Borderline Quilter

Still Swooning...

2012-01-28T16:49:00.005Z

This is fun.....

Hope you are collecting all those little 1/2 square triangles to use later, if not on this quilt then on another?

I just uploaded photos to the Flickr group...Can you believe there are now 709 members????

Blocks #2, #3, #4 and a small mosaic....

OK, I feel like I have caught up some but now need to do a little quilting, coz it's what keeps me sane!!!

Swoon Quilt .... Are You Swooning?

2012-01-27T20:01:00.002Z

I joined a 'sew-a-long' for the Swoon quilt by Camille Roskelley, you can find the details over on Katy's Blog at 'Monkey Do' in her original post, by now there are already over 500 'Swooners'. It's easy to follow as the pattern is downloadable from the Fat Quaters Shop more or less instantly, or here in Camille's online shop where you can buy either the paper version or download the pdf. You can view fabric choices and in progress photos in the groups Swoon along flickr album

There's no pressure, sew at your own pace....

I am a late joiner and starter though I'm on to it now but may still take me a week or two....lol....

This quilt is a modern take on a Star of Bethlehem block, the original version of this block has 'Y' seams. Here's one I made on a quilt that I started around 10 years ago, the top is now finished but it's still waiting to be quilted, it is now nearing the top of the pile.....

Star of Bethlehem with 'Y' seams....Here's one I did earlier

But on to the Swoon quilt....

Here are my fabric choices, I had 12 half yard cuts of Luna Notte fabrics just waiting for the right pattern to come along...I decided on a plain background but will need to choose a different sashing fabric.

Here they are after starching , they are airing on my longarm.... a tip from my friend Vicki Welsh is to edit your photo into black and white to see the colour contrast...this selection could maybe do with a few more medium/dark tones?

I like to place my block pieces on my design wall upside down sometimes to figure out pressing directions especially when they are not included in the pattern, it really does make a difference to your longarm quilter if the seams are pressed in the right direction and it also gives a better finish to your quilt!

This is one of my pressed corner blocks...

Here's my first test block for the modern Swoon version, no 'Y' seams. I changed up the pattern a little, and used my 'Go' dies for cutting. I used the 3" finished square, 3" finished half square triangle, 3" x 6" finished rectangle and the 6" finished square.

As you can see I used 3 x 3" background squares in the corners and a 6" x 6" 'colour 2' square in place of the flying geese and the 6 x 3 rectangle....it takes slightly more than a fat quarter of that fabric for the block but still no set in seams.

This is a big block...24 x 24 inches so should sew up quite quickly???

Why don't you join the fun!

Hand Warmers!

2012-01-22T01:15:00.006Z

I have been having a play with Peggy Martins' 'Quick Strip Paper Piecing' technique, it's a fun way to make pieced blocks and keep the points 'pointy' but it is fabric hungery!

So, it's about time to put the Christmas 'handwarmers' away and try out the new ones.....

On a cold day you can come in and warm your hands on the very hot hobs. The 'hob covers' also protect the stainless steel covers from getting scratched when you warm your plates....You all know I love my Aga and like to keep it nice and shiney....

It was a fun little project and I think I'll be trying out this technique again in the future when I need to be precise!

Jane's Jelly Star....

2012-01-17T21:43:00.001Z

This is a quilt I quilted recently for Jane a new customer, Jane used the Log Cabin Hidden Stars pattern from Jelly Roll Quilts book by Pam and Nicky Lintott.

Jane chose an open pantograph called Monstera, I love the shape of this leaf. I used Metro thread in Khaki Sand in the needle and bobbin, this colour toned in with the front of the quilt but showed the design well on the back.

This quilting design leaves a softly draping quilt. It's already gone back to Jane for the binding!

Fierons Cushion....

2012-01-15T18:49:00.000Z

This is my Granddaughter Fieron's first project on her electric DSM. Fieron pieced the top and I quilted and bound it for her, didn't she do a good job.

Have to say we have packed it away to be one of those Christmas heirlooms we all love to unearth every year!!

Snow Dying....

2012-01-10T11:13:00.008Z

Seems like a long while ago now but before Christmas we had some snow, just a little. I had been intending to try out Kathy's tips and techniques for snow dying. Well, what do you know, leading up to Christmas was a busy time?
I decided in the afternoon to collect a couple of buckets of snow ready for later in the day when I might have more time to follow through. The snow was actually ice and I had to scrape it from the grass but I did manage to collect two buckets full which I left outside until later. I left my fabric soaking in the soda ash solution.
So, the intention is to pour the dye over the snow, the temperature of the snow slows down the dying process allowing the dye to break down into it's various mix of colours and grab to the fabric at different rates giving texture to the fabric.

By the time I was ready to proceed my snow/ice had frozen into one big ice cube, as I had already mixed my dyes all I could do was tip the ice out on top of my fabric and add my dye, the ice just sat there on top of the fabric in a big hunk!
My PFD (prepared for dying) fabric is 60" wide so I had nearly 2 yards on each tray.
I used Procion MX dyes.

Tray 1....
1 tsp currant + 1/2 tsp sodium sulphate + 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp purple + 1/2 tsp sodium sulphate+ 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cerulean blue + 1/2 tsp sodium sulphate + 1/2 cup water
I placed this fabric on a refridgerator shelt over a deep tray.

Tray 2...
1 tsp avacado + 1 tsp sodium sulphate + 1 cup water
1 tsp turquoise +1 tsp sodium sulphate + 1 cup water
This fabric was place in an open basket from a vegetable trolley over another deep tray.

You can see the extra vegetable matter collected when I had to scrape the ice from the grass....

So, as this was around 9pm at night all I could do was leave everything here in my utility room overnight and hope that there would be no avalanch before morning and all dye solution would stay either in the trays or drain off into the sink.

I need not have worried as by morning I still had big chunks of ice but there had been some migration of dye down through the fabric....who knew my utility room was so cold through the night? So I moved my fabric through into my kitchen where it was warmer and left it there for 2/3 hours to allow the ice to melt and the fabric to warm through hoping that the colours would set.

After a good rinse until the water ran clear and then a quick wash in the machine with Retayne, here are my results. Although not a controlled scientific experiment the results are quite interesting, I was trying to use enough dye to make sure it soaked through all of the 2 yards of fabric in each tray. The avacado/turquoise mix is more subtle but with lots of texture.....

The currant/purple mix is more dramatic with quite a bit of solid colour (wonder whether that's the currant or the purple, I'm thinking it's the currant) but lots of interesting ice textures, there is really no white on that piece it's more pink in colour but very interesting all the same.

There didn't seem to be any difference/marks left from using the open shelf or the basket and as the dye didn't dye the veg basket maybe next time I'll try two baskets instead.
That same day the snow/ice outside thawed and we have had no more snow falls since but watch this space, now that I have a little system in place I will be having another try to see how this works with proper snow with a quicker melt time?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T23:38:00.001Z

Happy New Year to all of my family, friends and customers!

Are you like me, I get ready to be back in a regular routine?

I'm feeling rather sluggish after too many family dinners and Christmas chocolates but I think a good time was had by all.
We had a visit to Edinburgh, had a ride on the big Ferris Wheel over Princes Street and the Grandkids went ice skating in the Princes Street Gardens......

My nine year old Granddaughter received her first electric sewing machine from Santa, her first project is this Ten minute wonder cushion in Christmas fabrics, so she will always remember the first project on her new machine. I'll get it quilted before next Christmas, I'm sure!

We fussy cut the centre insert.....

Hopefully, normal service will resume shortly????

A Shepherd's Convention???

2011-12-23T10:40:00.002Z

There's a collection of shepherds crooks and walking sticks left at my front door, I think the shepherds are having a meeting to see who gets Saturday night off?

Of course this is my DH's stick collection but this one is my favourite, carved from burr elm.....it was a Christmas gift a few years ago.

Handy Andy!

2011-12-19T22:06:00.002Z

My new customer is a really handy lady, all of Margaret's quilts are hand pieced beautifully...because of this we chose simple quilting so as not to overpower the charm of her quilts.

This one really matches the colour scheme of my room......

The next two are '10 minute wonder' quilts

I have to add that some Longarmers may have continued there overall/pantograph pattern and quilted over these 3D medallions, even though it is more time consuming there is no way I could do that, I needed to make a feature of them!

All done and actually already delivered!

A bit of company.....

2011-12-17T00:34:00.002Z

It's nice to have a bit of company sometimes when you are quilting.....

