Answers On A Postcard Please

Answers on a postcard please. But what is the Question? The Answer according to Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is 42. The computer Deep Thought revealed the Ultimate Answer to be 42, the problem was, What Is The Question? Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was a big favourite in our house, we had the book, we had the audio for the car, we had the dvd, or video as it was in those days.  When I laid out my fabric squares for The Postcard From Sweden Quilt, it reminded me of those days. See, quilting keeps your brain active in many ways.



So what is the question? The question is how do these 36 different colours all come together?



 The answer is a stupendous riot of colour.



 Today I was hoping to begin my sewing. The Beast From The East has arrived in the UK, if not quite in our corner. It is absolutely Baltic here. Wrong, it is cold enough to be Siberia. Oh, that's right, this wind is coming right from Siberia. We have no snow as yet, a few flurries, but it is falling thick in fast in England, then Scotland, and we are next. Whilst we wait for the Beast, it is just very very cold. Too cold to sew, if not too cold for snow. The gas central heating is on, the fire is lit, but my sewing room is way too cold for sewing. So, I caught up on my scrapbooking this morning.

I hadn't as yet actually read the sewing instructions. Surprise surprise. I assumed the squares were overlaid two at a time and sewn on the diagonal, then cut. They aren't. The squares are cut on the diagonal and the triangles sewn together. This may give me a little problem. They are sewn on the bias, which means lots of stretch. My sewing machine is play acting a little. When I try to start my seam, it sort of does that motorbike revving thing .... it stitches on the spot and the material doesn't feed along the feed teeth. I have to sort of shove, pull it to get it going. I don't think this will go well with bias sewing. I think I need to get my machine serviced, it has never been done. I use it too much to leave it in! I have changed the needle, taken out the bobbin bits and cleaned around, a heck of a lot of fluff came out. It can't be the tension. I never change the tension for the tension to go off. I am the sort of person who uses one programme on the washing machine, uses automatic feature on my camera. I was surprised yesterday to discover you can pause and rewind "live" tv. Very good, I won't be doing it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it is my motto.

Anyhow, it is too cold today to struggle and fight with my Pfaff, to faff around with it so to speak.
I have scrapbooked until my tape ran out. Now I am settled down in front of the fire and tv with a big piece of cherry cake, coffee and my knitting. Scrapbooking class is tonight. Hmmm fire, tv, knitting v cold, driving, scrapooking.

In the meantime you can admire my lovely backing for my Writing from Whitehead. I spotted this Tula Pink in Craftsy's bolt end sale and snaffled it. I think it is a terrible shame the Free Spirit line has been dropped, hopefully it gets picked up again.




Writing from Whitehead? I love these photos of Whitehead my nephew took for me. He lives there and braved the wind to take these for me. I like Words from Whitehead too. My actual favourite "sound wise" is Witterings from Whitehead, but that may be rather cruel, and I am not cruel. I have family lives there. I do like a bit of alliteration though.


So far I have progressed from Kelly's photo of her Swedish quilt

 
to being inspired by the Sacher Torte box design in Vienna last summer
 
to finally ending up in Whitehead.

 
And in between I am working on my the Belfast version, the Belfast Bulletin, which in its turn is a quieter version.

 
In any case, I am delighted to be linking up with Sandra and mmmquilts for the preparatory cutting out stage. Maybe next time there will be some actual sewing.


Helen x
linking up with Sandra and mmmquilts  and her Postcard from Sweden Quilt Along
linking up with Lorna and Sew Fresh Quilts

Comments

  1. Good luck with your "Writing" as it looks a beautiful place and worthy of a postcard.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Helen,
    I had to giggle right out loud - people at work think I'm nuts! - about you not backing up live TV. I can only imagine all the faff that came out when you cleaned around your bobbin area, if you sew a lot and it has never been serviced. I just recently started cleaning every bobbin change, and I am SHOCKED at all the lint that builds up. Anyway, I love your photo from Whitehead and your Belfast Bulletin, not to mention your Postcard fabrics. Beautiful! ~smile~ Roseanne

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hope you are faring well with the Beast from the East. Where I am in Canada we are enjoying a balmy 12C day...so unusual...but are expecting 15cm of snow tomorrow...go figure!

    ReplyDelete
  4. At first I started to grab a post card to send my response, but figured this might be quicker. And with the Beast blowing through it may get lost anyway :) So I'm not crazy, Belfast Bulletin is similar to Postcards. I love that backing fabric you picked up. That, my friend, was an excellent find.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You may know this by now Helen, but Free Spirit Fabric has been picked up. I forget by whom. I also am enjoying the lovely weather in Canada but bracing for snow tomorrow. for sweden my plan is to cut the squares for now and cut the triangles just as I use them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I hope that getting your machine serviced dose the trick and helps with those pesky bias edges! Stay warm, friend.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh you do love your triangles, lovely jubbley. You are well up on me with seven out of 36 cut, do you hire yourself out? The beSt arrived here and doesn’t look like moving on just yet but I will send him your way if you so desire, share and share alike I say. It’s so cold I’m leaving the heating on overnight, the boiler came on by itself last night, first time ever. Donygo scrapbooking, stay by the fire and keep warm with your lovely socks.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I know it's not as cold here, but I am snuggled on the sofa under a quilt ignoring things to be done because I'd rather be cozy and warm.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, I have JUST the recipient for your blue/green version of Postcards!! Hmm... maybe I should make one like that instead of the original. He's been waiting for a quilt for ever-so-long!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think servicing your machine may help? Stay warm and safe!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You'll definitely need the Pfaff to stop pfaffing about with bad feed like that. The triangles want some gentle, loving care to get sewn. I'm wondering if maybe your presser foot pressure is too high? Hmm. Love that backing fabric!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Both quilts are looking great! Also great is the cherry cake and knitting...not so great is the snow, something I"m facing too, unless it's melted by the time we get home on Saturday evening...

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm with you: cars,computers, sewing machines - I just want stuff to work, nothing fancy and ideally no complicated booklet to read first. We didn't get much snow in the end - it fell and fell but most of it didn't settle. Looked oddly like polystyrene balls rather than snow.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you so much for your comment, I try very hard to reply to them all.