Almost done!

Well I forgot to take my camera with me yesterday to class!! So no photos to show of the ladies doing the stained glass window. They managed to get one block done and we will continue with this project next week. Just as well because it was very busy and no time to stop and take photos.

As promised I have quilted the top of my Hidden Wells and tonight intend to sit down and hand sew on the binding. It will keep my legs warm, for sure, as we are now getting some of the bad weather that Madeira has had, but not as bad, thankfully. Just the strong winds. Here are a couple of photos of the work in progress. Will show the whole quilt when I have attached the label. Now Angela when did I start this project or is it too embrassing to say!

Saturday's Class

On Saturday the ladies had a lesson on making a daisy block using Jan Mullen's crooked method of cutting blocks. The ladies at first couldn't accept that they could cut a slightly off angel strip and this took them a while to get the hang of it. Here are the first blocks. Helena had already started doing a second block and maybe by next week she will have done some more. Knowing Helena that isn't usual.

Also Teresa popped into the shop with her New York Beauty, which she so much enjoyed doing. All there is now is for her to put a border on and quilt it! Teresa says that she enjoys very much foundation piecing.

Teresa tends to pop into the shop in her lunch break on a Wednesday to have a chat and show her projects because at the moment her weekends are taken up with going to watch her son playing sports (can't remember which sport activity he takes part in).

I am trying to quilt my Hidden Wells quilt, that is a long over due UFO. Sorry Angela. I have quilted a quarter of it, so hopefully tomorrow I will have a chance to do another quarter! Or I might get distracted and do something else!

Fabric Baskets

Today I decided to mess around, after finding this idea at and I decided to make slightly smaller. Jenny has given me more ideas since she posted her original post.

It is raining here and bitterly cold, which is not normal for Lisbon.

Wednesday Group

Yesterday, we were only 4 ladies, because it had been a public holiday due to Carnaval (yes, in February) a few ladies were away on holiday or looking after their children. However between us we decided to make a table runner using a block called Turkey Tracks from Marsha McCloskey's "Block Party". It involved using 7/8ths in some of the squares which they hadn't come across yet and also cutting half triangles. Here are two of the blocks by Manuela and Helena. The ladies were going to continue the project at home by making the additional two blocks and adding setting triangles.

Last Friday Sara dressed as a witch for school, as it is a tradition here in Portugal for all the children to dress up for school on the Friday before Carnaval. But unfortunately the weather was not that brilliant, it rained and was rather cold, hence the extra clothing. I think in the 6 years Sara has dressed up for Carnaval there has only been two occasions when there was a parade with the other local schools. 

Half Triangles Class

Today the ladies had a lesson on how to make half triangles using the method of two squares.
And as Valentine's Day is on Sunday, I came up with this idea. The lovely assistant in the second photo is my daughter, Sara, who on occasions is called upon to help me by holding the quilts I make.

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This one belongs to Helena, who loves pinks. She has decided that she is going to make a rectangle cushion for her granddaughter by adding another row of plain squares to the righthand side then a border with corner squares.

Here is Maria's who is going to make some more into placemats and if she can a table runner as well. Red roses very appropriate.



Manuela brought her Bargello and is now thinking of making it even bigger for her bed! There is still the fabric in the shop, so she is going to go home and use the rest she has to see how much more fabric she will need to make it for her double bed. To say that she has only recently started quilting, she is doing very well.

Quilt Class

Today the ladies were working on their appropriate projects. Helena and Manuela who were not able to come last time for the Bento Box block so decided they wanted to have a try and have gone home to make some more blocks.

The quality of this picture wasn't that good today.

Another lady was working on her Rail Fence project and next week she will add the binding. She wasn't comfortable in adding the binding, so she was going to go home and join the strips together, so that next week we put the binding on.

Pyramid Purse

On Saturday 3 of the ladies did pyramid purses.

Because the ladies finished these purses relatively quickly, they then went on to make one of these (this is mine below) but didn't have enough time to finish them. Hopefully tomorrow two of the ladies who come on Wednesday's will bring them to show.

As Valentine's Day is approaching, I have started a small project, which I hope to show soon. Unfortunately, I miscalculated the amount of fabric needed (oops) and so unfortunately (not), tomorrow I shall have to go and get some more fabric to finish it. This is what happens when you try and create something!

Wednesday's Class

Today, I showed the ladies how to do the Bento Box Block based on this technique I found here. Here is Elena's, which she was going to continue at home and make it into a mat for the hall!

We had a couple of new ladies and sorry forgot her name, I know she is a lawyer. She has got this far and next week we will sandwich the table runner and start quilting!

Other interests

Besides quilting, I do enjoy Cross Stitch, which I tend to do on an evening in front of the television, rather than fall asleep! I recently finished this. It is very appropriate, isn't it?

It is one of Lizzie Kate's Snippets patterns.

And this is The Quiltmaker by Lavender & Lace, which is a slow process.......











Finally for Christmas I made this Tilda doll called "Country Girl". The kit came with everything except for the stuffing. It was a present for my daughter, Sara, who happens to celebrate her birthday on 24th December! Here in Portugal they tend to make more of Christmas Eve, but in our household, the 24th is Sara's day and we celebrate on the 25th. And yes she gets two presents. It was hard to make because every time I worked on the doll, I had to hide everything or she would have questioned what is that fabric for, as she has taken an interest in quilting (only just 9 years old). Any scraps of fabric that don't reach my scrap box in time, you can be sure that Sara will have placed it in her box.

Quilt Class

Yesterday, the ladies worked on their own projects and Maria Elena finished the top of her Bargello that she did on Saturday. I love the greens and blues. All she has to do is put on the borders, which I am sure we will see next week. She so enjoys coming to class.


I also had two new ladies, who have started with the Rail Fence. Sorry no pictures of these, but will try and take them next week. Not quite used to using the camera in class yet.

BARGELLO WORKSHOP

On Saturday I had 5 ladies to learn how to make a Bargello Quilt. I learnt this technique with a lady called Vickie Miles, who for a short time lived here in Portugal.



The ladies had to concentrate so hard(they were at times so quiet) to make sure that the seams jointed at the right place and found that pins did help a great deal. At the same time they learnt that it is very important to get your scant 1/4 inch right, if not the 3/4 inch strip will disappear when joined with the other strips and you loose the effect.

By the end of the day, two of the ladies, Isabel(left) and Anabella(right)managed to get this far on their quilts.



















The ladies will return in two weeks to finish the project off, as we found that one day wasn't enought for this project.

Why Cappuccino Swirl?

I thought I would explain how I came about "Cappuccino Swirl". It all began when I started learning how to do patchwork 2004. Our first project was Rail Fence and was taught by Angela http://angiequilts.blogspot.com As I didn't know much about colours I chose creams or is it beiges, never sure about that, and brown. Angela said it remained her of the milky coffee you get here (galão), so as that was my first project and this is my first time having a blog......

Here below is a picture of the wall hanging.