Shambolic Jumper Blanket + Puppy

This post has it all: stash busting, recycling, repurposing, sewing, a little narrative and a really darn cute puppy at the end! Read on...

Lets's not pretend I didn't know they were there...all of the jumpers both bloke and I have shrunk in the washing machine over the last nine years hiding behind the sofa. I still get a pang in my heart when I see that red one I knit for Big Sis from Sublime yarn. I also get a sense of the passing of time when I see the brown cardigan Bloke bought for me from Boden after I had given birth to our first child nine years ago and the others...well, just washing mishaps that happen from time to time.

I pulled the sofas out on Monday and hoovered underneath them both and faced this shambolic pile. I started to imagine overlooking some pieces together to make a blanket. 

First job was to cut some equal sized squares out of the whole lot and then be ruthless and throw the bits away - I know I could have made little embroidered brooches and things but meh, I am just trying to empty some spaces.

When joined together, it looked more handsome than I expected. I nearly saved it for myself but then...

He really liked it. This is Bruce our new dog. I can't tell you how excited our girls are. Me, I am feeling a little more pragmatic about it. I loved having a spaniel when I was a girl but then my mum did all the work. I have to face the reality that I am now that woman in our household! Anyway I am sure I will get into the groove of having another being to look after amongst the chaos. So I will leave you with a gallery of puppy photos to schmooze over.

Chat Monday, I have the feeling we will be having a pretty busy 

weekend ahead of us.

Jo xxxx

Sampler Quilt Block 2 - Star

Onto Block number two of Meg's quilt which was really easy to put together. I went to my patchwork box and found all sorts of left over shapes from previous quilts. I had six diamonds left over with the papers in so I made up two more and got hand stitching to make an eight pointed star for block 2.

After making a 13 x 13" block as my first square I have had a rethink and decided to scale down to 12 x 12 " because I can use some block tutorials online which come out at that size. I can still use the tiny squares one but I will need to press it, cut it down and straighten it up evenly. 

 

I'm enjoying exploring old techniques and searching for new ones both on the machine and for hand sewing.

Jo xxx

Woodfolk

This blog is about what I make but I think you may have come to realise we are a pretty resourceful family all round. Today I want to share with you my bloke's project over the winter which has started to come alive now that it is Spring.

This is actually the end product. A tidy stack of wood to burn on the log burner at the cabin. 

There was a little investment present wise for this project when I bought him this helmet for his birthday last August and he purchased some new tools. 

He went on a hedge laying course to learn how to cut the base of the wood but leave enough for the sap to rise in the Spring to form new growth. Three places were booked: one for him, his brother and his dad. He was very excited about it in the run up to the weekend course - he even washed his boiler suit!

This is the hedge before laying. It had grown into a full row of Hazel, Holly and Field Maple trees over the years but really needed to be a hedge to stop it restricting traffic on the road. 
Plenty to practise his new skill on.

You can only lay a hedge between October and February because of nesting birds and of course encouraging the wood to regrow. Here it is after many weekends of work, taking a photo in the same spot as the one above.

So I am no longer a weekend hedge widow. Work has stopped and he is pleased to see the Hazel is throwing out new shoots. Hooray!

We can all talk knitting here but my bloke has talked hedge for a long time now. I don't mind, I like someone with a passion for 'their' thing, what ever it might be.

The light can now get through to the base so look at these lovely cowslips - a childhood favourite of mine.

and whats more but a few more of these little lambs, this one is still damp.

Thanks for looking...at a hedge! Jo xxx

Sampler Quilt Block 1 - Teeny

The one good thing about hand quilting is that you get hours of time to think about the design for your next one.

You should have seen Little M's face when I gave her big sister the log cabin quilt, she said, 'Is there one for me? 'Of course there is,' I replied, 'it's just bubbling around inside my head at the moment'

Looking up last week from my sewing machine sitting position, I was admiring my shelf revamp using sticky fabric when I spotted the jar on the bottom right. It contains lots of little squares and triangles I put aside when I last had a chop up of my scraps to make the rainbow quilt. There's a starting point there in that jar I thought...

The squares are all 5x5cm. I started to sew them together, you know just for fun, in my usual gung ho attitude to quilting which omits any kind of measuring, planning or preparation.

These 81 squares made a pleasing quilt block measuring 13 x 13". This is my starting point, I may have to cut it down at a later date. I am now going to make some more blocks around this size using different patterns and shapes. Essentially I am going to make my own version of a sampler quilt inspired by kerryberry.

