Carolyn Forster's Quilting-On-The-Go

Thanks so much for the lovely comments about the hand quilting!

I agree whole heartedly agree that it is very soothing and eases you out of a stressful day.

This little piece is part of a Quilting-on-the-Go quilt that is one of my current take along projects. This is an Amish design I found on an old quilt in one of my books. It is a Sunflower, and somewhat appropriate for this time of year in the UK when the sunflowers are coming to an end and becoming bird food!

My friend Tracey came to visit yesterday, and was very taken with my thread catcher! Go take a look at the tutorial at The stitching Room and sew your own this weekend, as I think Tracey is!

I have always been ready to admit that  I REALLY like quilting by hand. And I also like to hand baste my quilts together. I also admit that I don’t always have the time to hand baste, so use other quicker methods, that will give me equally good results. But this Summer the quilt I quilted I had hand basted and I then hand quilted it.

And it was such a shame when I finished!

This was  quick to quilt as I opted to cross hatch it and add a ric rac border of quilting.

On another note I (mostly) sew my quilts on a Bernina 1080 sewing machine that I mentioned the other week had gone to be fixed. Well, it will be a little longer away as the problem was that the ‘gears had gone’ I have had the quote for repair (££££), and after much discussion as to whether it would be worth it, realised that it would be. So I had better start saving now!!! 

To take my mind off the gloom I popped over to Bonnie’s site. She sews on a machine like mine, only she is more prolific!

And Lori and Barbara had some inspiring quilts to take my mind on to other things!

A new favorite for the quilt cupboard!

I have been working on this, and am really pleased with the result.A definite nod to the Queen of curves, Pepper Cory!

It will form part of one of my new workshops for 2010.

Now it is September, there is a slight nip in the air early morning. I love that!

The evenings are starting to draw in giving you that nice cosy feeling that leaves you ready to hunker down with a good bit of quilting to while away the evening. One of the quilts I have just bound is in those colours evocative of autumn.

It is adapted from the Star Gazing pattern in the book by Bonnie Hunter, ‘Scraps and Shirt tails’. It is such a fun pattern to sew! We are having a class on it down at Patchwork Dog and Basket in Lewes in December, and I’m sewing the quilt in greens and reds for Christmas! It seems like I am wishing my life away with  looking so far ahead!

Looking even further ahead, this time next year, yes 2010, I am booked to teach in France!!!

I will be at Hors des Brumes, a lovely house in south west France. It will be great fun, patchwork (the project we are working on is the Perkiomen Valley Quilts, so that should keep us busy!), French food and wine, relaxing countryside, tranquility….. oh yes and don’t forget the sewing!!!

I love teaching this class, and over the years have made numerous quilts using  Split Nine Patch and Hayes Corner blocks. There are soo many variations to sew, it is difficult to know where to start, and when to stop!

My most recent top is this, an actual Perkiomen Valley quilt. It turned out quite large, and then I put a border on (102″x 102″), so the picture shows about a quater of the quilt as it was all that I could fit in the camera frame!!

Phew! I don’t seem to have stopped this past week, and yet I haven’t much to show for it! My sewing machine  (I work on a Bernina 1080) stopped stitching mid way through a project. I put it on the floor and kept up the stitching on my Pfaff (Classic Style Home). Then when I was trimming the work, I knicked the cable to the Bernina with my rotary cutter! So when I took the Bernina to be fixed I had to admit to a cut in the cable and ask for that to be replaced! Ugh!

So here is a picture of my second little toy sewing machine(no cable to knick on these!). It is an Essex. I wish I looked as industrious as the girl on the box!!

To keep calm I have had some Ebay therapy and now have a copy of the Safford and Bishop book , American Quilts and Coverlets.Or I will when it arrives. You know how it is, you finish browsing the antique quilts, so you might as well move on to the books, and the next thing you know…….:-)

And in the same vein I have signed up for the Material Obsession BOM. I was pushed over the edge when I saw how Amy was getting on with hers. I have loved the quilts that Sue Ross sews when you get to see bits on the MO web site, so really I don’t know why I had waited! It looks like my precise piecing skills will be put to the test when I start sewing though, unlike when I sew the String Stars……they still look great when the bits don’t match! (A close up here for you to see the fabrics Kathie).