Meet 'Red' the Red Admiral....

I like to see butterflies on quilts but I don't really want to attach a real one....sometimes he gets so close to the needle I'm scared I'm going to stitch him in ....of course he's trying to get under the lights of my longarm.....he should really be finding a nice dark corner here in my studio to sleep in for the winter.

Merry Christmas Everyone.....

2011-12-11T17:25:00.001Z

A Christmas message for you all!

Friends Across the Ocean!

2011-12-11T02:23:00.002Z

Remember these? These are my block swap blocks....the deal was pick one black with white fabric, one white with black fabric, and two bright fabrics......

These 2 x 30 sets of blocks flew off to to my friend Shannon in Atlanta, Georgia, Shannon sorted all of the Friendship Star blocks and I received these blocks in return....of course you all know these are 'friendship stars'.....

My blocks are in the four corners pulling it all together, borders added and quilted with a 'star burst' pantograph which blends right on in and is hidden....Hmmmm.....to me the quilting can be the best part of a quilt and it can't even be seen....'Oh Well'

I had a few blocks left over that were perfect for pillow shams.....

I set myself a few tasks to finish up some UFO's before the end of the year and here it is all finished at last from my 'Friends across the ocean!'

Can you see your blocks?

Update:- this quilt now lives in Scotland capital city of Edinburgh with my youngest Son....

We are building a boat?

2011-12-09T01:16:00.002Z

Two days ago these fields were under six inches of snow and it was difficult to travel into town....90 mile an hour winds along with torrential rain and a fast thaw mean the fields are now flooded along with my utility room...hey ho!

Invisible thread....Wow!

2011-12-04T23:56:00.007Z

Honestly..... Wow.... I Stiched in the Ditch (SiD), the whole of this quilt with no thread breaks at all, not one! I usually use S's monopoly on my longarm but unfortunately had quite a few thread breaks so I recently purchased this Aurifil invisible thread, it's advertised as 'no break thread'. It's a 15000 metre cone so not exactly cheap, I wasn't pleased when I still had thread breaks but I thought I'd give it another try on this quilt. Once I realise I didn't need any kind of thread net, not even the more open plastic ones, it was a breeze, I just hope that I can find that sweet spot with the tension again next time???

Unfortunately you'll have to wait a little while to see this quilt finished as there is now another quilt on the frame that took precedence....'Thank goodness for Red Snappers!'

A few small finishes!

2011-12-01T15:54:00.004Z

That's two Christmas wallhangings, two Christmas table mats, two pillow shams, and three cushions with quilted fronts and backs....and a partridge in a pear tree....lol....all of the cushions and the pillow shams are made up from either orphan blocks or pieces left over from quilts you have previously seen too, well except for one quilt which is still being bound.

OK, they are not all finished, I still have the binding to hand sew down on one cushion but it will get done tomorrow!

Clamshells and Scollops!

2011-11-25T22:58:00.001Z

Sounds like a seafood dish doesn't it, but no it's time to put an extra quilt on our bed to warm my feet.

I've had this quilt a long while, it's hand quilted although you don't get many of these stitches to the inch?

Scalloped/swagged borders with fleur de lis, clamshells, cable border with an interesting corner treatment and sunbursts, I'm not sure about the orientation of the clamshells, I think I would have done those in a portrait orientaion as it really fits a single bed. The edges are finished with a turned knife edge.

So, I would say this is a wholecloth quilt even though both the front and back have three sections of fabric each.....So, those of you who know about these things, what do you think, is it still considered a wholecloth?

How big is your machine?

2011-11-20T14:15:00.001Z

That's a question that many Longarm Quilter's get asked....I think what's meant is 'what is the biggest quilt you can quilt on your longarm?'
Well, the frame on which my longarm machine glides has 12 ft rails so that means that one side of the quilt could comfortably be up to 130 inches (maybe slightly bigger), but the other measurement can be longer as the quilt is wound on the rails as you advance.....I don't know who would want a quilt bigger than 130" x 130".....but it could be done!

But today's more relevant question is 'how many quilts can you quilt on your longarm....lol...?

Answer for today is 'Eleven!'

Well...that's five on the first row....(the tops of two pillow shams, the tops of two cushions and a cushion back at this end).

And that's another six on the second row.....(two Christmas wallhangings, two Christmas table mats, a cushion top and another white cushion back at the far end). Of course if my piece of backing fabric had been a little bit bigger, I could have also quilted another cushion back to finish off .....maybe next time!

I'm having a bit of a tidy up using up some orphan blocks that you may recognise and finishing up some small projects, some of which belong to my GKids. These small quilts are all loaded on the same cream backing fabric although I am using some smaller offcuts of batting that have been lying around waiting for just the right project.

It takes a while to load all of those little quilts but it would have taken alot longer if they were all on seperate backings.

Feather Fans!

2011-11-10T15:41:00.070Z

I've really enjoyed quilting my bought in quilt tops, it's given me the opportunity to experiment on a variety of styles and designs of quilts but also the quality of the piecing has thrown up lots of shall I say 'educational opportunities'.....I've needed to work my way around a few problems and find out how to enhance the piecers work to the best of my abilities.


Before quilting

I have to say that this top didn't really have any issues.....I did re-arrange the borders a little but that's all....I used this top as one of my 'what if' quilts, 'What if I try this and what if I try that'.
I tried a few new to me techniques including Ronda Beyers "S" shaped rulers .....only I would choose to use the largest of her rulers for my first try, those things are huge and a little difficult to manage....imagine it, ruler in one had, longarm in the other?

This is all freemotion, handguided and ruler work!

Everyone knows I'm a 'fan of feathers'....so this is 'Feathered Fans'.

It finished at 88"x66", I used white Glide thread on top, Bottomline in the bobbin, Super Poly batting/wadding gave lots of definition. When I spied it I just couldn't resist this fabric for the backing....it's Rosalee from Ikea, the colours were perfect for this top!

I've noticed a few new followers are stopping by, I'd like to say welcome to you all!

Greenfairy Giveaway

The Greenfairy at http://greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com/ is having an awesome giveaway....well, Clint is really busy while Judy is away learning lots of new quilty stuff....why don't you pop on over to 'The Green Fairy' and take part in the fun...you never know you may be a winner??

Nature all around us?

2011-11-08T22:05:00.003Z

I took this photo in the middle of town this morning, this little guy stakes his claim to this spot on the stream, he is very patient and for his troubles he is often rewarded with breakfast....indeed as I peered over the river wall he bent down and just picked up a small fish which riggled a little and then slid down the herons throat before I could turn on my camera.....

Did you notice the light switch on the far side of the bridge....this heron lives in 'the lap of luxury', he has an electric light under the bridge....look, that's cool, great for the dark nights, he can fish after hours!

Wonder how he turns it on....lol....????

One Hundred!

2011-10-29T21:47:00.002+01:00

Well, when did that happen?

Sometime Saturday......I would like to welcome my 100th follower 'The Nifty Stitcher' ...Rhianon also lives in Scotland in the Kingdom of Fife .....I think that we should mark this ocassion with a little surprise.....Rhianon, if you are interested please send me your address by my email link on the left ....thank you for being my 100th follower!

Blogger's Quilt Festival... Fall 2011

2011-10-28T11:08:00.008+01:00

Amy over at 'Amy's Creative Side' is again hosting 'The Blogger's Quilt Festival', thank you so much Amy. So, if you can't make Houston why don't you pop on over to have a look at the wonderful display of quilts on offer!

This is the second time I've entered a quilt for display and have to say that again I am entering my most recent quilt.....I almost always love the quilt I have just finished, I'm afraid that I have very recently posted about this quilt so if you are a regular follower of my blog I must apologise!

This quilt has been waiting for a while to be quilted as I was a bit stuck on how to quilt it but it did eventually speak to me....it's a simply pieced quilt in stack and wack style. If you look closer you will see I added coloured threads to lift the black background. My intention was to quilt water lillies in an oriental style but the backing fabric inspired me and my water lillies turned into tudor roses.

This quilt is now permanently hung in my hall, I really think it's time to display more of my work, I am please with how it looks and I think that the curtain pole that I found in my loft has really enhanced the quilt....I used coat hanging hooks (as seen in the photo) so that the quilt would hang tight against the wall.
You can read more about this quilt here and here

Here it is 'Tudor Roses'.

Thanks for dropping by....

Updated 8th November......I'd just like to tell you all how stunned and thrilled I am at all of your wonderful comments, you sure all know how to make a girl feel good....thank you all so much!

