Rainbow strings

 Making rather a slow start on cleaning and decluttering and organising my sewing room. Although we are in Lockdown here in the UK and from next Wednesday our area is going even tougher into the top tier of restrictions, Tier 3, we are allowed to exercise so my husband and I walk each day (3,4,or 5 miles) and the days just seem to disappear.

However, this week I have sorted, used up and thrown away very narrow strings, making 12 QAYG string blocks which were mailed to Australia yesterday for Jan Mac  to make up into a Play mat for a baby in need. I love making these blocks, enjoying pulling out strings of every hue and design and just sewing them together. Was a bit taken aback at the cost of postage though!

So, here they are: My Rainbow finish for this week.

Joining up with Angela’s So Scrappy blog.

 

Sunshine Guild blocks

 During the past few years I have made blocks for the Sunshine Guild in the USA. I send them to Tammy in Texas.

This year I sent some for January and February but I’m afraid I haven’t made more since. 

When I finished putting together my two Sailing Ships flimsies I had three leftover blocks. I didn’t want to put them away as Orphan blocks so I decided to increase the sizes to the 12.5” that is required. I’m pleased with the result.

I recently discovered a packet of 17 x 6” Crumb blocks which I used to make 4 more Sunshine Guild blocks.

As December’s request is for Potluck blocks I thought these fitted that description.

A few more odds and ends cleared up. Win win!

Ships Ahoy! Has sailed and berthed.

 I finished the first if my two Sailing Ships quilts. It’s the larger one and I’ve called it Ships Ahoy!

It measures 57” x 44” and I machine quilted it, in the ditch along the seams going down the columns and along the top and bottom of the blocks. Then I machined in the ditch around the boats.

I made a pieced backing from fabrics I had in my stash.

I decided to gift it to one of my local friends for her grandson George who is 6 years old. George thoroughly enjoyed a few days sailing with his Grandad during the summer so I though he would like this quilt. I took it round to my friend yesterday and told her to keep it for when George is able to come and stay with them again once our Lockdown restrictions allow so he can have it on his bed at Grandma and Grandad’s house. My friend was so amazed and overcome that she almost burst into tears! This morning when we woke up we discovered that she had written a beautiful Thank you card and told us to look out for a special Nature Book which was going to be delivered today. It came and it’s lovely, every day of the year has something in nature to look out for when we out walking. Perfect for us as we walk pretty much every day.

It’s so rewarding when a gifted quilt is so well received and that all the work involved in making it is so understood and appreciated. I’m really pleased I made those Sailing Ship blocks and I still have another flimsy made from them to turn into a finished quilt.

Linking up with Angela’s So Scrappy blog.

A new baby, so new quilts

 My best friend Barbara and her husband had another grandson born last Friday night. He is going to be called Seth. Unusual name, keen to know the background to their choice.

I had already made the quilt as they knew the baby was going to be a boy. I wanted to make a completely  different quilt quilt from the one I made for his big sister which was Bonnie Hunter’s Wonky Wishes. So I went back to a design I have used several times before. It’s from a book called Scrap Republic  by Emily Ciers. The pattern finishes at 30” square but I wanted the quilt to be larger so I added a double border which brings it up to 42” square, the size I prefer for a baby quilt. It’s useful to use as a play mat and then when baby is older and it’s safe to use as a cot quilt it can then be used that way too,

I needed to buy new fabric for this gift and found some lovely fabric online. I fell in love with the frog fabric so this became the outer border and backing too. The inner border and binding were made from a lovely green bubble fabric.

I have called it “Playing I Spy in Frog Pond”

A close up of some of the I Spy circles, all echo quilted with two rows of Perle thread stitches.

I like to make a Dolly quilt for baby’s older sister so I made this little quilt for three years old Georgie who is very dolly oriented. As I had made her Wonky Wishes when she was born ( and recently reminded of these blocks by Cathy in her recent post about using waste triangles), I made this little quilt, measuring 22” x 17.5”.

The green bubbles fabric was used in baby Seth’s quilt and I had some turquoise solid fabric similar to the background of the I Spy circles, so I thought that was a nice link. The white and dark blue tips of the stars were all waste triangles from a bag gifted to me by one of my Patchwork Group about 18 months ago. I had real fun making this quilt and I’m glad I decided to go with just two background colours. The star centres were all from my box of 2” squares.

Posted yesterday so hopefully the parcel with arrive today.

Two RSC flimsies

 When we came to the end of the RSC 2020 colours I had made a sizeable collection of Ship blocks which I was determined were not going to be put away and forgotten about.

I don’t make huge quilts: I’m not very tall and wrestling with large quilts is difficult for me. The basting is so hard to do as I use the floor in our bedroom where there is the largest space and scrabbling about on hands and knees really isn’t pleasant. I knew I had plenty of Ship blocks to make two of my preferred size of quilts.

I have made two flimsies. The larger one is 58” x 44” and the smaller is 47” x 42”.

Here they are:

Not very clear photos I’m afraid. It’s a horrid dark, wet November day and I had to put on the lights to get enough light for the photographs.

I pieced a backing for the larger quilt before I went out for my daily walk and this afternoon I intend to baste it. 

Linking up with Angela’s So scrappy blog.

RSC 2020 Yellow Round up

 Yesterday was the last day of October, so time for a Round up of the Yellow RSC blocks.

Not so many blocks this month as I have been busy with two baby quilts.

One 49 Patch block and 4 Roman Stripe blocks:

I also made 6 Sailing Ship blocks which I showed earlier in the month:

 

I hoped to put together all the Sailing boats I have made this year  and I have made a good start on that. I knew there would be far too many for one quilt so I am making two. The first flimsy is completed and I still have 20 blocks for another flimsy.    

 

When I’ve made both flimsiest I’ll show them in a new post.

Teaming up with Angela’s So scrappy blog.

Chickens in the Pumpkin Patch quilt

 I have just embroidered the label for the quilt I have made for our new Great Niece Seren ( Welsh for Star) born on Wednesday last week. I had finished the quilt well before the baby was born but wasn’t able to make the label until the parents had decided on all the baby’s names.

So, here’s Chickens in the Pumpkin Patch. Measures 40” x 46”, hand quilted with Perle thread.

I bought the backing online and I’m really pleased with how well the colours reflect the colours in the quilt blocks. I made another Chickens quilt about 9 years ago for our next door neighbours’ granddaughter. That quilt is now in Australia as the family moved there about three years ago. Also the two quilts I made the other two older granddaughters.

I knitted a little basket weave style blanket which measures 24” x 24”, a nice size for the car seat, Moses basket or pushchair.

A few weeks ago I was passing the Sewing and Knitting shop in town and noticed a pattern and yarn display in the window which included the matinee jacket knitted up to show off the pattern. It uses my favourite variegated yarn and I’m so pleased with the result. I haven’t made  one like this pattern before - the front and back are knitted in one piece which I really like. No side seams which makes a really neat finish. I popped into the shop a few days ago to show the owner my finished jacket - she was as delighted as I was. I shall certainly use this pattern again.

Wrapping it up and taking the parcel to the Post Office later this afternoon.