Simplicity and mending (with tips for iron on patches)
I'm continuing to work on my Merrow Croft quilt. I keep thinking I've not got far to go but hand sewing is a slow, slow process! I'm working on my last border of back basted, applique blocks.
It's such a satisfying process, if you've not tried back basting applique I recommend doing so. There are some good tutorials on YouTube to show you how.
Hand piecing and hand applique are definitely two of my favourite techniques. The simplicity of just using fabric and thread is so lovely.
Then some mending was required. My middle loves skateboarding, which plays havoc on fabric when you carry your board grip tape facing you!! So these jeans now had a hole and some rips on the seam caused by the friction of the board.
I was going to do a fabric patch but then she remembered we had these cute little cat patches. She chose the gold cat and I pulled out some perle cotton to match.
Tips for iron-on patches
If the fabric has a hole, use a piece of iron on stabiliser behind it. This helps give it something more to grip to and it feels better from the inside.
Once ironed in place, I like to stitch around the edge with a ladder stitch to make it really secure. I try to catch just the edge of the patch and match my thread to the fabric of whatever I'm mending.
For the ripped seams I just sewed over them with the perle cotton to hopefully make it a bit more robust. It's kind of messy and scrappy looking, but she likes it!
Yes, I'm that lazy that I did a running stitch between sections that needed mending. It's a design detail, adding to the home repair vibe.
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It would be terrible of me not to chronicle that in May this year, I was graced by the presence of my beautiful friend Hydee. She visited Manchester as part of a trip and we enjoyed a delicious meal and wonderful evening together, talking well into the night. Through the connection of quilting and blogging, I am truly blessed to have this friendship, her wisdom has had a huge impact on my life and that of my family.
If you haven't already, run and visit her inspiring blog Splish, Splash, Stash or visit her on instagram @hydeeannsews.
I've been here quietly stitching. I'm currently going through photos so I can share my makes in upcoming posts. There are a few abandoned blog posts hanging out in my drafts, things may get oddly out of sync but it'd be sad not to publish them.
It's taken me some time to get used to my (now not so) new position and I just needed a bit of a break and time to refocus. I'm doing an apprenticeship through work and I have lots to juggle, like many of you I'm sure. If you're reading this, thanks for sticking around!
More makes and quilts to follow...
Good intentions and Good morning!
Cross stitch has been taking over as my favourite pastime recently. To be fair it's probably half and half with quilting, though I find I'm drawn to the meditative following of charts and making cross stitches after a day of work.
I purchased a few patterns this year and I'm working my way through them. The first one I completed is Good Intentions by Kathy Barrick. Its a lovely design and the sentiment is just so true of me.
I made a few adjustments to the pattern and changed the colours slightly. The colours are a similar palette to the original but was using what I had and substituted the black for a dark navy blue. I stitched a 3 on the hoop she's holding, 3 is the magic number and the number of kids I have.
There's a few single threads used in the pattern and the trickiest part for me was the detail in the face, though I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
I like the little motifs too, the 'star' shapes very much remind me of patchwork.
Sunshine and Shadow: Manx log cabin coverlet
It would be nice to write about all the things I made this year before the end of the year is up!
One of the makes I'm most proud of, I finished in early autumn and it had been a while in the making. I started making this coverlet when Jenni Smith taught the Manx log cabin technique at Stitch Gathering in 2019.
This traditional technique involves measuring and ripping fabric strips by hand, folding and sewing the blocks by hand and sewing them together front and then back. I made all the blocks by hand, sewed the fronts together on the machine and then hand sewed the back of the blocks.
My previous posts detail the process and my decisions a little more. I used fabric, mostly scraps, from my stash for the blocks. The centre squares are metallic Essex linen. A lot of the backing fabrics were bought for this coverlet though because I wanted to use woven fabrics, there's some shot cotton and lots of gorgeous Robert Kaufman Fabrics - yarn dyed, herringbone and gingham.
