WIP Wednesday

Now that the Things are back at school I have to try and tackle my WIP list.  Because it takes me aaaages to finish things I try not to start too many projects at once and these are the projects I want to complete before I start anything else (famous last words, I have already thought of several distractions).

• 2 remaining pay-it-forward gifts (one of the 3 was completed just before my old sewing machine died a death, and I'll post about it shortly. To the two other recipients I can only apologise very humbly for the delay.)
• Leaf quilt  - shameful lack of progress, but I want to get this done for the autumn
• Pebbles quilt - sewing machine breakdown and summer holidays halted play 

But on the cutting table (ie, living room floor) today:

Some cotton sheeting, some Robert Kauffman Yarn Dyed Essex Linen, and some beautiful Liberty from Very Berry Fabrics.  This is a Maxi Scrap Pack - there's something magical about these that makes me feel about six.

Whenever I look at Ali's shop I have to rein in that "I'll have a bit of everything" feeling.  A scrap pack is a great way of satisfying that compulsion - it's a fabric buffet!  This one was kindly sent by Ali so I could try out an idea.

So, tempting as it is to hoard these pieces and only take them out to look at, I am turning this...

into this - crazy patchwork panels which will be combined with the Essex linen to become part of the British/Japanese inspired project I mentioned last week.  I'll go out on a limb and say I'm hoping to finish it up for Friday.

Linking up with Molli Sparkles, guest hosting

New Machine

I thought I'd tell you a bit more about my new machine.  It's a JL (John Lewis) 330 - essentially a Janome and takes Janome parts.  As an exercise in getting to know know it I've finished off the crazy patchwork piece I started at the Stitch Gathering. I am now quite smitten with this technique as well as the new machine.

Apart from the price, which was in the right bracket, it has a few features I was especially looking for.  One is the ability to press a button and start or end sewing with the needle in the up or down position - no more cranking the wheel, and easy pivoting turning when changing direction on a corner.  It also has an automatic thread lock button, so you can sew a few stitches when starting or ending a line, which will save me a huge amount of faffing around pulling through threads and tieing them off.  If you set the thread lock button when using a decorative stitch the machine waits until it has completed a stitch before tying off - clever.  Add to this a sensitive food pedal which allows you to crawl along almost stitch by stitch, and a speed over-ride dial which means you can set the top speed you want to go at.  Perfect.

It has a bewildering array of button holes which I am unlikely to ever use, but I like the blanket stitch for applique.  I also love the fact that the bobbin is located under a clear hatch so you can see how full it is.

Yes, you will have to excuse the laundry drying in the background.

I also tried out some of the decorative stitches - you can see here a scallop, feather, and bobble (can't remember its name:-)) stitch and you can just make out in the smaller cream triangle that there are some little star stitches.  These can be sewed in a row, but using auto thread lock meant I was able to do one at a time and use it as a tying stitch.

I tried a bit of quarter inch quilting on the cream silk, and on the slippery wine-coloured lining fabric and it sews a lovely line - this might sound odd, but it was a revelation to me because my old sewing machine used to throw in the odd wobbly stitch, I don't know why.

So anyway, I have tested it, and have finished something!  Weyhey! I really loved making this, though hand-stitching any of it, as we did at the Gathering, doesn't work for me as I seem to be incapable of stitching in a straight line without introducing puckers.  I would probably use a foundation cloth too, especially with a fine fabric like Liberty, and an all Liberty crazy patchwork project is what I'm on to next.

Tidying

or not... I'm trying to sort out my fabric collection (never sure whether there's enough of it to qualify as a stash).  Sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better.

It's a good thing I have a friend to keep me company.

The great thing about sorting all this stuff out is that it gives me the opportunity to revisit and gloat over my precious hoard from the Stitch Gathering.

Thanks to all very generous sponsors: Avery Homestore , Frixion pen by Pilot, Frister & Rossman thread box from sewingmachines.co.uk, assorted buttons and thread from buttoncompany.co.uk ,Coats Crafts UK for a collection of goodies including Millward needles, Hexagon Flower Block by webfabrics.net, Liberty Art fabrics, Nairn Oatcakes, Beechwood Quilting, Groves, Robert Kaufman fabrics, Aurifil - and to Ali of Very Berry Fabrics for this lovely scrap pack.

I am a bit of a Liberty hoarder having already been tempted several times by fabric in Ali's store, so I had brought along some of it for Sheila Donnachie's crazy patchwork class at the Gathering.

