Florence's Attic

May days

Oops, sorry about the break - as usual lots going on here...

Brighton Festival happens every May and it means there is lots to do.  We took part in the children's parade which officially opens the festival.  Mister J and I had a great time and stayed out in town after just the two of us which was a treat.  The theme this year was board games, and when we met his friends and their mums on the train into town we looked like a hen night gone wrong in our outfits!  Fortunately everywhere you looked in town people were dressed up.  We have done some open houses already, and plan to do a few more next weekend.  We went to two on the estates on the outskirts of town.  I always like to support these ones as it is far easier to open your house up in a trendy area such as Hanover and Fiveways, than out in Bevendean and Moulescoomb.  Some of the work we have seen is amazing.  Friends who aren't from Brighton often find the idea of open houses a bit strange, but if they do them near you then try them out.  Yes, I do have a nose at the houses and gardens, but who wouldn't - it is part of the fun!  It also supports artists and craftspeople as they get to sell their work direct.  Personally, I don't think I could open my house.  It is far too messy, and the children would probably get a bit bored by the afternoon on the first day!  Then of course there is the 32kg greyhound which likes to say hello to people whole heartedly...

We had rather a hicup at the beginning of the week as Bizzie broke her arm.  We didn't see her do it, just a couple of bumps on the stairs and a wail, but she was fine after - we even had dinner.  Even though she was still playing happily we felt there was something not right and kept getting her to catch things and squeeze things which was ok, but later on when she put weight on it she winced so that was it, straight up to a and e.  The two of us spent a lovely night up there (rounded off by a very lonely walk back to a dark multi-story car park which we paid for the privilege of using - the nhs eh).  Even at the hospital she was happy.  The assessment nurse gave her some Calpol, but she was actually just crying as she wanted chocolate from the machine.  After waiting for over 2 hours, I think everyone was getting fed up of her whining, so I found a doctor and asked if she could have chocolate.  She was eating this snack using her broken arm when the nurse came to say it was broken!  So she is so well (apart from a lovely cast all the way up her arm) and has refused all medicine, but we aren't .  She has no fear, and whilst some things have been addressed such as not having bunk beds, other things I can't control so I have now turned into one of those mothers who follow their children everywhere around the playground!  It has amazed me how she is not bothered by it.  The same stairs she did it on were the ones which I fell down when I was pregnant with her and ended up having the bones in my leg pinned and plated, so I am worried things come in threes.  I may get visitors to sign a disclaimer about using our steep Victorian stairs!

My round robin quilt has gone, and is hopefully there by now.  Here is a photo - not the best one I could have taken, but I was in a rush to get it posted out.  I trimmed the size down, but the white spotty fabric and I kept having rows about laying flat!  The checkerboard border, and the plain green one where put on at the exact size, so with an iron it behaved!  I was really happy with the block I received.  Sometimes, it is a question of what to leave out, than what to put in, and I felt the strippy second border gave me the chance to do something busy.  The green fabric it has been edged with is one of my hand dyes and fitted in perfectly with the green strip round the first block.  The backing I sent is a fine dark blue check.  I was rather shocked to open my sewing box and see the label peering back at me, so that will be on its way tomorrow!  It could have been worse and I could have forgotten to put the block or backing in I suppose.  I have heard there will be a bit of a delay getting my last round, but it is not a bad thing with how busy I have been. 

