December 2022 / CHARM ABOUT YOU

Good intentions and Good morning!

30 December 2022

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.

Good Intentions by Kathy Barrick cross stitch, words read I myself am made entirely of flaws stitched together with good intentions, a lady holding an embroidery hoop and needle. There are scissor and star motifs and stacks of thread spools.

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.

Good Intentions by Kathy Barrick cross stitch, a lady holding an embroidery hoop and needle. There are scissor and star motifs and stacks of thread spools.

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.

Good intentions by Kathy Burke, close up of the lady holding an embroidery hoop and threaded needle

I like the little motifs too, the 'star' shapes very much remind me of patchwork.

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Sunshine and Shadow: Manx log cabin coverlet

27 December 2022

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.

Manx log cabin blocks, showing front and back

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!

Girl holding quilt sitting on branch of a tree

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.

Folded Manx log cabin draped on tree branch

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.

Close up of Manx log cabin blocks, you can see the folds of the fabric strips

I really hope this one is treasured and my family keeps it long after I'm gone. Knowing my house though, I'll have to make another one because this one will get worn out; being loved and used, as it should be.

Manx log cabin being held up in a park with big logs in front of it

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!

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