Wordless Wednesday- Flickr Fabric Swaps

thankyou Crystal, Lisa, Amisha, Pam and Nikki

Bourbons

There is something restorative about baking.  Or maybe that's just the sugar and carbs when you eat it, but either way it soothes.

It is my mum's birthday today.  Instead of cake I am taking biscuits, bourbon biscuits from a very handy book called Baking Magic by Kate Shirazi.  I have used lots of recipes from  this book, mainly cake based as that is the way I roll and that is where my baking talents are best.  The first biscuit recipe I tried from it was a total disaster.

Yes those are my efforts on the left, the nobbly ginger cookies that were not even edible.  Biscuits often go wrong for me but this Bourbon Biscuit recipe appears to be foolproof.  Easy to mix and easy to roll out. 

The result is dark, crisp, crunchy luxury bourbons.  Happy Birthday Mum!

Thank you for the kind response on my last post, there is not much more I can say about the situation in Japan, the news is so severe.

My heart is not in a usual crafty blog post today.  The events in Japan have been so severe and the scale of the earthquake beyond anything I can imagine.  

Some people are Anglophiles or Francophiles, well I am whatever the Japanesophile thing is- Japanese styles and tastes are a big influence on me and seeing a country so well prepared and yet hit so, so hard is difficult to say the least.

You can donate to The International Red Cross here

  I am not religious but Japan, my thoughts are with you.

Winner! And Pincushions

The winner of the giveaway was number 31, Janna,  I have already made contact with her so the little package is winging its way to USA

Thank you all who took part- there were so many, and the answers  I got for what is in your handbag were so interesting, funny and revealing- although someone did tell me the sewing project they are working on- maybe they were confused with another giveaway, made me :)  My sister is a writer and she said revealing the contents of your bag is often used as a creative writing exercise as it says so much about the bag owner!  

I have be finishing and sending lots of swap things and I received a commission to make a pincushion for a blog reader, personalised for her mother.

You recognise it? It is almost the same as the scrappy pincushion swap one I sent to my secret partner!  I liked the design so much I made one for myself too!

Kitchen, textiles, cake and 22-not sure of the significance of the number but the rest is me! All Japanese fabrics, including Suzuko Koseki and Kumiko Fujita.

I loved using my new stamps for the tag.

Contact me if you want to commission one, each will  be a little different- different words etc- let me know!   I was so lucky today, I won a giveaway over at Kat's Zakka inspired blog , cute Kawai fabrics!  A big thank you to Kat x

Stamps

I am becoming a big fan of stamps.  I don't really do papercraft, I am too impatient and careless, but stamping on fabric is so satisfying and after the difficulties I had with standard pigment ink which I could not set heat set, I  was relieved to discover Versacraft, stamp ink pads designed for fabric and easily set with an iron.  It is a dream to use.

This alphabet is the one I use most, Hero Arts Clear Design Bird Branch Alphabet.  I like the font and the plastic clings securely onto the mount.   I have 2 sets, I managed to lose letters in my early stamping days- I have learnt to be more careful.  On Etsy, there are many hand carved stamps available.  I was lucky enough to stumble across Tommie's shop.

That's her work above, the heart sewing machine, the love letter and, custom for me, my blog name, button and spool, beautifully carved and mounted on to wood blocks.  You can see how beautifully they stamp.

The little building and modern sewing machine stamps are carboot sale finds from my friend and carboot companion Kathy.  She has generously given me the machine one.  It's metal so pleasingly resilient and finely detailed.

And this is what I do with them!  My Doll Quilt Swap label- recipient's name obscured,

A cotton tape label for a new bag (will show more soon)

Stamped straight onto the back of a new cushion, and a button tag (more of that another time too)

on the other side of the button is the spool, my favourite.

There's more on my Doll Quilt creation- it's almost finished...

Thank yous

My mystery quilt came from the favourite little quilt swap on Flick-just look at the wonderful colours!

 I have been working with similar colours for the Doll Quilt Swap 10, they really make my heart sing!  This was beautifully made by Jessica of Sewcraftyjess so a big thank you to her, it has a very happy home.

More thank yous, to Manda at Treefall for hosting a Fat Quarterly Magazine giveaway, I won a copy so thank you to the Fat Quarterly folks, it was the solids edition so some lovely eye candy to inspire future projects.

Thank yous going out to Leila and Justine, both of whom nominated me for a Liebster blog award-blog love to blogs with less than 300 followers.  My task is to pass this on- I know not everyone likes tags so if these people don't want to run with it, that's fine but here is a nice little intro to some blogs that may be new to you-

Ali at A Squared- a mathematical mind, great tutes, and 

Megan at Megsmonkeybeans- a great eye for fabric combinations, cute tutes, and the sweetest person!

Laura and Annie at Nimblefingersandsteadyeyebrows, two friends, two crafts, two cities- great blog idea! 