A bit of play time...

2011-10-24T00:18:00.002+01:00

My Grandaughter Fieron and I had a day to ourselves today... we were having a bit of a play day .... I found a pattern for a Christmas wallhanging over on Quilting Gallery ..... mine is still a work in progress, I think I'll needle turn my fabric.....

But Fireon's are raw edge fused applique and are already sewn down with a glittery thread..... Fieron got to use Grandma's electric sewing machine to zigzag the strings herself and she cut out some of the fabric circles on the 'Go' cutter ...... we hope to get the borders cut and attached very soon.

As good as a rosette!

2011-10-19T20:21:00.002+01:00

I belong to quite a few online forums, one of them being Machine Quilters Resource .... my latest quilt 'Oriental Tudor Roses' has made the home page as 'Quilt of the week' .... Thank you Jo Ann.

It will only be there for a few days so I snatched a screen shot as a souvenir..... so before it's superseded by next weeks quilt you can see it here .

If you have never visited MQR before I don't think you need to be a member to take a look around, there is lots of interesting stuff over there!

Oriental Kaleidoscope?

2011-10-16T22:22:00.005+01:00

It's been a long while since I pieced this top, but I did manage to find some photos even from back then, in my old sewing room....it's Paula Nadelstern fabric cut stack and wack style then very simply pieced with black sashing..

I had no idea how I was going to quilt it but thought it had a kind of oriental look....and was thinking water lilies and took my inspration from the backing fabric, they turned into Tudor roses but I still like the effect.

I used 2 layers of Hobbs 80/20 in black with Glide thread in various colours, (gold, purple, cerise, green and black) and black bottom line in the bobbin.

A Bit of ruler work and a circle maker for perfect circles, the rest is freehand with just a small tribute to feathers around the inside of the cirlcles.

I would like to attribute this border design to Raylene Smith in Australia and then Donna James in Canada for the marking instructions, it'a a perfect border treatment for this quilt!

Those lilac borders are straight...don't know why they look a bit askew on the photos????

Trying it out for the effect in it's new home.....

Longarm Quilting Pick up Service...

2011-10-09T22:51:00.004+01:00

I visited my Local Quilt Shop last week, that's Borderland Fabrics in Jedburgh and have arranged with Annette to offer a 'Pick up and Drop off' quilting service on the afternoon of the 1st Friday of each month during their weekly 'Patch and Chat' session, I will be there between 1.30 and 3pm.

You can always find details on my website...the link is in the sidebar on the left....

While there I picked up a couple of quilt tops.....the 'Hungry Caterpillar' is a shop sample.....

I think this totally handpieced quilt top now quilted with a pantograph (Ambrosia) will be a donation quilt....

Now back to binding my stack and wack!

Its bright here in Scotland.....

2011-10-01T11:04:00.005+01:00

We are having some wonderfully unseasonal weather here in Scotland, radio stations reported 27C yesterday and I saw shirtless teenagers in town...well, that was just the boys!

Today is 1st of October and offically autumn so it's craft season, I was rumaging around and came across these 'friendship star international swap' blocks.... remember my two sets.....

They went of to Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and this is what I received back....

I've arranged them on my design wall, they still need a bit of a shuffle but can stay there a little longer reminding me of summer we never had while I play with this....

Those are Paula Nadelstern stack and wack kaleidoscopes on black background...lots of quilting real estate, I'm enjoying this one!

Scottish Quilt Championships 2011

2011-09-29T11:06:00.000+01:00

Well, it's been some week, a new website and 4 Rosettes for two entries...yes 'four!'

The Victorian Lady....1st for Machine Quilting

Flourish won

1st Wholecloth
1st Longarm Quilting
3rd Small Wallhanging....

All ribbons are golden yellow with a central disk with details....

I can hardly believe I won both of the machine awards...I am thrilled!

A Wealth of Talent!

Of couse there were lots of wonderful quilts, here are just a few of my favourites....

This was the Champion Quilt...wonderful choice of fabrics with fantastic shading and thread painting, I went back to look at this a few times, so much detail, it just draws you in! !

I know I'm a longarm machine quilter but I really appreciate beautiful workmanship of any kind, the colours of this quilt are wonderful, very precise piecing and fabulous hand quilting.

This applique quilt is wonderful, again amazing colour choices, beautiful!

Another beautiful quilt with many three dimentional elements and machine quilted motifs won 1st Bed Quilt!

My New Website is Live!

2011-09-20T22:16:00.001+01:00

Well, there's been a lot going on in the background recently. My youngest Son has designed a website for me, I think it looks great and it's now 'Live' so, I guess that means I am in business!

Here it is www.borderlinequilter.co.uk

It is still a work in progress but is up and running, have a look around and let me know what you think?

Liberty Hunter's Star......

2011-09-19T10:19:00.008+01:00

This quilt is made from Tana Lawn cotton fabric by Liberty of London, this is a very fine soft cotton with a high thread count. The pattern is a scrappy Hunter's Star using samples of lots of different fabrics from this very famous range.

It's amazing the difference a border fabric can make, there was really only one choice but I wanted to see which fabrics jumped out against these colour options.

I would have liked a real red but the blue fabric is the Tana Lawn, so we now have a blue quilt, that's what happens, see how the border fabric dominates and makes this a blue quilt.

I chose a white on white backing fabric and used Superior Bottom Line in white for the needle and bobbin. This is a fine thread, the white has a translucent quality which seems to mix with all colours and doesn't shout out against any of them, so the thread blended into the top of the quilt really well, I also changed down from an 18 to a size 16 needle. This quilt finished at 95" x 95", I used Quilters Dream wool batting/wadding as I love wool, but also because wool has a lovely soft drape to it, I was looking to keep the soft quality of the Tana Lawn cotton fabric.

Now quilting wise, I had many options, lots of custom designs came to mind, but in the end I chose a pantograph, 'Wildflower' by Willow Leaf Studio, it's an open design which keeps that soft flowing feel, and although it's a wool quilt it's going to be perfect for summer or an extra quilt for the bottom of the bed in winter.

It's that time again!

2011-09-18T15:00:00.001+01:00

There is a definite chill in the air and the nights are putting in so.....

It's time for the big switch on...definitely an 'Arrrrrhhhh' moment!

At last....

2011-09-11T22:49:00.004+01:00

Well, at last I've been to see the 'Quilted Yurt'....errected!

On Saturday I made the effort to travel up to Perth for the QGBI Regional Day to see the constucted yurt, this is the British Yurt as all of the American panels have been returned to the US, I have seen all of the US panels on a previous visit to Linzi's workshop when unfortunately the yurt was dismantled.
The panel that I quilted is the courthouse steps, below the navy blue roof panel in the photo below.

Linzi gave a long and humerous talk about the inspiration, developement and plans for the yurt and her future projects.

At lunch time there was lots of interest in all the quilted panels....I have to say most of these panels (well, except the one quilted by Janette of J-Quilts and the one that I quilted on my previous Mega Quilter machine) were quilted by Linzi....on her freemotion hand guided longarm....non of us have computers on our longarms!

In the afternoon we were entertained with a display of quilts from the collection of Jan Hassard.....here are a couple of my favorites...

Jan had some wonderful quilts in her collection, some with amazing history, but this 'triple wedding ring' was my favorite...isn't it wonderful?

When I saw some of Jan's own colourful quilts I wished that I had signed up for the all day Sunday class....

All in all an entertaining day!

Best to be on the safe side.....

2011-09-06T23:21:00.002+01:00

What do they put in those colour catchers??? Synthrapol???

The colours of this batik wide back are perfect for this pieced top....I washed it when I bought it last year but thought I had better wash it again...threw in a colour catcher, washed it again and again and again...The first time was probably without a colour catcher, the next three times with a colour catchers....Then once with a piece of cotton muslin that came out tinged with turquoise and once with a colour catcher and cotton muslin, the muslin came out white this time but still lots of colour on the catcher.....well, proves that the catchers work. I think this backing has been washed six times in all...there's a lot of white in my top....wonder if I should wash it again????

I think enough is enough???

You'll just have to believe me?

2011-08-27T23:23:00.001+01:00

It's now too big for my small design wall and my empty floor space so you'll just have to believe me that I finished piecing the whole of my 'jewel box' quilt.....

I know I could have done the pieced border quicker with strip piecing but you know I am pleased with how the border came together and 'seams' more accurate pieced in the more traditional way.

