Sewing, Jim, but not as we know it.

I'm still sewing, but this last 10 days or so has been filled with teaching, planning, driving around the country delivering quilts for Project Linus and my new project, as costume maker for 'Midsummer Night's Dream'. Our local group is taking another production to the Edinburgh Festival in August, and yet again, I've got myself roped into doing the costumes!

Much time has been spent by me making the costume for Oberon.

I know it looks like a wedding dress, but it's made from lightweight calico to be drapey, flowy and organic in feel, and will be spray-dyed to either light brown or green to represent the fairies' position as creatures of the wood. (That's the idea, anyway!) I need to get Russ to try it on, then I can finish it off.

Then I dyed some of the calico (I bought a whole 25 metre bolt) for the leaves which will be made into creepers to decorate the set. That was fun, and even more fun when I got people at the rehearsal to cut out some leaf shapes when they were waiting to go on! Crafty!

There has been sewing too. My teaching was a log cabin class, and I had to make some blocks up for samples. I had forgotten what such a versatile block this is, and have decided to make a quilt in this unusual pattern, which is in 'Quilts of Illusion' by Laura Fisher. She says it is a streak of lightening variation, and I suppose it is, when you focus on the dark zig-zags. I have just used darks and lights, and really like how it is coming along.

On Saturday, at Rocheberie Schoolhouse Quilters, we are having a competition to make a Morsbag on the theme of 'Celebration'. Here is my effort. I'm not thinking about winning the prize, just taking part. Now back to the log cabins!

Making up blocks

Earlier in the year, at Rocheberie Quilters, we had a games day. Amongst the games we played was a bingo game, using 25-patches which people had made previously. All the games went down very well, and at the end of the day, we said that those who wanted to keep their 25-patches could obviously take them home, but if they didn't particularly want them, to leave them, and they would be made up into charity quilts. Most people kindly left their blocks, and they were divided between Project Linus and an Alzheimer charity.

I took 25 blocks home with me, and divided them into three groups. Those which did not measure the required 12.5" ( and I'm sorry to say, there were a few of those!), those which were 'pretty' and those which were 'bright'. The ones which were too small went into the orphans box, and here are the results of the other blocks.

Here are the 'pretty' blocks. I wondered about sashing them, but decided that it would dull their impact. I managed to find a piece of fabric for the first border which was the exact fabric of some of the pink squares, which was lucky. The border is two diferent fabrics which aren't quite the right colour, but frame it beautifully.

The 'brights' were a larger group and have made a bigger quilt. The yellow binding was DD's excellent suggestion - very in keeping with the theme!

Just hoping now that the block makers approve of the results!

The mystery revealed!

I have been working hard all week to complete my Rocheberie mystery quilt designed by Jane and Chris. I sewed together the first quarter,

and then realised that there were quite a lot of component parts in my 'little blocks' box. This is where I put all the leftover half square triangles, four-patches and anything which has been joined together, but isn't yet a block. I was able to save myself a lot of time and cutting, as there are quite a few half square triangles needed for this design. I quickly got half way.

Then I was on a roll. With the end in sight and so many components all ready to use, it was very straightforward. Here is the completed top.

Doesn't it look good? Many thanks to Jane and Chris for designing and organising this. Now I'm going back to the dogs! (Literally, not metaphorically!)