Merryneum

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

Happy Merryneum

Bev

Christmas Eve – Looking forward to 2021

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

Bev

A Christmas Cracker

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.

Bev

Covered Buttons

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 .

Have a good weekend

Bev

Back to the Block Swap

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.

Have a good week

Bev

A Talented Bunch of Friends

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.

When can I apply for a bus pass?

Bev

Monday 30th November

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

And it’s Wednesday again

The weeks fly by even though we are in lockdown and here we are again with my midweek musings. I am finding that I am waking extremely early these days. I don’t know if age has anything to do with it, but it is a blessing and a curse. It gives me time to plan the day ahead but I can run out of steam by late afternoon. Today I have an online class with one of my regular groups. Because of the lockdown the lessons at the shops were cancelled but we have decided to keep in touch via zoom. This can not replace being in the classroom together but is a way of keeping in touch and will allow me to continue helping with any patchwork problems.

The studio needed reorganising for todays lesson and it was an opportunity to put away and sort the scraps left over from my folded patchwork sampler quilt. I found that there was quite a lot of ‘bits’ left over so I sorted them into groups of the same sizes. 2½” squares and 2½” by 4½” rectangles being the most common sized pieces. My problem here is, that when faced with a pile of fabric I cannot help myself – I have to start sewing.

I have no plan for these pieces so the blocks have had to develop as I stitched. Starting with the rectangles I have made some useable blocks. At the moment I haven’t decided what it is going to be, a small quilt? a bag? The decision will have to wait until the 2½” squares are sewn together and then I can play around with them on my design wall.

Whatever it is going to be, it will be something useful, made out of a pile of scraps which otherwise would have been consigned to the scrap basket.

As it was such a beautiful afternoon yesterday, I did get out of the studio for a walk. I am lucky to live close to a country park which provides lovely walks and time for reflection. This is yesterdays sunset.

In a moment I will peek out the window to see if the sun has risen yet.

Bev

Sunday’s Sewing

I now know how the contestants on the Sewing Bee feel, when presented with instructions which could be written in ancient greek. I thought that I would finish the jacket for Robyn and everything was going well until I came to finishing the sleeves. The instructions tell me to pull the sleeves through the gap left in the lower back. I did this and ended up with the lining and the front as separate items and never the twain shall meet. Luckily my sister is a dressmaker, but trying to explain what I am attempting to do over FaceTime gave us both headaches. She has given me a tip which I will try, when I can bring myself to look at it again. If all else fails I can always make a wide double fold binding and make a cuff with the robin fabric. Look out for a post later in the week to see which I choose.

As I couldn’t get on with the jacket I decided to finish some more outstanding projects. The first was to make a label for the folded patchwork quilt. For some reason my sewing machine is now playing up and the feed dogs not moving as smoothly as they should be. I think cleaning and a new needle is in order.

However, the green thread I needed for my folded patchwork cushion arrived last week. It was very irritating to run out of thread when all I had left to do was the zip and sewing the back and front together.

Finally for the day I made the last of the folded patchwork cushions and now have the full set for the conservatory. I know that Christmas is going to be a quiet affair this year but strangely this has made me more determined to be festive.

I will be running the folded patchwork cushion day school again on 25th March 2021 and have already decided on the lovely “Big Sky” collection by Moda for my cushions.

Don’t forget to comment on the Spirit of Flight blog post to be in with a chance of winning the fabric bundle. The closing date is next Monday 30th November 2020.

The Patchwork Basics videos now available on youtube and IGTV are the Hourglass, and the disappearing Four Patch – version 2. I hope you enjoy them.

The Hourglass block
Disappearing Four Patch version 2

Happy Quilting

Bev