I also love how Karen colour co-ordinated her latest book to match my quilt....lol....

It always amazes me!

2011-08-23T22:50:00.001+01:00

Take a look at this simple jelly roll quilt top....forgot to get a photo of the whole top before I started, sorry...but it's simple right, nothing fancy! Basically it's a colour graded quilt working with the colours from the jelly roll.

I had some glazed cotton that matched so well that I just had to use it for the backing and binding....I bound the quilt while still on the frame....even that little end bit, it can be done on the frame even though it's a bit tricky.....you have to be very careful of your fingures and take just one stitch at a time...mind you wouldn't want to do this on a show quilt....

But what really amazes me is the difference a bit of quilting can make.....

That's an all over 'freemotion jelly feather fill'....

Just goes to show....it's the quilting that makes the quilt!

Access all areas?

2011-08-19T21:27:00.000+01:00

Well, when you're away from home you still have to have internet access, so for my recent trip I realised quite late in the day that I needed some kind of protection for my 'netbook'. I thought I would make a quick pouch, which turned into a bag, which turned into a quilted bag with double padding and pockets....not as quick as I had intended!

I didn't remember or have time to take loads of photos....

Here are the two main pieces already quilted.....

This inside pocket is made up from pieces of fabric from my first ever freemotion quilted quilt, it has wadding/batting and backing fabric and is stitched in the ditch, there's also an interior hidden full size pocket.

So there's room for my power cords and USB sticks, mobile modems etc. to be stored in a separate pocket so that my netbook doesn't get scratched.....

It's already been to Birmingham and back and protected my netbook well.

How can we live without the world wide web?

FoQ 2011....

2011-08-15T23:37:00.005+01:00

What a wonderful time I have had....I've seen Festival of Quilts from all sides as a spectator and behind the scenes helping and watching what goes on when you rent a stall/booth.

I had the wonderful pleasure of being driven from my own doorstep directly to Birmingham by Linzi (Linzi Upton of 'The Quilted Yurt' fame), how lucky am I?

We travelled down on Wednesday to set up Linzi's stall demonstrating the APQS Lenni longarm quilting machine.

I went to lectures and took classes but most of all I had the whole four days to drink it all in. What a fabulous display of quilts, themed, traditional, art, pieced, wholecloth, hand quilted, machine quilted and longarm quilted.

What a privilege to be able to enter the show floor at 8.30 in the morning and study the quilts before the general public arrived.

I am amazed by the number of people I met and already knew through my blog and the forums, you know who you are, it was great to meet you all!

What a shopping experience too....I am not going to divulge all of my hoard here but there were many bargains to be had!

We attended the fashion show, what a wealth of talent, a spectacular show!

The Tent Makers from Cairo were amazing....the quilters sat cross legged and seemed to make quilts without patterns using huge scissors and sewed so fast, they can make a small quilt all by hand in around ten days...

Tent Maker's Quilts from Cairo

Here is a selection of my favorite quilts from the show....

I may come back later and edit in the names of the quilt makers!

Firstly from my travel companion Linzi.....

'The Hare'......

And 'Celtic Connections'

Winner of Pictoral quilts 'Hot Africa' by Janneke de Vries-Bodzinga

The Rhinoceros by Pam Holland....I attended a wonderful class with Pam....

Look at that eye in close up....all those tiny hexagons...

Ammonoidia by C J Barnes.....amazing, looks like leather but isn't!

Aren't these two handsome fellows?

If you know me then you know I have to include a wholecloth....but this little beauty is only around 8 inches square...honestly! This quilt won the Miniature class and was made by Kumiko Frydl from Texas....Blue like Wedgewood!

Before I knew it was Sunday and time to dismantel the Lenni and pack it back into and onto the Landrover but we stayed on another night.
We had been directed to the most wonderful 'Brummy Curry' House where we ate till we were stuffed on two separate occasions.....I would like to say how impressed I was by all of the local Birmingham people who we met during our trip, they were courteous and friendly, it was a pleasure!

I had a great time, Thanks Linzi!

And the winner is......

2011-08-12T00:44:00.004+01:00

Guess where I am.....Festival of Quilts 2011, Birmingham, UK....the over all winner is 'Octopussy' by Janneke de Vries-Bodzinga from the Netherlands.....so very well deserved! It's beautifully quilted too, I'll try and get a better angled photo in the morning????

I've taken a host of photos today but will post more a little later!

Lauder....

2011-08-07T19:19:00.005+01:00

Lauder is the last of the Border Common Rings held on the first Saturday of August...

It isn't held to commemorate a victory over the English in Battle like many of the other Towns. The Cornet leads his followers round the Marches/boundaries of the Royal Burgh of Lauder with a halt for refreshments at the Waterin Stane and a Toast to Her Majesty. On leaving the Waterin' Stane the cavalcade makes for the Burgess Cairn, the only

surviving cairn, where the Cornet places a stone upon it and on return reports no encroachment on Burgh Land.

Again....here is Kyle with his Dad and Granda....

Following on behind were these three Hunt's Men with ten couples of hounds....not to hunt but to run along side....

Where's Granda???

At the Waterin Stane...looks like whisky.....must be to toast the Queen.!

Flourish!

2011-07-31T21:02:00.003+01:00

In 2010 I took an online class with Adam Chenevert on MQR, Wholecloth Design and Execution...the white quilt here in my blog header and background was my first wholecloth from that class.

I designed three wholecloths at that time and intended to quilt them in order but my number three quilt was insisting to be the second one quilted. I designed this quilt on Easter Sunday 2010 and originally named it Easter Parade, you can read about it in this post.

So, after much planning and deciding that's what I've been up to....Lavender Silk Dupioni on top and a paler lilac for the back, Glide thread in the needle and Bottomline in the bobbin, double batting of Hobbs 80/20 and Quilters Dream Wool.....39 x 39 inches...12 bobbins.... even on a longarm this takes time and patience, 67&1/2 hours including marking and binding but not the design work and printing, (but I am slow, I like to enjoy the experience).

Here it is, 'Flourish'......

Finished size is 39 x 39 inches....

The Back....

With permanently fitted hanging sleeve...

There were three main motifs...

Definitely feathers with a 'Flourish'!

Edited to thank you all for the wonderful comments....I appreciate them all, 'Thank You'!

Off to Langholm...The muckle toon!

2011-07-29T22:15:00.008+01:00

The Langholm Common Riding always takes place on the last Friday in July. It starts at 5am as the flute band parades the town and ends at 9.30pm as the Cornet hands back the flag in front of the town hall.

But we left home at 6.30 with picnic and horses and after a bit of a hicup with horse tack all went well.

One of the features of Langholm Common Riding is the quaint emblems which are carried in the procession:-

The Barley Banock

First there is the Barley Bannock and the salted herring fastened by a large nail - a "twal-penny nail" - to a wooden platter and flourished aloft on a pole. The bannock symbolises certain of the privileges of the Baron under the obligation of thirlage, while the fish may be symbolic of the Baron's right to the fisheries in the Esk or merely of the necessity of having some "kitchen" or relish to go with the decidedly dry fare of the bannock.
Next emblem is the Spade , the very epitome of the Common Riding, used as it is for cutting sods at different points of the Common and for clearing out the pits which originally marked the boundaries on the Common Moss up Whita Hill.

The giant Scottish Thistle and Crown (look close)

Third emblem is a gigantic Scottish thistle, a most picturesque accompaniment. The origin and purpose of the introduction of the thistle is very obscure. Being the national emblem of Scotland, it may have been adopted as such, or possibly on account of its 'jags' as a warning to anyone who contemplated interfering with the Fair.

The fourth emblem is the floral crown. It has no historical significance, and may have been adopted as a symbol of loyalty to the sovereign.

8.45am and the crowds were gathering....

For the riders the highlight was a gallop through this narrow street.... here comes the Langholm Cornet with his Right and Left hand Men.....

And gallop up this steep narrow hill....

Here come Graham and Kyle...

I was taking my life in my hands getting some of these photos...the horses were coming thick and fast in places....

Must get a copy of this photo.....

It looks great in a frame.....

Next time we saw the horses they were coming over the river.....

And onto the race course for a proper gallop...

Kyle had his first try on a race course although they did go steady.... another good day out enjoyed by all.

Decisions... decisions?

2011-07-27T23:20:00.005+01:00

I went with the dark in the middle, I want to call it 'puse', I love that word 'puse'!
That's lavender coloured silk dupioni for the top and a paler silvery lilac for the back.