 

here it is originally

I have also been sewing some samples for college - anyone for a bit of folded patchwork?

and made my very first quilted postcard.  I actually started this a couple of months ago, but a couple of factors led me to actually get it finished.  The first is that it is from a photo of the landscape near my brothers house and his birthday is coming up and I wanted to give it to him.  The second is that I was inspired to make it from the book Landscape in Contemporary Quilts by Ineke Berlyn and I went to a talk she did last week.  It was really interesting as she discussed her inspiration, and explained the design and craft process she goes through to make her quilts.  It is the first talk I have been to where a quilter has pulled out a tray and demonstrated how they dye fabric.  It was interesting as the two techniques I have used is the plastic bags, soda, salt and dye method, and the sodaing fabric and then painting on it method.  What she does is (I think I remember) is soda's the fabric, and then puts it in a plastic bag with a small amount of water and the dye.  It seems quite a clean method and i will definitely look this up and give it a try.  When I got in I couldn't wait to pull the postcard out and finish it.  I loved making it, and whilst not happy with the composition can't wait to make more of these.  I always thought it was a mystery, but all you do is lay out the fabric and quilt it, then bondaweb it to pelmet vilene, cut it down to postcard size if it isn't already and satin stitch round it.  Of course, if you are reading this you probably already know this as i think I am the last quilty person I know who has made one of these!  Voila, here it is.  Again, not the best of photos, but it had to be sent out...

 

Happy Sunday

Ding Ding Round 2

Just a quickie - have had a boy poorly off school, then a weekend of college  (yes, we drove in the snow)and now the school holidays.  I have started work on my quilt for my final project, but it is hand sewn so my evenings are being spent doing this, rather than surfing.

Anyway, here is a peek of some of my college work (for my fashion accessory project).  It is so nearly finished...

and here is a picture of the round 2 of the Spring Fling Round Robin quilt swap. 

Part of me loves it, and part of me is unsure about it.  I got the orange and thought it looked great as it warmed the centre up, and bought another colour in.  My first idea was to do checkerboard, but after I had put the strip of the yellow floral on the centre square the measurements involved a half inch, which means the one inch units of the checkerboard wouldn't have fitted in

   

Looking at the photo I feel that it looks a bit ott.  I think if a strong blue or green is introduced again on the next round it will come together again.  The golden yellow is hand dyed (procion mx), and this is the fabric which I will send out, along with what is left of the floral one (and I only used a tiny bit, so there is loads left).  I hope the next recipient likes it.  It can go on point, or be left square - the choice is theirs!

I am taking the children up to Yorkshire this weekend, so will be back next week.

x 

Crochet Hexagons and an egg R2 D2...

Things are a bit better round here today.  Goodbyes have been said, and the children are being much more civil to each other.  Has anyone else noticed that children seem to sense when you aren't 100% and modify their behaviour accordingly - and not for the better!  My aunt who died was 90 when Jude was born, so she was a good age, but she is the last member of that "layer" of the family to go.  We have lost all of them in recent years and it has made me feel very sad.

It feels strange Easter is here.  It is so early, apparently it won't be this early for at least another 100 years.  I'm going to go and buy some bits for our Easter egg hunt today, and flowers for relatives to try and get in the swing of things.  Usually Easter falls in the middle of the a two week holiday from school, but it doesn't this year.

Here is the R2 D2 egg which I made with Mister J for school.  He didn't want to take it in today as he said it was "rubbish", but I'm not one of these mums to do it for him so it looks perfect.  (Does anyone else look at children's entries in school competitions and think there is no way that an infants school age child could be that talented)  I think it looks great, and he has taken it in!

Also, I have worked out how to do granny hexagons from an old copy of Crochet Today (the very first issue in case you are interested) .  I like to have a light crochet project on the go as an antidote to college work, and these fit the bill perfectly.  The yarn I am using is pretty horrid - just cheapo acrylic, it doesn't even come in good colours, but by the time I mix the browns, beige's and blues it doesn't look that bad.  I cannot justify making a Rowan yarn blanket as a "pick up at 9.30pm for an hour" project at the moment, so it will do.  It is for Mister J as a drag around the house blanket, and for picnics so I am not too bothered.  The yarn was actually bought a while ago to make a ripple stitch blanket, but it kept increasing at the ends so got cross and stuck my two attempts in a cupboard!  I don't know what colour I am going to crochet round each one and join them together in - I'll decide that at a later stage when I have finished them - Christmas 2010 perhaps!  Also, I have learnt the lesson before that I should stop after every 10 and weave the ends in, otherwise it is a long horrid job to do at the end.

