The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

monnagran

Fuddle: The lady who taught me patchwork made her first quilt while on a very rainy holiday in a caravan. She cut up old magazines for the paper shapes and bought some old clothes in CS to cut up . she hand stitched everything - not having the forethought to pack her sewing machine - and nearly finished a lovely quilt in the fortnight she was there. So it is possible. I just hope that your handstitching is considerably better than mine.

Mcculloch: When you are next in touch with CC please let her know that they are both surrounded by loving thoughts from this little corner of the internet.

x

stiltwalker

Fuddle - I'm half way through a full size quilt all done by hand. It is taking me a while, but then again I keep getting distracted and doing other projects plus as you all know I am trying to do 14 million other things at the same time including a degree and a hefty amount of voluntary work for the parent carer forum.


My machine skills are good but I like to stitch by hand as I find it satisfying, also it means I can sit and stitch on the couch and be sociable with DH rather than having to take myself off into the dining room.


Monna - nicely put (as always) - love and strength to CC from this little corner too - X

wondercollie

Fuddle, I've started a hexi cover by hand. It's simply because I want something I can keep in my work bag and do on lunch breaks and quiet times on the night shift.


It's taking time but it's just a matter of portability for me. I did work with a Mennonite nurse that had made a queensized bed quilt by hand. She brought it to work in it's own tote bag and did the final quilting using a huge embroidery hoop.

paidinchickens

Good morning my lovelies,

Crisp and fresh here, the grass was crunchy under foot on the way to let the chooks out.

Sold £117.70 on Eb@y last night which I'm really happy about as one of the items I pulled out of a skip :rotfl:

Infact DD rang me last week and twice I had my head in a skip I will be getting a name for myself soon (if I don't already have one)

Does anyone else get excited when they see a skip then gets really downhearted when they see it's full of rubble? What's up with people putting such rubbish in a skip?

PiC x

mardatha

Was minus 6.5 this morning, house was cold when I got up. Glad I remembered to bring in all my wee plant pots last night. Nice to see the sun though.

FairyPrincessk

PiC, OH has to steer me past skips. On my walk with a friend last week she apologized for scrambling up a small hill to some trees. She emerged with five or so perfectly good flower pots saying she was so sorry she must look ridiculous. I was only embarrassed I hadn't seen them too as I knew she needed some!:rotfl:

Fuddle, my mum quilts by hand and by machine. I've done a bit of both but not enough to speak wisely about it IYSWIM. You can definitely do it by hand, particularly the piecing. My mum often has a work basket full of pieces she is sewing together into the top by the tv. She likes to have small things she can pick up and put down.

However, when it comes to putting in the quilting stitches with the batting top and bottom, it can be a bulky project. My great grandmother (who lived on a farm) had something called a quilt house. It was basically a shack out in the garden where she erected her quilt frames. Her sisters etc. used to come and they'd work together. The frame was essentially a giant embroidery hoop on legs (except it was square, and a bit thicker, but same principle). It helped to keep the quilt taught. You could quilt in front of the telly, but it might take awhile! It might help to see if it would work to get one of the frames for needle point.

Pleased to say that Maggie is getting along well. She mostly has the run of the house although some doors get closed when she is on her own. She isn't allowed in the bedroom at night--this was a precondition of getting her. The past few nights every time we've gotten up, she's been curled up on a small blanket outside the bedroom door. She has other sleeping spots in the daytime, but doesn't seem to want to desert us at night.

I've been reading all weekend, but now can't remember anything. Hugs to all who need them.x

RosiePuddingPaws

Fuddle - as others have said, making a quilt by hand is perfectly feasible, if not particularly quick. I would suggest you look in the library for inspiration on designs and try and avoid papers/hexagons. You can use card (cereal packets, etc) to cut out templates and use them over and over. When it comes to quilting, yes you need a hoop.

I have made several. When it came to the quilting, I bundled everything into a Lakeland carrier bag and used to take it to work (in an office) and work on it every lunch time! I must confess I make them by machine now though.

RPP

D&DD

Morning all 'tis a beautiful day here now after a crispy old night!
Only got to minus 3 here Mar so we were lucky.


Fuddle you're a brave woman and must have hands of steel lol..Get yourself a really good thimble as it may make your hands sore and having a thimble to push with helps.They do a leather thing which slips over the finger too sort of like the thing when you break your finger,have no clue what it's called tho!!


Lots of sites in the U.S have hand quilting patterns and tips and I still think Quilterscache is THE best site ever Have made many quilts with her easy to follow patterns and she has some lovely pics on there too to inspire you.


I must uncover my machines..it's on my to do list..can't even see them under the mess in my bedroom and I have a pile of sewing jobs to do.


BUT the sun is out and the seedlings beckon


Stilty glad the party went so well hun you're a brave woman!! I've never managed a whole class party,just the thought of it terrifies me lol


Right s*d the housework I'm orf out the garden have a great day all XXX

fuddle

Thanks so mich for the advise! A hoop? I do fancy a little project especially as I sit in the car a lot on my weekend shifts. I will look into it and look forward to drooling over designs later.

I have to say just after posting about hand sewing last night I took myself and my crochet upstairs to bed. So relaxing, quiet and warm (was chilly!) and then caught up on my bloggers (attic24 and frugal queen) actually while I'm on is there any blogs OS related that I should be reading

Think I saw IoW yesterday Monnagran. Not sure but we were at Studland (National Trust Mrs C Free parking ) it's near swanage. Would I see you from there do you think? Well not you but the white rocks of your cliffs!

savingqueen

Morning all,

Ice on the windscreens early this morning (heard lad next door scraping his for an early shift) but warm sunshine had melted our car before school run, lucky me! Have a poorly DS7 on the sofa and for once a sensible DS9 who got ready without nagging and didn't moan that he still had to go to school.

Had one of those weekends where not much got done as I had 2 bad night's sleep, one due to poorly DS. Lack of sleep has always affected me lots but at my age, it makes getting through the next day or more really challenging.

Took DS7 to a party where I was going to attempt to leave him for first time without me but as soon as we got there, I knew that wouldn't happen. The music was deafening, lots of hyper children packed into a small room and a very over-excited party entertainer. DS burst into tears and wouldn't even stay with me. He had been looking forward to this party for 2 weeks poor lad.

Sat eve I actually went out! A friend got me a ticket to see a localish amateur dance show with some other friends and family as her children were performing in it. She made a meal beforehand and I went to the theatre early with her and the kids to get them into outfits etc. Nice evening out but have to say though personally I think it was too much for the 5 year old who feel asleep on the way there at about 6pm. He had already done Thurs and Fri eve getting home 10.30-11 at night. Our two would not have the stamina (or get up on the stage to start with).

Sun we went with to the cheapy kids movies with a friend and his son and took the above mentioned 5 year old as my friend had something else on with her other child. He was so tired he felt ill and I had to come out of the cinema screen with him.

oooh duty calls...DS and washing

take care all
SQ