I marked half of the quilt with a blue pen and then as it was really drying I realised I was struggling to see the marks so swapped out to another darker pen (or six) and did it again ...it took me a whole day to mark with blue pen...next day it was on the frame but under the lights of my Millie I knew that I couldn't see the marks and had to draw in with a purple marker as I went along....bummer.

This is at the end of day one.

Because I used a blue water soluble marker I had to give the quilt a good soak in the bath tub, I didn't want to take any chances of setting the marks so no soap and only clean cold water ...I left it there for about twenty minutes just popping back to agitate a little.

No sqeezing or hanging, you don't want to distort the quilt. I blocked it out right on the carpet in my studio with plenty of towels to catch all the water and plenty of pins to pull it into shape. I left it there for a couple of days.

I was aiming at a nice flat square quilt to hang on the wall.

I know I'm a terrible tease...lol...when it's all bound I'll let you see it!

Not the crown jewels...

2011-07-25T09:29:00.003+01:00

I know, I'm conspicuous by my absence at the moment but I have been busy...a bit of quilting and a bit of piecing....I've nearly got the body of the 'jewel box' pieced...putting in that green border design threw me a bit, geeze I'm easily confused...lol...but I did get the knack eventually! The rows in the bottom half are stitched but the top half is still blocks so there's still a little room to manoeuvre. On to the pieced border next..it will be a big double!

In my next quilt related post I will let you know what I've been quilting, so watch this space.

You could bank on it!

2011-07-17T22:44:00.000+01:00

It was a good guess...twelve bobbins.... but you always knew this would happen.....

For those of you who have missed my quilting...I will be posting about this quilt very soon...promise!

The way we were!

2011-07-13T20:00:00.003+01:00

This is a photograph of a scanned image of a photograph taken at this time of year when there were hay stooks in the fields....I'm guessing about 60 years ago.....that's our white house on the left... looks a bit of a drieke kind of a day but it is an old photograph!

This is the same view taken this evening at 7.30pm...the little stone bothy is gone and there's a new hay shed, a cattle shed on the left, two big sheep sheds on the right and lots more trees for shelter belts...this can be a windy valley....silage bales are in the field these days....

I can't say 'all is safely gathered in' just yet but you have to take advantage of this good weather while you can!

Checking out the neighbours?

2011-07-02T23:26:00.002+01:00

On Saturday we went up to Edinburgh to help our youngest Son move house.....at the new place we had a little difficulty parking...the police were trying to move us on....we had a 4x4 with a trailer attached....we actually had to unhitch the trailer and drive the 4x4 away.....we were lucky to get parked near the new place at all as at the 'round-a-bout' the road was blocked, only cars with VIP passes were allowed through so after we had unloaded all the boxes we had a walk along to see what was going on???

This is the entrance to Holyrood Park....a public park right in the middle of Edinburgh.

It's a beautiful park...the roads are usually closed on a weekend anyway as it's pedestrians only till 6 pm.....

This is the house at the far end of the road, this is one of the entrances to Holyrood Palace, a residence of the Queen.

Today the Queen was presenting the new 'colours' (flags) to the Regiments, the old colours were marched off to the tune of Auld Lang Sine and are retired.

This was one of those days when I wished I had brought my bigger camera for a video...my small camera just doesn't do good videos!

Of course there were some horses, that's the back of the palace in the background....

Bagpipes and ceremonial dress...

Here is the Queen arriving ...see the Royal Ensign on the car, don't know why she came half way through....she didn't have to come far?

Inspecting the troops in an open top....

What happens in your neighbours back yard????

One man's trash is another man's treasure...

2011-06-30T12:27:00.002+01:00

I like a bargain, doesn't everybody?

Well, I came across this cabinet made originally for videos, it was going in the trash as the owner was moving house...so I asked if I could have it.

Voila.....With the addition of a bit of ribbon I can store large 5000 metre cones three deep.

Perfect for thread storage and it was free!

Too Cute!

2011-06-22T21:05:00.005+01:00

Puzzle with her colt foal Pluto.....

For Shannon....

Baxter the proud father of many......

We breed Coloured Gypsy or Irish cobs...with feathers....well you gotta have a link somewhere between quilting and horses...I just love feathers....that's full mane, tail and hair around the hooves....

Saying that both of my riding horses have hogged manes and clipped legs but that's more because they are a different type of horse....

We pick a theme for names.....

Last year was cars so we had names like Jenson, Capri, Cooper, Lotus etc....

Year before was trees...so we had Hazel, Willow, Aspen, Rowan, Juniper etc....

This year my Grandkids chose stars and planets....bit more difficult to choose for colts and filly's but we'll give it a go... so far we have Pluto (Puzzles foal), Hailey, Venus, and Stella...

'Colouring In' for grown ups!

2011-06-15T23:43:00.007+01:00

I was saving these small wholecloth patterns from my lilac cushion for my Granddaughter to colour in ....she soon lost interest....

But I find that a bit of colouring in is very therapeutic....you can do this when watching tv or at times when it's not appropriate to hide away in the quilt cave......it was difficult to colour as this is hard matt photographic paper....

Then I scanned it back into the computer and made it into a faux wholecloth.....

I like to print these out for greetings cards...of course you could also make this from a plain fabric and colour the fabric too.....someday maybe!

Back to Quilting!

2011-06-11T16:51:00.000+01:00

It's been a long while since I did anything to do with quilting....but I did recently take the plunge and design an easy quilt in EQ7....I like simple piecing which will showcase the finished quilting design! I think this is a jewel box or stepping stone design.

Chose my fabrics.....I'm using a layer cake to give a more scrappy look...there is still lots left over for another project.

Even used my 'Go' cutter for the first time proper....

And cut out the body of the quilt......

Then made a start on the piecing.....

I think I may change my mind and go with a darker pink outer border to give a warmer look???

The Mosstroopers Gymkhana.

2011-06-06T09:20:00.001+01:00

As Kyle is now a Junior Mosstrooper, he was invited to take part in the gymkhana...it's just for fun...a few pony games, best turned out and handy pony....

This was Kyles first time at this type of event and he came home with two seconds and a third.....no wonder he is smiling!

The last 'Ride Out'!

2011-06-05T21:49:00.001+01:00

Saturday saw the last 'ride out' of the Hawick Common Riding season...the ride left for Denholm at around 1pm via Hawthornside, Rubislaw and down into Denholm....Fieron and I had a walk over the fields and waited and waited and waited but it was worth it to watch the horses thundering past us at break neck speed.....

There's the 'Cornet' on a grey horse.....

Granda and Kyle....

Kyle and Layla

I decided to ride back into town with Kyle and Robin, it's an easy ride back in, all road work, just a bit of walking and trotting...not too much stress on my joints....here we are leaving Denholm....

Here's the ride coming back into town via Burnfoot....

Back into town at approximately 8pm.

The Big One!

2011-05-30T00:56:00.016+01:00

The Hawick Common-Riding is the first of the Border festivals and celebrates both the capture of an English Flag in 1514 by the youth of Hawick at a place called Hornshole and the ancient custom of riding the marches or boundaries of the common land.

The Cornet for the year is elected at the beginning of May, well in advance of the festival proper, when the Provost's Council, on the recommendation of the two previous Cornets (called the Right and Left-Hand Men) invites a young man to act as Cornet. The Halberdier, accompanied by the Drum and Fife Band, carries an official letter of invitation to the nominated Cornet.

In the weeks preceding the actual Common-Riding, on each Saturday and Tuesday, the Cornet and his supporters are out on their ride-outs in the course of which they visit surrounding villages and farms. Last Tuesday the 'ride out' went to Priesthaugh Farm but the main ride-out, usually two weeks before the Common-Riding weekend, is the twenty-four mile ride to Mosspaul and back. This is a big ride...over rough terrain..up hills, down valleys and through forests out into the Borderland hills where the weather usually does it's worst....the weather forecast was not good and after last weeks drenching it was a tough decision weather to ride or not as the weather at home that morning was a little rough to say the least!

But we got everything ready and made the decision at 10.45 to load up the horses and off we all went...

Here they are ready to go muster at Backdamgate for a 12.00 start......

Here's Kyle and his Granda heading off up The Loan...ten minutes later there was a really rough hailstone storm.....agghhhh!

This is the first gallop of this ride at Pilmuir...can be a bit tricky but luckily there were only two fallers....hopefully no serious injuries....horse riding is a very high risk sport especially when riding small ponies in among these big horses...Kyle is lucky to have the support of his Dad and Granda!

