Kickback Friday

Kickback Fridays are going to be posts looking back over the week and  chatting about whatever takes my fancy. I'm going to sit down with a cup of tea and just chill with you all.

This last week has been incredible for me. My revamping of this blog has really hit the ground running.  I've learnt so much in the last seven days. And I am thrilled that my followers have reached double figures. I've gone from one to ten followers this week. Although I must confess one of those followers is me. I still don't know how I did that - it's a mystery to me how I managed to follow myself.

Anyway, I really appreciate all your support. And please keep on making comments I really do want to know what you think and how your getting on with your projects, especially so if your making a logcabin quilt at the moment.

I've been making next Monday's logcabin sample video today. I'm so enjoying sharing with you all. And although the video is to help beginners, or those of you who haven't tried log cabin. I am hoping that those of you who are more experienced will still join in and share whatever logcabin blocks you decide to make. That way it's more of a group experience and we can also bounce of each other.

Monday class log cabins are coming along nicely.

These block are mine. I'm making a 'wonky' Log Cabin. The blocks are straight at the moment but will soon be cut 'wonky'

This is Gaynor's log cabin laid out with large corner triangles  ready to stitch on.

Well that's it from me at the moment. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. My next blog will be Monday's group when I'll show you how to put together a basic log cabin sample block. 

                 Yours in stitches, Joy x

Spotlight Wednesday

My first Spotlight Wednesday is tied in with Monday class. I am going to attempt to upload a video.......it's How to rotary cut strips for a basic log cabin block. I think it's so much easier to learn how to do these things when someone actually shows you how. AND it sticks even better once you attempt a sample piece. So, today I'm showing you how to cut the strips and next Monday class I'll show you how to make up a basic log cabin sample block using the said rotary cut strips.

For today you will need three fabrics, one light, one dark and one for the centre block.

Tip for video - to watch it full screen click on the little square at the bottom right of the video once it starts playing.

And yes, I know this 'Wednesday' blog has been posted late on Tuesday evening, but I was so excited and wanted to make sure it would work:)

Monday Group

OK - Big deep breath. This is a bit scary for me. But every journey must start with the first step - so here we go my first Virtual Monday Group meeting.

Welcome one and all. Firstly let me tell you a bit about Monday Group.
There is an actual Monday Group/class.  We met, obviously, on a Monday.  We welcome all new members no matter where they are on their quilting journey.

We usually have a project on the go in class. We help and encourage members to work at a pace that suits them as we try and help them develop their stitching skills. Also if any members need help or advice on their own projects we do our best to help them.

We also drink tea/coffee and eat cake/biscuits, show each other what we are working on, and plan trips and visits to quilty things. Oh, I almost forgot something very important. We laugh. A lot. After all this is a hobby, we are supposed to be having fun! I find the last sentence goes down very well, especially when someone is un-ripping a seam - a very long seam - for the second time.

 In our 'Virtual Group'  I'll  be able to share words, pictures and maybe some video of our work and trips but feel free to actually join in with the laughter, and the drinking of tea/coffee and the eating of cake/biscuits - us quilters have to keep our strength up.

I have had this blog for some time now. But felt it lacked a focus.  Although my blog has always been about patchwork/quilting. I knew I needed to hone in on some aspect of the craft. And then it hit me. Although I love patchwork and quilting my passion is sharing my knowledge and helping and encouraging others. So I thought what if I transferred my Monday group passion onto my blog.  So there we  have it - a 'Virtual Monday Group'.
I'm going to run this group alongside the actual group. We'll be following the same projects and I'll be sharing  Actual Monday's with  Virtual Monday's and visa versa!

I hope you are as excited as I am about this - ok, well I hope your a little bit as excited as I am about this.
Just think about it.  It doesn't matter where you live, what age you are, whether you are a beginner or not, if you already belong to a group, can't leave the house, or even if you can't make Mondays.  As long as you have an internet connection, your in.

I have so many plans for you all. And I hope some of you will feel happy to comment and share with the rest of the group.

So today marks our first Monday meeting. At the moment we are working on Logcabin blocks.
But let's not run before we can walk. This weeks assignment is to do a little research  on logcabin blocks. Don't panic I just want you to look at some different logcabin blocks (click on the logcabin blocks link to see some logcabin images). And next week I'll show you how to put together a basic logcabin block, which you will then be able to make up yourself as a practice/sample block.
                                                                                                               Yours in stitches, Joy x                          

Next blog update will be on 'Spotlight Wednesday'                                            

Revamp

I think St. David's day has been a very good day to start my blog's revamp. I've completed some background work today. But over the next few days/weeks I hope to make lots of changes as I update the focus of my blog. So I hope all my readers and my one, much loved, follower will bear with me as I attempt to make these changes.
It's a big learning curve for me and a bit scary - So fingers crossed that JoyofQuilting will morph into my dream blog, learning, sharing, stitching, caring. I'll let you know more about my dream soon.  Meanwhile, keep stitching, Joy.

'If you build it, they will come' Field of Dreams

I know it's an 'oldie' but I just had to share this with you all. It's a cushion I made using an old photo of my daughter and her twin cousins taken on St. David's Day about 30 years ago.
St. David's day is on March 1st and St. David is the patron Saint of Wales. And on this day here in Wales, all the little girls dress up in National Welsh Costume and the boys tend to wear Welsh Rugby Shirts. The girls wear a daffodil which is our National Flower and is usually in bloom by 1st March. The boys wear a leak often in competition with each other over who has the largest leak! This picture was taken after they had been to school that day. You can just make out the yellow of the daffodil on my daughter (centre) but it looks like the twins daffs didn't survive school that day.

The cushion itself is made using fabrics that would be in a typical Welsh Costume. The paisley fabric was typically the shawl. The black and white check the apron and the red, or a red and black check the skirt.  This would make a wonderful 'upcycled' gift, using an outgrown Welsh costume to make the wearer a 'memory cushion'.

I'd like to thank Deb O'hare
http://thebluehare.blogspot.co.uk/ who issued the challenge a few years ago to make a Welsh Babe item. Mind you I wasn't too thankful at the time as I ended up making five of these cushion.  You know how it starts. I was going to make one. Then I though I'd make one each for my daughter and the twins - three not too bad.  Then I though, well, I'd like one, so four ok I can do that. Then guilt kicked in. If I was making one each for the girls and one for myself the only one left out was the twins mother (my sister) so the final number was five. But if the other four cushions are loved and get anywhere near the attention, ohhhs and ahhhs that mine gets it was well worth the effort.
Happy St. David's Day to you all!

Plodding along

Slowly, slowly in very short bursts making progress on my Welsh quilt.
I'm taking pictures from the back because the quilting shows better in a picture from the back.

Welsh quilting.

Do I just ignore the fact I haven't posted for some time or not. Ok, sorry. But I'm back for the moment at least.
I have been making slow progress on my Welsh quilts.
The picture of the back looks a lot lighter in colour than it is. I's actually the same navy blue as on the edge of the front.
I'm loving how the quilting creates texture. And as I'm working in a traditional Welsh way even I don't know exactly which patterns I'm going to use next. I'm thinking about paisley shapes and curls and swirls.....