The last week has been very busy both at work and at home. Due to the UK lockdown 3 all my teaching is on line. Well not quite all my teaching as I was in work teaching volunteers how to give injections in preparation for them working in one of the vaccination centres. Apart from that all my other teaching is online and I find I'm very tired after a day on the computer. At home Richard has taken the time to redecorate his room. New flooring, making cupboards, new desk as well as wallpapering and painting. I am also trying to do some decluttering. I'm not sure where it all comes from but we have a lot of stuff that we don't use or need. All the activity going on doesn't mean I haven't done any sewing. In fact I've been fairly busy with different projects.
First up I finished the millennium sampler. This was finished on New Year's day but I kept forgetting to take a photo. After 20 years I'm very relieved that this is finished. I added the place we celebrated the new millennium which was Kexby in Lincolnshire. Kexby is a small village which at the last census in 2011 had a population 340. My parents lived here for many years and we enjoyed the tranquility of village life whenever we visited.
For Christmas Richard bought me some quilting templates to try. He'd done his homework and found he also needed to get a closed toe quilting foot for it to work effectively. He bought a sample collection for me to try.
In the picture the templates look really dusty, which they were. I'd left them out when John was doing some repair work that involved sanding. I made sure they were cleaned before I tried using them.
I had prepared two small mats to use as practice pieces so once I got the machine set up it was time to play. I gave all of the templates a test run. Using them is rather like using a spirograph, something I wasn't very good at doing. You have to ensure the quilting foot stays in contact with the template. You can see from the circle on the left that I lost contact with the template and so flattened out the top of the circle. I also found it a little difficult to keep the pattern going at the same speed and so the stitches are not completely evenly sized. They worked well but I need more practice.
By the time I'd quilted the first little mat I had got the hang of the process and I was pleased with the result. The other way to use the template is to draw out the design and then quilt over the markings. I'll try the quilting on the second mat that way. The templates were fun to use and worked well.
I've spent time on my knitting and have had a little too much help from Scamp. As soon as I sit down he likes to curl up on my lap. With all of us working from home he feels he has to keep tabs on all of us. That means he has to keep going up and down stairs throughout the day. When he sees me sit down with some knitting or hand stitching he makes a beeline for my lap.
I end up having to wrap the yarn around my finger just in case he moves and pulls on it. Now the knitting has grown considerably in size he enjoys the fact that it covers him like a mini blanket. Meanwhile Picasso can usually be found asleep in the dog bed.
Finally I've been working on my monthly goal. The main goal is to complete the first of the redwork Jane Austen blocks. I drew the block out and made a start. I need to unpick the stitches to the right of her sleeve as I got a tangle in the thread , got a little distracted and mis stitched it. That won't take very long to sort out.
My monthly goal was to stitch this block and I'm sure it will be completed in time.
There is a blog hop going on this week over at Just Let Me Quilt This is Hearts on Fire. The remit is to create a heart or something with heart but it mustn't be red. The hop started today. Here's the schedule,
January 18
January 19
January 20
January 21
Becky’s Adventures in Quilting and Travel
January 22
My day is Thursday and obviously I've been creating a project for the hop. Pop back on Thursday to see what I've made. I'm waiting on a fabric delivery to completely finish it but that should arrive tomorrow, so no problem.
Take care
Lyndsey
Such a lovely photo of Scamp curled up on your lap while you are knitting. I can't knit with our cat Gemma on my lap, she thinks the moving wool and needles are just there for her to pounce on and chew.
ReplyDeleteIt must be so hard for everyone working from home & I can't say that I know anything about it, being old fuddy-duddies, but my heart goes out to all. Glad you've been able to get in some stitching time & I'm impressed by your quilting with the templates. Something I've never attempted on my domestic machine. Ooh, I'd love to have pets again & have them curled up on my lap whilst knitting or sewing. Look forward to seeing your projects grow. Take care and stay safe & warm.
ReplyDeletePS: I did notice the kangaroo & Captain Cook's name on your Millenium Quilt.(smile)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the Sampler finish. I know it is a great feeling to have such a beautiful piece completed. I have the templates for my domestic machine also but haven't really gotten them out to give them a try, I think this may give me that push since yours turned out so well. Great start on your Pride and Prejudice block. I was able to get mine finished and am looking forward to next months block. Looks like Scamp has the best seat in the house.
ReplyDeleteThe sampler looks great. What a sweet picture of Scamp. Sadie is the lap cat at our place. You have some pretty projects your working on. I’m nearly finished with my current piece, and starting on a redwork piece next.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing up you sampler, Lyndsey, and your trial quilting run looks great! Thanks for the reminder about the Blog Hop. I had forgotten about that one.
ReplyDelete