At the Binks....photo by Fieron

Kyle arriving with his Dad at Mosspaul......photo by Fieron

Kyle was lucky to have a hauder (holder) booked for his pony.....

We picked a good place for a snack....

Time to go back to Hawick.....

What a great photo!

This one photograph makes all of the worry worthwhile!

Sorry didn't mean to leave anyone out...flat battery!

Arriving back in Hawick at 8.15 pm...it's been a long hard day...

I'd like to thank everyone for viewing my photos, videos and blog over the past few weeks and for all of the emails and comments...it's great that everyone can share in this momentous occasion.....In previous years I have ridden this and the other Saturday rides.....it isn't always easy and the riders can hit many obstacles along the way..... Kyle has come so far over the past few weeks in his riding ability and confidence....Kyle you are our 'Hero'!

Remember this Doodle?

2011-05-24T22:02:00.009+01:00

I was trying out different marking pens, fabrics, thread types and colours....
This is silk on the top and cotton satteen on the back....a mixture of glide, bottomline and silk threads....

Which turned into this....sixteen inch square wholecloth...some of the teeny tiny feathers were a little too small for a longarm really...but sometimes you just have to try it to find out?

And then I tried a different colour thread.....

I had a practice of some spineless feathers too just because I had some free batting still on the frame.....

When I'm practicing or experimenting I don't frog/unpick any mistakes/variations....I think you loose momentum that way and once your interest is lost then it's lost so I just 'carry on regardless'!

Then, because I can't throw away my test pieces...they turned into this!

Front and Back

I think I like the darker thread although you do need to be more careful to follow your design when using it!

It turn out fowl????

2011-05-22T21:39:00.005+01:00

The first half of Saturday's Ride Out was not too bad.....wind in their faces but on the whole dry weather

Here is the Cornet with his Right and Left Hand Men and the Acting Father just behind.....leaving Hawick at 12.30.

On the way to the next vantage point Fieron and I stopped by to take a photo of Echo and her foal Hailey.

We next saw the horses on the very top of our own hill at The Heights at Alemoor...then on to Philhope Bridge.

It was blustery arriving at Philhope Bridge at 3.30.....Photo by Fieron

But by the time the riders left it was a different matter.

But Kyle kept on smiling!

Arriving back in town at around 8pm ...still raining!

That was a hard ride of around 24 miles...it rained all the way home, less than half of the riders arrived back in Hawick....so well done Kyle!

Following the Cornet!

2011-05-20T10:34:00.008+01:00

The Cornet and his followers rode to Lilliesleaf on Tuesday but Thursday evening was the Junior Ride Out for the Primary School aged children...this will be the last year that Kyle can take part as he goes to High School this year, he was accompanied by his Sister Fieron today who will be able to ride around the park with the Cornet for another three years.....Don't they look smart?

Fieron and Rosie......

As I've said previously....I will be buying these photos from Lesley and then will upload from the CD.

...

Fieron having a bit of a trot....Well done Fi....

The ponies behaved really well and we all got a bit of exercise including Kyle and Layla who are now ready for their next 'ride out' on Saturday!

More Ride Outs!

2011-05-15T15:17:00.016+01:00

So during the lead up to the main day of the Common Riding (in June) there are 'ride outs' on a Tuesday and a Saturday...last Tuesday's ride went to Cosgmill...the horses are riding out to check the town boundaries to make sure everything is in order!

This Saturday's Ride Out was to Roberton....it's was a lovely day although there was a chill in the air at times, during the picnic however, the sun came out and there was a warm breeze.....

An estimated 249 horses leaving the Auld Grey Town....

Taking off on the first gallop... great riding position Kyle!

Here are our three men......right in the middle.....

Arriving at Roberton for the picnic

Family and friends are waiting and there are picnics at nearly every car......

There had been a lot of rain during the week but the horses could still cross the river although they had to choose the right path as there were big boulders under the water...you could count them and let me know how many horses there are.....well you could if you had a moment.....

Kyle crosses somewhere around the seven minute mark....

Part 1.....

Part 2.....

Graham riding my horse Dibbly.....Photo taken by Fieron

Robin riding Bess and Kyle riding Layla....Photo taken by Fieron

Back in town....Kyle had been riding so fast that his hat cover blew off....Well Done Kyle!

Blogger's Quilt Festival....

2011-05-14T00:53:00.002+01:00

Have you ever visited the 'Blogger's Quilt Festival' if not you are in for a treat.....grab yourself a cuppa and settle down for a fantastic show and tell.....

I am entering my most recent quilt....I know many of you have just seen it but life is just a little hectic around here at the moment and I am still in love with this quilt.....well until the next quilt is finished!

Did I say I love this quilt......it's a top that I bought to practice on, when I received it I knew it was special and waited until I felt experienced enough with my new longarm so that I could do the top justice....I live in a cold and draughty farmhouse here in Scotland so I used a double batting I love the dimension that it gives.

This quilt has taken up residence in my guest bedroom!

There are more photos and information in my previous post here

Thank you Amy for generously giving your time to entertain us all again!

If you've got an itch????

2011-05-11T21:16:00.000+01:00

Our Man of the Moment!

2011-05-08T14:03:00.009+01:00

Our Man of the Moment….

Saturday was the first ‘Ride Out' of the Hawick Common Riding Season….it was a momentous occasion for our Grandson Kyle….his first proper ride out, he's eleven years old..….very nerve racking for us adults but everything went very well…Layla, his pony, behave so well and after the first canter on open ground we all started to relax a little….so I’m afraid there will be lots of photos of horses and Kyle for the next five or six weeks as the ride outs progress….

Here they are leaving town at 1.00pm.....Granda, Dad and Kyle.....

The count was 218 horses leaving Hawick.....

Time for a pitstop....it's thirsty work....

Today they rode out to Bonchester Bridge and back..it's about 15 miles in all, Fieron and I were the support crew and photographers, we followed by car....

Here is a video of some of the 'ride' at Hawthornside Hill.....

Back into town safe and sound at 8.15pm
Well Done Kyle...we are so proud of you!

Lady of the Loch???

2011-05-05T21:44:00.001+01:00

Apparently the Lady of the Lake Quilt Block was named after a poem by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1810, Sir Walter also lived in the Scottish Borders.

The pioneer men and women loved the tales of Sir Walter Scott, and the women honored him by naming a patchwork block after the poem.

The Lady of the Lake quilt block appeared shortly after publication of the poem, one showing up in Vermont some time before 1820.

Apparently it is one of the few quilt block patterns that has never been known by other names.

This wonderful quilt top was pieced by Andrea Beck from Flintshire.....when I bought this top I could tell that Andrea had put a lot of thought into the fabrics and the piecing....the fabrics are a wonderful quality, I believe they are 1800's in style which is great as my home was built around 1835....I am very pleased with my choice of fabrics for the two borders.

I have been waiting to quilt this one ...I wanted to be sure that I did it justice....

I didn't know how I was going to quilt this top, my quilting designs usually evolve on the frame...but unusually for me I had no idea what to do in the borders and setting triangles so I stitched in the ditch all the blocks and borders then went straight ahead and quilted the blocks first....I have used this straight line quilting in wholecloths before...it's great for pushing back the background so I used that in all the light coloured triangles which let the darker triangles come forward....curved crosshatching and a feathered swirl with a pebbled spine finished each block.

Next the inner border...I tried to pull something from the body of the quilt...I ghosted the straight line triangles out into the plain border....that left a strange shape in the corner another triangle looked a bit odd but the space was perfect for a feathered swirl....the fabric in the outer border is rather busy so a straight continuous feather finished off the quilting just right!

I'm a cold old fish....I like warm quilts and this one is so special it's a keeper, it's going in the spare room in my drafty old farmhouse....so.....I used a double batting/wadding of Hobbs 80/20 and Quilters Dream wool, I used Filtec glide in the needle and bobbin (28 bobbins)...that straight line quilting is very thread hungry!

I chose a light coloured fabric with a subtle bamboo design for the backing which makes for a reversible quilt that looks light and airy for the summer months....the texture on the back is wonderful too!

Don't you just love those colours?

All of the fabrics used in this quilt are of fantastic quality and with the use of a double batting this makes for a very substantial quilt....I just love it...it looks great in this room with the teracotta coloured carpet too!

Andrea....I think we've made a great quilting partnership with this one!

A Sunday Hack!