I did think about doing a normal quilt binding, I wasn't sure I could be bothered with the traditional butted edge. I guess this is like a knife-edge but there's no sewing around the edges or trimming of wadding required like there is with a quilt, so technically I don't know what it's really called. Anyway, I did decide to finish it by hand the traditional way. I turned the edges under 1/4" and did a ladder stitch closure.
The whole thing is far from perfect and, to me, that's what makes it so absolutely wonderful. It's not about being precise, it's so personal and handmade.
I arranged the blocks in a traditional Sunshine and Shadow layout. There's no doubt that I will make another Manx log cabin at some point, next time with a different layout. I love this though. The pink, mint and navy are quite dramatic and give it a modern look.
Big thanks to my youngest for being such a good helper with these shots!
Here's the back. You can see how the light shine though the centres of the block, where there's just two layers of fabric.
A close up of the quilt label I made last year. I did try to make the 1 into a 2 but it didn't really work! That'll teach me for counting my chickens before the coverlet is hatched!
Pretty pictures of it draped on the tree, just because.
The texture is what makes this so different and special. It's still warm like a quilt but so light. It's tactile in such a lovely way and this is my favourite make to date.
It's funny that I'm writing this as I sit in the living room where I spent so much time with my Nan, given my last post. I'm currently visiting my Dad and since I can't go to sleep before around midnight, I thought I'd stay up and try to catch up on writing about things I've made this year. There's a few more posts I'm hoping to cram in before 2023, stay tuned!
my Nan
This blog post is wholeheartedly selfish, I am writing it because I need to. My blog has documented so many life events and I can't miss this one out. It's taken me many months, adding bits here and there so if it reads like that, well, it will. The whole time I am typing I am sobbing, this post may be triggering - if you are grieving right now, you have my full empathy and it might be best to skip this one. Then again maybe we all share grief. This may be cathartic to some of you, I don't know. I feel like that's a warning of what is to come. Some of you may think this is oversharing. Please allow me this space, it's my creation and this is part of my processing.
This is a tribute to my Nan. Sadly she passed away in April 2020 at the amazing age of 101.
The first ever quilt I made, I gave to my Nan - so she was also mentioned in my first ever blog post. I talked about her when I was on TV, I talk about her to everyone all the time! She grouped together with my Dad and they bought me my current (amazing) sewing machine. I have things that belonged to her all around the house, many of her sewing supplies too and SO many things remind me of her. I get that feeling that I need to call her and share something with her all. the. time.
She was also a firm believer in science and technology - "they can do amazing things Lucy, just think what they can discover in the future!". She would always read in detail about the latest inventions or progressions in health care. And she was smart enough to be sceptical of fads or sensational news. She told me to eat real food, "Watch," she said, "they tell you margarine is good for you but one day they'll turn around and say it's not and that we should eat butter". YEARS ago she told me that and, it's happening!
Crows cross stitch: a wedding gift
I recently gave this cross stitch to my friends, in celebration of their wedding earlier this year. As soon as I saw this pattern I knew it would make a perfect gift. The design is based on a New York subway tile. I like the Charles Rennie Mackintosh vibe, both in style and colour and thought they'd like too. A quick google tells me the design is actually an interpretation of a book cover by Talwin Morris.
My friends also happen to have a love of birds - well I already knew the groom did but happily have since discovered they both do. He's been my friend since primary school, for as long as I can remember, and I wanted to make them something special.
It was such a fabulous wedding, me and my family camped in a bell tent! It was laid back, awesome fun and we couldn't be happier for such a lovely couple.
The first stitches were made in February 2021. The fabric is 18 count Zweigart Aida in Willow.
I didn't use the DMC colour chart from the pattern and instead picked similar Aurifloss colours. I did refer to this conversion chart, though if memory serves I deviated slightly.
I used Aurifloss in 2692 Black, 2021 Natural White, 1114 Grass Green, 5023 Medium Green and 2320 Light Toast.
