Ewenice is finished and in the post

All finished, I hope Sandy loves her.  Back to the Bronte Country Quilt now and also begin to think about Christmas gifts.

I am planning a musical quilt for my husband at some point but as always family seem to wait while other things are done.  I am still working on a King Sized quilt for my sister in law and my daughter wants a whole cloth quilt in ivory.......or it might be white actually lol, better check that.  Meantime I want to do some christmas stockings with lots of ebellishing and some cracker placemat which I saw a the North of englash Quilt show.  Bloody ingenious!

Another deviation

Because I am 99% sure my friend Sandy does not look at blogs and if she does she doesn't look at mine I feel safe to show the quilt wall hanging I am making for her as a thank you for the help and support she has given me.

So this has resulted in taking a short break from the Bronte Country Quilt, see what you think

a small deviation

1911 tape measure.  tape linen, wood boxwood.  Love it!

Arrived yesterday and am very pleased.  Now if only I could afford the silver £250 one!

Slow growing

The Foxglove grows slowly, detail detail detail!

several days spent working on layering.  no images to show as I am sure you are tired of seeing minute changes.

The Foxglove

Lots of work over the past few days with the drawing of the foxglove for the foreground on the left hand side of the quilt.

Scaling took lots of time as did the numerous copies of tracing ........really my least favorate job!  Anyway the pattern is now complete and a start has been made on the leaves and first trumpet of the flower.  Sorry about the focus on the quilt photo, no idea what happened.....the damn camera is supposed to be self focusing lol.......apparently not on this occasion.

As always the detail comes later, for the moment just applying the fabric is enough.  I am liking the subtleness of the colours but as yet they don't show too clearly on the photo.  That will change as the layering , oversewing and detail is added.

Bronte Country Quilt. A cat, a train and some smoke

Lots and lots of work done today although it might not look that way.  More layering, some applique and general fannying around with smoke.

Just Starting To Take Shape

We have been away for a couple of days but I took the machine with me so I could work.  As the layering and overstitching builds so the quilt begins to take on a personality.  Sadly the photograph is rather washed out, the colours are deeper and richer than it looks here.

I will add the rest of the wall tomorrow if I get the chance, although Gillian is coming to work on her quilt.  Once the wall is finished I will then add the cat in order that I get the perspective right for shading on the hills.

Some progress

A beginning made to the hills and stone wall.  The shell of the quilt is taking shape but I always look forward to starting the oversew, outlining and quilting because that is when the personality of the quilt begins to show.  The embellishment is when it springs into life. 

Anyway, here is todays progress..

Introducing Gillian!

There was no work done today on the Bronte Country Quilt.  Instead my friend Gillian came for her second quilting lesson.

First we went to Bombay Stores for fabric and supplies and then returned to hit the rotary cutter and sewing machine.  Here is her progress on her very first quilt, which she is making for her niece.

Didn't she do well!!!!

 

We will continue the work next week  when she gets another day off work.

Tomorrow ............ back to the Bronte Quilt.

Beginning the Bronte Country Quilt

Today was horribly humid in the UK but I really need to bash on with this quilt so I began sewing and cutting for the sky and viaduct.

Normally I would built a quilt from the bottom up but on this occasion, to ensure the perspective of the viaduct I began at the top.

I used a variation of the very clever 5 minute block by Suzanne McNeill.  I cut pieces in the sky fabric 4 1/2" x 2",  pieces of the stone fabric 3/4 x 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 x 4 1/2".

 The reason for edging the 2" pieces with the stone fabric was to provide upright columns for the arches of the viaduct.

Building the blocks from this point was very straightforward. I love this pattern, it is straightforward and versitile.

So now with the blocks made, I sew them together and the arches and columns of the visduct appear!  It looked good, and what was in my head worked.  I will admit to a small squeek of relief at this point!

The columns of the viaduct need to be longer.  To have made the block itself longer would have changed the angles of the arches (you will just have to trust me here because I tried it lol).  Also it needed a  top.  So I added  both rows

Now all I had to do was sew the viaduct  to the sky

And I was done for the day!

Many thanks to Suzanne for her brilliant block which I use a lot and to Mr Daisy for his mathematical brain which I also use a lot!

Fabric for the Bronte Country Quilt

It has arrived!  Isn't it lovely?  I chose Moda Tend the Earth Hydranga.  Added a splash of deep purple from stash and some silver grey shot silk for texture for the walls.

Nothing at all to do with my Bronte Country Quilt.  Just a great photo of Mr Daisy taken wearing a wig I made for a scarecrow (don't ask).  He just dug the photo out and changed his facebook profile to use this so I thought........ok free for all!

It occured to me today that although the scene which has inspired my Bronte Country Quilt is very clear in my head, to the rest of the world it is not lol.  So in order for others to judge how I do with my interpretation of the countryside I went out today and took some pictures.  Now...... if I can just work out how to put them on here............

Ok then!  There we go!  What you are seeing are the moors of West Yorkshire with a viaduct spanning the valley.  Sadly I was unable to take a picture today from the other side of the Viaduct which is what I really wanted but you get the idea.  Howarth where Wuthering Heights was written is just a hop skip and a jump from here, hence the title of Bronte country.

In the beginning

In the beginning...........

I am a not very experienced quilter, a fairly experienced human being, a mother, wife and friend.

I have been persuaded by my family and forum friends to start a blog to document the progress of my quilts.  I make all kinds of quilts but my real love is designing and seeing the results evolve in fabric.

I am about to begin a quilt called Bronte Country.

This lovely countryside is where I live and the design was inspired by what I see as I drive around.

This will be a picture/art quilt and unless someone tells me they want it for their bed lol, it will be a wall hanging.