2011-05-02T01:05:00.002+01:00

Fieron and Granda are off for a Sunday afternoon hack.....

Look who appeared around the corner..... it's Kyle and his Dad...they are on a training mission of their own!

Fieron stopped to look at this wonderful view.....

It was a great walk for me....well.....who do you think was taking the photos?

Puppy Training!

2011-05-01T01:19:00.000+01:00

My DH trains Sheepdogs....that's His hobby.....

This is Zen....(as in Zentangle)...he is only 4 months old....

He's getting a little education in the lambing sheds.... see how gentle and inquisitive he is!

Then outside in the training ring, he needs to be a little stronger....Zen is just trying to see if he dare ... and he dare stand up to that Scottish Blackfaced Ewe....Zen brings the sheep back to the Shepherd.....that's what he is learning to do!

Zen is going to be a strong Dog for working sheep!

A Durham Quilt???

2011-04-27T00:22:00.007+01:00

I have a quilt that just lies around on my couches in the lounge....I gave it a wash this week, just threw it in the washer like you do.... quilts are pretty tough really, while it was hanging outside on the line the light was just right and the definition of the quilting caught my eye.....I thought you would like to see it!

I bought this quilt ten or so years ago.....it doesn't have a centre medallion, it's hand quilted in bands with a 'double wedding ring' or 'orange peel' type pattern with crosshatching in the middle band and hearts with crosshatching on the outside bands.

This quilt doesn't have a binding, it has what I think is called a turned knife edge where the top and backing are both turned under and stitched together. The front is a pale peach and the back is a golden yellow.

I've heard it said that quilts made in the north of the country are commonly called 'Durham Quilts'...Well, I live very near to the Scottish/English Border but I am a Durham Girl born and bred ....so what do you think....Is this a Durham Quilt?

Update.....Apparently this is a 'Hawick' quilt...the hearts with thistles are distinctive of quilts made in the Hawick area in the 1920's ....isn't that wonderful!

See Pippa's comment below!

Sights and Sounds of Spring!

2011-04-22T10:45:00.002+01:00

The Grandkids have had a geat time over lambing.....the weather on the whole has been very good...that makes a big difference.....

This is Fierons own personal Blue Faced Liecester Ewe and her lambs....

Here is Kyles own Blue Faced Leicester Ewe and lambs...not the best of photos...

It's hard work for farmers.....the best time is when the ewes and lambs are ready to go out into the fields.....

Sights and sound of the countryside!

A little trip!

2011-04-18T12:02:00.009+01:00

I had a little trip down to England last week.....

That's the St. George's Cross and the Cross of St. Andrew known as the Saltire.... the flags of England and Scotland.

Scottish Border View looking north....beautiful.

I was travelling down to County Durham, I stopped here in the County of Northumberland for a break en route... this is a beautiful Roman settlement.

You can double click on any of the photos to zoom in...just click on your back button to come back here....

In the grounds of this church is a wonderful old 'pele tower'!

Friendship Block Swap!

2011-04-14T01:13:00.001+01:00

I received my blocks from the international block swap this week.....now I've got to design a quilt layout...just for friendship stars????

Thanks Guys.....Thanks Shannon !

The big switch on!

2011-04-10T21:12:00.010+01:00

It was time for the big switch on times two!

I had some extra lights and overhead sockets fitted in my studio this week .... the frame from my longarm blocks one of my windows...they are only small windows anyway and don't get the sun till late afternoon so it can be a little dark in there.....

Not now though.....

I didn't want fluorescent strips as the ceiling is low and fluorescents strips can be too stark for me but these low voltage lights are just right!

I still need to sort out some rigging for the overhead power cable...at the moment I have the cable running under my frame and up to the socket above the fabric advance.....it's already out of my feet....that's great as I can trip over my own shadow!

My good friend Kathy at Tamarack Shack sent me photos of her overhead setup and as long as my ceiling is high enough that should be great...just need to collect up some equipment....lol!

Eventually the Postie delivered Linzi's fuses.....Thank You Linzi!
As it was obvious that there was something else other than paper in the envelope....it had to go through the guage that the sorting office uses....and there was an extra 10p delivery charge....well that was OK except that it held up delivery by 5 days and attracted a £1 handling charge....honestly! That's more than the cost of the fuses and they arrived the same day as the fuses that I ordered online just 24 hours earlier!

Next time I need fuses there will be no problem......
As for the second big switch on....well take a look...

It was a bit nerve racking but the stitches looked very good on my trial sample.....I went on to quilt around 12 blocks over the weekend so I think I can now say 'I have timed my longarm'!

Spring Pallette!

2011-04-09T17:41:00.000+01:00

There is nothing that says spring better!

Time on my hands!

2011-04-05T00:20:00.001+01:00

Remember this....

I had some time at the weekend...well I couldn't quilt so....

It's now marked.....this is only a practice piece so is only small....and you know me I like to make something from my practice so it's cushion/pillow size....at the time of writing I'm still waiting for the postie to deliver fuses for my longarm so hope the marks stay for a month or so...it may take that long to get to it! These blue pens usually last a couple of months before they start to fade....there again sometimes they last forever!

Titanium!

2011-04-03T11:15:00.010+01:00

Titanium...nothing new, it's been around since the 1790's when it was first discovered in Cornwall, England of all places, most probably in the tin mines there!

It's found in all living things but principally rocks, water bodies and soils.....titanium can be alloyed with iron, aluminium and other metals to produce strong lightweight alloys for aerospace, the motor industry, orthopedic implants, dental instruments....the list is endless!

The two most useful properties of the metal are corrosion resistance and the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal.......

Why am I interested in titanium????

Well, I wasn't!
I found a supplier in the UK for longarm needles...just like the ones I always use.....that's what I thought....until they arrived......then I realised that these were not my usual needles but titanium coated needles.......after a discussion on one of the forums I frequent I realised that lots of people were very happy with titanium needles....they keep their sharpness longer, they are stronger, so don't break as often.... so that makes them cheaper right?

Sounds great doesn't it....until you break one!

This is the first and last titanium needle I will ever use.....That was friday evening 1st April....some April fools day huh!

Can you see it.....look in close....that needle snapped on the intersection of a quilt block....this is a beautifully pieced quilt...it's not an exceptionally thick corner but maybe 6 thicknesses of fabric....that needle was jammed in there and not going to budge.....it blew the fuse on my machine, it blew two fuses......which probably saved anymore damage as it took a while to really realise what had happened!

I eventually realised that I had to do major surgery on my longarm and remove the hook/bobbin assembly.....I was supported through this by some wonderful assistants on the APQS forum...lol.....

I couldn't remove that needle, my DH couldn't remove the needle, I tried again but had to admit defeat and ask my DS who put the hook in a vice and with one sharp tap released the needle!

Did you ever wonder what your hook/bobbin assembly looks like totally dismantled.....

Now, all joking aside....the hook/bobbin assembly is now put back together and in my machine.....I had to re-time my longarm!!!!
I can't test it out just yet as my good friend Linzi has posted me some new fuses which I expect to arrive tomorow.
Although everything looks and feels OK, I do not anticipate that the following days will go smoothly......I do expect problems and will be ordering a new hook/bobbin assembly which will probably take a week or so to arrive!

If you are thinking about the merits of using titanium needles, think very carefully....a pack of ordianary needles is quite cheap...a new hook/bobbin assembly is not so cheap!

So why did I bother going through this proceedure...when I intend to buy a new hook/bobbin assembly????

Well, there is an up side to this.....I learned sew much about my machine this weekend....I am now not quite so anxious about having to do service on her...we have become better acquainted with each other.....that can only be a good thing!

My longarm is very precious to me!

Out and about on Tuesday!

2011-04-01T00:05:00.004+01:00

I wondered if planning permission would be given on this little old cottage?

Needs a bit of work don't you think!

Then I came across these two handsome Cydesdale Stallions out in the hills......

They were in different fields well separated to keep them from fighting!

The best form of flattery????

2011-03-27T15:29:00.005+01:00

I keep seeing these colour pallete photos on the web so had to have a go.......here are two from my stock photos......

Can you tell I am really chuffed with myself for figuring it out using photoshop!!!

Now got to go do some quilting!

SID!

2011-03-27T00:12:00.001Z

SID....'stitch in the ditch'.....don't you just love it???

Very tedious and time consuming but also a very necessary part of stabilising the quilt!

All done...so now on to the fun part!!!!

Listen!

2011-03-24T23:34:00.000Z

.....and a little camera noise!

