A life in the country quilt

Is it too late to wish you all A Happy New Year? The time seems to be flying by already and things are already getting busy in the sewing room here. Ellie had her baby and I made a gift for husband to deliver to her, along with a chocolate chip cake because we all know that flowers are lovely but gifts you can eat are great when you have just had a baby! Here is the quilt I made for baby Wilfred who will grow up knowing all about foxes and pheasants....

Countryside Quilt by Green Star Quilts

I used lots of small pieces of fabrics which I have been saving for just such a quilt with a 'throw everything at it' approach which always seems to turn out well amazingly!

Countryside Quilt by Green Star Quilts

The pattern is a 'bricks and mortar' one. Most the pieces were put up on the design wall to start with to get the balance right with the darks and lights. When it all got too big for my small wall, I used the floor too, a good reason to hoover the carpet of pesky threads! With all the patterns of the different fabrics, it is magical how they almost become joined up in your mind when you look at the over all quilt top and the darks and lights of the colours become much more important. I love this style of quilt but I can quite understand that it might be too much for people who like a calm life!

Countryside Quilt by Green Star Quilts

The quilting is a simple quarter of an inch from the seams to create a grid and little squares in the corners of each brick.

Countryside Quilt by Green Star Quilts

I have attempted to take the photos in the summer house down the garden but it is cold and a bit muddy.... how do quilt makers take such gorgeous photos of their quilts in the snow and on the beach etc without getting them dirty? It is a mystery to me and one I continue to struggle with!

Another finish is The Beast..... which felt as though I was knitting a large dog at the finish! 

Icelandic wool jumper

This is a jumper I have been knitting for daughter who is living in Norway, temperature -7 degrees, lots of snow, beautiful pink twilight all day and many many sledge dogs to exercise.... Again I have tried the arty photo, the jumper ended up covered in leaves and bits of twig, this doesn't seem to happen to those clever knitters who have snapped their finished jumpers on reindeer skins beside camp fires and in the snow..... what am I doing wrong?? Husband looked at he photos and commented that people would think the wood pile was really untidy..... just another thought!!!

Icelandic wool jumper

I now know how the knit a yoke though and really I love the Lopi Icelandic wool which is so warm although a bit hairy and itchy so she will need a thick t shirt underneath. The knitting grows at an amazing speed too.

This week I am making little new baby quilts and finishing a scrap one too. More attempts at arty photos to follow soon,

Happy New Year and thank you for visiting my blog,

Kind regards,

Sue