JoyofQuilting

Time To Catch Up Wow! I knew I hadn't blogged for a while but even I was shocked to see it's been almost TWO YEARS! So a Catch Up is called for me thinks 🤔  I haven't been busy. In fact for about Six Months I didn't pick up a Needle or Hook. But I'm back in the saddle and Stitching again  Yay! So I thought today I would step back into Blogging slowly.  I'm going to post some pictures of my Stitchings without too much explanation just to get things rolling again, and give you all a taste of what's been occurring. Above Humphrey The Giraffe Appliquéd onto A Piece of Welsh Wool Blanket  My Little Welsh Sheep. Appliquéd onto wool fabric from an Old Welsh Wool Blanket   Crochet - Beach Walk Blanket Pattern by Marion Mitchel Me and My Wool Felted Crochet Bag Quick Serger Bag Native Indian Bear Outline Stitching  Hope you have enjoyed seeing some of my Stitching.  I'll give you more info on some of these pics in future posts.  But I wonder... Which of my proje

 I recently transformed a Wedding Dress into a Memory Bear. When I was ask to do this I did think long and hard about it for a couple of months. In the end I decided I quite fancied the Challenge. I've made plenty of Teddy Bears over the years. BUT never one in Silk. Here is the rather beautiful and elegant Wedding Dress. Classy and understated I'd say. The Pattern It took a while for me to choose a Teddy Pattern. I wanted one that reflected the personality of the Dress. Which in turn I hoped would reflect the personality of the recipient.  So I eventually choose a Classic Jointed Teddy Bear Pattern from  My Fabric Heaven . I chose them because they had a good selection of patterns and I could have the pattern sent to me. They do offer pdf's but on this occasion I wanted to have a physical copy. The Owner I had only met Emma a couple of times, so I can't claim to know her personality very well. But those meetings along with the Wedding Dress gave me a feel f

Crochet 2021 I learned to Crochet when I was about 13.  I had been knitting for four or five years at that point, I was quite happy knitting,  but when I learnt to Crochet I completely dropped my needles in favour of The Hook.  I think there was something about only having one stitch to contend with at a time that really appealed to me. I also found any shaping to be so straightforward compared to knitting. Now I will concede that the shaping in knitting is more refined. And a knitted jumper wins over a Crochet one most times. But my Crochet interests lay more with household accessories than garment making. Over the years I have experimented with different Crochet makes. But I am at my most happiest making Bags, Shawls, Blankets and Throws. With a touch of Origarumi thrown in if my brain feels like a challenge. A Brief  Pictorial History of My Crochet Endeavours  I have put together a selection of my favourite makes over the last few years. So you can get a feel of my Crochet Style  Fr

Following on from my  Boro Bag Post  .  I want to talk a little today about Needles, Threads and Fabric for Boro Stitching. Basically to get the best results (and the most stress free Stitching experience) you need to use the best combination of needle and thread for the fabrics you are using. Because, if you use a needle that is too small or big for you fabric and chosen thread your gonna hit problems, and at the very least your work is going to fight you. Basically not so much fun as frustration. So it pays to use the right tools for the job. There are numerous types of Needles and Threads to use when sewing, which basically depend on the fabrics you are stitching and the effect you want to achieve. I could write a blog post on each one. But today I just want to focus a little on Needles, Threads and Fabrics for more traditional Boro Work. You'll probably be pleased to know that Boro is traditionally worked with thicker threads and bigger needles! It's one of the reasons I lo

  Here is a link to the  Japanese Boro Bag Tutorial  I used to make my own Boro Bag below. And read about  Sashiko and Boro Work This tutorial has lovely pics and some basic instructions. I'm just going to go into a little bit of detail on how I put this bag together for those of you who need a little more detail. So this post is not how to make the bag. The Japanese Boro Bag Tutorial link above does that. This post simply gives a little more detail of how I made the Boro Bag. So follow the link instructions. They may well be enough for you to make your own Boro Bag. If not, here are a few details of how I made mine. Making tabs I used my contrast fabric but later realised it would have been easier to use the webbing I bought for the strap. You will need two pieces approx 3" to attach the bag strap,  one approx 7" for the fob.and a slightly thinner piece about 9" for the fastening loop. The bag webbing I used was 25mm/1". To make the fastening loop I

 Hello there my Stitching Friends. Today I want to share with you my latest Boro Inspired piece of work.  I find this Traditional Japanese style of stitching wonderfully relaxing. It's based on need rather than decoration but still manages to produce a visually strong finished piece of work.  I'm making my piece of Boro fabric into a Bag. But technically that's the wrong way around! Boro traditionally didn't start It's life as Boro. It slowly became Boro over years of daily use and mending..... Boro is filled with lots of lovely Hand Stitching called Sashiko in thick thread often  contrasting the fabrics it covers. (Think basic running or quilting stitches.) This simple stitch intended to be functional also creates a fabulous visual impact. Read my post on Boro Needles and Threads  Here The bag I'm making came from this   Boro Bag link I've thoroughly enjoyed the project. So much so that I created a YouTube Video showing how I created this piece. You can cli