Christmas Make

On Friday my friends popped round to the studio for the annual Christmas make.

Using Somerset stars we created lovely hanging decorations

 It made a great display at the end of the evening and I really wanted to keep them all.

I see a lot more folded patchwork in my future

Bev

Christmas is coming

Christmas is coming and it is time for the Christmas make with my friends. This was the first time they had been in my new studio and I was excited to see what they all made of it.

We made Christmas decorations from polystyrene balls and wide ribbon.

These are the samples I made

Sue had a great time making matching decorations

And these are all of the decorations we made in the evening. 

It was a very productive time.

Instructions

Carefully score the  polystyrene balls into 8 segments using a craft knife and a cutting mat. 

Cut a piece of ribbon slightly longer than the distance from the top to the bottom 

From the centre of the ball, gently push the edge of the ribbon into one of the cuts using a butter knife.

Repeat on the other side of the ribbon 

Trim the excess away at the top and the bottom and push the ribbon into the polystyrene ball.

Take another length of ribbon and repeat to cover the next segment. Repeat this until the ball is covered.

Add cord along the segments and a hanging loop to finish 

Happy crafting

Bev

A Boaty Quilt

My daughter and partner live on a narrow boat, and although they have the quilt I made when she went to college it was mentioned that another one would be welcome. As it was close to Christmas I wanted to do something quick and easy so tried my hand at a jelly roll quilt.

Jelly roll race video on You Tube

How to make a quilt to in less than an hour

I am quite a quick sewer but I wasn't in a race so it took me slightly over the hour. 

As their boat is red and green I chose the Wintergreen fabric by Moda. Although a Christmas range it is perfect for this project.

I wanted it to be reversible so the back was made from squares of fabric from the same range. Two quilts in one!

As it was a boat quilt I made a Mariners Comass quilting design for the center

  

and then filled in with wandering vermicelli and hearts 

And now that is is in pride of place on their boat I can share it with you.

I thoroughly enjoyed making my first jelly roll quilt and can see more over the coming months. They are a great way to produce a quick quilt.

Bev

Raggedy wreath

My friend Anne has sent me this photo of her raggedy wreath to share on my blog.

She used 5 fat 1/8ths and a wide gold organza ribbon on a double florists hoop.

It looks stunning 

Thank you Anne

for instructions on how to make your own raggedy wreath see my previous post

Bev

WOW where has the time gone?

The last few months have been super busy what with decorating, moving office and finishing projects before Christmas. 

Firstly I just want to say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to all my students for completing their City & Guilds level 1 courses, ( machine embroidery, hand embroidery and patchwork & quilting) We heard yesterday that they had all passed so it is a wonderful early Christmas present to everyone. 

I also heard today, that I can offer level 2 courses next year so I am over the moon. I will need to get back down to earth soon but will enjoy today.

Last night my friends popped round for a Christmas make - raggedy wreaths. A great make as there was no stitching or sticking involved.

To make one you will need a wire hoop and at least 2 different fabrics and some ribbon ( 1" wide)  or organza to add a touch of glitz

 The above finished hoop was made with a florist hoop which has 2 rings. 

The pictures below show a single hoop which is of the sort used to make dream catchers and lamp shades. I purchsed it from Fred Aldous and I have to say delivery was super quick.

Fabric - 2 fat quarters and some ribbon or organza to add a bit of glitz.

A double hoop will take more fabric and some of my friends used 5 fat 1/8ths which worked very well.

Cut the fabric, ribbon and organza into strips 1" by 5" (2.5cms by 12.5cms)

We found that knotting the fabric with the right side on next to the hoop made the knot lie better. 

Keep knotting the fabric round the hoop (randomly choosing the fabric strips, ribbon or organza) until it is covered.

Then fiddle and tweek to fluff up the fabric. The left side of the photo is before I fiddled and the right side shows some tweeking.

Bev x