Pictures out and about.

I promised you pictures of Sweden, but having been rather busy I haven't got that far yet. However, Tet who was out there with me has. Here is his page of my pictures. I think he has made a pretty good job of selecting the pictures. If you have a look you will see a picture of 'Iron wool' some rather unusual sheep. This was outside the company with the oldest spinning jenny in Sweden still working. They are a very friendly bunch and produce fantastic yarns, Their web site is www.ullspinneriet.com if you like knitting or other yarn crafts do give them a look. It will help if you can read Swedish, but I think you can probably get the idea even if you don't. A lot of words are quite similar to English.

I also found a photograph of one of my commissions online today. It is quilted but not a quilt. It is Andy Carters engine cover. It is designed to keep the engine warm and clean (and in light rain dry). It was actually about the size of a kingsize quilt before it was shaped to fit the engine. Here you can see it in action as the car is being loaded into the trailer. I don't think this is the engine I made it to fit, hence it looks a bit baggy, but it will still do the same job.

Oh yes, I will be trying to blog from the NEC again this year, but as last time the intnet access at the hotel is very expensive so I will have to use my phone again. This means I may not be able to read comments until I get home. I will see if I can work out a way around that though.

Pretty in Pink - back

I think the back shows better why I am so pleased with this quilt. Of course it was also harder to take pictures of. the backing is actually a pale pink with a sort of paisley pattern. I hope that the back looking good and being a little more subtle will extend the quilts life. It could be used this way up for an adult quite easily.

There are a few areas with slightly larger gaps than other areas but not many and mostly in places dictated by the design. I think the overall effect is pretty regular. The stitches also look pretty even, I don't have stitch regulation, so I have to try and move smoothly. It's surprising as I thought I was quite tense when I started the quilting, but it doesn't seem to show. Maybe I actually quilt better more tense?

When I started the project I was planning on putting quite open quilting on this piece. I didn't want to push the cost up with a lot of machine work. It didn't quite work out that way, but in hind sight I think that is probably a good thing. When I do Linus quilts I tend to put more quilting on the quilts for boys or younger children, on the grounds that they will be loved a lot and need every chance going to stay in one piece. It also occurred to me that this is a potential heirloom, it may be around in a hundred plus years and if it is will give a snapshot of this family at this time. It's a nice thought and one I considered a lot finishing the quilting. This quilt got the quilting it wanted, and I think it knew better than me.

I just hope I can do as good a job on the bed quilt I am putting into Sandown. It's getting very close (I am hand delivering so I have a bit longer) and I still can't decided what I want to do on it. I am hoping it will start talking to me really soon. If not I guess I start winging it and hope it gets chatty as I go, right?

Pretty in Pink - front

Before the quilt went off today I look a lot of photographs of it. It has gone from something I didn't quite understand to something I am very proud of. I think it is the best longarm quilting I have done so far and I wanted to make sure I had a good record of it. Isn't it typical, I put a show quilt on the frame and mess it up, a child's quilt that will be used and loved I manage to do really well. Oh well these things happen. I did hope it might be that I suddenly had found the secret formula, but no. The next quilt used the same threads and a similar pattern, the thread broke the tension shifted and in general it was a bit of a nightmare.

Still back to this one, which is a far happier tale. The pattern for the center of the top is based on my 'Ginko Typography' quilt. I've been thinking about making a pattern from it but I like the more free form approach I currently use to make it. The design brief said pink and floral, so we decided to go for machine applique flowers. These should stand up to hard use and have a lovely puffy look. I wanted to keep quite a lively feel to this quilt so the flowers are places quite randomly but only on the most visible area of the quilt.

To take the pictures I laid the quilt on my bed, it is intended to fit a single with some overhang all the way round. One of the borders should fall neatly on the edge of the bed, different borders depending on width of the bed (I hope). It is very tricky fitting a bed other than your own, you can't just nip up and try the top. I thought the picture with the nude in was amusing. It shows the range of my work quite nicely and somehow the two quilts seem quite happy together.

The binding re-uses the fabrics from the inner two borders. I had planned on using a white piping but it seemed too harsh, the pale pink sits much better with the rest of the quilt.

Secret Squirrel

I have been working hard today, I've got lots done and I feel much better for it. Unfortunately it is more secret stuff so I can't show you that. On the other hand one of my other secret projects is now allowed out. I was taking lots of pictures of it this morning before it left for it's new home. I believe it is now there (I sent it by hand not courier) so I guess I can now brag about it.

It is the 'Pretty in Pink' commission. Pink is really not my colour and there have been times when I really wondered what I was doing. It is surprisingly hard to select fabrics that aren't your colour. I decided the way for me to deal with it was to only consider the quilt in grey. After all the most important thing in quilt design is value right. I got the top together and I wasn't convinced. It looked fine in black and white though so I carried on. Here are the pictures I took while it was on the frame.

As you can see the quilt is hot pink. It is designed to appeal to a seven year old girl, and having taken advice from people who sell fabric to young girls and indeed young girls themselves, this is the colour to go for. I would have to admit to quite liking the star fabric. It is so soft. I have no idea how I would include it in a quilt for me though.

The top was all pieced then the layers loaded on the frame. Once I had it loaded I positioned and fastened the flowers in place. I am really pleased with the flowers as they are somewhat three dimensional. Of course I couldn't get that to show in any of the pictures.
The background, which is most of the quilt, is quilted with two types of flowers, hearts (thanks Myrna) and peacock feathers. Once I got into the swing of flowers I really enjoyed doing them, so I think this will be added as one of my freehand overall patterns. I am sure it will look good on a wide range of quilts.

It was only after I added the flowers that the quilt started talking to me. I could finally see past the colour and see where it was going and what it wanted. I love it when I reach that stage of any project. This one though was special, I didn't think it would happen so it meant a lot more when it suddenly came together.

Oh My!

I've just been asked to make a Christmas quilt. That sounds OK doesn't it. I love the design ideas I have been given and I am happy with the fabrics that have been suggested. Can you feel the but coming? I have to have it finished by the 16th of February! Oh. There are a lot of shows coming up that I want to enter. I have several commisions I am already working on, and now another. Well you didn't think I would say no did you?

I am still building my business and I will not be turning down work if I can avoid it. Especially when it is this fun looking. I just hope I can get it done quickly. I've just finished sketching the design and I think it will work well. I may even make two so I can have one as well. I don't often do such a detailed sketch but I have so much to do right now I needed to make sure I would remember my ideas and get it out of my head. I need to be thinking clothes today not art quilts.

I have to admit to being quite flattered to have been asked as well, that probably effected my answer too :) Oh and the fact that I love to do the impossible.