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).

Welcome Progress

I didn't make it to therapy class this week so I've been playing catch up at home so as not to fall behind with my Welcome banner.  Having happily cut and stuck all the wee pieces in place last week, this week it was time to put all the sketching practice to work.

So it was in with the bright contrasting threads, down with the feed dogs, deep breath in and time to get sketchy around those letters and bunting.

Was very difficult to get a decent photo but hopefully you get the idea
- a few of my sketchy wobbles were a bit too generous, but hey ho ...

Random pic from the back

If this were a school report it would say "could do better"  but it might also say "could do worse".  It could definitely stand some improvement but it's not so bad I'll need to relegate it to a drawer somewhere.  Relief!

If you fancy a go at this wee banner yourself, the lovely Judith has recently opened an Etsy Shop to sell her patterns and this is one of the ones in there - go have a look!

Pressie all ready to go!

I'm impressed with myself for having the foresight to make a pressie well ahead of time.  The bag and purse from class won't be gifted to mum until late June and here I am feeling all smug that it's ready and waiting for the wrapping paper!

the finished bag

lining, pocket and the detachable purse

detached purse

Actually, it's probably unfair of me to take credit for foresight when in reality the reason this bag is ready on time is largely due to some nifty class scheduling by my amazing friend Judith of Rags to Bags. Still, I'll revel in the fact that I won't be scouring M&S for something suitable the week before mum's big day!  Hope she likes the finished article!

(Keep a wee eye on the Rags to Bags blog to see Marion's bag which was made from the most beautiful summer fabics! I'm sure J will post it soon.)

Class Withdrawal Symptoms

Ok, so I had to take a few weeks break from going to my classes (4 to be precise) because of a number of family-life events happening.  Who knew that I would miss the direction and inspiration of the tutor and the motivation and company of others so much?

Thank goodness class is back in the diary though.  I haven't even squeaked that due to hubby's work commitments and lack of babysitter I had to miss the first week of the new project (making it 5 weeks of no class!).  Well, all right maybe I squeaked a little!  But here we are, the new week is beginning and I can go to class this week!!!!!!!  Hooray!!!!!!!

Easter Baskets and fabric coasters are on the menu for the next couple of weeks just until the holiday break.  I was able to do some participating in spirit on Thursday night and got started by myself.  Isn't this cute?

Sorry it's a little out of focus.

And yes, it's purple again!

It's quite a tiny basket, so maybe this week I'll attempt the slightly larger version and then on to coasters in week 3.  Need to decide who might like a set of coasters and hope there's a suitable fabric or two in my small stash.

If you happen to be reading this blog from somewhere in Northern Ireland and fancy coming along to a wee patchwork/sewing class during your week take a look at Judith's blog for details of her classes which she holds in Belfast.  She has some smashing projects lined up for the summer term - Friday mornings, Thursday nights and a few one day workshops.  She is also holding a Summer Sewing School (one Sat a month through the summer) for anyone who would really like to get to grips with some of the basics in a beginner-friendly environment.  If you're tempted - give in!