Peg teepee

I’ve not quilted in a while and I really didn’t need a new peg bag but when I saw someone else’s version. Of this I had to have one. It’s called a Quip by little patch pockets. I had just the bundle of fat quarters to use for it to. It can use squares, scraps or even just one fabric. 

I have to admit I really got confused at one stage and had to read the instructions 20 times as couldn’t figure out at which part to cut the fabric using the pattern/template. Anyone else do this? Read something wrong and then can’t read it correctly? Which was exactly what I did. Not the patterns fault it was mine! Got there in the end though. Took me a couple if evenings to make. Then, a 2 day gap. The last stage said to hand stitch the binding in place so I put it to one side as I hate hand sewing. 

Finally got around to the hand stitching and didn’t take me long at all in the end. I think it looks amazing. It’s not the sort of thing you make more than one of for yourself really which made it an expensive pattern for a one male use. However, now I’ve made one I know what to do and I might make a few more for friends etc and experiment with the look and quilting of it if I do. 

Bias binding and myself do not have a good history but this one distant fight me at all.  Maybe because I made it myself? Who knows. I’m counting if as a pleasant win and know I’ll be smiling every time I use this peg teepee as my daughter named it when I shared a photo when I started sewing this. 

Sunday catch up

This week kind of flew by with school starting up again. I have finished a few things, started new things, decided the weather hates me and am embracing the cold, wet weather today.

Last night was cold, so crocheting this while wearing it was a joy. Trying to get a picture that did it justice afterwards wasn't, the light has been awful since so I gave up for now.  It is however a warm, bright and snuggly blanket. This project is one I have done while watching Netflix mostly. Last nights viewing was the very early Peter Capaldi in Doctor Who series 8. It's also been worked one watching, Orphan Black, Salem, Travellers, Finding Monday ( I think it's called?) 

Today has been a trial of sorts at times.  All I can say is I am thankful I can at least message people who understand the need to say what on earth is happening and I need chocolate.  I got told I can have chocolate on Fridays night out so that helped. Other thing to help was cooking. Although this is more a shove it in the pot and simmer meal but the house smells amazing at the moment.

Decided with things falling out the freezer and me needing to put stuff in the freezer I had better reorganise the freezer.  Oh boy! Silly thing to do. I think apart from bread, milk, veg and cat food we will be saving on the food bills for quite a few weeks.  I am now going to challenge myself to use all these odds and ends to save money and more importantly use what we have and being less wasteful.

Today I found in foil the remains of a leg of lamb.  Can't remember last time I cooked a leg of roast lamb but there was a fair amount of meat still on the bones. So all I really added to this was some veg we had in the fridge, pearl barley and lentils, parsley stalks chopped finely brought to a boil and simmering away nicely. Really is the meal for this wet, cold and windy day.

My sunshine Dresden cushion isn't quite finished, not a lot left to do but I got floored by a headache so I left it not quite finished.

To catch you up on progress all that has been done is sewing the front to the back right sides together using my sewing machine foot for the seam allowance, leaving one section open to turn it right sides out.

Trimmed of the excess backing leaving a pretty shape.

And turned it right side out making sure the curves were pushed out fully from inside. All simple so far. It's about halfway stuffed with pillow stuffing now and will hopefully finish doing that tomorrow if I am lucky. Then All that will be left is to sew the gap up.  I am not sure about whether it will have a centre button on front and back to give it a dimpled middle if you understand what I mean? What do you think should I do that? Could always try and see what it looks like maybe? After all buttons are easy to remove if it looks silly.

Other than that it's all been a little quiet.  As I said I am hopefully going to finish the cushion tomorrow then I have a new project to start knitting wise and strangely have a summer dress that needs making up for someone that I promised to do way to long ago.

Back soon to catch up again

Take Care

Jules x

Fat Quarter sunshine AKA adventures in sewing Part 1

OK, maybe not sunshine as such but that's what these Dresden blades pieced together remind me of. Almost like a child has drawn a sun. I remembered earlier I had bought a Dresden blade quilt ruler a while ago. I knew I wanted to sew today but didn't want anything to difficult or big to do, but something new to.  Like any sewer I have a very interesting little collection of Fat Quarters. I am still hooked on these from my quilting days almost 16 years ago. Such prettiness to admire and dream of using one day in the perfect project. Does that perfect project ever arrive I wonder?

I chose just 2 Fat Quarters for the front of the cushion and cut out 10 blades of red and 10 of blue. It's hard to see in this light but they have little bits of glitter in this fabric. Glitter that doesn't spill everywhere like the half sequins I am still finding everywhere!

Very simply I sewed one of each colour together in pairs, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance then pressed the seams towards the blue side as it was darker..

Then sewed each pair to another pair, pressing in the same way. I carried on until I had all 2o forming a ring with a hole in the middle.

To cover the hole I cut out 2 pieces of material bigger that the hole in circles and sewed them right sides together.

Carefully making sure I had only one side of the circle I cut a slit.Turned the circle right sides out and pressed.

And I even impressed myself it still looks like a circle. Simply needed to pin the circle over the hole and chose a buttonhole type stitch on my machine and machine appliqued carefully around the edge of the circle attaching the circle over the hole. It took a bit of concentration and slow going in places but it did go on in the end.  Thankfully without the need of a stitch ripper.

As you can see I used red thread to highlight it a bit.

Not having another 2 of these FQ I struggled to find a contrasting 2 that I liked, so after auditioning a lot of fabric I decided to back the cushion in black needle cord fabric, logic was it probably is going to get a fair bit of use with children sitting on it on the floor or even in the garden so may as well have one hard wearing side.

How it has been left is smoothed out and pinned right sides together ready for my next hour I can sneak in to finish it, and while I consider the best way to finish this. Will update you in next day or two on how I finish the cushion off.

So until I can sneak off and sew again

Take care

Jules x