Cushion

Story of this cushion is here

Seagull

My friend asked me if I could recover her bar stools and make some cushion covers too.  She provided the fabric, there was loads left and knowing she liked Seagulls I asked her if she would like a cushion with a Seagull.  

The pattern for the seagull is from Bustle & Sew magazine.  You can also get to Bustle & Sew by clicking on the picture on my sidebar too.

Flock of Seagulls!

Of the knitted kind!  

I thought I would knit some Seagulls which are now for sale in my shop (see the side bar).  The pattern was devised by myself which is also for sale if you fancy trying your hand at knitting your own.  

Dresden Plate Quilt

I haven't been around for a while.  The garden called, I won't show anymore pictures of the garden for a while, you are all spared.  There isn't much to see now anyway.......! I haven't been idle either.  I made some large corsages.  Three were a special order from USA, but two are in my shop (see sidebar).

I have also made the first of three special quilts.

 I used very little equipment to make this quilt. I was shown how to do this quilt too many years ago I care to remember by a lovely lady I once knew as a child, so I know the sizes of how to do this off-by-heart.  When I was first shown there were no such things as cutting mats and cutting wheels, and most patchwork was English Paper Pieced and hand stitched together.  I actually used to use a ruler set-square, protractor before cutting mats - a great invention do you not think - cutting mats that is!

This quilt is a combination of Machine Sewing, Hand Sewing and Quilt-as-you go.

STAGE ONE

Take a 10" x 5" (5" x 5" square)  piece of fabric and fold in half and press with a hot iron.
Lay on the cutting mat between the 0 and 5" line.
Using a pen and ruler draw the line as shown :-
From 1" top to 0 bottom
From 2" top to 3" bottom
From 5" top to 4" bottom

Cut the pieces carefully holding the fabric.
You will need sixteen pieces just like above.

Fold in half lengthwise and machine across the wide edge.

Just trim the corner

Turn right-side out and press with the iron.
(A lot of pressing is required from this stage)

Machine all the pieces into pairs.  Then press the seam.
Always machine from the pressed pointed end to the narrow edge.
(The centre edges will with uneven but that will not matter)

Then machine the pairs together making section of four pieces,
making sure all the seams are pressed going the same way.

Join the last four seams together and press the four seams

Take a large square of fabric.
This depends how large you would like your patch.
Fold in four and press.
Place four points on the crease lines and carefully measure
to make sure it is central and pin in place.

Hand stitch in place.

sourced

I use this stitch on all hand stitching on quilts


STAGE TWO

Draw round a tin lid onto a piece of light card or thick paper.

Cut a circle of fabric at least 1/2" wider than the card.

Stitch row of running stitched close to the edge leaving a long tail of thread,
don't fasten off, leave another long tail of thread,
fold in four and press to make guide lines.

Place the card disc into the centre of the fabric
and pull the tails of thread to gather the fabric.
Slightly press on this side, remove the card disc.

Pin to the centre of the patch, using the creases as guidelines.
Measure to make sure the centre is central.
Stitch in place as you did with the pointed patch.

If you wish to decorate the centre patch, do this now.
I blanket stitched round the edge of this patch.


STAGE THREE

Lay out the patches
Measure and cut inner edges, as illustrated.
(The inner edges are half width of the main edge and joined later.)

Repeat with other inner edges
this time including the first edgings in the measurements

The outer edge is twice the width of the inner edges

If the edges are of darker fabric make sure all the
seams are pressed away from the light fabric

I always cut the backing fabric and wadding (batting)
larger than the top patch

Pin or tack the three layers in place

The fun bit!
QUILT

Trim the edges

TIPS that work for me

Pin the backing and the wadding out of the to
quilt-as-you-go joining the patches together

To make sure the seams meet together accurately because the weight of the quilting makes the quilt heavy and awkward, I always pin and machine the joins first, then I machine the full length of the quilt, this stops the fabric slipping despite of the pinning well first.

