the last bonus FNwF,

again back at Cheryll's, who always manages to get some of us together, thank you for that, Cheryll!

So, here we are, another week and we will be officially in summer. Spring is usually my favourite time of year, but this year we have missed out on so much of it, although we watched the small steps in the tiny space of our back garden, but no open fields or woods, where we would normally enjoy the arrival of spring...something to look forward to next year........

There was a point during the last few weeks when my brain needed to focus on something totally new, to move forward.

When I came across "Manor House" quilt by Dawn Heese, it seemed just 

like the right project to get into. The original pattern was designed for wool applique, but I much prefer to work with fabrics.

I am not overly keen on dark fabrics, but here it works so well, and not being able to visit a real shop, I spent some time online trying to find the one for the background, one which would work for me - and here it is - from "Winter Garden" range by Lewis & Irene.

At first glance it looks like the whole main part of the quilt is made in one piece, but actually there are 4 very wide parts, joined together.

I started to work on part 3, the actual Manor House, as this is probably the most important section,

and also it is a while since I stitched an applique house and I was looking forward to doing it.

For the main part of the house I used one of Moda Grunge fabrics, which has that nice "aged" look, and another one for the roofs.

So, that was my project for Friday night, 

 to finish this part.

I am using some fabrics, which I would not normally consider as being "me", but I am trying to go with the spirit of the quilt, and I think they work well.

At last we have been having some decent rain during the last few days, which the garden is just lapping up, and everything is looking much fresher, and also the water buts have been replenished.

I wish you a very good week, and be careful out there, it is not over yet!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2020

FNwF - circle play

Once again big "thank you" to Cheryll for getting us together for little crafting. 

Where do the months go?

I am just about to start on loads of very small log cabin blocks for the Grandmother's Garden quilt, which of course is time consuming and it means spending time at the sewing machine.

So, to offset that with something very easy (and to have something to do while watching TV), I have been deciding on a very simple project, using only fabrics from my stash - just playing really.

The bottom fabric in the picture is traditional Czech hand dyed "modrotisk" (blue print) fabric, which I have several meters of, including other designs.

I used to bring it back from my trips home, long before my quilt making days. It is very similar to Hungarian Kekfesto fabric, and not unlike African Shwe Shwe indigo fabrics .

As it happens I also found blue on white fabrics, which go very well with the main blue one. 

My plan (if I can call it that) is just to play with circles in various colours, and again I have been rummaging through my stash for suitable colours.

This is a rough idea  of what I want to do.

I  randomly joined together blue and white blocks, and started to make colour circles. I have enough blue print fabric for the back as well, but I don't plan to make this into a quilt as such, but a coverlet without wadding, and join the front and back with large Kantha type stitches. 

So this is where I got to on Friday night.

To make circles, I am using old Christmas cards for templates; 

I spray some starch into a little pot with a lid, so it doesn't dry out. 

I brush little of the starch around the edge on the wrong side,

          

press and when dry, remove the template.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2020

blue pots

As I mentioned in one of my previous post,
I have been planning my new quilt project - my own design.

This is  "work in progress" on the first block.

I am calling this quilt "Blue Pots" (a working title, for now anyway), because the plan is to make 4 blocks with the same blue pot.

I am using both needle turn and raw edge applique (some of the leaves are very small, 

too fiddly to needleturn).

 On Saturday morning I made a quick trip to Midsomer Quilting
(before the snow came - they are right on the edge of Chilcompton and it could had been a problem getting back up the hill once the snow was down).

I wanted some new fabrics for this block. 

The nice people at Midsomer Quilting will cut min 10 cm of any fabric,
which is all I need for small applique.

This as far as I have got so far, using the new fabrics.

The blue fabric is "Hungarian Blue Print" from my stash;
I have several of these in various designs.
I bought them from Kekfesto Cotton some time ago,
and they gave me the idea for "blue pots".
The background fabric is a rather non de-script grey/green, hard to photograph.

Although we had some more snow during the night, today is much warmer and most of it has gone already. 

Lets hope that was the last of it! 

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2018

I found it!

My new applique project, that's what I am talking about 😀

I mentioned in my last post that I miss having a needleturn applique project,

and I have been browsing the internet for some ideas;
so many great designs out there, so hard to choose.

But I did not need to look very far - there is a book on my bookshelf, which I have picked up (and put down again) many times. 

This time I did not put it back on the shelf, because this is just what I have been looking for.

Irene Blanck's book is full of beautiful designs and the only problem is - 

which one to choose?

In the end I decided on "Gardenhurst", so this is my new applique quilt for this year.

Little too much beige and brown for my taste, but I love the design!
This is what happens in my room at the start of any new project - fabrics pulled out from my stash to see what can be used for the new quilt, what goes with what.

Needless to say that a shopping trip was needed, 

so I popped over to my favourite quilting shop  Midsomer Quilting in Chilcompton and came home with some possibles. 

(By the way, the nice people at Midsomer Quilting have asked to spread the word that the new shop is up and running. Apparently some people had the impression that they closed the previous shop at the Chilcompton Garden Centre to concentrate on their on-line business only.   

Both the shop at the new premises at the Manor Farm in Chilcompton, and their new online shop are up and running!)

 In the end I decided on mainly pale greys and yellows for the background,

and here is the start of the first block!

