The British have a reputation for talking about the weather a lot. There's a lot of weather to talk about at the minute. It is still very hot. Scorchio, scorchio, scorchio has been the order of the day. Of course tomorrow we are going to have a day out a deux and the weather is going to break. I know lunch is involved, we may well be sitting in the restaurant, wherever it is, rather than outside. I don't know where we are going, hopefully we will dodge the showers.
It is still too hot to be in the house sewing. I went indoors yesterday to sew another strip of the playtime plus quilt. It didn't take much to persuade me to go back outside again. So, I decided to baste this blast from the past.
Remember this? My quatrefoil quilt, from the beeabee 2017 blocks. Cast your minds back, I was in a National Trust house and loved the quatrefoil window. The house is yellow, the colour of this summer as it turns out, and looked great from outside. From inside, the blue sky shone through the windows, a real window to the world. All last year I seemed to see quatrefoil windows or quatrefoil tiles everywhere I went. It had to be "my block" for the 2017 bee.
I asked for a white background, a red firey centre to represent the sun. And blue windows. I wrote my tutorial and sent it around. Anneliese our bee mama, suggested we made the quilt for my impending grandchild. Some of the group picked up on that and sent blocks with a picture fabric for the sky. That seemed to be the way to go.
I played about with a 3 x 4 layout but eventually decided that a 4 x 4 was the best layout for this and promptly abandoned it. This last week I made another couple of blocks, using some space fabric Yvonne quiltingjetgirl, and some plane fabric Lucy the charmaboutyou sent me. I also had a block from Tish tishinwonderland who bee crashed the party.
Now for the backing. I had bought some Solar System fabric, but only enough for 3 x 3. The new layout of 3 x 4, then 4 x 4 was going to confuse this somewhat. I used some black and white spot to add two 7" cross stripes to the backing. This made it just big enough, or so I thought.
When I left my lair to begin basting, drat, the backing was just a little shy. The heat coming up through the table was so warm, I could have just dozed off. My husband said if I did actually lie on the table like I was threatening to , he would have to sacrifice me. I thought it was young chickens that were sacrificed by the Romans, not old broilers, but I thought it best not to test him out.
Back to the lair again and an extra strip added in, whilst the backing was still pinned to the wadding. The wadding itself was frankensteined in three places, down the centre and across the bottom. I laid it all out again and basted. As of yesterday afternoon it is ready to quilt.
There then followed a conversation on instagram with Lyn of fairisleknitter and Ali of crazydazy. The consensus seemed to be I should have spray basted instead of pinned for a better job. Now, I have spray basted. The problem is I have to get in the car and buy spray basting, whereas there is a readily available stock of quilting pins to hand. If I find spray baste in the cupboard, I will do it again.
The next up is quilting, the top is mostly white, the backing is definitely black. What colour to use? The consensus today seemed to be grey. So grey it is. If I have any grey thread. Do I have any grey thread? I have every other thread.
And what else have I done this week? Worked in the garden. Finished my Comfort Fade Cardi, just the ends to sew in. Knit half of a wowligan cardigan for my grandson. And basted my Writing from Whitehead, but you are sick looking at that. Next up is to finish the last two blocks for Sandra's #plusplaytime quilt, a quilt which definitely falls into the adult playtime category! And one more to sneak in, Tish of wonderland fame has a quilt a long too, it is catch up time with it. Plenty to keep me busy! One last thing, this week I bought a card reader for my big camera. Why did I not know about this? My photos should improve no end.
Helen x
It is still too hot to be in the house sewing. I went indoors yesterday to sew another strip of the playtime plus quilt. It didn't take much to persuade me to go back outside again. So, I decided to baste this blast from the past.
Remember this? My quatrefoil quilt, from the beeabee 2017 blocks. Cast your minds back, I was in a National Trust house and loved the quatrefoil window. The house is yellow, the colour of this summer as it turns out, and looked great from outside. From inside, the blue sky shone through the windows, a real window to the world. All last year I seemed to see quatrefoil windows or quatrefoil tiles everywhere I went. It had to be "my block" for the 2017 bee.
All last year I seemed to see quatrefoil windows or quatrefoil tiles everywhere I went. It had to be "my block" for the 2017 bee.