And a thankyou to all the followers, the quiet ones, the chatty ones- always good to hear from you, and the newbies for just joining! A gift for everyone,  David Armand from Fast and Loose is back with another interpretive dance,  Britney Spears,' Hit Me Baby One More Time'

Quilt-a-long Rounded Corners and Binding

I have decided after seeing Nettie's rounded corner quilts here and here that I fancy the effect for this quilt.   Her quilts were a big inspiration when I started quilting and continue to be so.  I used a tea plate with a diameter of 7.5 inches.

The curve runs 3 inches either side of each corner, my quilt corner starts at 1 inches on the cutting mat.

I pinned the curves about an inch from the edge after I cut them just to hold them for the next stage.  I always zig zag around the edges of any quilt before I bind, from  a coaster to a full size quilt.    It makes life much easier to do this with the walking foot as this gives an even feed to bottom and top fabrics so there is less chance of  ripples in the top fabric.

 I worked out how much binding I needed using Julie at Jaybird Quilts wonderful bias tute and calculation table.  I used the second method with a standard 18 x 22 inches fat quarter which, with 2.25 inch wide binding, yielded the perfect amount of binding and some extra for this quilt.  Although you have to cut using scissors, it only takes one straight seam to have a whole reel of continuous binding- fantastic!  I hate joining with diagonal seams and by using this method I will only have to do it once at the beginning and end of the quilt binding.

 Press the binding in half long ways- this takes ages!  I don't use steam as it tends to distort but a bit of that homemade starch spray to stabilze really helps here.  And then roll the binding up ready to use.  If you want right angle corners and straight binding there are links at the end of this post to helpful sites to work out quantities, cut and attach the binding.  You cannot use straight binding for curvy corners just incase you thought you'd try it!  I would zig zag the edges of folded straight binding at this point (see Red Pepper tute below) but I didn't with the bias binding as I want a bit of give round the corners.    If you can manage with it, keep the walking foot on for attaching the binding, it will yield more even results.  I use the foot to help keep a quarter inch seam as I stitch the binding on.

I use the Red Pepper binding method but with some adjustments.  I start by attaching the binding to the back of the quilt and I chose the left side of the quilt, near the bottom before the corner starts to curve as my starting place.  I use 2.4 stitch length.  I don't use any pins, I just guide with my fingers and keep my speed setting slow.  If you are using the rounded corners method, the binding goes on much quicker- no corners to mitre!  I sewed very slowly round the corners with a gentle tension on the binding to curve it round and used a quick unpic to hold the layers together.

 About 12 inches before the end of the binding meets the start,  stop, secure and get ready to join the binding ends together.  I used Julie's method which is pretty standard but I find this bit the hardest of the whole quilt making process!  Take your time, you might even want to tack/baste it before you machine together to check it works.  I had to do mine a couple of times.  Now, I do a good press and use the homemade starch spray.  I press the binding away from the quilt.

 Use the tip of the iron to get right in the seam and the corners- the binding won't lie flat here but it will be fine when you flip it over.  A small iron helps, I use a good quality travel iron all the time!

Turn the quilt over.   I fold the binding so it lies a little over the stitch line and press lightly and without starch. All that pressing is a faff but it will make the binding finish so much better and lessen the chances of having to unpick bits if you are machining for the final stage.

I now follow Rita (Red Pepper Quilts) method but with the right side of the fabric facing up.  I have a colour to match the binding as top reel on the machine (YLI Machine Quilting in grey 011) and a colour to blend into the backing fabric on the bobbin (Gutermann Sulky col.1071), Stitch length 3mm, no pins but my fingers and where necessary a quick unpic, and the walking foot again.   The top thread tail is lying to the left and the bottom thread tail to the right- to stop tangles underneath.   I hold the binding just over the stitching line, and stitch as close as I dare to the edge of the binding.

The aim is to have front stitches at the edge of the binding where it joins the quilt and the back stitches blending into the quilt backing on the reverse.

I never get this perfect in one go, but I usually only have a small amount to redo and it works out quicker for me than hand sewing.
 Here is a neat machine sewn edge on the front...

and a line of invisible stitches close to the binding on the back.

And yummy rounded corners, I will be sewing a lot more of those!  I love this method!

So the quilt is finished, needs a label and some decent light to take finished photos.  How is yours going?  All the tutorials to make this quilt are here and you can do it any time and put pictures in my Flickr group,  I'd love to see your work!

Binding links- 
Binding basics, working out quantities and cutting binding Jaybird Quilts
Cutting bias the easy way and calculating quantities for bias from a square of fabric Jaybird Quilts
Continuous, straight or bias, attached by machine, hand sewn finish Jaybird quilts

Continuous, straight or bias, attached and finished by machine Red Pepper Quilts