 I traced the pattern onto the fabric using my new LED light pad
( Christmas present, which I did ask Father Christmas for 😉).
It is a very handy A3 size, just the right size for the desk top.

For marking the fabric I am now using Sewline marker or the pencil, 

which both come with an erasers. 

I find them so easy to use and wipe of.

(I did try in the past to use Frixon erasable pens, and at the time it looked like a good idea, but since then the makers of the Frixon pens did say again that they are made to be used on the paper, not on the fabric,

and I did read about instances where it did seemed to work very well on a fabric, only for the marks to come back again much later, after the quilt was finished.

How upsetting!) 

I am looking forward to this!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2018

Very little stitching was going on here, for more then one reason.

For the second week the weather is not "summer weather"; not only wet, but cold too. Some nights I wish we had our winter quilt back on our bed.

Our garden is very lush, but we have not been able to spend much time out there 😒.

And then there are other things which get in the way;
a routine breast cancer screening, a two weeks wait for the result, only to get a letter asking to come for a follow up screening. Oh dear, not again....

Another week gone before an appointment at the hospital - it is all that waiting .... I am sure that some of you know exactly what I am talking about. Another x-ray and ultrasound (thankfully no biopsy this time) - and given "all clear", hurrah!

I find it difficult to be "creative" when I am worried; I tried to read, but I found myself just browsing through my bookshelves. But the hands wanted to do SOMETHING.

An idea for a wall hanging in one the my books - the central panel is made out of green hexies; 

EPP - I can do that without too much thinking.

I was determined to use only my stash for this project, but when I finished the central panel, I realized that I haven't got a suitable large piece of fabric for the background.
Oh no, I had to go shopping! 😉

Luckily the wonderful one stop Midsomer Quilting shop is little under 10 miles from me, and always such pleasure to visit. Not only they pride themselves on having more then 3,000 fabrics in stock, but you can also help yourself to coffee (or tea, or whatever) and sit down and have a chat with fellow quilters (if you find the time, with all those fabrics around).

They are working on their on-line shopping website at the moment, 

but they promise to stay a friendly shop as well.

Well, it is never just that one piece of fabric, is it?😊 

But the rest should tie in as well.

I also made a nice cake for my DD's birthday recently, 

a new recipe for me, Persian Love Cake, from Yasmin Khan's "The Saffron Tales".

It is made with lots of almonds, cardamom, lemon juice and rose water. 

It is beautifully moist and keeps well (I made it a couple days ahead), decorated with lemon icing, pistachio nuts and dry rose petals (from our roses).

I will definitively make it again!

In between the rain we managed to finish the new raised flower bed.

Before it got too wet, I harvested some lavender from our front garden, and it is now drying in the summer house.

This lot should keep me in lavender bags this winter 😊.

 Just as well, because the rest of the lavender is now too wet to cut and has gone over.

I think that's all for now; 

I managed to catch up here and I will come to have a look what you are up to!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2017

given in to temptation,

again!

Well, I blame the beautiful designs and fabrics around us :-)

I have been doing a lot of hand stitching recently, mainly applique. I need a break, I want to play with my sewing machine for a while, make most of my tidy room, while it lasts!

So when I saw "Cool Flying Geese" quilt design in the new Simply Moderne magazine by Quiltmania, I just could not resist.

The main part of the quilt is made up of thirty sets of four large flying geese blocks. I love flying geese, I am glad I have found such a simple, but stunning design.

Most of the fabrics used are by Kaffe Fassett and I am sticking with it, I love them; plus some others to complement.

This is first six sets of flying geese, in no particular order.

They are quick and easy to do, just what I need at the moment.

I wish you all a busy stitching week!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2015

postal avalanche

You know how there are weeks when the postman just doesn't bring anything interesting? And then it happens all at once!

Well this was the week when it all happened......

Valdani threads first. 

I have never used them before, they are not readily available in local shops. Much more expensive then DMC for instance, so I want to know if they really are so much better.

I am new to shopping on Etsy, but I was browsing Internet for a hanging plant pot for our new kitchen (when we'll have a new kitchen - girl has to plan ahead, small details are so important) and came across this lovely pot on Piece of Clay website. 

It arrived this week - from Holland. It will have to wait until summer to perform its function, but I already know exactly where it will hang.

Another Etsy purchase, Landscape Sky fabric, from a fellow blogger Deborah and Quilt Routes.

Just beautiful! 

I hope the camera picked up the gold shimmer here.

This is the BIG one, all the way from Australia:

my prize from Barbara's giveaway on her blog  Theodora Cleave .

How generous is this? What a selection. I am so chuffed! 

Thank you Barbara!

I was having my breakfast this  morning, when the postman brought this.

So I made a fresh pot of coffee and lost myself in the world of cakes, tarts and biscuits, many made with seasonal fresh fruit, and with sugar very often substituted by maple syrup or honey. With beautiful photographs, I could smell the cakes by just reading the ingredients! 

Pure bliss! 

We have been having a wonderful week of sunshine. Although much colder today than the rest of the week, we still have a beautiful bright day. Our little garden is really waking up now.

I am very pleased how well the young olive tree (in the black and green pot) survived the winter.

The new plum tree, planted in the autumn, is covered in blossom.

Freshly planted herb bed by the kitchen door;

and DH's rock garden is also slowly filling up.

The garden bench is waiting......

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2015