FQR Goodies and UFOs

So, some of you were nice enough to be curious about my FQR classes and shopping.  Those who are FQRed out can skip this post with my blessing - I know there's a lot of FQR rumbling about this here blogisphere!

I will be brief, if such a thing is possible for me.  Okay, so I tried to be brief and it just wasn't happening.  Hope you won't be too bored with more of my ramblings!!

On Friday afternoon I went to John's embroidery workshop and was ever so grateful for the air-conditioned seminar room!  Needless to say, amid the chatter there wasn't a huge amount of stitching done, but I did make a start on a pattern I had brought with me (available as a free pdf download from nanaCompany).  

I even tried a wee bit of (slow) stem stitch which was new for me.  Nice workshop = UFO no 1.

Lynne's Touchdraw table top session was really informative given that prior to the weekend the only thing I could manage on touchdraw was to draw a square and I'm not even sure how I did that!  So, with great  patience for the numpty at the table (me)  I did manage to draft a churn dash quilt

and had a go at making a paper template pieces (less successfully)

I suspect Touchdraw just needs a lot of practice and then it will finally click with me and actually be one of those things you can do quite quickly.  But maybe not today, nor tomorrow ....

UFO nos 2 and 3 (I'm not counting that unfinished touchdraw drawing - ahem) came from Lucy's portholes class.

This was lots of fun, though I am a wee bit frustrated by my wrinkly circular porthole.  Still, I foresee two cushions from these lovelies (with some gentle persuasion of the wrinkles) when I ever get the time.

Probably the least impressive of my unfinished items coming home from FQR (yes, that's 4 UFOs from 1 weekend!) is my needleturn applique block.

I had to put Mandy's illustration in the photo so you could see what I was supposed to be doing.  I have all sorts of excuses for this one.  1) It was Sunday and I was only just about awake at 9am! 2) I did a lot of hanging about for an iron because those at the cathedral windows class were pressing their little lives away, bless them!  3) It was only an hour and a half session, and most of all 4) when I had a spare hour after my session I didn't continue with the applique as planned, but allowed myself to get distracted by a hop over to the V&A Museum shop!  Oops!!

I did like learning this technique and would love to pick this up again and have a go at finishing it.  I need to learn to make that bias strip curve!

As well as the classes, of course, there were freebies to be had and I even won a book in the raffle draw

All for free!

Lots of lovelies from the generous sponsors and a few goodies from Emily too!

And, of course, in spite of my best intentions, I did succumb to the temptations of quilt market wares.

Fab reds from Eternal Maker.

Key fobs from Hadley.

Random pretties from Tikki, London.

and

Liberty Blues from Di - v generous fqs!

So, that was it.  Great classes, fun shopping and brilliant friends!  Do I need to do more to persuade you to go sometime?

And, just to round of all this FQR news, I'm showing you where my name tag (liberty hexies) is now proudly on display on my sewing room notice board.  It's much too fab to get chucked away in a drawer!  Thanks again Justine (who by the way is just the nicest person, with a fab laugh)!!

Phew!  If you hung in there, pat yourself on the back and go get a cup of tea, or a medicinal brandy!

Not all plain sailing

Finished up my wonky star cushion from class this week -

The design for the cushion is to have a positive side and a negative side which works really well for the fabrics I chose for this one.  I love the splash of turquoise among the charcoal and white, and the postmark stamp fabrics is really fun without being too childishly novelty.

I used a lovely turquoise thread to outline quilt the star - works a treat against the charcoal.

The real challenge for me in this class (aside from trying to achieve wonk with a brain that likes straight!) was inserting an invisible zip.

Now I know I've had a go at zips before - in cushions and in pouches, but if I'm honest it's all a bit hit and miss with me and the zip.  My efforts for the Mouthy Stitches Swap earlier this year were reasonably successful, but something seems to happen when I try to get the needle close to the zip teeth and keep running straight along the bulk of the fabric and wadding layers.

The insertion of this zip was not fun, entirely user error, of course, but not fun!  If you could see closer up you would see two or three lines of unpicked stitches on that charcoal Kona.  Other than that it looks okay from this distance now, but it really could have and should have been better.   The pattern instructions were great and the class demonstration made it all look so straightforward but, me and my zip foot have issues - we may need some therapy to work them through!  It almost feels like I should use the quilting foot to keep it all feeding nice and evenly through the machine, rather than the zip foot itself.  Hmmm, need to figure this one out ...

In the meantime, I do have a lovely finished cushion and I don't expect the invisible zip police to be inspecting often!



PS - If you're at all interested in the pattern for this cushion it is available on the Just Jude Etsy shop (and be assured the zip issues are all mine not the fault of the pattern).

New Things

Two new things for you tonight ...

First up is my new class project - charcoal and white wonky stars for a boy cushion.

I'll be adding in a splash of this turquoise too.

It's been a great excuse to cut into the postmarks fabric which I LOVE.

I've not been able to go to classes for a while and it was so much fun to be back among friends, stitching up a storm and maybe having a giggle or two as well!

And, being back at class brings me to the second new thing I have to share.

Click here

Fiona, who I met at class in January, is discovering or perhaps re-discovering her love of stitching and has taken to class like a duck to water.  It was the beginning of the slippery slope (you all know what I mean, admit it) and now she's stitching away, nurturing a seedling addiction to fabrics AND she has started her own blog.  Please, please pop over and visit her at Sew Fi as she settles in and finds her blogging feet and voice!  Last weekend she bought fabric and made a quilt all in a day!  The girl's got it bad (in the best possible way), I tell you.  Go visit and leave her an wee word of encouragement - you know how much that means to all of us.

Hope you are all getting a fair share of the glorious sunshine.  Have a fun weekend!