Repro fabrics...

Anna sends me quilts in the post from Lancashire, she often phones to see if they have arrived, once quilted I ship them back using Parcelforce 48, it's amazing that very often the quilts are back in her hands within 24 hours of me shipping them but always within 48 hours. It's not an expensive service especially if you consider other opions, like driving to my home, bus or train journeys, they all have a cost.

These two quilts went home to Anna this past week. I love the simplicity of the hearts quilt, I quilted different feather variations in each heart with a khaki coloured thread in the hearts and cream thread in the background, all free hand hand guide by me!

 I think that this quilt is to be a gift, more repro fabrics, I used continuous curves, feathers and a little ruler work using my good friend Linda and Jamie's longarm rulers.

In the borders I quilted feather swags and beadboard. I can't wait to see what Anna sends me next.

Sexy Hexies

Isn't this a beauty, it's bright, it's fun, it's all hand pieced and then appliqued onto a purple border fabric. Often the quilt and fabrics speaks for themselves, there is little that needs to be done on my part. I said that tongue in cheek, I used continuous curves outlining every hexagon and quilted a flower in the centre of each of the central rosettes using Metro Khaki Sand thread. It did take a while, but once you get into a rhythm, it's surprising how the time passes especially if you have some soothing music in the background. I did simple beadboard in matching thread in the border.

It's such a shame that Marion wouldn't let me keep it, she wanted it back, can't understand why, I could have given it a home!

Here is Marion hugging her quilt, she wouldn't let me keep it!

Weather, horse, quilts

It's still very depressing weather here in the UK, especially Scotland, it's never stopped raining but we did see the sun for a little while on Wednesday. Our old farmhouse is taken a battering from the storms, the water is starting to seep into her old bones, slates are lying in the gutters up on the roof and after only 200 years a glass has broken in one of the loft skylights. We were reminded last week of how fragile life can be but also how lucky some are to walk away unscathed but sore from what could have been a fatal accident. The rain can continue to seep in for a while, my family is more precious than this old farmhouse.

Spring must be just around the corner though as today was our annual scanning of the in-by sheep, once they are shed off into there lots of barren, single, twins and triplets they will be housed in the sheep sheds until lambing time in April. I bet those sheep are so pleased to be inside after the atrocious weather.

We had a new arrival on the farm this week too, we saw her advertised on Tuesday, Kyle and his Granddad went to see and ride her on Wednesday then brought her home on Friday, very quick but bought from a friend, so hopefully all will be well.  This is Flora or Flo, a 16hh hunter type sports horse, Kyles new ride, it was a rather blustery day so the photos aren't great, many more will follow I'm sure.


I had a few quilts go home last week, here are a few done with edge to edge or pantograph quilting.
The first was pieced by a lady in who is 96 years old, it's Dresden blades from a jelly roll pieced in strips, she made a very good job of matching the colours across the quilt. Her only suggestion was that her dear daughter loves daisies, so 'Daisies' it was.

It looks wonderful doesn't it?

Anne made this lovley Chinese Coins type quilt in autumn colours, we chose a Chocolate leaves pantograph, it showed wonderful texture from the polyester wadding.

Pam also chose Chocolate leaves for this scrappy jelly roll quilt, I chose to use Metro thread in Khaki Sand, it was a good choice.

Here are a few of the quilts that went home before Christmas....

This is such a lovely quilt made for a young lady going off to University, and it's all made from fabric from the families pyjamas, isn't it such a lovely quilt to treasure when you are away from home, quilted with a surf pantograph.

Another quilted with Chocolate Leaves, it's a very popular panto, it made a lovely quilt....

This last one was destined as a Christmas gift for Kevin's Mum at Fabric Focus in Edinburgh, it's a lovely log cabin design, with a swirly pantograph or edge to edge quilt  design.

That's it, I am caught up with photos, if any were missed I'm sorry but I think it is time to move on to this year, it is February after all....