Friday 1 July 2011

Welcome to my world

For some time now I have been thinking of setting up a blog and today is the perfect opportunity.  I have picked up the current bug so am not doing what I usually do on a Saturday morning - teaching quilting at Arohata Women's Prison - therefore, to turn a negative into a positive, I shall publish my first blog.
I love making scrap quilts and get just as excited now about a  pattern or a piece of beautiful fabric as I did all those years ago when I injured my back and had to stop playing tennis and badminton for a while.  I needed an interest on my day off from the family business, and patchwork, as it was called in those days, filled the bill admirably.
I saw an illustration in a book of a rail fence, totally scrap, the blocks placed alternately horizontally and vertically and I started to make one.  No rotary cutters or boards around in those days, so I made a template out of heavy card, drew around it on the wrong side of my fabric with a twiddle of the pencil to mark the corners, then cut out the piece using scissors.  When I had several cut out, I started to piece the block; I took a patterned fabric and put a plain one either side.
I started playing with layout on the floor, and saw at once that any which way wouldn't do for that quilt, it just had to follow the colours of the rainbow - the first of several of my quilts to tell me that!
In those days this quilt was considered 'a bit bright'!
What's on the design wall today? some fabric that my son brought back from Italy, I am auditioning other fabric to go with it and possibly do The Venetian Dream pattern as it allows for a reasonably large square of the feature....... watch this space!
I am also hand quilting a wonky hexagon log cabin - which came about when I tidied my sewing room and found a box of left over hexagons, tacked to their paper templates.  I decided I did not want to make another hexagon quilt with them, so took out the papers and ironed the patches and found they were all funny shapes - after all it is the paper that has to be accurate.  The basket of strips beckoned so I used the wonky hexagons as the centre of a log cabin and I love it!  I am enjoying quilting it, I have this great frame which can be attached to a stand and it makes the hand quilting such a pleasure.
 I am also machine appliqueing bright hearts onto a very ho hum dull blue top and am liking the lift they give.

I went to the Antiques and Collectables fair recently in Lower Hutt and got such a bargain, a box of old sewing machine parts.  I have been doing  research online and will get some good photos to show but in the meantime, do you know what this is?  In the top picture you can see there is a cutter, for paper do you think?
I look forward to your comments and will talk again soon.
June

13 comments:

Jenny said...

Good on you, June, your first blog post, I knew you could do it! I am proud to be your first follower, so I will be keeping up with your news!

Leeann said...

No idea what it is-but welcome to blogging

Helen said...

Hi June

A colleague of mine recently gave me her mother's patchwork supplies and, whaddayaknow, there was one of those very gadgets. Maybe it is something to sew hems on dresses?
Great to see you blogging

Razzle Dazzle Quilter said...

Hi June
Welcome to blogging world. I have joined you as a follower, please pop on over and visit.
I have googled your mystery object and found out some info. You may like to check here:
http://www.knitting-and.com/singercraft/what-is-it.html
Cheers
Linda
Taupo

Lis Harwood said...

Welcome to the world of blogging, it's fun and addictive and you'll Meet lots of lovely people. But I'll no idea about your gadget although I like the hem idea that Helen suggested. Come over and see me at http://piecenpeace.blogspot.com sometime.

Jan said...

Welcome to blogger world June
Kiwi Jan
Jan Cotton

Unknown said...

Welcome to blogging June. I look forward to visiting you.. Love your quilt. Karen

Evie said...

The gizmo is a fringe attachment for a Singer sewing machine. You wing the thread around it, sew in the gap, cut the fringe. Guessing it's age for me is something like this....I borrowed my Mums about 25 years ago (never gave it back) but I think it was then from her much older Singer which I am thinking would be 1950s or 60s.

Diana and LaDonna said...

I have "met" such wonderful people through blogging! I know you are going to enjoy it! I really like your wonky hexagon quilt!

LaDonna

Yvonne said...

Its the "rag picker" here June, just found your blog, good to know what you are doing these datys. Are you no longer at Arohata or just having a well earned day off?

Yvonne

Tsunamis said...

This is a tool -made by Singer and it is called a Singer Craft guide. One use for it is to wrap eg. wool around the length and stitch down the middle with the machine. Making yarn rugs. Directions for using it are here:

http://community.stretcher.com/blogs/edeys_vintage_and_current_needlework/archive/2009/08/10/singercraft-guide-for-making-yarn-rugs.aspx

Yvonne said...

HELLO JUNE,

SENT A MESSAGE ON THE 2ND TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR BLOG FROM "THE RAG PICKER " ( THATS WHAT GARY CALLS ME) BUT NOTE IT HASN'T APPEARED SIN YOUR COMMENTS O TRYING AGAIN.

THIS IS A FUN WAY OF KEEPING IN TOUCH EVEN THO I HAVEN'T GOT ONE BUT DID TRY.

GOOD TO SEE IS ONE OF YOUR FOLLOWERS TOO!
YVONNE

Leanne said...

Oh wow I love your log cabin hexi quilt!
Love Leanne