My quilting thoughts and inspirations sprinkled with a glimpse of life down on the farm

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Sew what have I been sewing?

My last post was all about what the grandie kids had been up to in the sewing room aka The Palace.
I have actually had a bit of time in there too!
Previously I have shown a photo of these blocks I was working on. 
I said they were some sneaky sewing for the New Year's Launch of The Country Yard. We actually moved the date back a month after Cyclone Gabrielle visited. Good in a way as it gave us more time to finish projects but it did seem to make the whole process drag on a little!!
Anyway, I didn't take many more photos of this project, which was to be a cushion, after the above one.
But I do have a finished one —
For the back, I decided to practise the webbing technique as outlined by Bonnie Hunter in *this* tutorial. I know lots of people do this but I have never sat down and worked it out before.
I considered 9 squares to be a good place to start!
Haha not very exciting progress shots but the process worked beautifully and I'll be using it again. Just got to stop and think about what you're doing, and I can see that it will save a lot of time when putting blocks for a quilt top together.
The cushion went together quite nicely...it did have piping and a zip around the outside edge which went ok but I don't think I will do a zip AND piping together again!
The cushion was from the book "Soft Spot" by Moda All-Stars. Three of us at work each made a sample cushion from the book - it's quite neat how different all the designs are!

This year The Country Yard turns 20. Considering I was around for the 10th anniversary, it's hard to know where the years have gone!
We are having a fun wee challenge to make a set of blocks for our celebratory exhibition later in the year.
Every three weeks we are given a theme to inspire us to make a 12" block. We've also been given a small piece of challenge fabric to use somewhere in our quilts. Not necessarily in every block.
The first theme was sewing. 
About that time Heather Briggs of My Sew Quilty Life  released a block pattern which I took a shine to (actually I absolutely loved it!) and decided to use for my block —
The second theme was friendship so these little ladies from Quiltmaker 100 blocks Volume 10 found their way into the block. It took a bit of maths and thinking to get them to fit but I got there in the end!
The dress fabric of the lady on the right is our challenge fabric. I've used it only once so far.
Both of my blocks together —
It's fun to see the variety of blocks everyone is making....and fun making the blocks too!

Nearly time to be cooking dinner....
'til next time,
happy stitches,

18 comments:

  1. Nice job on the cushion. Wow--zipper AND piping? I would never have started, though I used to do both of those things in clothing construction in another lifetime.
    I find webbing 9 patch blocks to be very helpful, however, with some quilt tops I find it cumbersome, trying to keep a whole top from twisting and tangling while trying to sew the webbed parts together. I'll be interested in your take on it when you do a whole top. Maybe I am just really uncoordinated!
    Some quilt shops don't seem to survive for 20 years. The Country Yard sounds like a really fun shop!
    Your challenge blocks are absolutely adorable. I can't stop looking at them and smiling. Nice work all around!

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  2. Nice cushion - the design is great and I love the addition of the little Suffolk Puffs. I don't think I could contemplate piping and a zip!!! Love the hearts and the little house fabric looks interesting. xx

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  3. The pillow is really cute, all the pillows in the display look very nice. I'd be glad to drop by for the 20 year celebration but it's a little far. Happy stitching!

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  4. Wow! 20 years is a wonderful milestone for the store. The cushion is very pretty and love your blocks so far x

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  5. The cushion is just darling and I love the heart blocks, especially the friendship girls. 20 years is quite an achievement. Congratulations.

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  6. Your cushion is super cute. I really like what you're doing with your challenge, too. Your choice of blocks for each prompt is fun, and the hearts will tie everything together nicely at the end.

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  7. Love your two new blocks--and they look like they were a bit fun to stitch!!!
    And that is a pretty block that you used on the shop pillow and real pretty fabric choice.
    keep stitching--hugs, di

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  8. Lovely cushion. Your challenge blocks look great.

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  9. You have done heaps of lovely sewing, I love your little anniversary blocks....
    Hugz

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  10. Delightful cushion, love your colours! And yes, 20 years is a great milestone for any quilt shop, well done guys!

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  11. Pretty heart blocks. It took me a while to get my head around webbing, but I'm fine with it now. I think it is a good way to assemble blocks.

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  12. Great the Country Yard is having an impressive anniversary. Your cushions look wonderful. Your heart blocks are gorgeous.

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  13. I’m glad that you are getting to have a play too. It looks like fun projects to celebrate the milestone.

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  14. I like your girls in the block! I think it might have been Eleanor Burns who made "webbing" popular in the 90s. Brenda of Conquering Mount Scrapmore on YouTube uses it on a lot of her blocks, too. There are plenty of opinions around about how to do it, but you'll probably figure out where it works best, and how and when to use it. I'm glad you've been having some fun time. I really like your pillow! Happy anniversary to the Country Yard.

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  15. Oh sew much fun in your sewing room! Happy to hear your shop has been around for 20 years. That is not very common these days...well, at least in the U.S.

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  16. Love how you are doing your blocks, and those girls are so cute, must try the webbing one day

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  17. That is a lovely design in the cushion. It looks great. I have used that webbing technique for large quilts and I really like it.
    Good luck with your challenge blocks, too.
    And very exciting for the shop to reach a 20th year.

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