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...]

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 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...]

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...]