Boro Inspired Stitching

 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 click on This Link  to watch my YouTube video about making this piece of Boro.

I hope you enjoyed watching my Boro video.

Also I've made lots of helpful How To Stitching Videos. Check out my My YouTube Channel here

And I'm also

On other Social Media

So, what did you think of my Boro Video?

Are you tempted to give it a try?

Or, have you already made some Boro Work?

Let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Joy

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

My grandson has this week discovered the Joys of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A little cabin in the woods that I made for my granddaughters about fifteen years ago.

I really enjoyed designing and constructing The Three Bears Log Cabin.

 The Three Little Quilts were a bit of a challenge.

I enjoyed choosing the fabrics for the curtains, night sky and wallpaper.

I made the mattress on Daddy Bear's Bed Too Hard

Manna Bear's Too Soft

And

Baby Bear's Just Right.

It really was a lot of fun working out how to make The Three Bears, Goldielocks, the fire, carpet, picture, table and chairs and of course three bowls of porridge.

I'm very proud of my efforts in this project.

Why not Check Out My Other Social Media Links

And So the Crochet Begins

2017 The Year of the Hook

2017 The Year of the  Hook. And no, I haven't given up Patchwork and Quilting. In fact there is plenty coming up on that front this year.
BUT
I have decided that now is the time to share my Joy of Crochet. And so in January I opened the doors on my Once a Month Crochet Group, open to all levels from beginner up.
We kicked off last month with a Basic Granny Square.
And this month having made five Granny Squares we have progressed to a bag/box.

To view my Beginner Crochet Videos (UK Treble Stitch and making a Basic Granny Square Left and Right Handed) Click on the link at the bottom of the page.

Fast Forward Four Years to 2021

Wow! The last five years have flown by. We had so much fun in Crochet Class. We learnt new Stitches and Patterns. Stretched ourselves. Inspired and helped each other.  So much new Crochet has been worked. I also put a few How to Crochet Videos up on my YouTube Channel. But that was the last four years.

Time Now For A Change

Time now for me to play. 

More of My Crochet

Back Now to Our Crochet Bag/Box/Container

For those of you who want to see how I make my Crochet Granny Squares see my Crochet Corner Post

As you can see these can be made up in different sizes.

The Small one was made using a Cotton Yarn

And Four Granny Square Rounds.

The Large one was made using an Chunky weight Yarn

And Ten Granny Square Rounds.

I used a cotton yarn called Paint Box

For the small bag and a Chunky acrylic yarn for the large one.

I've made two little videos.

One showing the UK Double Crochet I used to edge each square and also join the squares together.

And

A second one showing how I made the lining insert.

For more HowTo Videos vist my YouTube channel

And

My Social Media Links

Quilt As You Go All Finished - Well Almost

Quilt as you Go

I've just finished my Lynne Edwards Sampler Quilt. I really like it.

We did use  a few non Lynne Edwards blocks. Just because I liked them.
I intend doing some hand quilting in the sashing. But that can wait a while.

Meanwhile here are some pictures.

Sampler Quilt 

I made twenty blocks.

This is the back of the quilt.

I used up all my scrap pieces to make the back.

Close ups of the quilting - back view.

Close up of some patterned stitching I used for quilting.

See the black blur/smudge at the bottom of the quilt?

That was my new kitten Sparky darting across the quilt!

So it looks like Daisy and I have a new apprentice to help us quilt.

Quilt As You Go

This project used Quilt as you Go joining. It's a lovely way to work as each Block is complete including Quilting before being joined together to make the whole Quilt.

More about Quilt as you Go

I would be thrilled if you checked out my other Social Media Links

Talking Quilts

I wanted to let you all know that The Quilters Guild of the British Isles Talking Quilts Project is now live on-line.

I was involved both as an Interviewer and an Interviewee  (is that a real word?)

Here are a few pictures of my YK2 Quilt which I was interviewed about.

The link below will take you to the  Wales page which is where all the interviews I took part in are.

You can either read or listen to the interviews and look at pictures of the quilts.

http://www.talkingquilts.org.uk/interviews/wales/

ENJOY!

And then check out my Social Media Links

Finishing Off - Binding your Quilt

Quilt as you Go 

Quilt Binding 

As our Sampler Quilt Blocks  have all been made and we start stitching them together, our thoughts turn to finishing our Quilts. And that involves squaring off, making the binding and attaching the binding.

All these Quilts were made using the Quilt as you Go method. 

Find out more about joining Quilt as you Go

Sampler Quilts 

Below are the first three finished Quilts.

Then scroll down to the bottom of the page to see my three videos.
 1. Squaring a Quilt.
 2. Making Quilt Binding.
 3. Attaching binding to your Quilt.

                               Heulwen' s Sampler Quilt

Mary's Sampler Quilt

Yvonne' s Sampler Quilt

How I Square Up A Quilt 

This first video shows how to square up your quilt.

Marking Quilt Bindings

This second video shows how to make quilt binding

Attaching Your Quilt Binding 

And this third one shows how to attach the binding to your quilt

Have fun.  Mind you the above is a lot of information to take in. So maybe take a break. And why not relax and check out my Social Media.

And if you are enjoying my posts.  Here are My Social Media Links

Making a Block Keeper

A few people have been asking how to make my Block Keeper.  So I thought I should repost a link to my Video Tutorial.
First some pictures of said Block Keeper.

Sew - here is my Quick and Easy Block Keeper Video Tutorial

And here is a link to My Social Media Links

I'm particularly enjoying Instagram at the moment. 

William & Daisy

Yey - had a lovely play day today working on my own little project.
Inspired by a photo I took of my Grandson and dog last year.

It's lovely to take and have pictures. 

But sometimes I feel the need to commit a memory to fabric.

Using some fabric I had hand painted,  some freemotion quilting and appliqué - and a touch artistic licence (I changed the direction Daisy was running in). Some scraps of fabric for the binding. It's all finished and hanging proudly on my wall.

Again, I quick printed out this picture so I could use it to make templates.

Choosing fabrics to match the picture I Appliqued William & Daisy onto a fabric background.  Added some wadding, machine stitched wavy lines.

Added a colourful binding. 

An another Memoty Picture Finished.

This takes me right back to when William had his first walk on 'Our Beach' Aberavon Beach, Port Talbot.

See my other Social Media Links