Here is the blanket from the magazine - I love these colours

and here are two of my babies

I have been getting visitors from Laura Crochets.  It is a new blog, really interesting and great to see a UK crochet blog - go and visit and say hi and support her yarn diet.

Have a good Thursday - it is the best one of the year as most people don't have work in the morning, so really it is like a Saturday night!

x

Naughty Iron

I finished my Spring Fling Round Robin centre block this week, but have had a disaster!

Here it is, all folk arty - a bit Janet Boltony.

I got it ready to send out (please forgive the label, I am out of bubble jet set, and the laundry marker I bought in town is one of the biro style ones I have never used, and never will buy again...)

Shock, horror, there is a bloomin iron mark on it

so I am starting again.  All the pieces are tacked round freezer paper, so I should get it finished this evening.  How annoying!  In other work, I have been cutting and sticking prepared papers to come up with some quilt designs in the style of the Gees Bend quilters.

Happy Friday x

Cake, Daffodils and Mothers Day - Spring is here!

Wow, I have only just got over the weekend.  We had a special birthday, so I made a Yarnstorm inspired cake.  (you can just about check out the stems of the lovely spring daffodils in the pint glass behind the cake - I must get a new small vase!) 

On Tuesday night we went to see our local football team play on a hospitality package with good food, wine and Brighton won. 

It was a college weekend, although I felt rather hazy from the birthday meal.  My main quilt project has been approved by my tutor, but two of my other projects aren't working out.  On the course you have to make 5 items.  A container, a home accessory, a fashion accessory, a wall hanging and a quilt.  One has to be mainly applique, one block patchwork, one quilted and then you have free reign with the others.  My bag hasn't worked out which is block patchwork, so I am going to make it into a cushion.  This means that the quilted cushion I have designed is redundant so I am starting from scratch on another one.  I have fathomed it out now, but I had such a headache on Sunday!

I was at college for Mothers Day, but we had a good dinner at my mums on Sunday evening.  The children got me these tins for my pins and buttons from Cath Kidston.  They are so cute.

There was lovely writing from Mister J in my card.  He asked his dad to spell "beautiful" but he got the b round the wrong way so it said "Mummy, you are deautiful" - how very true! x

Happy Valentine's Day

What a lovely sunny Spring week we have been having here.  Loads of sewing has been going on here.

It looks like a box of chocolates...

but no, I am teasing myself.  It is a box containing my bloomin fiddly 6 inch blocks for my disco bag for college.  The photo has dulled down the brightness - you are lucky...

I have also been binding this quilt (don't you think quilts look a bit naked when they are trimmed down ready for quilting?)  It needs to go in the post tomorow so has one more side to be hand sewn down and will then be in the washing machine.

and here is my sweet Valentines card, with my favourite kitty's on the front.

Now, it is 6.15, too early to get the kids in bed and settle down with wine and a take away?

Happy Valentines x

Poorly

Well, I am very excited to have the new computer up and running, but didn't think it would be under these circumstances.  All four of us have had a nasty tummy bug and so I am typing this from bed.  How on earth do you bloggers who have laptops ever get out of bed (apart from the demands of breakfast and having to break up of fights over who is sitting in what chair...)  The children seem to have bounced back from the bug really well, and Mr D is doing quite well, but I have been knocked sideways.  The little darlings shared impetigo last month as well, so I am starting to worry we are going to have a big X painted on the door.  It is college this weekend, and I have missed today, and don't think I will be in tomorow, which I am so upset about, but it can't be helped.  I have assessments to get on with so will just chip away at them. 

So anyway, no photos, but I'm going to do a little bit of blog housekeeping, and carry on surfing to see what everyone else is up to. 