I asked for a white background, a red firey centre to represent the sun. And blue windows. I wrote my tutorial and sent it around. Anneliese our bee mama, suggested we made the quilt for my impending grandchild. Some of the group picked up on that and sent blocks with a picture fabric for the sky. That seemed to be the way to go.
I played about with a 3 x 4 layout but eventually decided that a 4 x 4 was the best layout for this and promptly abandoned it. This last week I made another couple of blocks, using some space fabric Yvonne quiltingjetgirl, and some plane fabric Lucy the charmaboutyou sent me. I also had a block from Tish tishinwonderland who bee crashed the party.
Now for the backing. I had bought some Solar System fabric, but only enough for 3 x 3. The new layout of 3 x 4, then 4 x 4 was going to confuse this somewhat. I used some black and white spot to add two 7" cross stripes to the backing. This made it just big enough, or so I thought.
When I left my lair to begin basting, drat, the backing was just a little shy. The heat coming up through the table was so warm, I could have just dozed off. My husband said if I did actually lie on the table like I was threatening to , he would have to sacrifice me. I thought it was young chickens that were sacrificed by the Romans, not old broilers, but I thought it best not to test him out.
Back to the lair again and an extra strip added in, whilst the backing was still pinned to the wadding. The wadding itself was frankensteined in three places, down the centre and across the bottom. I laid it all out again and basted. As of yesterday afternoon it is ready to quilt.
There then followed a conversation on instagram with Lyn of fairisleknitter and Ali of crazydazy. The consensus seemed to be I should have spray basted instead of pinned for a better job. Now, I have spray basted. The problem is I have to get in the car and buy spray basting, whereas there is a readily available stock of quilting pins to hand. If I find spray baste in the cupboard, I will do it again.
The next up is quilting, the top is mostly white, the backing is definitely black. What colour to use? The consensus today seemed to be grey. So grey it is. If I have any grey thread. Do I have any grey thread? I have every other thread.
And what else have I done this week? Worked in the garden. Finished my Comfort Fade Cardi, just the ends to sew in. Knit half of a wowligan cardigan for my grandson. And basted my Writing from Whitehead, but you are sick looking at that. Next up is to finish the last two blocks for Sandra's #plusplaytime quilt, a quilt which definitely falls into the adult playtime category! And one more to sneak in, Tish of wonderland fame has a quilt a long too, it is catch up time with it. Plenty to keep me busy! One last thing, this week I bought a card reader for my big camera. Why did I not know about this? My photos should improve no end.
Helen x
I use spray basting and love it, no wrinkles ever. Your frsnkensteining backing looks great.
ReplyDeleteThe 4x4 layout of blocks for the quilt top look great together! I have never spray basted as the scent is too strong for my husband, so I pin baste and it is what it is.
ReplyDeleteLovely quilt. Pale blue would look just as good as grey for the quilting, wouldn't it?
ReplyDeleteI pretty much pin baste as well..although I did pin baste for a workshop I went to. This is a wonderful quilt...with it's sky theme and I agree with Mrs Jones that pale blue would work wonderfully as well....I have been quilting a quilt all week ...no post yet. There doesn't seem to be any time. It got cool enough here to need sweaters but it seems to be warming up a bit again.
ReplyDeleteThere is inspiration everywhere! You’ve done a lovely job, despite the trials and tribulations. Can’t wait to see it finished.
ReplyDeleteOh, I remember this quilt! I love that block, especially in these colors. Hooray for moving it along! I have good luck with using a different color top and bobbin thread in these instances. You might try a lighter gray on top, darker gray on the bobbin. Or a light blue on top, dark blue on the bobbin. Not a stark contrast like black and white, but a compromise :)
ReplyDeletelouise dot hornor at gmail
Spray basting is the ONLY way to go IMHO. I do remember this quilt as Louise says! Love it. And yes, yay for moving along another UFO, ask me how I know ha. Love the shot of you collapsed on the table. thought you were going to get a bit 'adult' with what your husband might have quipped...I know mine wouldn't have let that comment slip on by...
ReplyDeleteGray thread, a must to keep on hand in my house. I think I use it the most :) I'm so happy to see this one all basted up!!! You know I'm kind of partial to it. I don't like seeing my Helen melting. I do hope the temperatures ease up on you soon. I go back and forth with spray and pin basting. I fall in love with one when I'm made at the other and plug along till I get made and switch again.
ReplyDelete