Housekeeping!

Just doing the necessary! Hopefully I'll be back soon with something thats much more fun!


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Taking the Backache out of Basting

Hey everyone! Lots has been happening whilst I've been absent from the blog. If you follow me on instagram (lovestrawberrypatch) you'll probably know most of it already.

But for those that don't....I went to the quilt show in Exeter, did some fun shopping with Mary and Suzy then went out to Dinner with Katy and Jo too (that was fun!).

I have brought an amazing quilting frame....halfway there to the dream now! I just have to start saving again for a long arm machine now and there'll be no holding me back ;-)

In sadder news my husband has been very ill and in hospital. It is still ongoing and has been a very stressful time for us (que lots of distraction therapy sewing) not only waiting for treatment but managing with losing most of our only wage income to the house.

Which brings me back to the title of my post and my new arrival! Whilst I am not ready to take in quilts for quilting just yet I am going to be offering a basting service, hurray!

This is for all of you out there that love the piecing and then let your completed top sit in a discreet place where it wont make you feel guilty for not basting it and getting on with the job!

I can baste quilts upto aprox 90" in width and longer in length, you supply your completed quilt top, wadding and backing and I will baste it ready for either hand or machine quilting, saving your poor knees and back from all that crawling around and pining! Cost are very reasonable whilst I build up this service so take advantage now! For more details please see my new page at the top!

Of course if you are local you might fancy a spot of studio hire? You can hire out my studio and use of the frame, bring along your quilt and machine and off you go! Again further details are on my new 'Quilting Services' page.

Practising with a different kind of needle

Recently I have been playing with bigger needles, knitting needles to be exact.

I have been trying to knit since I was about 10, with several half hearted attempts at learning! This time I think I have finally cracked it.....and I am not going to stop knitting just in case I forget again :-)

I have had one little project or another on the go for the last couple of months. I started off with these socks, pretty proud of these considering my earlier knitting attempts have only resulted in a rectangular scarf!

 

Pleased with my socks I knitted my little girl a cute pair of mouse mittens (truth be told I wish they were my size!)

Then I moved onto a shawl, love the drapey nature of this, I used a sock yarn and large needle and got a wonderful sized shawl from just one ball of yarn. I predict more shawls to come!

 

And this weekend I finished my first ever knitted garment! A cardigan for my youngest  There are a few mistakes on the lace placket on the front, but I really don't care! It is a cardi, looks like a cardi and wears like a cardi and I honestly cant really believe I managed to knit it!

I used some of my Nannie buttons to finish it off and the new owner has already worn it, in fact she put it on the minute it came off the needles!

I have already cast on some armwarmers, to keep me warm whilst sewing, must keep knitting, I wouldn't want to forget this new skill :-)

The one that got away

You may remember this little project?!

It fell victim to a chewy puppy last year and sadly didn't make it to my Brit Quilt Swap partner as intended.

I kept the pieces and after some healing time ;-) I unpicked the damaged parts and started to rebuild.

So now it has been hanging out on my sofa for a few months, creeping into the odd photo or two I decided it was time to give it the reveal it deserves.

It is hand quilted onto an old remnant of woollen blanket and bound using the cutest ever black pin dot fabric, I love this cushion and I am so glad I {eventually} had the patience to resurrect it.

Next month I am teaching a series of workshops at my lqs on epp, this cushion will be coming along with me, as will the rose star quilt....which I am hoping will be quilted by then!!

With a little help from my friends

Its been busy, very busy here!

Lots of life stuff going on, some not so nice horrible stuff which I wont share, but some good stuff too - new teaching at another local sewing shop, making me a multi location teacher now, yay!

I have also been sewing, with the help of friends. Both in terms of support and kindness when I needed it (thank you, you know who you all are) but also in terms of emergency supplies!

Thanks to my lovely friend Karen, who send me a scrap of Summersville when I ran out on a border for my Marcelle Medallion quilt.

And to the wonderfully kind Sadie who sent me a spool of Aurifil when mine ran out 2/3rds of the way through quilting my Bee a Brit Stingy x & + bee quilt and I couldn't find the weight I needed.

I was very lucky to get some beautiful blocks from my bee mates and couldn't wait to whizz the quilt up!

I had the perfect vintage sheet in my stash to back it with

And I splashed out on some Heather Bailey Nicey Jane I have been eyeing up for months in my LQS, perfect binding fabric!

So huge thanks to my bee lovelies for giving me a gorgeous quilt to cuddle up in and thanks to you others for the virtual hugs that are much needed at the moment. Happiness in quilty form is helping get me through some tough times at the moment, I am enjoying it all in a corner of my studio.

Multiplication

I have some lovely online friends and lucky me gets to be in a bee with them too!

Its my turn to be queen for a month in the Bee a Brit Stingy bee and I asked my mates to make me low volume + and x blocks to go with those that I started last year. As I am making the smaller 8" blocks I thought it would be nice to have some help getting enough blocks for a quilt!

And they are doing me proud ;-)




























I'm so excited about these blocks I think I am going to have to make a second quilt!

Today I am teaching a one to one dressmaking full day lesson.....hoping to still feel human at the end of it! Hope you all have a lovely weekend, stay warm!

Emily x

Mini Makes - napkins

Small children + dinner time + mouths wiped on sleeves (yuk!) = napkins needed!!!

One each, all different - the girls ones have pompom trim, fun! 

Perfect for afternoon tea and cake whilst blogging!

These took less than an hour to make, they make me feel all grown up (never saw the point in napkins when there were always bibs and wet wipes around!) and I am definitely making more! After all these are only hours old and the kids love them so much they've been though the wash already.