Have a good weekend x

Quilting Bargains

Time is flying by and I feel we are most definitely in autumn.  I am loving the cosy evenings in and desperate to finish a quilt top to sit under and sew in the evenings.  Unfortunately my plans for my college quilt have stalled.  It is foundation piecing, to my original block pattern, and I cannot get all my grains sorted.  To those of you who don't do patchwork, I have probably lost you, but to those of you who do, you will know what I mean!  I need to work out fabric quantities to get on with dyeing and printing, but cannot do this until I have worked out exactly how much of each I need through my samples.  Grrr, I had great ideas when I broke up for the summer of having the top pieced by now.  It has however freed me up to get on with the Zine (after years of seeing them collecting dust under friends computer tabels, no one now has one) and other bits such as crocheting (more on this tomorrow).

I had a bit of luck in the charity shop last week.  Everyone I know seems to get great finds, but I rarely do.  Wel, meet my knew fabricsI  I don't really go in for ditsy prints, or even blue, but they were such a bargain and I liked these, I even left quite a few in the shop of prints I really didn't like and weren't Laura Ashley.  Each piece is at least a metre, some as much as three and there are two Laura Ashley cottons in there - one from 1976 so it is even older than I am!  I have decided that when I use it I will try to incorporate the selvedge so there is a bit of history in the quilt.  I also love the dark blue colour and print.  The other blue ones are big enough to back quilts with so I'll save them for that.  The cream and blue one at the top is in a upholstery weight, as is the stiff linen - these will be turned into bags.  I paid 50p for each piece, apart from the linen which was £1 - not bad eh?

I have also had a bit of a result with books.  I find you don't get many patchwork books in charity shops, so always snap them up when I do.  I love to see photos of seventies patchwork clothes (a dressing gown is my favourite, I must post it one day), and can always find projects to inspire me.  These are no exception, with projects going from the sublime to the ridiculous.  On the right is a booklet from the needlework development scheme, (more here).  It is tatty and not even all intact so the shop owner gave it to me for free, but I read about the sceme in a copy of Embroidery magazine and am really intrigued to find out more.  I love the style of needlework from the first half of the Twentieth Century.

 

Here are another two books, real finds.  The one on the right is a book of quilts from the American Museum in Bath.  It is a good book, full of colour photographs and short descriptions, and was a bargain for a quid.  The one on the left is by Valerie Campbell - Harding and is called simply Strip Patchwork.  If you are into strippy quilts I cannot recommend this enough.  I get frustrated at books which are just pattern after pattern, and this one is not like that.  She takes you through so many different ways of strip patchwork and curves.  Despite having black and white photography, it is so inspirational.  The link I have put in is to a later edition, which if you buy I hope has been left just as it was. 

 

and here is a peek inside at a picture for inspiration and diagrams.  The book is full of these diagrams for putting a quilt together.

So there we are, not much money spent and loads of information.  I still have a gap in my collection though.  I am about to Google to see how big a cot quilt should be.  I always make them really big so they fill a cot, or really small so they last for about a year in the buggy.  i am intrigued to see what size it should be and unbelievably I don't have that information on my shelf!

Happy Monday x 

Dolly Done and Quilting Bits

Ahh, the dining room is a bit tidier than it was to give me some space to finally sew.  The poor machine needs a bit of a service, so I am going to try and see what I can get out of it before it finally eats a whole reel of thread!  I can always tell when it needs a service as it starts refusing to chain piece - breaking the thread between pieces.  I am working on my City and Guilds quilt at the moment, but as it is quite a slow project I want to do some other bits alongside it.  I am just finishing the design of the quilt and then will be dyeing and embellishing the fabric with print.  I then need to piece it, baste it, quilt it blah blah blah.  I am looking forward to the piecing as although fiddly it is foundation pieced so should be quite straight forward.  Other current projects include my writing, a baby quilt from someone coming into the world very soon and Christmas.  I normally don't say the "C" word until the end of November but in recent years things have got more and more stressy round here so whilst I am not starting my shopping early, I am thinking about starting my handmade pressies.  I am writing a piece for the Zine at the moment about handmade presents so it is something I am giving quite a lot of thought to.  I think you have to choose the right recipient so that people know how much effort has gone into it.  I have heard of funny stories of people recieving a quilt and giving it to the dog - how mean!