Since it was a wedding gift, I wanted to personalise the design with names or a date. My first idea was to add their names towards the bottom, I went off the idea because it could have ended up being too busy and distracting. I then decided just to add the date of their wedding, which handily would serve as a good reminder for anniversaries!
It was my husband who suggested adding it in to the border at the top. Genius. It was perfect, like the birds were singing the date.
Granny Square finish
Finally a fully finished object! I got my Granny Square SAL finished and framed it in this quite dramatic frame.
I loved choosing the colours for this, picking out my favourites and calmly stitching along. One square a week was a relaxed pace.
I would have happily kept on stitching these squares, it's quite addictive and a really big piece full of granny squares would look amazing. Maybe one day.
With other projects to get back to though (and oops maybe start!), I stuck to four. Also I liked the idea of keeping it small within a bigger frame.
In my search for frames, I happened upon this black and gold frame from photo frames & art on Etsy. I got the 8 x 8" frame with mount, which is for a 4 x 4" photo. They have so many great frames and a lovely range of sizes. It was a reasonable price and came really nicely packaged. Highly recommend, they are a family run business and the frames are made in the UK.
Currently this piece is sitting on a ledge, as the frame has a stand, but it also has a hook so it will get hung on the wall eventually. I can't be expected to get pieces both framed and hung surely?!
The Granny Square Cross Stitch pattern is free, you can download it from Fat Quarter Shop.
Have a fabulous weekend and don't forget to join in with the #SaturdayNightCraftAlong over on Instagram!
Sunday Stash: a bit of everything
I've been enjoying a return to what started as my 100 day project, hand piecing my Merrow Croft quilt (pattern by Margaret Mew). If you haven't done any hand piecing before, I have a how-to with lots of tips in my hand piecing tutorial. Using some of my treasured hand printed fabrics by Karen Lewis and Lucy Engels, I'm enjoying the neutral cool vibe of these pieces.
So I'm using up my stash but I'm also adding to it...
Granny square stitch along
Sew alongs and stitch alongs are always great fun! I enjoy seeing people make a pattern their own or even if they follow the pattern exactly, it's nice knowing you're creating something with others and it helps keep you on track for a finish.
The most recent ones I've joined in with were a year long but the Fat Quarter Shop is doing a summer Great Granny Squared-Along that is cute and simple. With patterns designed by Lori Holt, you can make a quilt, crochet or cross stitch piece. There's something for everyone and they make for good scrap busting projects too!
The Granny Square Cross Stitch pattern is free, you can download it from Fat Quarter Shop.
The pattern lists the colours for DMC and Aurifloss colours. I'm using what I have and picked out a selection of Aurifloss in colours that I love. I grouped them into 4 and sort of planned which colours to use where, though I might change up the positions. Kind of random but I like them all so it should work out.
Here's my first granny square stitched up:
From the centre, Aurifloss in 2435 Peachy Pink, 6728 Cinnabar, 2880 Pale Green and 6722 Sea Biscuit.
And I just finished my second square:
From the centre, Aurifloss in 6723 Fairy Floss, 2930 Golden Toast, 4020 Fuchsia and 2606 Mist.
I'm stitching on 32ct Linen in Natural by Zweigart, using two strands of floss over two. I know linen isn't everyone's favourite (I'm looking at you Kimberly!) but I really like doing 2 over 2. For as long as my eyes can take it, I will keep stitching on linen. I do use Aida too, I recently finished a project on Aida that I will share soon! That's one of the great things about cross stitch, you can use whatever count or type of fabric you like. It may come out smaller or larger but that doesn't ever concern me. I have to admit, I haven't been sewing quite as much but I know I will switch things up and return to my quilty projects when the mood strikes.
I'm super content when I'm cross stitching, focused but chilled. If you haven't ever given it a go, this is a great pattern to start you off! Download the free pattern and join the SAL!
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