What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 This was quite a last-minute make but thankfully it was a fast sew! I had seen the "Defi Declic" on IG organised by Atelier Scammit with their lovely free pattern and had planned to make one before the end of June, apart that again time crept up on me...

I finally cut the pattern and washed the fabric on Tuesday last week, cut the top and ironed on the interfacing on Wednesday night before assembling the top on Thursday.

It is quite an easy sew with just 4 pieces and the instructions are very clear, with lots of videos (which ...

 With Spring finally back and a few Holy Communion to attend, I thought I needed a new dress. I had wanted to try some French Poetry patterns for a while and settled on the Pléiades 2 Dress for my first try. Before I left the UK, I had ordered a stash of Lady McElroy fabric from Sherwoods Fabrics that I hadn't yet put to good use. I picked the New York City - Night print, q lovely cotton poplin that has a beautiful drape.

 I am not sure I ever been that fast to sew up a fabric after buying it or to sew a pattern for a second time but this week I made myself a second Socks Pullover. I made a slightly different version with a lower collar and the faux buttoning on the shoulder.

 A new IG challenge, how could I resist, especially knowing I had some fabric in my stash that would work and winter is not yet over rather it's come back recently! And this works for 2 IG challenges actually, since January #magamsewalong is #Jumpstart.

 My company Christmas party was in London just under 2 weeks ago and we were told to dress like in the 1920s. A quick look online made me realise that I had left it too late to order an outfit so I bought the Folkwear 1920s Flapper dress pattern and I went to Toto tissu to buy some black fabric and some bling to make a dress in the week or so I had left.

The pattern is rather simple with 2 identical pieces for the top and 2 identical pieces for the skirt. I cut a size Large qnd ...

 This one was started over a year ago. I joined an online class with Claire's Thread in May 2021 to sew the Ultimate Coat by the Maker's Atelier.

I didn't quite manage to finish it during the sew-along but made quite great progress. The Coat was assembled and only needed the finishing touches. 

 I know, summer is over,  although temperatures adding midday have been so mild recently that we could wonder! In any case I'm ready for summer weather with my new blouse! I cut it early September as part of a double challenge. The Charlie pattern was offered for free by the designer,  la Robe du Chat, new to me but a nice find! With a challenge to sew the pattern by mid September, which I failed! There was also the IG #magamsewalong challenge to make a shirt in September. 

 Finally, after 1 year in this house, I've finally sewn one garment, from start to finish. Granted it's taken me 3 months but it's now wearable. I'm so happy that I've got (part of) my sew-jo back.

You know the urge to start a new project when you really shouldn't because 1) you have enough unfinished ones to keep you going for a long while and 2) you're about to go on holidays so should really concentrate on everything else but starting a new project. Surely I'm not alone?

I have been trying to make wee videos to summarise Bernina Qmatic lessons that I have been teaching on Zoom. Nella makes a great job of editing them then I add notes and screenshots which I hope make some sort of sense. I don’t claim to have THE definitive method for doing things – just ways I have found that work for me.

Other time wasting exercises this week have included trying to track down lost Hermes parcels and chasing up my KLM cancelled flight expenses which still have not been processed.

I have been enjoying watching The Great British ...

It was refreshing to work on some straightforward customer quilts this week. I loved the mixture of fabrics used in the 3 “scrappy” quilts. This eclectic approach made me reconsider ordering a batch of Liberty prints for my caravan quilts and I found all sorts of floral prints already in my stash. I almost could not be bothered to start a quilt and I struggled to get going but once I had made up a test block, I decided to cut out enough for an entire quilt.

Nella had some college deadlines to fulfil, one of which was a transformation ...

I have been writing a weekly blog since 2008 and it has become a ritual or habit that I write something every Sunday unless I am busy travelling but this week I actually FORGOT to do it. Perhaps it is because Nella and I are trying to keep weekends sacrosanct since she has started college? Instead of catching up on customer quilts or working on projects we have been trying to do as little as possible.

At any rate here are some photos from the past week…:)

The cows in the field next door escaped this week. After exploring our driveway and leaving a couple of cow-pats, they trundled off down the track and trotted speedily up the road, causing a bit of a traffic jam. I phoned the farmer as soon as I saw the herd dispersing and he quickly rounded them all up again.

I quilted the Bewitched quilt (to be repurposed into a coat) using a Karlee Porter design called “Swivel Circle 2”. The gold lame looks fab, of course and it has made me wonder if I should invest in some new, shiny ...

There were no customer quilts waiting this week to make me feel guilty for not working on them. Instead, I have decided to spend the next couple of weeks pottering away at small things I have been putting off. I got through some admin, wormed the pets, had another go at making pumpernickel which was pretty good but rather sticky to cut, and filed all of my dress-making patterns into one drawer of the filing cabinet. My workshop still looks a bit cluttered and when Rainbows Warliors arrived back from the show, I decided to leave it wrapped up since ...

 Actually, this is another UFO! but not such an old one. After I finished my Calvin wrap dress by True Bias last year, I decided to cut another one. I don't have that many summery sundress in my wardrobe actually and I really like the fit of the one I had just made. I had this fitted bed sheet that was wearing thin at the corners but was still good otherwise and that had a lovely design. So I decided to cut another Calvin wrap dress then and there. All the cutting was done last year but never managed ...

 A few weeks back I received the Nautilus swimsuit pattern for free from Paprika Patterns so I could to try it out and promote it. I had just the right fabric in my stash (bought a few years back from Girl Charlee UK) but never used... but I didn't have lining or elastic so I ordered those.

It’s all very well sitting on the sofa criticising contestants on the Sewing Bee on TV for making silly mistakes but if I was ever selected then I would definitely be sent home in the first week. I did eventually get my oversized wool dressing gown finished. It is probably too big in the shoulders, could be even roomier elsewhere, is not made quite according to the instructions but I think it is a success. It does not need to be tailored as a garment for taking Nessie for a pee in the garden first thing in ...

I am a coffee snob with a penchant for collecting stovetop espresso makers. Freya should be able to come and stay next month so I wondered whether I could get a really big Bialetti that I could brew up in the morning and reheat later. I found an 18 espresso cup pot on Ebay and found it amusing to line all 3 sizes up on my stove. 

My new Mac Mini arrived and I am very pleased with it so far. I don’t particularly like the monitor by Dell as it seems temperamental. I have transferred all of my ...

 First item of dressmaking this year! Both the pattern for the Lahja dressing gown by Named Clothing and the waffle fabric have been in my stash for a long time (over 2 years I think). And finally when I saw Guthrie & Ghani monthly kit in December, for exactly this pairing, I knew I had to get those out. My current dressing gown is old and frumpy and I have been meaning to sew another one for a long while...