Is it pink?

I started to add the shocking pink borders onto my Mile a Minute, and then wasn't convinced.  There seemed to be a lot of red, and not enough pink.  Still, I decided to persevere, and here it is with all four borders completed.

 

Do the pink borders make it look pink?  Not sure, but it certainly doesn't not look pink, if that makes any sense.  Anyway, I've decided on backing and hope to layer it up later on.  Although after all that pastel work, I needed something a bit more interesting.  I came upon the Scrap Attack on stitcthedincolor site and saw these fabulous Japanese X + scrappy blocks. 

They are wonderful for using up scraps, and Amy has a beautifully clear tutorial.  Perhaps I'll just make a few more blocks before I start layering up.  What do you think?!

Baby, baby

I'm continuing to finish UFOs, although why on earth this little prem quilt has lingered incomplete, I have no idea. 

 I used up a set of scraps I was given from a layer cake or something which went together very well.  They're wonky log cabins, but with a heart hand quilted in the centre of each one, they don't look too wonky!

And here is the completed panel before it went to Paris as a welcome present for little Maelie.  It's a bit cutesey for my taste, but I'm sure she won't be too judgemental.

I just quilted it in the ditch and did a little hand quilting round each motif to hold the layers together.  Now I need to look for my next project to finish! 

Scrappy bargello

I have made another finish - this time my Scrappy Bargello! It's a Bonnie Hunter design and has gone together a treat. 

 It's amazing that while the diagonals aren't continuous, the eye forgives that, and gives the impression that they are!  Such a great idea to use scraps and since it's for Project Linus, I've used a scrappy binding too!  Do you think that one day I'll manage to use up all my scraps?  Fat chance!

Number 8

Judy, over at Patchwork Times, has pulled this month's UFO number out of her hat and it's number 8. This is my Mile a Minute top which is waiting for a border. Since I usually put a blue or red border on my MAM quilts, I have decided to use a shocking pink!

So, true to form, I'm not working on that, but have started something new. Well, we heard about the birth of baby Maellie, the grandaughter of an old friend who lives in Paris, and I decided to make her a quilt. I had had a panel for Christmas so got it out. It was all pastel and fairies, fine for a baby, but with 15 pictures, not very useful. Why, oh why, do manufacturers make panels with such strange numbers of blocks? If it's not 6, it's 8 or 15! So I made a nice M to make it up to 16.

I've sashed the blocks with pale green and used a lilac as a cornerstone. I plan another narrow green border then a wider pale blue border. I don't have a suitable pale blue in my stash so it looks as if I'll have to go shopping. Shame! It's a bit of a change for me to be working in pastels, but with the thoughts of the bright pink-bordered MAM quilt in the offing, I think I'll be able to manage!

Bletchley Park

Yesterday I went to Bletchley Park - home of the Enigma machine which cracked the German codes during WW2 - and had a super day! I didn't look at the machines, the WW2 displays or the Churchill collection. I went for the quilts!

The weather was gorgeous (when you were in the sun) and it was lovely to sit outside the main building at lunchtime and chat with friends, old and new. There were plenty of quilts to see, a competition on the theme of codes, Red Cross quilts and other goodies, but my main purpose was the documentation day. One room was set aside for the examination of old quilts, and there were ladies from the Quilters' Guild on hand to give informed opinions. I took my two old quilts, and ended up spending much of the day enjoying looking at other old quilts. A real treat.



My first quilt was the one in poor condition. This was given a good going over, and the fabrics were dated between 1816 and 1850, with the central fabric being 1830-40. There was a bit of discussion as to whether the larger borders at the edge had been added later, but a piece of the central fabric was discovered in one block, which seemed to negate that idea. I suggested that the maker had suddenly had a deadline, and decided that bigger blocks would finish the quilt sooner! Who knows?



I was slightly trepidatious at showing my hexagon quilt, as I had not only taken the papers out, but had washed and finished it, and wondered if the ladies would be shocked or even censorious. I didn't need to have worried, as they felt that I had merely 'repaired' the quilt, and made it into a thing to be enjoyed, which had been my intention. They examined the fabrics, and were happy that they dated from 1850-1880, which tied in with the dates (1880s and 1890s) I found on the papers. Thank you so much ladies of the Quilters' Guild for all your hard work and kindness. I'm dead chuffed!

Not blogging - just quilting!

I have really been enjoying finishing UFOs, and am on a real roll with it! This quilt was a Rebecca Collins design using triangles and was a class sample (only a top).



It was originally started at a class where we pooled all our fabrics. Darks went into one carrier bag and lights into another, and the idea was that you had to put your hand into each bag, and then put the resultant pair into a block! Scarey! However, I love the result, and the stars are clearly visible even though some of the block contrasts aren't quite as clear as others. I was going to meander quilt it, but then decided to quilt in the ditch, so the design would become even clearer. At the same time, I've been finishing my '12 Days of Christmas', which since I only managed to make 5 blocks, should really be renamed!

I've combined the Christmas blocks with the leftover Calendar Basket blocks - I think they play together pretty well. The photo has turned out rather brownish, but the border and binding are actually burgundy, and all this, background and backing fabrics came from my stash! Result!

But what about the partridge in a pear tree, I can hear you ask. Well, here he is.

He's all bordered and quilted, and waiting for a binding. He'll make a nice Christmas wall-hanging, I think. What shall I finish next?!

UFO number 1 finished!

Here is the inspiration for my UFO number 1 - otherwise known as the Reproduction Quilt.



This quilt was given to me by a lady who had bought it from an interior design shop in London in the 1950s and it had been well-used and well-loved. She wanted to know if she could repair it, as she wanted to keep on using it, but it's obviously beyond mending. Even if the rotten fabrics were taken out, any new work would weaken the whole, and it would quickly disintegrate. She kindly left it with me, and I blush to think that I've kept it for four years! My original thought was that I would make her a replacement, and see if she would swap, but it's taken me rather a long time to get the replacement finished! However, here it is!

It's pretty big, and even DS's long arms couldn't display the whole thing. I'm really pleased with it (even DH, who's usually laid back about quilts - he's seen them all - described it as 'stunning') and hope the lady will agree to the swap. There is a quilt documentation day at Bletchley Park on 25th February which I'm hoping to take the old quilt to, so keep your fingers crossed!