So just two weeks and two days before I have to deliver the quilts to the NEC !

How did that happen????
It was 3 months away last week and suddenly Im looking down the road to see it rushing towards me!!!

I must be organised, I have all the time in the world, well as much as two weeks and two days allows, as the holidays are finally here ... this is most definitely doable!

FoQ tickets ... Here, and dispatched to those in the UK that ordered some.
Twopence can you let me know that you have received yours please, Sandra I know yours have got to you, thx

Great Dorset Steam Fair tickets finally arrived ... and stashed away safely.

Hotel room ... booked with an option of extending

Quilts .... To Do List

The Opus.

The extra quilting has sorted a hell of a lot of the pooching problems that came to light when I first hung the quilt just over a week ago so all good there, but I still have to fill in some gaps in the borders with my freestyle ahem ... flowers!



Then I have to attach the show's paper label, and cover any reference to who made the quilt; which includes the shows label!
I have made some neat lil pockets out of calico to attach to the reverse of the quilts to carry this label but I will still have to sew some fabric over my own labels for The Opus.





Then it will be done

The HSTathon

I might add a couple of extra lines of stitching through the body of the quilt just to see if it aids a slight ripple I'm seeing as it hangs...

After that, tack the show label to the reverse and its done. I haven't got any of my own labels to cover (Yay) and the show label will be removed by the FoQ staff as its (technically) double sided so no need for a pocket or covering flap of fabric.

Undulating Terror

This is done. Pretty hanging sleeve attached.... check
Its label was double sided, with my name on the interior, so I've stitched it down so all you see is the title of the quilt.

The FoQ paper label is already attached ... again no need for a covering of fabric as its double sided so the FoQ staff will remove this prior to the exhibition.

Undersea

Hanging sleeve ... check
Show Label in lil calico pocket .... check
No other labels to cover ... check
Blinging up ... in progress

What should be a joyous task, blinging up the quilt with sparkles, is actually the most mind numbing, tedious and time consuming task I have ever come across but I will have to get it done, hopefully today (and tomorrow no doubt) as it needs to lounge around the place on a flat surface to 'set'!

Ladies and Germs,

I have been asked a couple of times now, if I would post a blow by blow tut on how to make a simple cot quilt for those Nervous Newbies timidly tiptoeing into The Dark Side for the very first time .....


So Here 'tis ........ Hopefully you will sewalong with me

Day 1...

I want to create a cot quilt about 36 x 45 inches large, which is a nicely manageable size on most everyone's machine.

I have some fabulous curtain fabric from Sanderson featuring a treasure map that I know looks great fussy cut;



I picked this up as a remnant from my local Interior design shop, and am going to surround the feature squares with squares in coordinating and complimentary colours picked from the design.

Your Feature fabric could come from an old pair of curtains, a duvet, a shop remnant (like mine) or a specially chosen pictorial fabric. The complimentary fabrics were bought as FQ's so this needn't be an expensive make ...


Lets audition fabrics....




I'm looking for colours in the pictorial design...

A good tip is to look at the selvage of your Feature fabric. All the colours in that fabric will be marked as dots along the selvage enabling you to closely match your CF.....

The blue is quite grey in colour ...



There is no red in the print, its a coral colour, more a pinky red..



I'm trying also to use similar patterns in the coordinating fabric...

Small polka dots work well for this and wavy designs would look good as they would pick up the waves of the sea. I have some nice blue wavy design somewhere, you might see that appear later when we start cutting the squares.


Now to the Maths! (Brendaaaaa !!!)


From here on in I'm going to use FF for the fussy cut squares  and CF for the surrounding coordinating squares to (hopefully) avoid confusion.....

To get a good FF, looking at my fabric, I need a 6" (finished size) square .....



Your FF square may be smaller, depending on your design.

Lets look at the Rows (across the quilt) first.
We need to get to a measurement of 36".....

which divided by 6 (the size of my finished FF square) = 6 Rows,

which if we surrounded the FF's by CF of (whichever size, that multiplies into 6)  ...
2" (nah! too weeny) ... 3" or 6"

produces ....

CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, CF
CF, FF, CF, CF, FF, CF
CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, CF

would mean we would only have two FF across the width of the quilt .....

That could work out,  but what if we only had one set of CS between the FF ????

CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, CF
CF, FF, CF, FF, CF, FF
CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, CF

Then we could have 3 FF across but one of the FF would be on the edge of the quilt ... No good!

What about the outside CF being half sized, ie 3" wide by 6" deep ???

1/2CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, 1/2CF
1/2CF, FF, CF, FF, CF, FF, 1/2CF
1/2CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, 1/2CF

That could work...

Now lets look at the Columns (down the quilt)...
we are hoping to get a measurement of 45"

which divided by 6 = 42 (7 columns) or 48 (8 columns)
I think as this is a cot quilt .... less is more

So 6 rows by 7 columns .....

I think I will make the top and bottom squares half sized ie. 3" deep x 6" wide to tie up with the half sized sides as well,

Though this presents a problem with the placement of the FF squares....so maybe to leave the top and bottom rows as full sized squares ...

1/2CF, CF, CF, CF, CF. CF, 1/2CF
1/2CF, FF, CF, FF, CF, FF, 1/2CF
1/2CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, 1/2CF
1/2CF, FF, CF, FF, CF, FF, 1/2CF
1/2CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, CF, 1/2CF
1/2CF, FF, CF, FF, CF, FF, 1/2CF
1/2CF, CF, CF, CF, CF. CF, 1/2CF

This will end up (hopefully) as 36" x 42" ....

Now remember that we have been working out our design using finished sizes...
When we get to cutting, we will be adding 1/2" on each of those sizes to account for the seam allowances.

I hope you are with me on this so far guys!

So for those of you wanting to break your Patchwork & Quilting duck and follow along,
I need you to get together your Feature Fabric and your Coordinating Fabrics
and meet me back here when you are done......

https://goo.gl/photos/TuYqVjsiQck2HQH88

Click on the first pic and bring up the destructions to the right hand side by clicking on the I Icon.

Currently in the For Sale, Wanted and Free section of the forum.....

http://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php/topic,1506.0.html

Recipient only has to pay postage at cost to receive this bundle of embroidery joy!

If you are interested in any of the following fabrics, pm me for further details ...
Free + P&P at cost!

https://goo.gl/photos/K7bQ9as419fCYpQF6

Hit the i icon for details

The lovely backing fabric that Brenda found for My Star Block Swap Quilt has already arrived but there's just one problem!

It had a very well attached label stuck to the fabric, which on removing has left a very sticky stain!

Any ideas how to remove this, short of washing in hot water…which I really dont want to do.



The pic shows the pulled off label, me holding the fabric up which is stuck back on itself . You may be able to see the white glue residue on the fabric too.

After the debacle that was the Drape Drape (2) top Im getting rid of my books ...
Who was I to think I could sew!    Snort!



Anyway I have The original Drape Drape with unopened and untouched patterns



and Drape Drape 2 with opened and one pattern (for the top) traced over...




£9.00 each or £15.00 the two & Postage at cost