charlottenewland

Presents for me, presents for the boy

8 March 2012 by charlottenewland 2 Comments

With all the hand sewing that's been going on around here lately I had come to the conclusion that I really should be more careful about where I stick my needle. I tend to just poke it into the arm of the couch, but I was getting worried that I might absentmindedly stick it into the cat. I saw this spectacular armrest pincushion a while back, but it looked way too complicated. So I took the main design features (weighted pincushion, pocket, little bag thingy for bits of thread) and sort of made it up as I went along. It is basically the same, just a bit bigger and slightly less detailed in terms of its construction. It is made from a real mish-mash of fabrics. Some Little Apples, [Read more...]

Adventures with thangles

2 March 2012 by charlottenewland Leave a Comment

I heard about Thangles a few weeks ago, and of course had to try them out immediately. I love HSTs, but all that trimming drives me to distraction and Thangles are a fantastic and easy way to make a whole load of HSTs from strips of fabric. I bought the teeniest sizes they had (to make 1/2 inch and 1 inch finished HSTs) and pulled out some of my precious Oakshott shot cottons. They really were so easy to use, although the loose weave of the fabric made the tiny ones a bit tricky.The points are pretty good though, even on the 1/2 inch squares. I'm really pleased with how they came out.I love the way the colours of the shot cottons play against each other. It's up on the wall with my [Read more...]

Sick day

28 February 2012 by charlottenewland Leave a Comment

My poor boy is home ill for the third day in a row. Just a temperature, thankfully, but still not well enough to go to school.Luckily we have a couple of quilts in the house to snuggle with ;-)

Slow but steady

22 February 2012 by charlottenewland Leave a Comment

I'm making slow progress (but progress nonetheless) on my rose stars.I've already cut all the pieces to make enough for a reasonable sized quilt. I figured I needed 23 stars and 4 half stars to end up with something that will be about 60 inches in one direction and kind of squareish. I'm not sure exactly how square it will end up being because the maths is making my head hurt (hexagons are tricky like that).These bring the total made so far to 13 and a half. Just typing that has surprised me. I'm actually over half way there.Of course, then there is all the sewing together to be done. I'm hoping that being on the home stretch will make that part seem faster.I love this little fox. He has [Read more...]

I finally understand the point of mini quilts

20 February 2012 by charlottenewland Leave a Comment

I finished the New York Beauty block yesterday, and I can confidently state two things. First, I love it. Secondly, never again! Those curves are so teeny and fiddly, especially the one in the middle. I am a lot worse at sewing curves than I thought. note how I cropped this very carefully so you can't see the worst parts of the dodgy quilting! Ah well, she was worth it. I didn't want to do too much quilting, mainly because I was worried I would mess it up and then cry, so I left the pieced sections completely unquilted. I tried a light version of Judi's mariner's compass for the middle, and I am really pleased with how it turned out. The rest is just simple [Read more...]

Good advice, all round

10 February 2012 by charlottenewland Leave a Comment

I made a couple of embroideries for my girls last year, but never quite managed to get around to making one for the boy. I've been collecting ideas on Pinterest for ages, and finally settled on this one.I love marking stitching patterns and lines with these pens. The ink disappears with heat, so a quick swipe with an iron (or a wave over the toaster) and you get another go at the design. Be warned - they really don't last very long and they are pretty expensive so keep them away from the kids in case they get addicted to them.We have snow on the ground and a fire burning. I'm off to finish stitching.

Love is pain

9 February 2012 by charlottenewland Leave a Comment

Paper piecing gives me a headache. There is not a single seam in this tiny little quilt (just 17 inches square) that wasn't ripped at least once. Fabric the wrong side up. Pieces that I swear were big enough suddenly, stubbornly, refusing to cover the whole paper. And when you rip a seam you rip the paper. Sigh.Not to mention my least favourite part. Where you end up with a table covered in tiny little bits of shredded paper.But then, the end result makes it all worth it. The pointiest of points. The making possible what would ordinarily be impossible (at least for a slapdash sewer like me). The pattern is by Anna Maria Horner, and originally called for straightforward piecing. The idea [Read more...]

It’s been a while

8 February 2012 by charlottenewland Leave a Comment

It has been a long time since I was here. Life could not be more different. New home. New husband. Happiness. It feels good.Life got complicated there for a while, but there was always time for making. And with a house full of quilts (but always space for more) there needs to be somewhere to share them. What's the point if you can't show off a little, right?There have been quiltalongs:(single girl)(swoon)and block parties (that will last a long, long time):(rose star block party)and assorted other quilty adventures here and here.As always, there are a million works in progress. Keep watching - I'll prove it!