New year plans

The arrival of the new year used to make me feel really apprehensive - a whole year for unexpected things to happen - a huge stretch of time which might be filled with good things but might also be filled with difficult things too. Too long to contemplate and not really a reason to celebrate. My reaction to new year has always surprised me as I am generally very optimistic - but recently I have learned just how to deal with it. Not for me the lists of things that have happened over the past 12 months nor the resolutions. I just take it as another day. So tonight I am not out merry making - in fact I have just spent a couple of hours free motion quilting. Today is simply 31st December - nothing special. There is one bit of new year I love though - the early morning of new year's day  - out in the garden ......so quiet ....when everyone else is still asleep ...

But....I do have one new year plan and this is to finish the quilt you see above on my washing line. And in the not too distant future. I have been trying to get a photo of the quilt top for ages, and between the storms which are chasing through the UK at the moment I caught a moment of the dying light and snapped this. It still doesn't really do the colours justice, but I do love the way they are highlighted by the bricks of our outhouses behind.

This quilt is part of the process of me learning about colour. I bought a pack of Kaffe Fassett squares in yellow, orange and brown knowing I would not usually choose these colours and almost daring myself to use them. This half log cabin quilt is the result. The pattern is inspired by Jane Brocket's Purple Rain Quilt. In a way I have cheated because although I have substantially added to the fabrics in the pack I just chose more of the same from the Kaffe Fassett collective following their yellow, orange and brown grouping. I haven't followed any special pattern for putting the blocks together, or even the strips within the blocks as you can see below

So now I need to get on with some piecing and then decide on a backing fabric. If I go for a Kaffe Fassett backing, which I probably will, I will order it from the US as the price is so much less than the UK ( $10.00 per yard compared to £13 per metre which is a big difference over the 5 or 6 yards I will need, even with customs and postage) so that may be a slight delay. But surely, ... surely I can get it done for Spring?

So that's the plan - definitely not a resolution, but just something nice to look forward to!

(Quilt) back to normal

I'm not a massive fan of Christmas - it's OK but I quickly get fed up with too much food, too much TV and too much stuff ( on sofas, on the stairs, on the kitchen table) so one of my favourite things about Christmas is getting back to normal. OK I know that's really sad - but it's how I am. One of the things I like best is cooking up the leftovers in a variety of ingenious dishes (chicken and ham pie and sprouts today!). I like the fact that I haven't got to go shopping and also that I haven't got to spend money on food after some pretty big Christmas shops. So it's all things frugal - and I like that.

Following on from my post Christmas parsimony I am going to talk about quilt backs today as it seems to fit with my less is more mood. Choosing a quilt back is one of my favourite bits of quilting. I like to choose something that goes with the front but looks good in its own right. The one above is from the shades of black collection by Me and My Sister for Moda. This was an extravagant purchase ( £12 or £13 a metre I think) as I needed 4 metres. It's funny how quilt backs make you realise how much fabric costs because you have to buy a large quantity in one go.

However I often choose something much more economical for a quilt back to limit the overall cost. I usually  use a shop in Southampton called Fabric Land. This sells really economical cottons. Lots are very bright patterns, but if you look carefully there are several small patterns that are perfect for backing quilts.The cotton is quite lightweight, but I am not expecting this quilt to be washed much so I don't need it to be tough. The fabric above which is tiny maroon leaves on a taupe background was priced at £3.69 a metre. I did the same for the quilt pictured below too.

It's just a simple red and white dot - another bargain at £3.69! But it's a perfect foil to the very busy front. The dotty pattern also hides a multitude of sins in the quilting.

I know some quilters like to use a big statement pattern on the back of their quilts as it can be the only opportunity to use some of the lovely large scale patterns such as the floral fabrics by Philip Jacobs. The closest I got to this was the back of my first quilt below.

As you can see, I chose a bold and very complex design of water lilies, and though I love the fabric in its own right it really doesn't work as a quilt back.

So I guess you live and learn. I'm making the most of the slightly quieter time at work between Christmas and New Year, fitting in some more quilting - so lots to show you over the next few weeks.