of work from each box 🙂

Posted in embroidery, Stitch-a-long, Textile Books, The Stitchbook Collective | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Monday’s Meander Round the Garden

Posted on July 20, 2020 by craftycreeky

Our weather is pretty mixed at the moment, so my gardening is a bit haphazard too – I’m a fair weather gardener! I’m tackling an area at a time for weeds – I did the autumn bed a few days ago and it does look much better. The patio area is what I’m tackling at the moment, I’ve tidyied by the conservatory, the raised bed needs sorting but access is a big problem at this time of year – this is the downside of planting densely!!

The lovely roses at the top of the photo are Champagne Moments, they are absolutely glorious at the moment – it’s a great rose, it flowers it’s socks off all summer and smells lovely! The rose in the middle which is getting a bit swamped is Jude the Obscure.

Champagne Moments

I seem to have astrantia self seeding its self everywhere – it’s lovely but they’re quite big plants so I’m having to start being a bit ruthless. I probably wouldn’t mind as much if it was one of the more colourful ones in ruby red or pretty pink, but they’re all this creamy-green colour! The pretty flower to the left is a penstemon, it’s been there a few years now, never quite being centre of attention, but quietly flowering for several months of the year. The blue veronica is still looking great as you can see.

We also have lots of self-seeded annual poppies – the purple kind, well they are all shades from almost white to quite a deep purple. I lobve the way they spring up everywhere – I won’t let my OH pull them up until they have set seed! The bees love them too.

My purple clematis (called Romantica I think) is usually looking spectacular at this time of year. However it’s looking rather sorry for itsself, I fear it has clematis wilt, The upper branches are dying, so I’m going to have to cut it right back. Clematis wilt is oftern because a plant isn’t planted deep enough, however as this has been there for about 15 years, I don’t think that is the cause. I was a little late tying it up and I wonder if I’ve damaged the stem and that’s allowed the fungus in. If I cut it back it should hopefully recover – and it’s a good opportunity to build a new arch as this one is getting very rickety!

In the corner by the arbour I have a Fatsia Japonica in a large pot. It’s a very shady area as it has a high fence behind it, it’s inbetween the arbour and the raised bed and the sambuscus branches spread over the area too. Fatsia’s like shade, it wasn’t looking too happy at the beginning of the year but it seems to have put out a few new leaves, so hopefully it’s settling down. There’s a large hosta tucked in the shade too, that looks fairly happy too. The hydrangea in front of it is looking hopeful, but the one behind which has never flowered since I got it has still not got the hint as to what it’s meant to do!!

Hopefully this week I’ll manage to get into the garden a bit more, do a bit more weeding!

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Vintage Quilt HQAL

Posted on July 19, 2020 by craftycreeky

It’s three weeks since I last showed you my vintage quilt, this is the one from around 1880 found in my children’s grandmother’s house. It has a large piece stitched together and several strips waiting to be added. I’ve had very little time to work on it but I have done a lot of thinking and planning…

This is the main body of the quilt. It’s been fascinating studying it and working on it. Quite a few of the pieces are pieced themselves, the stitches are minute! It’s even interesting looking at the thread used, particularly for tacking, some of it is so thick it’s almost what we would now use for upholstery. I’ve started keeping bits of threads to go in the book I’m making about the quilt – the museum curator I spoke to last year about the quilt suggested I made a record of what I had done to it.

My main quandary has been a stripe of white (ish) diamonds which I am short of for the right hand side. You can see on the photo above there are diamonds already on the left side so it’s easy to attach the spare strips of tumbling blocks. On the right side however, they still need adding before I stitch another length of blocks. Whatever shade or type of fabric I tried seemed to stand out a mile. I did have a very kind offer for some vintage fabric, I’m holding that thought for the moment as I’ve had an idea…

Rather than trying to find a match, my thought is to make a feature of it. I want to use the writing on the pattern templates by having it copied onto a neutral fabric. I contacted my friend who prints onto fabric using her printer (I think) so I’m going to scan some for her to look at to see if it will work. I also need to check how colour fast the printing is as once finished, the quilt is going to need a wash, albeit a gentle one.

If my idea works, then I will have a line of written blocks down one side of the quilt, which I think could look pretty cool – if it works!!

Hopefully next time I share the quilt with you I will have done a bit more!

