more of Manor House quilt

I am now working on the last block of the main part of the quilt; there are 3 applique motifs on this one, and I have now finished 2 of them.

The 3rd one has branches with loads of leaves, so I am bracing myself......

We had loads of rain yesterday, very good for the garden and our water buts have been replenished.

I think this is a lovely and unusual new addition to our dahlia bed.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2020

....and how to hang it?

Of course I am talking about a quilt. I like to display my large quilts on a wall in our dining room, this being the only free wall downstairs, large enough to take a large quilt. But how to do that?
I know there are many various systems on the market, the most simple being a rod and a couple of brackets, but in my case this would mean a gap between the wall and the quilt, which would be visible every time I pass it; not suitable for here. I have been using an old wooden curtain rod (painted the same colour as the wall), with a cord attached to each end of the rod and a nail in the wall - not very satisfactory, and rather unsightly.
The idea came to me when I came across Hang-it-Dang-it system, but this is not cheap for a large size. So I applied the same idea to my wooden curtain rod. This involves a large screw in the wall and a hole in the rod. Putting a screw in the wall in most English houses means drilling into a brick and a wall plug; as I am not happy using power tools outside the kitchen, I engaged the Man of the House, he likes to play with his tools. 

So, one screw in the wall and one hole in the rod (it is best not to drill the hole right through the rod, as this would probably mean damaging the fabric later).

The hole slips over the screw, and there it is!

The next step was to make an opening in the quilt hanging sleeve - this was a quick, rather untidy job (must do better!); in the future I will have to make the sleeve in two parts, with a gap in the middle.

The secret here is to have everything exactly in the middle, the hole in the rod, and the opening in the sleeve - and here we are - providing I now make an opening in hanging sleeves of all my quilts , it will work for all of them.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2020

more of Manor House

I have finished 3rd part of Manor House quilt,  but as I haven't been sewing them in the order given, it is actually no 1 in the pattern;

and this how the 3 finished parts look joined together:

part 4, the last applique part of this quilt will be at the bottom. 

If you are following Mary Corbet (known mainly for her embroideries), you may have seen her other project she is working on - EPP project - hexies. She is making loads of 3/4 " hexies and storing them, with the idea of eventually making them into a quilt.

As we know, EPP is so easy and portable; this has prompt me to start a similar one.

We all probably have small bits of fabric around; I keep even very small bits for my applique work, stash them in a box, which gets frequently forgotten. So, I am slowly going through my small bits stash and cutting them up into 2" squares, if I can (some pieces are too small even for that).

I like the way Mary has organised her work, using a large pencil case for taking her bits around with her.

Although I am not planning on travelling any time soon, it is still a good idea for just taking it in and out of the house.

I have managed to find a similar pencil case (it is very roomy inside) and started to collect necessary tools.

She is using  "Really Useful" boxes for storing finished hexies.
I am rather
addicted to the "Really Useful Boxes" company, my work room is full of their boxes, I always seem to pick up one or two at shows. So practical, they are see through, and stack up, so it is always so easy to see what is in them. So yes, I am up there with her!

This is going to be a very random project, with no particular colour scheme in mind, a good filler when I don't feel like doing anything else, and eventually there just may be enough to make something.............

Rather strange weather in this part of the world, not one thing or another; just when you think it could be a day stitching outside, some rain appears, just enough to spoil it.
But there is always something to do...
Another enjoyable book from Jojo Moyes - about Horseback Librarian programme in Kentucky before WWII ( and a love story thrown in, of course!)

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2020

just a quick update

This was my outside sewing corner a week ago; since then a big change in the weather forced us back indoors,

so I have been binging on "Outlander" DVDs while sewing indoors;

I have now finished the second part of the Manor House quilt top.

There is nothing else new to report; more shops are opening; only one of our grandchildren has been back to school - one afternoon every 2 weeks (worrying considering she will be sitting her GCSE exams next year), the younger has not yet been back (but they have been having some lessons online). Pubs and restaurants can open from this weekend (with many difficulties) and I have a hairdresser appointment for later this month!!!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2020