BLOG 309

BLOG 309

I don’t know about you but I’m inclined to wear a black arm band when my washing machine plays up. Usually it is given a good talking too with a modicum of reasoning … and a hefty kick … and it comes to its senses. But this time it wasn’t going to play ball at all and continued to trip the electricity supply every time we tried to start it. Enter stage left one electrician who pronounced that the problem was terminal for a hefty fee! The machine owed us nothing as it was left with the house when we bought it 10 years ago and it has given sterling service during that time. It was probably too intelligent for its own good actually and over-designed for people like me who habitually use 2 washes, three at a push! A couple of days later, my new machine was delivered and we have watched it as you would a TV to get to know how it works and what it does. The line outside is now groaning with washing and there is a mountain of ironing to climb through tomorrow. O alas alack!

Although this has obviously been a momentous event in my life this week, it hasn’t stopped me sewing. I have had a good run on my Garden Trellis quilt and can now safely say that I have completed all the blocks I am going to do. A messy job but someone has to do it! Here’s the final block being trimmed.

                 Final block

 There are 6 blocks across and 7 down. These measure 11 ¼” from point to point and there is another row to add to each block yet (this may be the joining strip). This final row will be the darkest fabric and it may be the same fabric throughout or it may be many different fabrics of the same tone; it depends what I find when I go to the NEC. I just needed to get to this stage so I could estimate the amount of fabric I need to fill in the triangular edges and corners. At this stage I think I will be quilting each block independently rather than joining the whole quilt together before quilting. I will need to review the position of the blocks eventually to make sure that similar fabrics are not next to each other. I really like it so far.

                 Completed blocks

 I have completed 2 more blocks for the baby’s floor quilt, an elephant and a dog. At this stage the shapes are just fused onto the background.

              Elephant

               Dog

Here they are with their colourful borders (finish ½”) and the bright fabric for the next border. I intend to add a 2 ½” border and then pin the blocks onto wadding to satin stitch the edges of the applique with a variegated thread.

                   4 blocks

                  Bordered

                    Wadded

                   Variegated thread

                     Satin stitch

                 Detail

One down, three to go!