Confession Time!

When I first caught the quilting bug, several years ago now, no one was more surprised than I  as to how addicted I became in a very short time - after all I hate 'sewing' to the degree that DH has resorted to replacing  all his missing shirt buttons instead of having to beg and plead with me to pick up needle and
thread ,whilst repairs and alterations to clothing can lie in neglected piles for weeks on end.

Now, my sewing machine has become my most treasured possession instead of being left to gather dust in the bottom of a cupboard and I can't wait to get all the mundane daily chores finished so that I can get into my room - but then patchwork & quilting isn't really 'sewing' is it , but rather a form of expression and enjoyment as opposed to a 'chore', well, at least that how I feel about it .

Having got to the stage where I am reasonably happy with the quality of my work and have even got over the dread of  stipple quilting (let's face it I am NEVER going to hand quilt as it would mean using a needle) I really want to move onto a bigger variety of quilting patterns -  so I armed myself with a whole load of books

which quite frankly scare the pants off me at first :-)  I even invested in the Pajama Quilter  videos which have been great fun to watch, and with the help of the workbook.....

 

........which Dawn was kind enough to sign for me......

 .....and after hours of drawing all kinds of weird shapes on the white board - I still can't quilt!!!  The 4 inch sample squares are fine, but when it comes to a whole quilt everything goes out of the window so its back to a  of scrap batting & fabric and the practice..practice ..practice routine

...and maybe someday my feathers will end up on an heirloom quilt, but in the meantime I'll settle for them looking less of a mess!

Twelve blocks finished for the  'Soot & Ashes' quilt along

Number 13 is available, but rumour has it that the last 2 blocks are appliqué and as that would mean using the dreaded needle - maybe I'll be sticking at 12 :-)

On A Roll!

Managed to get the borders on this one too, not trimmed up yet as you can see, then another one ready for backing!

and a finish!!

My scrappy Irish Chain, which many of you will recognise this as a Quiltville  pattern and a great way to use up lots of tiny scraps!

That's the end of my sewing splurge for the next few days as it's off to the specialist for the next lot of knee treatment tomorrow and the start of another 3 days of boredom :-)

Cat Radar...

...it never fails!!

Work stopped for cat nap - his nap,  my work. Ah Well -  I guess William thinks a having a fuss made of him is more important than trying to get a quilt backed, so who am I to argue??

Keeping Up

4  more blocks from quiltsbycheri

All 8 looking good together, I think this is going to be a nice little quilt in the end .

Out of Hiding

 Well, we all knew those big empty walls wouldn't stay that way for long, didn't we ?

 Still got the basket full by the table leg to go, but it's starting to feel more like home by the minute!

Quick Fix

Part of the grand plan in my new room was to 'sink' my machine down to table level  so that, hopefully, my arms and shoulders wouldn't ache so much particularly when attempting FMQ.  Well, I am now the proud owner of a table with a hole in it complete with sunken machine courtesy of DH and his trusty tool box! We re-designed my extension table to cover the gaps and this is a real help with the 'slide-abillity' factor as well  keeping the table in use.

 

 
I know there are all sorts of posh quilting tables available and also some super swish hydraulic systems for raising and lowering the carrying platform , but I am afraid that none of these are available locally and if they were the cost would be at least twice the price they are in the UK or USA, so this lifting device is worked by Ann Power.  Having said that, now that it's in place there seems to be no need to move it at all - an instant benefit from having more room, the machine can stay put.

Before attempting the dreaded FMQ though, I thought a small project would be just the thing for a trial run, and I found just the one here on quiltsbycheri .  A lovely little mystery sampler Quilt A Long called Soot &  Ashes and these are the first 4 blocks  

The blocks work out at 5 1/2 inches unfinished, but I have changed the  colour scheme as I've been wanting to use this fabric for ages so maybe I should call this one Strawberries & Cream, what do you think? 

Is the low level stitching easier ?  Well, the first half hour was a bit strange as my whole perspective had changed, but I think once my mind accepts this it should be OK.

Work No Longer In Progress

Well, it's actually happened!!  My new sewing room is ready to move into at last!  It's been a long slow process that started way back when and has had every kind of obstruction thrown at it for what feels like forever.  I won't bore you with the list of problems we've gone through in the last year or so, as you'll already know if you follow the Blog :-)

This week has been spent ferrying boxes , gadgets and machines etc etc etc from one end of the house to another.  Up and down 2 sets of stairs, which has been a bit awkward as the old knee is still having treatment. However, its amazing what you can accomplish using a single elbow crutch  needed after being condemned to 3 days non weight bearing again and I've turned getting up and down stairs on my derriere into fine art.

Not a fraction of this would have been finished though if it hadn't been for my long -suffering DH who not only has carried most of the 'stuff' from one room to another but has also been busy with shelf fitting, floor moping  and window cleaning not to mention all the usual DIY that goes with a move like this. Gotta love them haven't you !



 So, its 'au revoir' to my little room (not much bigger than a large cupboard really but MINE) which has been my stitching haven for the last few years.

 Going.........

 .............going...........

 and finally gone today, and 'hello' to my new room which is anything but small

Corner 1

Corner 2

 Corner 3.

Corner 4 is the stairwell, just along from this

 Lots (and lots!) of room, lots of light, lots of unpacking and one big mess to sort out - anyone at a loose end this weekend willing to lend a hand ?

Obviously, nothing is the right place yet, but I am sure it'll get sorted eventually and that I will enjoy working in it, but without sounding  very ungrateful - I am going to miss my 'little' haven as I've spent many happy hours learning lots of lessons there not to mention turning out a few quilts in the process.