Hand Quilt Along Links

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, Margaret, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen, Kathi, Daisy, Connie, Monica and Sherrie

Posted in Quilt-a-long, Quilting | Tagged | 13 Comments

Laid on the Couch

Posted on July 16, 2020 by craftycreeky

I’m trying to catch up with my Stitchbook collectiove pages, mainly because I’ve got a bit behind with them but I’m also enjoying them, trying different techniques. Yesterday I finished the Couching and Laidwork box…

I’ve done couching before on various projects, but Helen gave me some new ideas on how to use it. Our first sample involved writing with couching. She gave us some sample fonts and words we could trace. Half of the fun with these boxes is getting a tiny spark of an idea and letting it run…

I’ve been sorting out my threads box recently – not DMC, all the other fancy ones you (or maybe it’s just me!!) get tempted with at shows. They were all ina big box where I couldn’t easily see what I’d got, so things didn’t get used. I started wrapping them round the plastic bobbins, several on one bobbin if needed.I’m keeping them in my mum’s old floss box, it was too small for my ever increasing DMC collection, but it’s perfect for the other creative threads.

Anyway, I spotted a nice textured purple thread and I decided to couch the word purple with it. That reminded me of the poem by Jenny Joseph, ‘When I am an old women I shall wear purple…‘ it’s a great poem, do google it if you’re not familiar with it. We once had a competition here in the UK for the nation’s best loved poem and I think it won.

Helen (the tutor) suggested couching words on bias tape to make labels, I stitched the word wear onto a length of purple bias.

I then had to put it all together into a bit of creativity!

I found a scrap of purple flowery fabric from a dress I made a few years ago, some purple Harris tweed, purple organza and someorganza ribbon too.

I also pulled out some hand-printed labels. These are made by a friend of mine, she’s just set up a facebook page called Quirky Chicks, she does craftkits and also these labels, you get a set of around 25 labels with different quotes on, different types of fabric. I thought this one seemed apt, so I blanket stitched it on – with purple thread of course!

I kept the stitching very simple, just running stitch, blanket stitch and some fly stitch. Three buttons just finished it off. It’s a bit of fun, but I like it.

The second sample I’m really pleased with. I’ve only done a little laid work before. This is called Bayeux stitch as it’s what is used in the tapestries. It’svery economical with thread as the long stitch is not echoed underneath.The long stitches are kept in place by a couched thread running across.

Helen suggested doing a medieval tapestry inspired tree, I didn’t fancy one of those, they look a bit creepy! After a perusal on Pinterest I decided to do a hare running across the moon. I sketched a simple hare and then drew a big circle for the moon.

I started with the moon. I used DMC E940,i’s not a thread I use very often as it feels different to the others and it’s rather a bright white. It worked brilliantly for the moon. I laid the white thread and then useda couched silver thread to secure it. It loks almost luminescent!

For the hare I decided to couch round the shape and then in fill with various couched designs. The main thread is a random one I got in the raffle at Embroiderers Guild, it’s couched down with a single thread of DMC.

I’m really pleased with this one, it incorporates both stitches too, I’m even getting used to the raw edges!

I’ve two more sets of pages to do, then the last box comes out at the beginning of next month. I’m trying to catch up as I’ve also seen another textile book project I want to start…

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In the Pink

Posted on July 15, 2020 by craftycreeky

Last night I finally finished my pink quilt. This is for a friend whose going through challenging times and when I asked her what her favourite colours were she said pink and red. I went for a pink quilt.

The pattern is a disappearing 16 patch, have a look at my last post on the quilt if you’d like to see the process, it’s actually a very simple block. Here’s the finished top waiting to be quilted…

Not my best photo but you get the gist!

I found a Rose and Hubble fabric for the backing which was perfect, with shades of pink and turquoise leaves. I like the Rose and Hubble fabrics for backing too as although they’re described as a poplin, which I think of as quite crisp, they’re actually quite fine and soft. What I didn’t realise until later is that the line of leaves actually isn’t straight, it slowly drops across the width of fabric – it’s not an issue on a quilt really, but just imagine if you’d made a dress – the hem would be a nightmare!!

It’s the first quilting I’ve done on my new machine and I’m pretty pleased. The extra space to the right of the needle makes such a difference, it never felt squashed up, even when I was quilting in the centre. I initially had a few problems with stretches of missed stitches, but I got out the instruction book, increased the needle size and went on a medium speed instead of fast and the stitching was perfect.I also stitched using a glide mat, this came with a quilting ruler I’d bought and I have to say it’s a game changer! It’s a slippy silicone mat which is slightly tacky on one side to stay put on your machine bed, it has a little hole for the needle to go through, but the top is very slippy. This meant the fabric was so much easier to guide through – quilting is hard work for the shoulders, but this seemed to make it a lot easier, especially for free motion quilting.

