Teenage Angst in situ

Today we visited Jonathan in Leeds and I thought I would share this photo. I really don't like having my photo taken but I think this one came out quite well.

A better photo of the quilt label and a close up of Jonathan's Diamond Block.

Tuesday Patchwork Class

I have decided to make more of an effort to share photos with you from my Tuesday patchwork classes. I am proud to report that I have been featured as Blog of the Month in the February issue of British Patchwork and Quilting magazine so if you have found my blog through that - welcome to you and I hope you enjoy what you find.

This first quilt is by Carol a lovely blue sampler quilt which features some of the blocks we made last term and a few Lynne Edwards old favourites. Note the cat block at the bottom - Carol is a cat lover and regular reader of this blog - hope you enjoy seeing your quilt!

These next two photos are back and front of a bag made by Kath. It has been made to hold her cutting mat. She acquired some scraps from Sue who was moving back down to Dorset and she set herself the challenge of using every single scrap - just adding the blue background fabric.
A beautiful result I'm sure you'll agree.

Liebster Award

I have been awarded the Liebster Blog Award by my quilting buddy Hazel of Cotton Cocktails. This award highlights smaller blogs that have 300 followers or less. When you receive the award the idea is to nominate 3 - 5 blogs that you enjoy that also have a smaller following.
I am really pleased to accept the award and I nominate the following blogs because I love to read them and I think you should check them out.

1. Art with a needle by Kathleen Loomis.
Kathleen has some interesting ideas about the quilting world. art quilts and improvisational piecing. And lots of great photos.

2. Deb Rowden's Thrift Shop Quilts
I love antique American quilts especially those everyday ones found in thrift shops and antique malls in the US. I am lucky enough to have some that I picked up on my travels - just wish I had more. Deb's blog is a visual treat.

3.Little Welsh Quilts and other traditions by Mary Jenkins.
I also love Welsh quilts. Mary co-wrote one of my favourite books 'Making Welsh Quilts' and I was really pleased to discover that she also writes a blog. I even discovered that I was mentioned on one of her posts regarding the Sundial Quilt in the recent V&A exhibition,

4.Angie Quilts
Angie contacted me after she had seen my sewing machine cover at the Festival of Quilts. I have been following her blog ever since. She is a quilt teacher who writes every week about the progress of her students which is always interesting. She also has tutorials on her blog.

Hope these blogs inspire you as much as they do me.

Teenage Angst completed

Most of my Christmas holidays were taken up with the completion of this quilt. It didn't quite make it for Christmas but the last stitch was put in on New Years Eve. I was very pleased with the final result and so was Jonathan.
Here is the finished quilt.

Each block is surrounded by a quarter inch of red which although time consuming really enhanced the colours of the quilt. The red represents the fire of a mother and son's relationship in the teenage years.

Many of the blocks have special meanings to Jonathan - particularly the cat block - we do still have four cats but they are a different four to the ones we had when the quilt was started!

The back is also pieced - as I said before I really love pieced backs! I have used sample blocks for the back and Ohio stars which we have been making in my patchwork classes.I didn't actually have one piece of fabric big enough for the back so piecing it was the natural solution.

And finally a label made on my new Janome.

Life has been hectic over the last few weeks with lots of celebrations for Geoff's 50th Birthday. I have also embarked on a large project to turn one of our bedrooms into a sewing room. This is a very big job as it currently houses loads of toys and other teenage stuff. Spent today packing Rob's extensive Jurassic Park dinosaur collection into boxes for storage in the loft.

My next big project is my City & Guilds wholecloth quilt which is based on Welsh Celtic designs. I will try to keep you up to date with my progress.

Snow, Cabin Fever and a giveaway.

Here are the inevitable snow pictures! Everything I have tried to do this week has been cancelled due to the white stuff and now I feel that I have a dose of what can only be described as 'cabin fever!'
These photos were taken by Geoff on Wednesday and things are not much different now. Our street is treacherous due to compacted snow and ice and we live on quite a steep hill.

Fancy a camping trip? Ironically we have just acquired one of those 'camper covers' but who knows when we will be able to use it!

What about a nice sit on the patio?

This weekend I was supposed to be at college for my City & Guilds course. This also has been cancelled - although I don't think I would have attempted the drive to Skipton anyway.

The down side with this is that I don't get to spend time with my classmates, Rachel, Anne-Marie and Hazel. This is a real shame as we have become good friends over the 3/4 years I have known them.

However you can get to know Hazel a little bit better by heading over to her blog where she is having a great giveaway with 3 prizes all relating to the Quilt Show.

Teenage Angst - Final Layout

Well winter is well and truly here in Yorkshire and yesterday I had to cancel my patchwork classes due to snow. Today is even worse with probably a foot of snow falling overnight. So today I will continue with my sewing on teenage angst.

The photo shows the final layout of the blocks and I decided to change a couple of them.

I put a black circle in the centre of this one as I felt it needed some black.

I changed the rail fence block as I thought it was too heavy. I like it much better now.

I will try to take some photos of my progress as I have now joined all the blocks together and hope to add the borders today. I have also made a couple of blocks for the back.

Had a good trip to the knitting and stitching show in Harrogate on Sunday but had a nightmare journey home as the snow started falling heavily in the afternoon. It took us 5 hours to get home instead of the usual 1!

The 12 blocks of Teenage Angst.

If you regularly read my blog I apologise for the lack of content in the last month. No real reason - just didn't feel like sharing I suppose. That doesn't mean I haven't been quilting of course!
Progress is being made on Teenage Angst and I am hoping to have it ready to give as a Christmas gift. The photo shows the initial layout of the 12 blocks before sashings added. Since this photo was taken I have altered two of the blocks and started the sashings. Today I am going to work on a couple of blocks for the back.

I actually love pieced backs - I suppose you could say it is my latest fad - along with mug rugs! (more of that later). My feeling is that if you have to join backing fabric because your quilt is too wide you may as well put in a few blocks to add interest. Also it is a great way of using sample blocks or those that didn't make it onto the front.

Snow has arrived in Yorkshire overnight which is a little too early if you ask me! It is very cold but sunny - winter shouldn't have started till Dec 1st but looks like it had other plans. Tomorrow I am going to the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate so looking forward to lots of retail therapy!