What am I doing?

I ask myself the same question?


I should be making more things as Christmas pressies and instead I end up unpicking some really bad machine quilting I did earlier this year from before I discovered FMQ and practiced!


This is the back of the quilt with a lovely large ruck sewn in!  Yeugh!

Then started quilting it!

From the outset I wanted this quilt to be a tribute to naive piecing and the lovely Bear's Paw block.  I wanted it to be a really primitive looking quilt in the make do and mend tradition of old and the recycling philosophy of now!




Front of the top before basting...

I used old flannel from Worn and Washed and my children's old flannel cot sheets.  I pieced blocks from whatever I had to, including making fabric to get the size of square or triangle I needed and didn't bother to match up the plaid fabrics when I did!


My first attempt at quilting by machine was a disaster - but I unpicked all of it!   I decided to go FMQ with Aurifil again - red on top and orange underneath!   I would have loved to hand quilt a baptist/Amish fan over the whole quilt but my flannel backing was just too tough to get a needle and cotton perle through so I have machined my Baptist Fans in the square of the Bear's Paw and have outlined the triangles.

 The front now...

I am loving the texture of the fans on the front and the back. 


The back now....

Better view of the front now..

 When I am finished quilting the blocks I may think about how to quilt those square shapes that appear in white between the Bear's Paws!  But I will probably just bind it first so we can use it this Christmas....???  Oh I do hope so!

What did the postman bring?

The postman brought me a smallish package yesterday and inside there was colour!  Have a look for yourself....

There was colour and the potential of beautiful utility stitches on my Bear's Paw Quilt. 

I started out quilting by machine but two layers of flannel and woollen batting meant I wasn't aware of what lurked at the back - and that is what was there! Great big lurking tucks and folds, which need unpicking before I can go back to my comfort zone of hand quilting in these lovely threads.

I do like the back - the result of another mistake - not ordering quite enough fabric from The Homespun Loft!  Although I have to say that I had considered making a large bear's paw design on the back from the start but then decided I would just stick to one fabric to be quicker!  Hahaha!  More fool me!  I then had to unpick seams, cut up fabric, stitch it up together.  A real 'make do' effort just like a real pioneer.....

So much to learn.....

If you were visiting yesterday you will have seen some baby mystery fruits - greengages and mulberries!  Yum! Yum!  If I remember, I will show you when they are ripe and yummier!


Nicky

Bear's Paw quilt UFO!

Yes I know another UFO!


I love the Bear's Paw block and when I saw the Worn and Washed collection of recylced red flannels I knew the two belonged together.

As the flannels were recylced I wanted a recycled background so I cut up some old flannel cot sheets we've used over the years and this is the result.

I was looking for a flannel backing for cosiness but could not find a supplier in the UK - think I have one now at The Homespun Loft and I am planning what do to on the back - as for quilting I think I need to practise my Amish wave quilting - don't you??  Just a thought...

Don't know how long it will survive but this is it's second life!

Nicky