Twenty Five years in the making

 

I started this Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt 25 years ago. I love making hexagons and English Paper piecing is so relaxing, with the added advantage you can take it with you and work on it anywhere. It's been through four house moves and four pregnancies with me.  I've worked on it sometimes for days on end, and at other times I haven't touched it for months. It contains bits and pieces of fabric from dresses, kids clothes and charity shops. It's not 100% cotton, it was started at a time in Galway when it was a huge struggle to get quilting supplies. Now, finally I'm starting to quilt it. Hopefully it won't take another 25 years to finish it..

There's an App for everything..

I just downloaded this little App from Robert Kaufman. Need to have a play with it now, see if it's any good

Check out "Quilting Calculators"

A Quilter's Legacy, Ruby Short McKim's 101 Patchwork Patterns

One of my most treasured quilting books is 'Quilts From the Thirties' by Sara Nephew.

I bought this book many years ago and fell in love with 1930's quilt design. One of the things I love most about this book is that it doesn't just show the quilts, it looks at the lives of the quilters too. Strong, determined and hugely talented women, living through very hard times. Ruby Short McKim was one of the most gifted and prolific of these women.

Her book One Hundred and One Patchwork Patterns, published in 1931,  has now been made available, free of charge online, by her family. Their generosity means that  we have access to the beautiful blocks  that Ruby drafted over 80 years ago.
Visit  http://www.101patchworkpatterns.com for a look at this amazing treasure trove.

I have  a fantasy of making a quilt using the patterns and the methods and equipment that a 1930's  quilter would have had at her disposal. with so many lovely 1930's reproduction fabrics available I think it would be a fun project. Having said that my Dear Jane project, Civil War fabrics Sampler (and many more) are all there in various boxes and bags, hidden away, but haunting me, calling out to be finished. So many quilts- So little time!! Aaarghh....

Handy Little Chart

This little chart is invaluable. So many times I've found myself trying to figure out the measurements for squares to cut Half and Quarter square triangles. This little chart has them all in one place. Cool..

Funky Filz Fun

I'm busy knitting up this felt bag kit for The Quilt Shop Tuam. I haven't knitted in years. Really enjoying the change of pace from crochet. Slower and more relaxing, well that's how it feels today anyway. Remembering many late nights finishing orders when I had a market stall in Galway Market many years ago. Not very relaxing when you have a deadline looming. No deadline today though so I'm just enjoying myself. This is knitting up so quickly. Can't wait to see the final result.

Confessions of a Procraftinator..

I am the world's worst procra(f)tinator. I have no excuses. It's what I am and I think I have finally come to terms with my affliction. Woke up today full of great intentions to finish that Hello Kitty hat that's been sitting in a bag for days. Then I realised that the reason I haven't been able to finish it is because it's just a plain old carrier bag I've been keeping my crochet work in. Of course, that's it. If I made myself a snazzy work bag then I would finish so much more stuff. That's my reason, and I'm sticking to off. So... off to pick out some nice fabrics to make myself a lovely bag for my crochet work. Can't do that till I've had a cup of coffee though. Oh, and I just have to check my email and have a browse on Pinterest.  See what I mean? I'm a lost cause. Photo of said Hello Kitty hat will be posted sometime this century..

Don't fear the Creeper

Having a Minecraft fanatic in the house is a great excuse to make some fun hats. This Creeper hat is destined to be the first of many, I think. This hat is made with double thickness wool so it's REALLY warm. Oscar loves it. There's a quilt in the planning too. But I need to gather lots more fabric for that. Excuse to buy more fabric?? Of course!