Christmas Angel

It is Christmas Eve and the house is quiet. All is done, carols have been sung and now we wait. Thank you all my readers from all over the world for your company this year, all your kind comments and friendship. These are things which make the world a better place for us all. This is my Christmas Angel, newly made and I am expecting great things of her... a little light dusting, perhaps a batch of mince pies in the oven, some of the less difficult ironing maybe...

 

Christmas Angel by Green Star Quilts

So I would just like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and every blessing for the New Year,

Kind regards,

Sue

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Retro fabrics cot quilt finished

This week I have finished the retro fabrics cot quilt. The sewing has been a welcome respite from Christmas shopping ( I never seem to know what to buy), writing cards ( I leave it until the last minute every year as I don't enjoy it) and super amounts of fudge making ( more fun especially the testing  and tasting part...), anyway the sewing is such a delight, so I kept putting off things until I had finished this quilt...

Here is the finished quilt, sorry it's such a fuzzy picture:

Retro fabrics quilt by Green star Quilts

I have quilted it in straight lines in the ditch at about 2 inch spacing and then a tiny kiss in the middle of the central cream coloured squares. The binding is cream American quilters calico. The wadding is 100% cotton and preshrunk.

Retro fabrics quilt by Green star Quilts

The fabrics are unashamably pretty and girlie....

Retro fabrics quilt by Green star Quilts

When it is folded you can still see all the lovely colours ....

Retro fabrics quilt by Green star Quilts

The backing fabric is a soft pink and cream double stripe:

Retro fabrics quilt by Green star Quilts

Retro fabrics quilt by Green star Quilts

Retro fabrics quilt by Green star Quilts

Retro fabrics quilt by Green star Quilts

The colours remind me of spring flowers, daffodil yellows, primroses and tulips.....
Just right for a springtime baby....
The quilt measurements are 43 x 43 inches and 109 x 109 cms.

All fabrics are 100% cotton including the wadding which as been preshrunk.

This quilt is for sale on my website www.greenstarquilts.com on the Buy Now Quilts page.

I hope all your preparations for Christmas are going well, I'm sure you are all more organised than me. I have friends who had done everything by the beginning of December, but me, I go for the mad rush at the end... and handmade things for friends wherever possible. We have a £10 limit for presents for our family and  many gifts are homemade or charity shop treasures. Husband disappears into the garage for days to make cork table mats from bottle corks and there is a flurry of knitting hats and gloves going on secretly by daughters. We all feel Christmas is more about family then presents, especially when it is a struggle for many people to make a special time for their loved ones this year.

So if you are doing a marvellous impression of Superwoman combined with Santa at the moment, then remember to look after yourselves and take some time out with your sewing ,

Kind regards,

Sue

Vintage wooden cotton reels

Last year I was given lots of vintage wooden cotton reels from my Aunt's huge stash of all things to do with crafts. She was a very talented needle woman and over the years she had tried Everything and I do mean Everything possible to with needles, crochet hooks, threads of all sorts, buttons and and wool. Lace bobbins, pins, a vintage Singer buttonhole attachment which looked like an instrument for torture, every size of knitting needle possible and hooks for mending stockings to crocheted rugs.... yes, and it all came my way in lovely old leather suitcases, wooden boxes, carrier bags .... all jumbled together. Some people might have been horrified, but for me it was total delight. I sat on the floor, boxes and cases on one side, the bin and a plastic ice cream box for sharp things on the other and opened each container one by one..... yes, I can sense that your fingers are tingling just like mine were.... I didn't know what would be in the next box either...

So there were a lot of wooden cotton reels, thread discoloured, some half used, some in good condition with still bright colours...

vintage wooden cotton reels

These are things I remember from my childhood with huge delight. The feel of them, the bright colours, the wonderful names for the different shades and the beautiful designs for the manufacturers label on the little circle on the top of the reel. Oh the romance of Capri Blue, St Jame's Rose Pink or Chartreuse Green and as for Fiesta Pink, well it's a great favourite.... I wonder who had the job of thinking up all the names...

vintage wooden cotton reels

But what to do with them now? Can the thread be used or is 60 years beyond the sell by date do you think? To throw them away is not an option, they will never be made again in all their glory, the plastic ones are just not the same..... 

vintage wooden cotton reels

so I started to play with them....

vintage wooden cotton reels

Things got a bit more Christmassy....

vintage wooden cotton reels

Creativity began to run away with me..... yep, that's Fiesta Pink in the middle...

vintage wooden cotton reels

Actually the reels also ran away at every opportunity in all directions too.....

vintage wooden cotton reels

Little wooden stars from Lakeland Plastics shop were added....

vintage wooden cotton reels

A shaft of sunshine made the gold thread sparkle.... then add a red wooden heart.....

vintage wooden cotton reels

So I just wanted to know what you think.... Can I use the thread, or should I keep them just for the colours.... Have you any ideas for what to do with them? Are they treasure or am I just being silly? I would love to hear your ideas.....

This week I am finishing the retro fabrics quilt, doing the quilting now and I intend to try out Rita at Red Pepper Quilts  binding technique. I'm sure you all know about her lovely blog, but if not, just click here. I hope you all have a great weekend, not too much Christmas shopping but maybe a little rest, with some Christmas carols and a glass of something warm and mulled with cinnamon maybe, try not to feel overwhelmed by all the things you have to do on your lists,

Kind regards,

Sue 

A retro look scrap fabrics quilt

Some of you may know that I am a Project Linus UK co-ordinator in Lincolnshire. If you don't know about Project Linus UK you can read about it here. We get some lovely quilts donated and I am constantly amazed at the kindness and generosity of our volunteers who make the quilts. This little quilt measuring about a metre square came in recently....

Scrap fabric Project Linus UK quilt

It was simple in design but the use of the vintage scraps and fabrics stole my heart. The quilting was hand done in an all over clam shells pattern and it felt soft and gentle to touch. I must admit it stayed in my sewing room waiting for a Project Linus UK label to be sewn on for a few days and each time I looked at it I loved it more. 

So I decided to have a go at making a similar quilt just to see how the fabrics went together and why the over all effect was so pleasing. Here is the first block which measures 6.75 inches:

 

Retro quilt block by Green Star Quilts

This is the centre, which looks a bit wonky here! The  strips of yellow and cream where cut 1.5 inches wide.
 

Retro quilt block by Green Star Quilts

Then the log strips, cut 1.5 inches were added in a Courthouse steps pattern. These are the fabrics plus lots of scraps from the ever growing stash, which I used for the logs.....

 

I love the use of bubble gum pink and that lovely lilac colour too. Here is the top so far:

Retro Quilt by Green Star Quilts

I am convinced it wouldn't work half so well without the bright yellow in the middle of the blocks although maybe a dark pink, mmmmmmm, I just don't know.....

Retro Fabrics Quilt by green Star Quilts

 Well anyway, it just makes me feel happy looking at it and I can't wait to finish the top. As to size, I think I will just keep going until one of the fabrics runs out, so we'll see.....

How are you all this week? Christmas shopping complete and presents wrapped? Cards written and ready for the post, pudding made, cake in the tin, decorations up ? Hmmmm I thought not...... bet you are all in denial and still in the sewing room like me! Well I hope so anyway!

I have one more commission to complete for Christmas orders and then there is a huge amount of tidying up to do and fabric to put away. In the New Year we should all post photos of our tidy sewing areas!

As on most weeks I am linking up with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts because I find her so inspiring and she writes such a lovely blog which you can see here,

Happy sewing this weekend, the weather forecast is terrible here so I hope there are good plays on the radio while the sewing machine wrrrs along,

Kind regards,

Sue