I used a pink, purple and turquoise variegated thread for the top thread and a pale pink for the bobbin. I stitched a quarter inch either side of the long diagonals first. I then did free motion quilting with a large flower in each four square block. The diagonal lines needed a bit more in them, so I stitched a four leaf shape on the centre of the cross and also the half way point where there’s a little hour-glass block. I originally thought of trying the new quilting rulers for the border, but after a quick practice I decided I needed a lot more! Instead I stitched a wave pattern on the pink border. This is actually more apt as my friend likes open water swimming and lives at the seaside.

I was originally planning to do a scrappy border, mainly because I didn’t have enough of one colour to edge it. I decided however to use the backing fabric instead,I’m pleased with the lighter binding.

All that was left was a name and a label. All quilts need a name, I pondered on a few, like A Yorkshire Hug, Strawberries and Peaches (too long!) then the phrase In the Pink came to mind, I did google it to check it’s actual meaning and it means feeling in the best of health, which seems fairly apt as I’m sending her the quilt hoping she will soon be feeling ‘in the pink’.

Tomorrow I’ll parcel it up and pop it in the post.

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I get a Whoop Whoop

Posted in Quilting, Serendipity | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Bethlehem Embroidery SAL

Posted on July 12, 2020 by craftycreeky

It’s three weeks since I shared my Bethlehem embroidery, this is the piece from a workshop I did last year with Deborah Mullins. She was keen to stress it was’inspired by’ not a true representation of Bethlehem embroidery, which is considered to be the finest of the regional Palestinian embroidery styles. Last time I was just finishing the copper wire coils…

I ordered some more perle threads, found the ones originally provided in the workshop, and debated how to finish it. I was tempted to go more down my usual repetoire of stitches to complete it, rather than predominantly couching which seems to dominate this style of embroidery. I then happened to mention the embroidery to one of our doctors at work who is Palestinian. He was so enthusiastic and keen for me to meet his wife (once social restrictions are relaxed) as she is very keen to keep the embroidery traditions alive, that I haven’t the heart to not finish it ‘properly’!!

I started to couch some turqoise variegated perle thread around the spirals, using a soft copper colour to couch it down. I liked the first spiral and initially I liked the second spiral…until I tried to continue on to the third one. Palestinian embroidery is traditionally done with one long continuous thread, if you look at the bookmark below which I made in a previous Deborah Mullins workshop, each side with the flowers, hearts and loops is done with a continuous thread…

…so I tried to have it contiuous which meant couching either side of the spiral. The first one (second spiral!!) didn’t look too bad, but the third one was much closer together so it really wasn’t going to work. I then decided to stop each thread at the Y junction and restart in the centre. I think it looks much better.

Once I’ve stitched the last two spirals and sorted out the second and third one, I can then work out another couching pattern to fill in the spaces. I can’t quite decide between leaves or hearts! There’s also another row of chevron stitch to go on the border between the orange and the teal background. So still a fair bit of work to do!

This stitch-a-long is organised by Avis of Stitching by the Sea, we post our progress on our chosen projects every three weeks. Please follow the links to see what everyone else is stitching.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Posted in embroidery, Stitch-a-long | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Toying with Tyvek

Posted on July 9, 2020 by craftycreeky

Whilst I was reorganising my sewing room I decided one way of tidying up was to complete another box from the Stitchbook Collective – as I said before, I’m easily distracted!! The next one on my to do pile was on Tyvek. I was interested to try it as it’s something I’ve heard a lot about – some people at myEmbroiders Guild enthuse about it.

I’m not sure exactly what tyvek is made from but it comes in either paper of fabric form, both feel quite papery, but one notable feature of both is that you can’t tear it. If you hold it up to the light you can see lots of fibres within the tyvek.

Our first job was to cut the two samples into four pieces. These were then coloured with different media, I used watercolour, silk paints, Inktense pencils and for something completely different, highlighter pens! The tyvek is then place between two sheets of greaseproof paper and a hot iron is hovered above. The tyvek suddenly shrinks and changes into weird textured pieces. If you hover too long then the whole thing will disappear! It’s another of those completely random crafts where you have no way of planning what it’s going to turn out like!