So here it is, Block 1 of Meg's Sampler quilt.

It goes without saying, I am trying to use up stash I already have. I have a few more blocks in my head so I will try and find the right materials in that oh so surprising craft cupboard.

Any other ideas you think I could try for blocks?

Jo xxxx

Spring, Eggs and Lambs

I've whizzed up some spring coloured yarn ends into a few Easter decorations.

There are some nice patterns on Dinki Dots blog. I had to make my ones with smaller rounds to accommodate the smaller plastic eggs I had but still fun all the same!

I definitely know it is Spring now that I have held a couple of my dad's lambs. He asked if I could walk down the steep hill of the field and bring up a ewe and two lambs he had heard bleating in the dark the night before. I just couldn't see them... but they are there, right in the centre. That is the place she decided to give birth. 

I was surprised to see twins because Hebridean sheep only usually have singles.

 There was a male and a female with the softest fleece and bandiest legs. I carried them up the hill and the ewe followed me. We put them in the sheds for tonight while they are still really young. Dad saw Mr Fox around last night. 

I then set off over the hilly ground once more to look for another one I could hear.

Jo xx

Ta dah! Log Cabin Quilt

The story of my latest completed quilt.

I can clean my windows or I can sit and hand quilt. I have been opting for the latter... The quilt blocks have gone together on my quilt and thankfully, they have slightly less of an air of swastika about them than when I last reported to you.

As I am on a stash diet this year, I learnt how to join pieces of batting together using this tutorial. It has made quite a difference to the space now available in the drawers under the spare bed. I kept buying a new pack to have a whole piece when I made a quilt leaving quite bulky pieces left over. They are all the same weight/content so it was fine to join them together.

The fabric jelly rolls were bought as described here in Jan 2016

The backing is a double bed sheet, not even a new one. I rifled around the airing cupboard and found a double sheet from a bed set from years ago, we have a king sized bed now.

 The hand quilting is a really enjoyable part for me but it does knock a bit of a hole in the end of your finger so I bought this prym thimble last year which is sized so it is very comfortable. (I can't remember which letter I am) 

Thread-wise, I just used up lots of silko from vintage reels because it is always good quality thick thread. When I ran out, I used top-stitching thread. I didn't even care what colour it was, I was just happy emptying half used reels.

There was a purchase required to complete this project. I bought 10 metres of spotty bias binding. It is a good one which I have used many times. It is extra wide at 30mm so it makes a great border edge. I sew it on with the machine then turn it over to sew a complete round by hand. Very satisfying and very neat.



At the last minute, as I was emptying my yarn bowl to put things back in their homes, I spotted a transfer from DMC which I had not used in the sewing drawer. It fitted exactly in the corner where I had just landed at the end of the quilting. I stuck it on and finished off the thread, added the date and my girl's initials. It comes off in warm water to reveal the design, I gave mine a full machine wash and hung it to dry on the clothes maid.

Tah Dah!
 

My Log Cabin quilt is all finished and it cost £10.00 for the fabric  18 months ago and £11.97 for the bias binding, the rest was cupboard salvaged. I'm enjoying these moments with my girl who is as pleased as can be. 

Thank you for taking the time to look at this long quilt story. Today I have linked up with Sum of their stories for Handmade Monday Jo x

Staple Shift Sewing

My all time favourite style of dress is the shift dress in its varies forms. By far the biggest selection of shift dress patterns I own, and use, are the 1960's shift styles - so many variations with collars, inseam pockets, different seam lines and sleeve lengths.

So it was definitely a shift dress style I needed for my Minerva make this month. I thought the fish would be smaller. I was going to make a seamed wrap skirt but I needed a pattern that would not break up the fish image too much. Who wants to wear a skirt covered in headless fish? 

The fabric is a linen viscose blend perfect for a shift dress. I have not lined it but the facings and the bias binding hem all help it to hang well.

This pattern is a free shift dress pull out from a Prima magazine from years ago. I know when I cut this that all the darts are in the right place from the last time I made it.

My latest alteration to the pattern is to adjust for a swayback. I can do this regularly on patterns now at the cutting stage by folding a triangle wedge out of the waist on the back paper pieces. This fitting technique eliminates pooling around the waist and shoulders. You can find a tutorial for it here.

This one joins my other shift dress from the same pattern. That is me with my imaginary fishing rod - can you tell? - larking about in the bathroom trying to get a picture needing a haircut!

Do you like wearing dresses?

Jo xxxxx