Another past the finish line.

Way back last summer, my boss announced she was going to be a grandma. Straight away, I pieced a cute baby quilt top for her daughter. I used leftover squares from a previous quilt, log cabin-ed round them with some stash cream, sashed them all with some lovely bright green, then came to a screaming halt. I think it was the long deadline that meant it kept getting pushed to the back of my to do queue. Either that or pure idleness!

I decided I wanted to try something different for the final border, and finally picked that scallops could be the finish I was looking for. I'd not done a scalloped oouter border since a quilt I gave to my parents in law several years ago, where the final border formed the scallops without any re-drawing or maths. This one was going to be different. I only had a small amount of matching cream left, so knew I wouldn't be able to make any mistakes.

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking on Amazon for a family history book, and treated myself to a book called "The Quilter's Edge" by Darlene Zimmerman, which explains how to draw scallops with the minimum of fuss, so this weekend, off I set with a pencil, pieces of paper and the baby quilt.

You know what? I'm really pleased with the final effect...my favourite part is the way I've got the binding to sweep right next to the bright green at the corners.

Show quilting

I can't believe that the Show is now only 2 weeks away. It's being held at Yealmpton Resource Centre, Stray Park, Yealmpton PL8 2HF, and anyone who happens to be in the area on Friday 30th or Saturday 31st July is more than welcome to come along an see us. We're open 10-4 on both days, entrance is £1, and once costs have been covered, we'll be making a donation to Devon Air Ambulance.

Entry forms were duly sent to all our members, with a return by date of 20th June...by which time, I was looking at having to sew 24/7 to make sure there would be something to exhibit. Luckily, more forms arrived and we've now got more than 100 entries. I'll be showing 4 quilts, a table runner and a cushion. Most of them have been featured on here, so here's a quick re-cap:

Japanese Glass

Chocolate Box

Chocolate Limes

Autumn Table Runner

Carp Cushion

I Spy Pirates

This last one is a work on progress for friends who are expecting their first baby in the New Year. They both do triathlons for the Pirate Ship of Fools triathlon team, so I'm planning to FMQ lots of I Spy charm Tacks in the quilt, but I have to draw a skull & cross bones to include as well.

As well as working on pieces for the Show, I've been sewing like a wild thing on other pieces. I've taken the plunge and am trying to sell some of my quilts...the machine really needs to pay for itself, and making curtains and soft furnishings for people isn't as stimulating as quilting!

I've added corner squares to a pack of Japanese charms I bought from Susan Briscoe a couple of years ago, and I'm planning to trim them to make snowball blocks, then assemble them into a 9x11 grid, add a couple of borders and quilt in a sashiko style.

I made a summery tessellated top last year (could be the year before...) and this weekend I've added the final border to it:

Someone's asked me for a quilt, so I'll offer it to her first once it's finished.

My Japanese taupes quilt also has a new home lined up for it. I just need to make another set of blocks using a second jelly roll, jumble them between the two sets, border, layer and quilt it. I'm thinking squares in a stone variegated thread. Lesson leanred from working on Japanese Glass: buy two reels of thread. I ran out with about 18" square left to quilt, at 2130 last Tuesday. Luckily, I was able to order another reel from Barnyarns.com, which came on Thursday, so no real break from working on it.

Ack, can't find photos of the other 3 pieces on either computer, and camera batteries are dead, so I'll have to update that bit later.

Next update...end of school term

The end of July brought the end of school term and the chance to give the baby quilts to Hannah's teachers. They were both delighted with them so I feel quite pleased that I had the chance to do something for both teachers.



I enjoyed doing the prairie points on them both, it adds a bit extra to an otherwise quite simple design. I used some pieces from the layer cake and jelly roll that I bought in Exeter for the right hand one, and have lots from both leftover to be able to make another couple at least.

Because I'd enjoyed the prairie points, I volunteered to teach some techniques to Plym at out "4 corners" meeting, which is an opportunity to see something new from some of the group. I demonstrated simple individual prairie points, how to do continuous ones, bi-coloured ones and then how to add them in construction seams as well as on borders. I had great fun showing what I'd tried out, even though some of the techniques weren't new, and not original, I hope the rest of the group that came to my table liked it as much as I did!

Now end of July only meant one thing this year...holiday coming up :-D

Back racing!

Sunday was my first race since having my thyroidectomy. I've been training half heartedly throughout all the treatment, but was finding it really difficult to be enthusiastic about it. I'd booked in for two other races before now, the first one should have been on January 4th, but this was the day before I had the radio iodine, so I'd been off all medication for 2 weeks, and was sleeping for nearly 18 hours every day. Not the best conditions for running a 10K race! The second was even worse timing...the morning after the Christmas party from work. I still maintain I wasn't hungover, I was just tired, but either way, we didn't make it to the race.

No excuses for this time however, it started less than 3 miles from home. I'd planned to jog round and just enjoy being racing again. It was a glorious spring morning so I was more enthusiastic than I'd expected, and I trotted round in 1:12. Not my fastest time, but not my slowest either.



I've got a 10 miler in 2 weeks!

Baby quilt news...I've finished one and only have hand sewing left to do on the other one. I'm thrilled with how they're looking. I've enjoyed doing the prairie point finish on the border. I think this is one I'll be using again.

Exeter Spring Quilt Festival

We got there way too early after a clear journey up. I think we were the 5th car in the car park! I'd taken a list to remind me what to buy, but forgot to take my camera so couldn't get any shots of the exhibition. This turned out to be a big shame as there were some great quilts on show. I particularly liked a 3-D poppy on a bed sized quilt, the collection of women's suffrage quilts in green white and violet, and the collection made by a group on the theme of "book titles". I've stored that idea away for a possible group challenge next year. They were 12" square, so not too big for even a beginner. I liked the entry for Moby Dick, a 3-D whale fluke with beads strung off it to look like water.

I needed to pick up a pre-ordered bolt of wadding from Lady Sew & Sew, and also bought a mini bolt of jade marble and a roll of pink and chocolate swirl from them. The jade thread is for a quilt I'm planning with the fabric from the BQL Secret Santa swap. I was given 10 pieces. I thought they were FQs but they seem bigger, possibly quarter metres? Anyway they're chocolate and pink, so the jade will give a nice vibrant contrast.



The creamy batik is for the backing of the two baby quilts. I've forgotten which stall I bought it from though.

Also for the baby quilts is this Moda Layer Cake and Jelly Roll. The range is called "Fig and Plum", and I've used 12 pieces from each of them, so plenty left for stashing and other projects. The other things in the photo are a pack of 99 4" squares from Susan Briscoe. All of them are different, and I'm thinking of doing a hand pieced Japanese folded patchwork piece with them. I'm pondering between all muslin backgrounds or varying between white and red.



The final pic is a metre of so of a lime green and chocolate piece. It was an impulse buy from the batik stall, and I've no idea why I bought it! I'm thinking of including it in my bag for the {top secret} with my quilt group on Tuesday.



Finally, but not photographed I bought Valori Wells' Vibrant New York Beauty book. This is to give me more practice in making curved paper pieced blocks ready for making a proper start on the mariner's compass quilt.

Off now to carry on with the Carol Doak March BOM and the baby quilt for Mrs M at school.