Hello my lovelies. I hope you’re all enjoying autumn. It’s very breezy in my little corner of the northeast of England. And not only I it windy but that wind is blowing the leaves off the trees!!!
I’ve been enjoying autumn at my slow and measured pace. I’ve been out and about a little bit and seen the trees are starting to changes colours. Autumn is my favourite time of year. It’s starting to cool off sufficient that I can start wearing my woollies. I’ve pulled a few knitted cardies and sweaters out. And I’ve gone on to knit a few pairs of socks …..
The socks knitted using Regia wool are children’s sock which I will be donating to Quilt for Comfort. Not only do the volunteers of Quilts for Comfort piece quilts but now they are collecting socks to bring comfort to young people receiving cancer treatment. Apparently, your feet get quite cold when during chemotherapy treatments. The donated sock can be handknit or store bought. And the young people love character socks eg: superhero, princess etc. I’m chose to knit a couple of pairs for now. When I’m out and about in the shops I will be looking out for interesting socks.
Speaking of Quilts for Comfort, I longarm quilted one quilt top last week for the charity …..
I love a scrappy quilt. While I was stitching I spotted one or two fabrics which I have had in my stash over the years. I love this quilt and it has inspired me to make a couple of scrappy quilts for my Sarah and I to use in the evening while watching TV this winter. I have some lovely spotty fleece to use as a backing which will make the quilts even more cosy. Now I just need to decide how I will piece the quilts and to sort thru my scraps. I’ll need to clean my sewing machine including changing the needle and I’ll be good to go.
You might remember this panel that I pieced a couple of weeks ago just because I needed a sewing fix …..
Well I finally quilted it this past weekend. I cleaned my sewing machine and changed the needle to a quilting needle and did the deed.
I find that I get a bit rusty in between freemotion quilting sessions. So, I need to practice a bit before actually start quilting the project. Lori Kennedy of the Inbox Jaunt recommended using a Boogie Board to practice. In the past, I used paper and pencil or a White Board and White Board marker but a Boogie Board wastes less paper and ink. I definitely agree with Lori that practicing on paper/Boogie Board/White Board helps you give your brain a preview of what you want to stitch on fabric. The more you practice the better your shapes get.
I quilted this project using my domestic sewing machine, a Brother Innovis VQ-2. It’s a great machine for freemotion quilting as it has a large sewing bed. Once all the quilting was done I turned the panel into a bag. I’m not sure I need another bag but it was a great to practice my freemotion quilting while getting my much needed sewing fix.
With the arrival of the cooler weather my little furry supervisor needs a little bit of comfort …..
My Maisie was a little off colour over the weekend. With her advanced age she suffers from Vestibular Disease. She had an episode on Saturday. Now that we know what it is when it happens it’s not so scary. Maisie has recovered and is in fine fettle today.
The last few weeks have been great. I have been living a reasonably good and quiet life. I do my best to stay away from complications. A simple life is a better life. My Sarah and I are looking forward to Christmas. I haven’t started counting down the days yet but I have done a wee bit of Christmas shopping.
So that’s my report for today. I have enjoyed my little bit of recent creativity. I hope to finish off one or two UFOs before Christmas but in the meantime, I’m enjoying little bit of stitching that comes my way. I hope you all have a super cosy evening doing something you truly enjoy. Until next time,
Lucie x
Hey Lucie and Maisie and Sarah,
Nice to hear from you and see Maisie.xx (sort of LOL). Glad to hear she is doing better now.
A thought. My friend also talks of the cold after her sessions. The bags. If people make them, fill them with socks, knitted booties or sew booties, with a small pkg, of tissues, a coloring book, puzzle and pencil, you get the idea….depending on the age of course, that would make a nice take away, and they could bring their own things with them, afterwards in the same gift bag. Use up scraps, etc….clean up a few sewing rooms, and to a good cause as well. Apparently the sessions can take up to 3 hrs long. Harder if you are younger, right? An idea to all the men and woman who knit and sew and follow your postings. Courage takes friends, even the ones that you don’t know that are out there. Please pass it on folks. Thanks.
Bless Lucie, Joanna.xxx
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Hi Joanna,
Great idea. We’ll have to work on that in the future. Thanks for popping in x
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Just love the patchwork quilt.
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Hi Deborah, I love a scrappy quilt. Formal quilts are great but scrappy quilts win me over every time. Thanks for popping in today x
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Your bag looks lovely & I did wonder about the ‘boogie board’, as here in Oz, it’s what we called kid’s paddle boards when I was a child in the 50′-60’s. It’s nice to know you are still involved in the Quilts for Comfort project and you’re getting out & about. I need to learn how to knit socks properly, as many of my friends can do it. Have a great week & take care.
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Hi Susan , I hope you’re well and in good spirits. I remember “boogie boards” as something much simpler back in the 60’s. I quite like this new version, you just press a button and the image you just drew disappears. It was just by luck that I came across this one at Costco. Knitting simple sock is a doddle. I found a pattern on the internet, I adapt it a little for different yarns. Someday I might even fancy it up with cables. Quilts for Comfort is a great cause, still my main charity. Thanks for popping in Susan x
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Hi Lucie,
Oh, those little paws sticking out just warm my heart. So very cute. And I love your idea for practice quilting but I’m not familiar with a Boogie Board. I’ll have to Google that. I have been meaning to pick up a piece of plexiglass for that very thing – practicing on and then wiping the slate clean for another time. I sure like the idea of turning your practice quilting piece into a bag! Happy Wednesday to you! ~smile~ Roseanne
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Hi Roseanne and welcome to my ramblings. A Boogie Board is a slate/simple tablet which after you have doodled you press a button and the image disappears so you can doodle again. It’s not a necessity but it does save on paper and pen/pencil. Thank you for popping in today. Please feel free to pop in again soon x
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The bag is lovely! And now I know what a boogie board is too! I’ve found drawing stitching designs before fmq is really helpful.
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