Monday 29 September 2014

Been Around the World...

...and I, I, I...

So it's my turn on the Around the World blog hop. Thank you to the lovely Sarah at Sew Me who nominated me to answer a few questions.

What am I working on? 

I usually have a combination of machine and hand quilting projects on the go at any one time (most of which take quite a while to complete) with there always being one main project.

I've just finished quilting my low volume scrappy Modern Maples quilt and the binding is on so a finish is on the horizon! This quilt was assembled from blocks made by my talented Stitch Tease bee mates.

Low Volume Scrappy Modern Maples
How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Oh it doesn't really differ at all. I'm not a trail blazer - I leave that to others, but I do believe my makes reflect my surroundings in that they usually consist of very warm and saturated colours. Shy and retiring they are not. I do wonder whether if I lived in say Stockholm, my quilts would be made from pale blues,greens and neutrals. I'd like to think so.

Field Study Triangle quilt
Scrappy Trip around the World

Anna Maria Horner Drawing Room Plus quilt

Why do I write/create what I do?
I rediscovered sewing a few years ago after my mum sent me a layer cake, a ruler and a rotary cutter  -  having not done any sewing since I was a teenager when I used to make my own clothes. Like many,quilting was love at first stitch. I love the fact that you create something that is beautiful, practical and well just makes you happy.

Chicopee cushion
My blog posts usually deal with sewing and not so much my daily life although sometimes a picture of my handsome boy sneaks in..


...and the odd photo of me in my local surroundings.


How does my writing/creating process work?

It's seldom planned and a little haphazard. Because I order everything online or bring it back from the UK, I have to use what I have or wait a few weeks. I tend to just come up with an idea and cut 5 minutes later. There's no sketching, no auditioning of fabrics - it's just grab what I have enough of, often or not and get making!


So thanks for reading along. I'm going to throw this out there to anyone who hasn't yet participated in this blog hop and wants to play - answer the questions and post next Monday October 6!



Thursday 18 September 2014

Ommm

Slooooooooow...

Amy Butler Cameo Giant Star quilt

...that's how things have been around here.

Can you hear the geckos chirping?


In between lie-ins and siestas and when temperatures have allowed, there's been kantha style quilting which.i.love

I hand quilted the first two quilts I made, but had no idea about perle cotton back then and the beautiful texture this dense quilting makes.

There's also been some EPP and needlepoint - which is stitching by numbers...or colours, so uber relaxing.


But enough already, there is a conga line of quilt tops accumulating.

At the top of the line is my beautiful Modern Maples quilt made by my amazingly talented bee mates in Stitch Tease - basted and ready to be quilted.


Behind that and waiting for some backing fabric is my Beechwood Park and Low Volume Churndash quilt top made by another set of talented ladies in the Sew Euro Bee An bee.


...and there's at least a couple more tops and 2 sets of bee blocks waiting to be assembled.

Our summer hols were spent in England. If I hadn't lent my camera memory card to my mum and then forgotten my phone in England I would share more but here's a micro taste of our lovely lovely time.


So call me the comeback kid but consider this blog back. I'm reading and commenting again and yes, there might be a finish very soon (which in this corner of the blogosphere is within the next month...)