WIPW

This past week has been spent getting my quilt top sewn together ready for quilting.

It is a queen sized quilt but I thought I might increase the size to king size.  Then I remembered I had a king sized quilt that is half quilted and I need to finish.  Also, I don"t think the extra size will enhance it much.  I have to sew a 20cm border all the way around so that it can be mounted on the quilting machine and piece the lining.  I rang the patchwork shop who said they have a 6 to 8 week wait on quilting, so that will make it June before I can get it finished.

My sewing machine is now ready for a service so I will have to get the old machine out again and running.  I can't remember where I put the walking foot for that one.  And I have a project, that I have put aside safely and can't find, to be finished for next month.  I will have to do both things in the next day or two because this weekend is Easter and I have 12 extras who have invited themselves to stay for the holidays.

WIPW

Update time.

Well the knitting isn't progressing because it makes my shoulder too sore.  I have to put that aside for a little but I did get the fronts and back up to the arm hole before I stopped.

The cross stitch grows, very slowly.

I have completed another 2 place-mats.  I am now expanding the quilting patterns I tried out on the 10" squares.

And the big step forward is that I have now finished all 35 blocks of the Nautical Quilt.

These are now ready to trim to size and start adding the sashing and borders.  I am hopeful that I will have this quilt top finished ready for quilting by next weeks update.

WIPW

Here it is Wednesday again.  The days seem to be rushing into one another.  This is the day to stop and see if I have made any progress.

The cross stitch has progressed.  This section of the piece is where I have to make lots of changes.  It is hold your breath time when I see if I have counted right and the lines match up.  They do!

I had a light bulb moment and decided I needed to define the space and stitch the outlines, which I have done.  Now I have to look at the original pattern and select those parts I want to use and make sure they will fit.  It doesn't look like it but I still have quite a bit of work to do on this one.  Good thing there isn't a hurry to get it finished.

The knitting is growing and my shoulder is quiet sore. 

And, I have opened that box.  A big project here.  That is going to be in progress for some time.

WIPW

I have two more place-mats in progress.  I have quilted these using serpentine and scallop stitch.  That makes a set of 4, just the binding to go.

The knitting is the other work in progress.  I am advancing it but I'm not sure how my shoulder and neck like the action.  I am limiting myself to every other  night but still find that I have pain.  Not all the time, just on and off.  I will have to keep an eye on that.  I do love to knit and listen to a book being read or music so I would like the pain to go away so that I could increase the time to every night.  But if it gets worse I might have to cut back on this activity.

There is an upside to not being able to use my hands.  My finger nails don't break!!!

WIPW

It has been some time since I have put any work in progress up here.  All work kind of ground to a halt.  But I think that my cross stitch qualifies for this.  I keep my fingers crossed that my changes to the design will work out.  There has been a bit of unpicking but overall things are progressing.

So much so that I think I should start about thinking of a new project.

WIPW

I have managed to cut out some fabric using my roller cutter and my shoulder didn't freeze up!  Well it still hurt but I did get it cut.  Next job is to sew it on the machine.

WIPW

I would never have thought that it would take me so long to stitch such a simple design.  But this RSI injury is very restricting.  This is going to be my last piece of hand stitching until after Xmas.  (I hope those are not famous last words!)  The stitching is just not good but I don't have the control I had before this injury.

Because I got this design from Kelly Fletcher, who is South African,  I have used my South African fabric, given to me by my friend Cora, which she brought back from a recent visit to her home country, as the lining.

So, that is the samples finished for the January 2019 Children's Class.  I still have a lot of computer work to do for this class but it will just be a little each day.  I do have enough fabric etc for the volunteers to stitch their samples and hope to get that delivered this week.

WIPW

Work is very slow and not the best I can do with this RSI injury.  My limit is one length of stranded cotton divided into 3 x 2 strands and I have to stop.

Still the class isn't until January next year so I am keeping ahead.

I signed up for Kelly Feltcher's newsletter after finding this free designs and am finding it very interesting, as I'm sure other embroiderers would.  It promotes her products but there is lots of other information in there as well.  Here are just two.

Kirsty Whitlock

The society for Embroidery Work.

WIPW

I am working on the Children's Classes for 2019 under the theme of "how to find embroidery designs using the internet."

The first project is a small bag and I have selected two free designs from the net for this.  (As we are a non profit organisation and we are using them for education we fall under the 'free catagory' of use.)  One of the learning outcomes for this class in addition the learning of basic stitches will be about responsible use of free patterns and even though they are free the designer needs to be acknowledged.

Design one is from "Annie Beez'  annie beezfolkart.blogspot.com  Annie mainly designs cross stitch patterns.

 

 

Design two is from "Kelly Fletcher" kellyfletcher.co.za  Kelly's work will really appeal to the teenagers in my classes.  She has some great kits that would appeal to them as well.

 

 

This design is taken from an old iron on transfer.  That has got me thinking.  The Guild has a large collection of iron on transfers to which they own the copyright.   I am thinking that this will make a wonderful source for the 2020 classes?

 

I have  also purchased one of her kits as a raffle prize.

 

 

 

 

 

WIPW

Nothing startling.  Just continuing with the Kogin coasters

 

and thinking about a bookcover from the latest book.  I am trying out this design.  Using the 6 strands for the French Knots is a bit confronting.  I think she must use a very tight tension on her stitching.

 

I did buy some 'insulbrite'  wadding to put in each coaster.  The wadding isn't very wide so I hope 2 metres will be enough.