First ride of the season!

2011-03-20T00:18:00.001Z

The Grandkids didn't really intend to ride their ponies today just brush and handle them a little but the ponies seemed so calm that a short ride was an added bonus!

Churn Dash Threadpath....

2011-03-18T00:18:00.004Z

I've been asked about the threadpath for the feather block on my Gilded Churn Dash quilt so here goes......

Find the centre of the block using a straight ruler then using a curved ruler stitch out the four lozenges .....

Next in freemotion stitch out the four teardrops using a figure eight configuration.....

You could use a purple air erasable marker to draw diagonal registration lines if necessary......

Freemotion the feathers on one side of the lozenge then circle down inside the lozenge back to the centre......

Freemotion feather up the second side of the lozenge to finish the first quadrant...backtrack to the centre and start the second quadrant.....work your way around the block until all four quadrants are done!

I think you can see the path of the Churn Dash block easy enough then move to the inside of the block to do the continuous curve...it can be done all in one pass without breaking thread...do the three outside curves then the central square last....

Follow black... green .....blue

Voila!

What a difference a day makes!

2011-03-15T18:30:00.003Z

Only 24 hours.......

This is where I live.....

Yesterday......

And then today......

Back to dark, gray, dreik winter days!

A Finish....Gilded Churn Dash!

2011-03-13T14:01:00.008Z

It's not that it was a big quilt or a difficult design....just that at the moment I don't have much time to quilt!

I used Hobbs 80/20 batting and Metro thread top and bottom in navy and a gray/blue.

I stitched in the ditch (SID) the main blocks and then it was freemotion feathers with a small amount of ruler work for the continuous curve in the churn dash blocks.

There's a continuous double spine feather in the border but it's difficult to photograph on the dark fabric.

I marked registration dots in the blue blocks and used a curved ruler for the lozenge shapes and then freemotioned the feathers with no markings...they turned out quite well, just need to work a little on the spacing for the feather fronds to get them more even and consistent.....

I started this quilt to use up that navy gilded fabric...in the end I think the gilded fabric gives the quilt an elegant touch, it's on the back too!

The finished quilt measures 50 x 62 inches an is the perfect size for the back of a sofa.....it doesn't really match the decor of this room but it can stay there for a while!

When you need some elbow room!

2011-03-09T09:30:00.004Z

When I bought my longarm...I was conscious of the fact that the floor in my studio had bouncy well sprung floorboards. So to stop my machine and frame from moving around I cut four of these disks from an off cut of my heavy duty kitchen carpet and installed one upside down (carpet to carpet) under each leg.....

They worked really well, my frame didn't move and there was no vibration at all!

But I did have a problem....when working from the back of the machine as I do occasionally when using a pantograph, I kept banging my elbows on the wall behind, this meant that I couldn't get smooth enough curves (I'm very picky)....I just needed another six inches of space but those carpet disks kept my frame so stable that there was no way I could move it....it weighs a ton!

One solution would have been to install castors designed specially for my frame....but they cost £££'s!

I found another solution that cost me just £2.00 for a pack of four....

I installed one of these sliders under each leg with the plastic side down on the carpet and the foam upwards and now I can slide that very heavy frame in and out bit by bit when I need too to give me those extra six inches that I need to smooth out those curves!!!!!

"Voila"!

Out and about on Tuesday!

2011-03-08T21:50:00.004Z

The sky was just starting to change and then the heavens opened but look at the light on the loch!

Can you see the slits in the stone work for the bows and arrows!

Here's a sneak peak!

2011-03-04T17:16:00.005Z

Just a quick look coz I have to get back to it!

Temptation!

2011-03-02T23:31:00.002Z

Of course you can't go to a quilt show without buying fabric?????

A day out......about time! Part two!

2011-02-27T00:57:00.006Z

Thought I had better explain....it seems like I have a lot of days out but infact most of my 'out and about' feature photos are taken on days when I am working...these three photos of architecture were taken when I was at the Spring Quilt Show on Friday.

Well, the first photo is of the old estate building on the Royal Highland Show Grounds...it's right behind the 'alpine lodge' type building where the quilt show is held....I wonder about the wisdom of the planning department sometimes?

Then this wonderful row of cottages is at this entrance to the Royal Highland Show Ground......

Love this!

A day out......about time! Part One

2011-02-25T21:42:00.008Z

I popped up to Edinburgh (Ingliston to be exact) to the Spring Quilt Show.....

I had to stop when I spotted this carpet of snowdrops.....as far as the eye could see....

As usual at the Spring show....lots of colour, imagination and inspiration......here are few quilts or sections of quilts that caught my eye.....

Don't forget you can zoom in on the photos...click once then click again in the next window....then click the back button to come back here!

Of course there were many more beautiful quilts this is just a small selection...... it was quite difficult to take good photographs as there were so many onlookers to bump into!

Re-use, Recycle, Re-purpose!

2011-02-23T23:27:00.002Z

Friendship!

2011-02-18T20:52:00.007Z

Life has taken over big time these last couple of weeks...no quilting done but I have managed to piece these.....

That's two sets of friendship stars for an international block swap.....that's 60 blocks which will make a twin sized quilt....I think they should be somewhere over the North Atlantic Ocean on there way to Georgia by now to my friend Shannon at Pieceful Quilter who is facilitating the swap, (that's my word of the week, 'facilitate') ......now I just have to wait till April to see what I get back in return.....hmmmmmm!!!!!

I got a Double Whammy or should that be Grammy Award!

2011-02-17T20:07:00.007Z

I have a new friend and blog follower.....Cathy of Cathy Tomm Quilts....Cathy enjoyed her recent visit to my blog so much that she passed on the Liebster Award to me and my blog.....

"Thank You Cathy"

Cathy lives in Alberta, Canada....It is such a shame that Cathy and I live so far apart as we seem to have so much in common.....I am sure we would be very good friends....who knows one day we may meet somehow....somewhere....I'm looking forward to it Cathy!

And then, my good friend Shirley at The World According to Me also gave me the Liebster Award.....wow so much blog love all in one week.....lol....I have followed Shirley's blog for a while, Shirley is like a whirlwind.....she gets through so much work on her longarm in her studio through the day and then does pieceing at home at night too....along with logging and house renovation...makes me tired just reading about it....I'm sure Shirley and I would get along just fine....I would love to go 'thrifting' with you and your Sister Shirley!
Shirley was one of my original nominees so I am sending the Liebster Award right on back to her.....I don't know if that means Shirley has to nominate again....Shirley, guess that's up to you to decide.....but don't sweat the small stuff!

"Thank You Shirley"

The Liebster award is designed to bring recognition to interesting blogs with 300 or less followers....there are so many wonderful blogs out there it's difficult to shortlist three (or should that now be six) that I visit regularly....I visit a huge bunch of blogs...but......drum roll please....... the winners are......

Joan at Leschenault Joan lives in Western Australia and is the most amazing freemotion quilter...on a domestic machine....go take a look at what she can do!

Shirley at The World According to Me ....Shirley is a longarm quilter from The Mark Twain Forest, Missouri with a wonderful view on life...Shirley has so much energy she wears me out....I can't believe how much Shirley can fit into one day!

My friend and American Sister Viki at Fiberobsessive ...It's a long story but Viki and I think that we must be related....Viki lives in Indiana......I am always so inspired by Viki's wonderful quilting....Her designs are always wonderful...I am sure that Viki's customers are so pleased to have her work on their quilts!

For a world of colour, inspiration and encouragement go take a visit to Shannon or Doodlebug as she is affectionately known....Shannon lives near Atlanta Georgia and is another wonderful longarm quilter from the US (all freemotion)...even when she is in a slump (as she calls it) Shannon can't fail to make me laugh!

My good friend Janette at J-Quilts is doing some wonderful work on her longarm here in the UK and has just started her blog and her own business quilting for others....Now I have to say that Janette is the odd one out because Janette and I have met, in real life we live about 3/4 hours apart but we email each other most days and offer each other help, advice and encouragement on all things quilty! Thank you Janette for being my penpal too!

We are all so fortunate to live in this age where the world really IS a small place….we are all so interwoven and connected by our various threads…pun definately intended!

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T18:55:00.004Z

Happy Valentines day to all my blogging friends!

I had intended to quilt a feathered heart and may still get it done later in the week but for now.....

Front and back views of a wallhanging which hangs over my Granddaughters Bed....quilted pre-longarm on my Mega Quilter and Inspira frame in 2010!