Here is a photo of the Claire Garland dolly from this post - her ankles look very chunky in this photo, a problem I have too!  She needs a bit more hair, but is finished.  Her dress is a quick basic copy of a shirred one I made Bizzie this summer.  I love the fabric - it is 100% cotton and only about £3.00 a metre from Fabricland in town.

Take a deep breath - and go shopping!

Phew, things are starting to slow down round here.  As well as the holiday we have had a family wedding and my brother and his family have been down from Yorkshire so I have tried to spend a lot of time with them.  We have also had the last of the birthday parties (I did not plan the children so close together!) and had the start of the new school year for Mister J and nursery for Bizzie.  It is only two short mornings a week, but gives me a bit of time to do all those things which need doing.

I went into town before work yesterday and bought myself a new pad, pen and pencil in Paperchase to help get me organised.  A necessary purchase I am sure!  I also popped into the new Cath Kidston store in town.  I love her stuff and it is a real treat to have a store I can pop into.  I love some of the new merchandise for autumn such as this sewing range but felt a bit uncomfortable when I saw that the cute needle case was manufactured in Indonesia.  I feel the brand is based on Britishness and it would good to see some items made in the UK.  Apart from that the layout was lovely, very homely and there were some vintage items which were gorgeous (if pricey).  My favourite thing was a textile wall-hanging of a cottage.  Retailing at £275 there are 2 per branch and they are in the style I love - naive applique with decorative stitching.  At that price however I did come away doing the crafters mantra - "I can do that myself", especially as they were a bit similar to the box I recently made.

It is the Hever Quilt show this weekend.  Whilst not local, is is about a 50 minute drive so not too far.  I took Bizzie last year and had big problems wheeling the buggy round the marquee as it is in a field with lots of divits!  I have decided not to go this year as I bought some bits at the Festival of Quilts and really need some time to get on with actually doing some sewing, but if you are going then have a good time.

Talking of the Festival of Quilts here is a photo of some of my purchases

half a metre of fabric which was £3, two packs of linen ribbon (check out the Eiffel Tower one) for £1.00 and couple of blades for my rotary cutter.  One is plain, but the other is pinking and I have wanted one of these for ages.  I am going to use it to cut the fabric up for the Zine.

5 fat quarters for £6.25.  I like the cute thirties prints so whilst I don't know what I am going to use them for, they won't be in the stash for long.  Peeking out from the bottom is half a metre of plain blue which was £2.50 - bargain!

 

and whilst I was in town yesterday I popped into a fabric shop and bought these Tana Lawn prints.  They are the ones which I think are Liberty bolt ends.  At £12.95 a metre they aren't cheap so I just bought a little bit.  I love these prints, although they are a bit thin and slippery to be used in patchwork so i take care about which projects I use them for.  I love the deep colours of the one on the left, and the whimsical print of the one on the right.

Another buy from the Festival of Quilts is the fabric to dye for my City and Guilds quilt.  I have never used cotton sateen before and worried about putting it in the washing machine to pre-wash it.  A few days later I realised that it will need to handle going in the washing machine if I am to dye it!  Moral of the story, don't consider dyeing fabric when you are doing a million other things, and never get too precious about fabric for dyeing!

Finally, just a plea for the Zine.  If you have made a quilt you are particularly proud of and fancy sharing a photo and tutorial with us, then please get in touch.  Either leave a comment on here or email thequarterinch@hotmail.co.uk and I'll reply with with a bit more info.

Thanks for reading! x