STAGE FOUR

Trim the wadding (batting) to fit in the space

Pin in place and hand stitch using the blind stitch.
Be careful not to take the needle to the front of the quilt.

To bind the quilt I followed these instructions

I have been making this style of quilt ever since I could hold a pair of scissors and needle and thread, and have made quite a few over the years, some quilts were completed and some were left.......  I even made a skirt from the pattern once too!  That is is whole new story................

The design is called the The Dresden Plate.

The Dresden Plate was devised by the German emigrant women in the 1930's from their precious Dresden Plates.   They drew round their fancy precious plates and folded the circular paper pattern into sections and the template was born!

This particular design make a sixteen piece patch, but remember a circle is 360 degrees so experiment!

22.5 degree angles  =  16 piece patch
45 degree angles  =  8 piece patch
90 degree angles  = 4 piece patch

10 degree angles  = 36 piece patch
20 degree angles  =  18 piece patch

12 degree angles  =  30 piece patch
24 degree angles  =  15 piece patch

60 degree angles  =  6 piece patch
40 degree angles  =  9 piece patch

I use the 16 piece patch because I know it fits onto a 5" square of fabric

For an assortment of graph papers go here  you can even print polar graph paper.  This graph paper is circular!

Amaryllis - week3 - and ................

The Amaryllis has grown again but not much happening otherwise.

Just to say my friend Ginny absolutely loved her gift

(see last post)

(click on picture to read the poem)

I didn't do this post yesterday because I was somewhat busy completing this sampler.  My first commission of the year.  It was needed by a certain date and I only started it on 6th January.  I haven't done any cross-stitching for quite sometime, and quite enjoyed doing this one, but I do have to say there was a couple of occasions I did actually nearly through it across the room!  I hope the person who commissioned it likes it too!

I have been crafting...........

............But you will have to go here to see..........

C is for..................

Crafting

Recently I have been

Knitting

Embroidering

and making felt flowers

What have you been crafting...............?

Linking with Alphabet Blogging

E.Magazines

I subscribed to two wonderful e.magazines

one I have been subscribing to for quite a while which is written by my friend Helen

Bustle & Sew

Helen's Blog

and the other is a very new magazine from

Tilly

Tilly's Blog

Take a look they are great!

Q is for.......................

QUIRKY!

You will find it here...........

Linking with Alphabet Blogging here

A host, of golden daffodils

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud 

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

An twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched the never-ending line

Along the margin of the bay.

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves besides them danced; but they

Out-did the sparling waves in glee:

A poet could not be gay,

I such a jocund company:

I gazed - and gazed - but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills.

And dances with daffodils.

William Wordsworth - 1804

Also take a look here

Well that's September!

Does anyone know what happened to September?  I haven't been round blogland much.  I haven't really been making - in fact I really haven't done much.  I have sorted loads of old magazines some pre-dating the year 2000.  They were all cross-stitch magazines, I put about twenty bags of magazines and another load with hardback cross-stitching books on our local freecycle.  They were snapped up, I think because the people collecting them thought they were getting a bargain!  Well they were, but you cannot sell cross-stitch books at the local bootfair for even 20p here so I decided just to give them away!  They have gone and I feel better for it - it is amazing how I felt so much better for getting rid of things - it did actually feel like a weight had lifted - so more stuff is going to go!

Now I wonder................ no I best not if I want to stay happily married!  They are the collection of 78 rpm records, there is even two piles behind the Iceland carrier, In the Iceland carrier are the Christmas 78 rpm.  I cleared out the cupboard where I kept the magazines, guess where these have gone......!   Nothing stays empty for long in this house!

It was wet, dull and dismal yesterday, so yesterday afternoon I made Peggoty.  She is a dolly-peg (clothes spin)  Dressed in white, with a light green shawl.  She will be put in my shop soon, when I have finished a sister or two.

I made pie.

Apple and Blackberry.
We still have Blackberries at the bottom of the garden

I am still stitching

Still knitting

Mr Robin has been sitting on  the tree branch singing for a mate - nice to see him back in the garden.