I love the way that Liberty combines with other fabrics, and this class was good timing as I have been thinking about the relationship between Japanese boro fabrics and English crazy patchwork and have a plan for a little project which combines a bit of British/Japanese inspiration.  Ali had very kindly sent me some fabric earlier in the summer so that I can try out this idea - and since I plucked up courage to throw financial caution to the wind and bought my lovely new sewing machine there's no excuse not to post more about this very soon!

New baby!

Weighing in at 8kg...

More about the new arrival in another post as it was bought just in time for (ie the day before...) the Stitch Gathering which was brilliant - Jo Avery and co did such a good job.

The day started with tea and coffee and a nametag swap where we all had to hunt down the person we had made it for.  This is the nametag I made for the swap.

Because I left buying a new sewing machine to the very last minute I had to make the tag in haste the night before (like writing homework essays for school class outside the classroom door.) It was my first stab at using a free motion foot too, so it doesn't look anything like as professional as the beauty that Nikki made for my MIL (sadly no pic) or the lovely one made for me by Marilyn who makes quilts and bags from recycled materials on a 40-year old sewing machine,

As well as the name tags, there were fabric tickets for the Gathering which each holder embellished for handing in - a genius idea. This was the result which is being made into a quilt to display next year.

There was a fascinating variety of styles, and they were all beautiful.

The gathering was so well organised, and had views like this of Arthur's Seat and the Castle.

There was also a phenomenally generous goodie bag:

thanks to the Sponsors - Ali at Very Berry Fabrics, Aurifil, Beechwood Quilting, Groves, Pilot, Robert Kaufmann, Coats, Liberty, the Button Company, Webfabrics.  It even contained biscuits from Nairns to fill in the gaps around the good lunch which was laid out in the classroom so that people could continue to chat.

There was a really friendly atmosphere, making for a great day spent sewing in good company.   I took classes in crazy patchwork with Sheila Donnachie and in jelly roll quiltmaking with Fiona Calvert, who were both lovely, and came home with two new WIPs.

So the Gathering really did live up to its motto SewQuiltLearnEatChat and I am looking forward to next year.

Back to reality and before finishing the SG WIPs I have to get back to the projects I was working on before my last sewing machine broke and that's going to be a bit difficult because I have lost my sewing train of thought on them. Does that happen to you?

(A bit of) what I did in the holidays

Back to school today for the sprogs after an unusually fantastic summer. There was no sewing for me - when you are up to your eyes in small children it's not so easy getting a broken machine up town to be repaired, or even considering a new one in the shop to a chorus of "can we go yet?".  Lots of scenery though.

Three generations of the family clan met up on the isle of Bute and had a day on the beach.

These are the mountains of Arran, seen over the sea.

The youngest member of the party...

and the oldest (Grandpa, in his wellies).

Castles and moats were built, dodging the jelly fish - so many of them.

It's always so exciting getting the ferry there and back.

A lot of other pics are on my laptop which started making an occasional noise like a cricket chirping, and then progressed to full-on motorbike revving every time I started it up.  So I'm blogging on the dodgy old one temporarily.  I wondered what I'm doing to my technology, but some of it was explained when I came into the living room to find one sprog using the laptop to squat on while drawing a picture.  "Gonnae no dae that" is not what I said.

Sewing and blogging properly to be resumed as soon as Brother/laptop are fixed or replaced.  If you have also been a very slow blogger over the holidays do link up with Fiona at Celtic Thistle Stitches, who is hosting this month's Slow Blog Linky tomorrow, and check out her fantastic Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition too!

Slow, slow, quick quick, slow

I'm not here much, so apologies for the lack of comments and the slow replies at the moment, but I had to show the two lovely ATCs I received recently.

The first was made by Hilda.  Unfortunately her partner in Ali's Textile ATC swap didn't stump up, and as I'd made more than one Ali asked if I could be a swap angel.  I didn't expect to get one in return as I'd already received one from my own partner.  Then this arrived. Isn't it lovely?  I really like the variegated stitching round the edge, and the way she has echoed the flower petals with her neat blanket stitching.

Then came this beauty, from Nicky, who liked the Liberty ATC I made so we arranged a private swap. It is just big enough to use as a coaster but the tiny piecing is amazing and I can't bear the thought of getting coffee on it so it is propped on my shelf where I can admire it.

Slow Blogger Linky

Looking for the Linky?  It's over at Martha's this month!