In the Making...

I seem to have a thing for Cathedral Windows. I've made lots of different projects with them.  My favourite is this wall hanging  (the photography is dire and you can't see the detail, the entire hanging is quilted and the windows are metallic fabrics and look amazing).  Then there is this cushion  and my little needle case .  There's been lots more too that I haven't blogged about like one year when everyone got a cathedral window pincushion and the next when it was Christmas decorations. I had a weekend recently when the sewing machine came out and there was lots of industry. Secret Garden block during sewing. The block starts in a similar way to Cathedral Window but the "windows" are put in a different place. Finished needle case I've had a project sat for awhile, and I finally had some down time so I got cracking with it. It'll be a cushion when I'm finished similar to the one above. Here's...

"Write about your favourite knitting or crochet (or spinning, etc) tool. It can either be a tool directly involved in your craft (knitting needles or crochet hook) or something that makes your craft more pleasurable – be it a special lamp, or stitch markers." From Eskimimi Makes   My favourite tools... I'm not sure whether I have favourites because everything I use has its purpose. If I'm in a hurry and want the bare minimum with me, then I would grab my scissors, my sewing needle case and my favourite crochet hook (as well as my knitting, of course). I've had these awhile, so excuse their condition. The scissors are little Fiskar ones: I have two pairs. One in my knitting bag and one in my sewing bag. The first pair I've had for at least 12 years and they are still as sharp as when I bought them. Attached to the scissors is a hardanger scissor keeper that I made a long time ago at a workshop. Originally, it had a tassel but that's long ...

I thought I'd share my Christmas tree with you! I've made a few decorations for the tree. This flat ceramic bauble is double-sided and from the photo above you can see the Christmas tree on the other side. A ceramic glazed santa Hardanger embroidered decoration and it's filled with cloves so it smells very Christmassy Secret Garden folded fabric blocks with lucet cord and beaded tassels And, it's not just me. These are Mr's contributions, a wood turned bauble and a star for the top of the tree which is made from white leather (a strange material for a star but it looks nice) These are a few tree decorations that friends have made for me over the years. Going through them all, I've realised there is not one knitted decoration. That will be something I'll have to remedy for next year!

Finally finished; I've been planning a Wedding present to give to my oldest friend. I've known him since Primary School and unbelieveably we've kept in touch over the years. He's getting married on Saturday and my husband is one of the ushers. Hopefully it will be nice weather because they are having a marquee reception. Their colour theme is chocolate brown and gold so I've used those colours to make them a cushion. It contains lots of silks to make it look sumptuous; I purchased most of the silk from The Silk Route who do a lot of coloured packs, which are perfect for Cathedral Windows. I had most of it finished early on; then just had to hand stitch all the windows in and the border on. When I came to put the back on my sewing machine decided to go poof!! With two weeks to go - aaahhh! Got it to the repair centre quick and it's all sorted now and finally able to finish the cushion; which I absolutely love (quite like to keep it myself - but I won't...

Been planning quite an elaborate Christmas present for my mum. She really likes koi carp and I spotted this Kona Bay Japanese print at last year's Festival of Quilts; so I just had to have it. I'd seen something at the show with a similar pr int in; which was banner sha ped with diamond blocks surrounding it. Thought I'd do something similar but I've got a bit of a p enchant for Cathedral block windows. Lynne Edwards has released a new book Cathedral Window Quilts: The Classic Folded Technique and a Wealth of Variations It's a really beautiful book and she goes into detail on all the different ways of making Cathedral Windows plus other types of folded blocks too. What I fo und quite useful was the machine piecing section which I put into practice making the wallhanging. I must say it was a little fiddly at times but think it turned out well. One of the tricky parts for me was the free motion quilting on the picture. I used Perfect Pallete fabric for the main ba...