I chose two pieces I thought I could create something with and had a delve around in my textiles box. This was my base just stitched down with running stitch…

Tyvek is a bit weird to sew, it’s a bit like trying to sew soft plastic. In the end I used fly stitch, following the patterns from the tyvek. I added some trims, the twisted one is like that because that’s how it came out of the drawer and it didn’t seem to want to straighten out, I liked that effect. So this is my finished piece – very experimental I would say!!

For my second sample I simply stitched four of the other pieces onto the calico so I would remember the different effects you can get with tyvek.

It was interesting to have a play with tyvek, but I can’t say I’ll be rushing out to buy any in a hurry, mainly because it just doesn’t suit my style of embroidery. At least I know what it is now in case in the future I suddenly get an experimental mood!! This is what I’ve enjoyed about the Stitchbook Project, trying out lots of different techniques and textiles. I’m already half way through the next box – on Couching and Laid Work

Posted in embroidery, Textile Books, The Stitchbook Collective | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Memories of June

Posted on July 8, 2020 by craftycreeky

Early yesterday morning I managed to finish the wordplay for June, the one that goes with the Anthea Calender SAL by Faby Reilly. I was just in time before July was released later in the morning.

June’s SAL was cornflowers, it’s a beautiful vibrant blue design. I shared it here a couple of weeks ago..

What I didn’t realise until Faby kindly mentioned it, is that I’d completely forgotten to add the french knots and the beads! So yesterday I finished it properly, it makes such a difference, it’s gorgeous!

Trying to think of words to include in the wordplay wasn’t easy, I haven’t exactly done much recently apart from sewing and gardening! I’m trying to keep these covid free whilst still reflecting the times. In the end I stopped trying to think of what June has been like this year, and thought about what I remember of past June’s.

Centaura is the latin name for the cornflower, I’ve only got the perennial cornflower in the garden and that gets a bit sprawly and needs keeping under control! Roses are usually coming into their best in June, we’ve got probably over 30 roses in our garden, not counting the hedge.

  • Buttercup Rose
  • Lady Emma Hamilton

We always enjoy watching the birds visiting the feeders near our condervatory. We’ve had lots of bluetits in June as the parents brought their brood to feed. It reminded me of a line in a book I read last year ‘Oh look, someone’s opened a can of bluetits!’ One of the fledglings nearly flew into the conservatory after feeding on the perspex feeder we have attached to the window, it was right next to an open window and before we knew it the little thing was perched in the open window looking round. Luckily it decided to fly out rather than in!

The phrase in the middle is by Jenny Uglow. The full quote is ” We may think we are nurturing our garden, but of course, it’s our garden that is really nurturing us. ” It seemed particularly apt for the moment, as if I’m feeling fed up with the current situation then I do feel a lot better after a session in the garden.

My walking buddy and I often do our long distance walk in June as the weather is usually decent and the days are long, without having the inevitable price hike on accommodation once school holidays start. The hay is usually being cut and neatly stacked, the calves are getting frisky in the fields and we’re always extra vigilant if the path goes through their field – we once had a detour of a couple of miles due to frisky calves and their protective mums.

Up in the Yorkshire Dales the wildflowers meadows are beautiful, full of buttercups, poppies, cornflowers to name but a few. I think the farmers get a special grant to delay cutting the hay so the meadows are protected, it gives the flowers chance to set seed ready for next year.

Last month we also had the saga of the bumble bee nest! A swarm decided to take up residence under the eaves outside our front room window. I rather enjoyed watching them, however the workman who came to give us a quote for replacing our soffits was not so impressed, even after I reassured him (with fingers crossed!) that they would be gone in a matter of weeks, long before he was planning to do the work. I love seeing bumble bees and refused to ‘deal’ with the nest, we need as many bees as we can. They were short term residents to my relief, but then whilst working in the front garden last week we noticed some smaller bee activity around the nest, like lots of them! We had a few concerned hours thinking another swarm had moved in, luckily they were obviously just raiding the nest as the next day they were gone!

We’re now half way through the SAL, I’m making mine into a book so these wordplays will be on the facing pages. Here’s six months of wordplays…

The design for July has just been released and it’s pretty bunches of lavender with butterflies. There’s lots of french knots though, I’ll be doing them in my sleep!

Posted in embroidery, Stitch-a-long, Textile Books | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments