Happy New Year Eve. Although it has been a strange year it seems to have flown by and here we are on the cusp of 2021. Unfortunately we can’t get together as usual but we can still meet up virtually to share our love of patchwork & quilting.
The Ambleside quilt a long, block a month course is due to start in January, and I still haven’t decided whether to make a stash buster or use a collection.
Ambleside Quilt Block 1
Ambleside Quilt Block 1a
The first block in the quilt is made from half and quarter square triangles and is suitable for beginners to patchwork & quilting. The blocks are a great size for other projects too, cushions, bags, & table runners.
All my courses are available on Craft Courses and are a great way to start the New Year.
As the saying goes – In small bites. The Elephant in question is the mess I have made of my studio in trying to clear out all the unwanted hand and machine embroidery items. Today I actually started putting things back on the shelves but still feel that I have taken on too much. Next week is 2021 and the start of my new courses. I am looking forward to getting going again after the holiday break but need to push on with the clearing.
This view is usually hidden from my students behind my design wall.
It doesn’t help that I get engrossed in looking through the magazines again ( just to check that I can part with them ) I have to admit it is quite difficult as there are some real gems among the articles. They have provided me with inspiration and added to my knowledge of creative textiles over the last 30- 40 years. From articles about Chinese silk embroidery, Turkish metal thread work, How to make Dorset buttons and Kumihimo braids and Temari balls to name a few.
edition from 1997
early 1990’s copies
This article about the Needlecraft of the Canal Boatwomen made me smile and I had to share it with our daughter who lives on a narrow boat. There was a couple who wore traditional canal attire at her wedding. Seeing this article showed me how much work had gone into their beautiful clothes. Although our daughter is not into traditional boating it is lovely to know that some traditions still thrive.
And this is only the Embroiderers Guild – World of Embroidery magazines. I haven’t started on Stitch, Workbox, Artists & Illustrators and the National Geographics’. I have started listing them in groups on my Ebid store Bev Mayo Studio clearance I hope they all go to people who have a love of textiles and embroidery and who will get as much out of them as I have. More items will be added as I continue to sort and “eat the elephant”in my room.
Bev
The elephant picture at the beginning of the post is one I took on a trip to Cambodia a few years ago.
I love the lexicographer Suzie Dent from Countdown. She recently tweeted Merryneum as her (unofficial) word of the day. This is the blurry space between Christmas and New Year. Today (Monday) we entered into Merryneum as our Christmas celebration was delayed by a couple of days. Christmas day started out ok. Not our usual large gathering of friends but a walk to the allotment to dig up parsnips and carrots for the Christmas dinner. All going well so far. When we got home I started on preparing the dinner and took the turkey crown out of the fridge where it had been since Monday. On opening the packaging I was greeted with a horrid smell and a distinctly green tinged turkey. As a covid test it worked. All of us still have our sense of smell. Luckily we have some Christmas traditions which see us through small disasters like this. I always cook a honey roast ham for Boxing Day salad and cold cuts. Not for the first time, a previous one had been due to a power cut, we changed our plans, and had the cold cuts on Christmas day and Boxing day, saving our roast dinner for Sunday.
Boxing Day and Storm Bella brought flooding to many parts of the UK and the river near by was no exception. We usually take a late afternoon walk round the lakes but the river has burst its banks and the water meadows between the river and lakes are flooded. Many paths are impassable and looking at the river current it would be madness to try.
Now that we are over the pared down celebrations, and storm warnings, I am making use of the next few days to have another go at my studio clearing. I have moved some shelves which has given me the opportunity to look at all the magazines that I have collected over the years. I have over 50 copies of The World of Embroidery published by the Embroiderers Guild dating from 1988 to 2005. There are copies of Workbox, Stitch, Creative Beads & Jewellery, cross stitcher, and Classic Stitches to name a few.
I am in danger of spending time looking though all these wonderful magazines instead of sorting out the studio so have added them to the studio clearance items. If you would like any of these back issues they will be listed in my Ebid shop soon. As I am no longer teaching City & Guilds Hand & Machine Embroidery, there will be more embroidery fabrics, books and equipment as I go through the studio.
As my sister remarked when we video called earlier, – I have made the space even worse, but things always get worse before they get better. It will be done for a fresh start in the New Year and the block of the month quilt along
It’s finally time to take a break and to sit down with a glass and piece of my mothers Christmas cake. The decorations are up, gifts wrapped and vegetables peeled ready for tomorrow, all the parcels posted and have arrived (thank goodness ). It has been a busy few days, and I now have time to collect my thoughts and start thinking of the projects coming up in the New Year.
The extra wide backing fabric I ordered has arrived, but is more lemon yellow than I thought from the pictures on the internet. Just one of the problems of buying online – I can’t wait to be able to shop again in person. I don’t think that it is suitable for the quilt I had initially earmarked it for, but it will be a perfect backing fabric for the collection of Big Sky fabric by Moda. So my quandary is do I keep this collection for the folded patchwork workshop or use it for the Ambleside block a month. Decisions, decisions.
The in-person online courses will be continuing, starting with the Ambleside Quilt along – Block a Month course in January. If you are looking for a new project for 2021 this could be perfect for you. Join for the whole course or for individual blocks. The choice is yours. You can find more details on the course page, or at Craft Courses
The Block Swap is nearing completion and the Modern & Art Quilt group are looking forward to new challenges in 2021. I am going to give myself a personal challenge to complete another quilt for exhibition, To gather my thoughts for this I have signed up to Laura Kemshalls sketchbook challenge Occasionally we all need a bit of a boost to get going.
I will be editing more Patchwork Basics videos and online courses over the next few weeks and will post details as soon as they are done. I am also hoping to reassemble my grace frame quilting table and Q’Nique between Christmas and the New Year because I have quite a lot of quilt tops which need to be quilted. With all the projects I have planned for this year this pile is in danger of seriously getting out of control. There is always lots to do and I just wish there were more hours in the day.
Take care and stay safe. wishing everyone a good Christmas
We are usually one of the last in our street to put up any Christmas decorations ( mainly due to the fact that I won’t have a bar of it until after my Birthday ) and this year has not been an exception. Yesterday we put up the external Christmas lights and decorated the tree. It is always exciting to get the boxes of decorations down from the attic. It marks the start of our Christmas festivities – usually.
This year is very different. There will be no gathering of friends on Christmas morning, where the kids (most in their 30’s now) all catch up with each other, and we raise a Bellini cocktail – or two. We had made the decision not to celebrate with our daughter and her new family and had sent gifts to them last week. I have been promised lots of photos of Robyn in her Christmas outfit and will keep connected via one of the video apps available.
Anyway, back to the tree, the decorations, and even further back in time. Each decoration has its own story, from those we purchased as a newly married couple, those brought home by our children from school Christmas fairs, and decorations I have made over the years. When we moved to our current home the children were very small and it became impossible to continue my hand knitted aran jumper business. So I changed tack and started designing cross stitch patterns, several of which were published in Needlecraft magazine.
These crackers were published in the Christmas 1995 edition of which I still have my copy. I used a fabric stiffener by Plaid to prevent the fabric from fraying and to give the crackers their shape. Even after 25 years they haven’t softened or frayed. This is still my go to fabric stiffener for any 3D projects that need it, as it has proved that it really does what it says on the bottle.
As with most projects there is always the one that didn’t make it but this makes it even more special to me as it is truly unique.
Christmas, like other religious festivals is a time to celebrate and get together with our families and friends. Many celebrations this year have had to be postponed and it is right that Christmas is too. But we can still take time to reflect on our shared memories and look forward to making more in the coming year.
I mentioned in my last post that I was using covered buttons as a finishing touch to the bolster cushion and I have been asked for step by step instructions to make them.
I used 38mm metal buttons by Prym and covered with a piece of thin wadding. I glued this in place with a glue stick and trimmed to just larger than the button size. I find that adding a layer of wadding helps form the button and prevents the metal showing through the fabric.
Using my 2″ circle I fussy cut the butterflies. This makes sure that the pattern I want is going to be in the middle of the button
Using a strong thread I tacked round the edge of the fabric and then placed it over the button. Pulling the threads and knotting the ends helps keep the fabric in place. Make sure the pattern is central on the button and press the fabric over the teeth to hold it in place.
The backing plate is then clipped into place and the button is ready to use.
The bolster cushion finished with the lovely butterfly buttons .
My Big Birthday celebrations have finished – if I had an emoji here it would be a sad face. We had a lovely afternoon on Saturday, when our daughter, her husband and Robyn surprised us for a walk in our local country park. This made me realise even more that it is the simple things in life which can bring the most joy. My son had been busy baking, and surprised me and my friends with a birthday cake. He delivered slices to them all before we had a zoom party. Celebrating over zoom didn’t dampen the party vibe and we all had a fabulous quiz evening.
Twisting Bears Block preparation
Tropical Bears Block Preparation
Now it’s time to get back to work. It’s been a few weeks since I last looked at the block swap blocks, and in the meantime we have had a new member to the group. Linda has joined us all the way from Spain and we are looking forward to her joining the meeting this weekend. When I looked through my stash yesterday, to find fabric for her blocks, I realised that the picture Linda sent appears to be of a primary colour scheme. I have kept the fabric choices quite muted but couldn’t resist adding a deep blue in a sashiko print into the Tropical Bear block.
Finished Twisting Bears Block
Finished Tropical Bears Block
Whist I was in cutting out mode I started preparing fabric for a bolster cushion for a Christmas gift. As I am using the butterfly ombre stripe fabric the hardest choice is which way round to position the stripes.
It is good to be back in the studio but my “to do” list seems to be getting longer rather than shorter. Time to get back to the sewing machine.
Today we woke to a miserable sleety day. It was trying so hard to snow but it was too warm so it has just turned into one of those grey winter days. However even the grey day cannot dampen my spirits today and several of my friends have braved the weather and popped round with some special birthday gifts for me.
They had already clubbed together to purchase this beautiful garden mosaic, by another of my talented friends, Kay Hall Over the years I have collected several of Kays pieces and was hoping to get one for my garden. This is a spectacular piece which rotates in the breeze and brightens up even the dullest winters day.
Debbie made the beautiful bunting which greeted me when I walked into my lounge along with a special mask to remind me of brighter days ahead.
Sue D crocheted a special birthday cupcake and Sue W a personalised birthday heart. Jane decorated and personalised some bottles with lights and Rosemary painted a beautiful Blue Tit card for me.
They have all made the day even more special for me. We need to treasure our friends, and they are worth more than I can say to me.
How quickly time is going by. It seems like it was not time at all when I launched the Spirit of Flight competition and it has now closed. This afternoon I will be checking and double checking the entries putting them into a hat, and doing the draw. I will be in touch with the winner later on today and will announce the winner on the blog tomorrow. Good luck to all that have entered.
Sundays sewing was to get to grips with bagging out the sleeves on Robyn’s jacket. I’m pleased to say that using the tip from my sister I managed it and the jacket is now finished.
I think with the red bodysuit and red tights she is going look lovely.
The next videos in the Patchwork Basics series have been uploaded and you can see the full list on the Patchwork Basics page.
how to make a perfect Nine Patch Block
the disappearing Hourglass
Don’t forget to check back tomorrow to see who the winner of the competition is.
Bev Mayo 