Marg Low Designs

Friday Girls Sampler Quilt

Yesterday was Friday Girl Sewing. Reluctantly I mentioned the sampler quilt as I'm going  to deviate from 'the rules' and include fabrics left over from Stonleigh's fabric club for greater variety. Look what Helen and Michelle pulled from their work baskets.

Michelle's blocks. Michelle has tagged hers and plans to include the block names on the quilt label.

Helen's blocks.

I love them and want to redo mine!

Jan picked the next four for us, Big Dipper, Combination Star, Double X No. 3 & Indian Hatchet. I can't remember if we set a deadline, but to be on the safe side, I guess they need to be made for next Friday.

Friday Girl Sampler Quilt

Last Friday was show and tell day for the first four blocks in the sampler quilt Helen, Michelle and I are making. This is the sampler we are making from Threadbear fabric club and the Ladies Art Company Block Tool book.

It took ages for us to make a plan and then we had to wait until a day when we'd all be at sewing together to show our blocks. I realised Thursday I still needed to make two and not wanting to fall behind so early in the project made the Star and Dutchmans Puzzle.

I took my camera so I could take a picture of the girls but in between bouts of laughter they both admitted to making a big fat zero!

So we picked another three blocks - Mosaic No.7, Ladies Wreath and Old Tippecanoe and they have promised to catch up. I had a lovely time yesterday making the next three blocks - the first bit of me sewing in ages.

 

Friday sewing

Somethings take time to organise and can't be rushed.

It all started when Helen, Michelle and I purchased the Block Tool book by Connie Chunn. An idea was floated to make a sampler quilt from it and never mentioned again until one Friday last year. We were chatting about the Threadbear fabric club and what we could make with it when someone remembered the book. What a great idea! And then we got busy, Christmas came and went, there were holidays.... and our first chance to make a plan was a few weeks ago. This got off to a bad start - no one had remembered to bring the book - we were supposed to be choosing a block to make. 

Yes you can laugh or shake your head!

Fearing another twelve months would pass without a single block being made we decided to make a star, churndash, shoofly and block of our choice.

I made two almost straight away and then stopped as quickly as I started.

Another parcel of fabrics arrived this week, so maybe this weekend.....

Can't wait to see Helen and Michelle's.

 

no secret

It's no secret my favourite projects are quick and achievable ones. I look longingly at the divine applique quilts Jan and Sue-Anne make but with no desire to start one myself. Before starting anything, I like to know the odds are good for finishing it!

I love a project you can cut out after dinner, stitch that night and if need be, put the finishing touches on the next day.

 

Some of the things I've been working on for the AQC and From Me to You Club.

Meanwhile, I'm very lucky to have friends who make those gorgeous applique quilts so I can ooh and aah over the fabrics and dream that maybe one day.......

presents & a quilt to finish

Every year I find myself wishing I'd started making the Christmas presents a bit earlier. You'd think I'd have worked it out by now.  Even the quickest of gifts take time when you do them in multiples.

I never get tired of making these. The great thing is they're all different and once the fabrics, decoration and threads are picked, I can stop thinking. I could almost make them them in my sleep. You will find kits for Ralph here.

Something different for a friend whose received gifts with Barb's buttons the past two years. The pattern for How Many Sleeps? is here.

The Ho Ho Ho kit can be found here.

And because I don't have enough to do I'd like to finish (top only) this quilt started about 18 months ago. The Friday Girls had a lovely day sewing at Sue-Anne's  on Thursday and I'm inspired. 

 

bits of this and that

There's a reason why things should be put away in their proper place.

So you don't waste valuable time looking for them. I knew they were where they weren't supposed to be but could I remember where that was!

Michelle wasted no time last Friday, starting and finishing this decoration, and with time to start a second.

Considering the Friday Girls usually start late, chat and laugh a lot, have lunch with nibbles either side, this is very impressive.

Here's hoping tomorrow I have a chance to do some more stitching with these Aurifil threads.

I've always stitched with DMC threads but decided to try these after seeing them at the AQM. They're lovely to stitch with and it's a pleasant change not having to separate the strands.

a little christmas sewing

After the last class I came home and started doodling. It wasn't long before I was cutting out felt and fabric, adding a few stitches and thinking this year's Christmas presents. Simple and quick - just the sort of thing I love to make. 

Now I could hardly finish them off at Friday Sewing and I couldn't just sit there with nothing to do, so I made the Stitched Heart from the Festive Trinkets pattern.

I prepared it at home, stitched the front at sewing and finished it off in front of the TV. This is for a non sewing friend, who still has some things I made for her many years ago (things that make me blush when I look at them).

It would make a charming addition to your own collection of decorations or a special friends.

Tempted - you can purchase the kit for the Stitched Heart here.

friday's shoofly quilt

Last week, Sue-Anne, Nicole and I got together and started the Shoofly Doll Quilt from Kathleen Tracy's book, The Civil War Sewing Circle. We have jokingly called this our 'We're not going overseas quilt' . Two Friday Girls are off overseas, lucky them, and those of us staying home are making a quilt, lucky us. Jan is going to catch up!

Sue-Anne has finished hers - not just the top, the whole thing, hand quilted, bound and labelled - it looks gorgeous in blues and blacks.

 
 Nicole has finished her top and it looks entirely different in the greens and pinks. Looks so pretty and yummy!

 
 And mine looks like it's already worn out before it's even finished.

 
I didn't change any of the fabrics, however Sue-Anne did come to the rescue with the cornerstone fabric. It's a nice change from the red quilts I've been making.

tomorrow's sewing

Last weekend I pulled out fabrics for the small quilt we'll be sewing tomorrow. The fabrics sat on the table all week and I couldn't resist rearranging them whenever I walked past. By yesterday I was over them and had a total rethink!

The rose print at the back is a favourite piece. Bought so long ago I can't remember if it was for a specific project or because I simply had to have it. It's the piece I  pull out and then put back because I'm saving it for that special project. 

There's no changing my mind now, the fabrics are cut and ready for sewing.

I don't often have everything precut even for small quilts. I like to make a couple of blocks, see how they look, decide on another fabric....

I refuse to take 'spare' fabrics with me so here's hoping they work.

a little weekend sewing

Last Friday it was decided, that this week at sewing, the Friday Girls would make one of the little quilts out of the book 'The Civil War Sewing Circle' by Kathleen Tracy. We all received this book for our birthdays, thanks to Sue-Anne.

No buying new fabric, we have to make it out of our stash -  which shouldn't be a problem. So you can guess what I was doing Friday night and part of Saturday. Going through the stash looking for 'just the right fabrics'. Of course I am 'short' the fabric I want to use in the border!

I've been so preoccupied designing and sewing with my red fabrics I'd forgotten about some of my other treasures.

Like this border fabric. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to make something with it, not sometime in the future, but right then! Working out the layout and size was simple, I only had a Fat 1/4  to play with. The Churndash block was an easy choice, I loved making it for the birthday quilt and I've been drooling over the ones Helen & Michelle are making.

 
 Love the pink, blue and green combination!

So looking forward to Friday and sewing with the Friday Girls. I can't wait to see what fabrics they've chosen.