Bag lady

 

A short post today as it's late and I am running behind again, but I just needed to let you into my latest exciting bit of stitching. I took my self along a week ago to a great class at My Bearpaw classes in Edinburgh to have a bash at making a Weekend holdall, or "Weekender" as these seem to have been nicknamed in the crafty world. I am not done yet as you can clearly see, but am so pleased and excited with it so far and just had to share a bit with you now. I spent until 1 am on the previous Friday making myself a giant 1.3 m square piece of "quilt as you go" for the body of the bag and that in itself was a bit of a challenge, but like a dipstick I forgot to take any pictures before it all got cut into bits for the bag. It was pretty darn traumatic cutting it up if truth be told. We do have to suffer for our art though don't we.

Huge thanks have to go to Naomi Crowley of Green Earth Beads and Bags for sharing her vast knowledge and making the class such an enjoyable couple of days. Despite me having a very late night in the middle of her class ( but no hangover!), she managed to make it all seem pretty straightforward and all that thickness in the seems no quite so scary.

I can't remember if I told you that My Bearpaw have moved to new premises, but just in case I forgot do pop by and have a look at the new shop and classes here. Jo has done a great job and I think the classes will be even more popular than ever in the new fab surroundings. I have to say too her classes are a great way to make new friends and as you can see here, some very talented ones at that ( note I had not consumed all the biscuits on this occasion).

 

As I said though, this is just a Work in Progress post . Adding the bottom of the bag is a bit too tricky for late night stitching so it will have to wait till the long weekend . Add to that curtailment of all sewing for nursing duties of the Beloved due to an unfortunate incident involving a shower mat and a bath handle and I reckon it will definitely be next week before I can head off to Paris, as Naomi suggested, with my natty new Weekender. First class of course.

Off to buckle my swash and other festival fun

It is festival time here in Edinburgh and whilst this can make day to day life a bit more tricky if you are a resident, we really should count ourselves lucky to live in an area with probably one of the best arts festivals on the planet.

This year the lovely Jo, over at Bearpaw has worked her little socks off and pulled together the first ever "Scottish Modern Quilt Exhibition". The show, housed in Avery Homestore in the Morningside area of Edinburgh is a fantastic mix of over 60 examples of work from the modern  quilt movement. Jo, as lots of us know, is a brilliant flag waver for the modern quilter and I think she  is doing a cracking job of helping us all along and now also publicising what is going on in the quilting world. I am very very honoured to have a couple of quilts and a cushion included in this great exhibition and am also delighted to share a couple of items I have received through  flickr swaps and bees.

First is the charity quilt from the Together at Do.Good Stitches Charity bee, which I finished off in a mad dash after coming home from holiday. The block I chose for my month of June was the Rocky Mountain block which I think we have all fallen in love with. I also wanted a red white and blue theme and my lovelies in the bee did me proud.

My other quilt exhibit is the low volume quilt, which was based on a fat quarterly pattern. Its not so typically "modern" in its choice of fabrics but Jo has focused the exhibition on not only the more modern style of quilts we are all making and fabrics being used, but also the influence of the Internet and in particular flickr swaps and bees and the like. So i sneaked in by the back door on this category. Pop over to an earlier post and have a peep.

Jo really has done a great job so if your not north of the border pop over here and see the great array.

As for me I am off to see a couple of shows on Saturday with the beloved and then we have a great afternoon out with little Zoe planned. We are off to see "Captain Flynn and the Pirate Dinosaur". Now this could be highlight of my month. What more could you want than both dinosaurs and pirates all in one little show?

 I will report back on who won.

Peek-a-boo quilt

Had a great great day on Sunday. It was quilt class day over at Avery Homestore  (also known as Bearpaw classes )which I had been looking forward to all week.  I packed up my pins, strapped down my faithful machine and headed my little old car off to sunny Morningside nice and early in keen anticipation and I am glad to say I wasn't to be disappointed.



Claire deep in concentration on her blocks

The class of the day was the "Peek-a-boo" quilt which makes me chuckle whenever I say it (sorry I know, pathetic isn't it) and is a based on a technique which was shown at a tutorial at last year's Fat Quarterly Retreat in London, rather than some odd fetish for dodgy lingerie.

Jo (there are a lot of us in this piece- just warning you now), our lovely host, has put her own twist on the quilt and so we had a choice to make either the original or her own more grown up petal version. Jo blogged about her quilt last year which you can read all about here, and of course see her great shots of the finished thing. 

 

I went for the original version, which is more for little people as I wanted to use a cracking piece of Japanese fabric which I had picked up in the most amazing shop in France last summer. Three of my new quilting buddies for the day Sasha, Ann and yet another Jo went for the grown up versions and these are a couple of the blocks they made, which as you can see are in stunning colour combos. Really looking forward to seeing how they turn out (apologies for the rubbish quality of the pictures though, but I struggled with the light in our room)

 

I managed just 2 whole blocks and two thirds of another and am itching to get the others finished,  but you know me, too many projects on the go all at once. I will try very hard to come back with the completed quilt really soon - swaps, bee blocks and oh perhaps work allowing.

ps the bottom one is squinty as its not trimmed yet- just in case you think my cutting is really rubbish

Jo does a great job with her classes and you can see more of her stunning work on her blog. And of course don't forget she is organising the exciting Stitch Gathering in August, which is now SOLD OUT!!! Can't wait and hope to see some of you there. 

 

see you soon

 

It's all in the planning

Scraps at the ready

The weather is going to be pants so that rules out my other Beloved free weekend occupation which should be starting about now. That is my gardening. Such a shame as the place looks wrecked at the mo, but hey ho, no use stressing because I am no cold weather gardener me.  So that means I have no option but to sit and sew today. Oh dear , what a shame.........

Even the postie called with a parcel to give me a hint that I should be stitching, so what can a girl do.

 

I have an absolute shed load of things I need to get done so the food shop is done, the laundry is laundered (stuff the ironing- that can wait ) and the hoovering is hoovered. Well, sort of. And so I am off and running.

 

 My hit list for this weekend is so vast I know I will not get through the lot but with no distractions I am hopeful for an extremely productive weekend.  Lets see, we have

• make a small crib quilt for train buddy, (promised back in February before body failure)
• finish the Dresden Plate cushion from week 1 of the Bear Paw Classes
• finish the Low volume quilt started in February
• make my Mo' Stash March blocks
• practise a few more double wedding ring blocks from this week's Bear Paw Class
• Pull some fabric for Modern She Made 2 swap
• oh yes, breath

The groups work from week 2 of the Bear Paw classes. Mine is top centre, the wonky one - hence the need to practise more

Lets report back here sharpish Monday to find out how many of those have moved from the list. Of course if I fail abysmally, I will just leave the country and shut down the blog in shame.

 

see you soon