Multi Use Mega Pinnie

Forgive me for pulling out the old Mega Pinnie, many of you will have one or have made one. It was something I taught a lot in classes and have gone on to offer for sale as a pattern.

When I taught, it used to give me such a kick to see all the different versions emerge as fabric choices gave each one a look of its own.

Here are some I made -

These two were by Lilian & Jenny.

And this one was Pat's.

Here is a huddle of them on display at one of our Open Days.

My pattern continues to sell in my Etsy shop and now and again a buyer will enter into correspondence with me, like for example, Becky, who lives in Texas. She really enjoyed making her first Mega Pinnie a few weeks ago and then thought of another use for it so went on to make another one.

All you have to do for this is to check the size of your pockets and just think how many husbands throughout the land could be kept happy forever................

..............but Becky didn't stop there. She is obviously a crafty lady, and went on to make a third version to house her tools for working with clay.

These are such good ideas and of course begin to make the old brain start ticking over with other uses for the Mega Pinnie. So I thought, why don't you leave me a comment with your new and fresh idea for using the MP. I shall read through the comments and choose the one I like best and reward the winner with a free digital copy of the pattern to make their own Mega Pinnie. Just a bit of fun really.

But do try to comment by Monday at 9pm UK time.

Meanwhile, my thanks to Becky for inspiring this blog post.

A Finished Top

So in my last post I might have suggested a finished top to show you and indeed I have such a beast - I give you, my Dog's Dinner.

I finished it about 10 days ago but waited for my lovely friends at my sewing group to assist with a photo. This quilt started life as the Today's Quilter Block of the Month, designed by Jen Kingwell. But, many months into the project it became clear that some of the required block numbers had led us a little astray and I found myself many blocks behind with the stuffing and momentum knocked out of me. That's when I went off piste a little. The centre of the medallion took on a different identity with a large block from my "collection" - it just needed a narrow border added to bring it up to the correct size. It had been pieced from a pile of HSTs given to me by a student many months ago along with some yardage which I decided to add into the remaining blocks that I had to do. The log cabin blocks that hug the corners of the centre panel were unpicked from a very old quilt top that had lingered in a drawer - I mentioned it in this post.

I had four 12" blocks to make for the centre positions on the outer rows and opted for simple nine patches. Almost as soon as I had cut and pieced them I wished I had cut the pieces just a little bigger and made them into Disappearing Nine Patch but that ship had sailed.

All that was left then was to make the four outer corner blocks and I knew I had planned to use Jo's Maple Leaf variation from her BOM currently running in Today's Quilter. I like the way they point outwards from each corner. The finished top measures 72" square.

I set out to make this a scrappy quilt using only fabric from my stash and this is exactly what I have done.

Despite my recent ramblings and reservations, I don't hate it, not sure if I love it. I think it might have cured me of scrappy. I enjoyed much of the process and am pleased to have completed it.

Not sure when it will transform properly into a quilt - I have just finished quilting and joining a 94" square monster and have been heard to mutter things like "I don't know if I have many more quilts left in me" but never say never eh?

Meanwhile, it's name - I shall free it from the shackles of Dog's Dinner.....as it's my first finish of 2017, I realise it is 19 years since I took up this craft so 19 it is. If it's good enough for Adele, it's good enough for me.

Have a good week folks.

PS. Lots of nice neutral Aurifil in stock

Happy New Year

I last posted just before the Christmas madness overtook us and here I am, as if by magic, in the quiet aftermath.
Isn't it funny how we get caught up in the crazy supermarket frenzy, made worse somehow by the New Year holiday being so close to Christmas. Those of you, of a certain age, (coughs delicately) and living here, North of the border in Scotland, will recall the days when all the shops closed at New Year for THREE DAYS at least! I'm talking food shops. This instilled in us a siege mentality that weirdly still exists today, despite the fact that I discovered that supermarkets this year would be open throughout New Year, no holiday at all. I still sneaked an extra loaf into my trolley, just in case.

I had no turkey responsibilities this year so things were quite quiet Chez Bluepatch. I had extra encouragement to help me sew in the shape of a new sewing table. A kind friend tipped me off about a sturdy looking possibility in a local charity shop and I had a look, liked it, and it was delivered on 22nd December. My old table had become quite wobbly and this one is really solid, a little longer and wider so it just gives me more options for working.

I wasted no time getting to work on some sewing and spent a particularly pleasant morning a couple of days before Christmas.

Some of you may recall my Dog's Dinner BOM - what you see above is the dry run for the four outer corner blocks. Since this session I have almost managed to sew the blocks together, but not quite. Before long, I should have a Dog's Dinner quilt top to share............bet you can't wait.

Since New Year I have been making progress with a very important commission piece - I recently discovered Little Cotton Rabbits , a site with the most delightful knitted rabbits, teddies etc. I really wanted to have a go and offered to make one for my Grand daughter, warning her that it would take Grandma a long time. I gave her the choice of patterns and my heart sunk a little when she opted for the monkey, I thought it looked a bit tricky. I always claim to be a rubbish knitter, it's just not my first love, or my forte. But with this excellent pattern which is so explanatory and helpful, I did it.

She's actually quite tiny, and her accelerated progress caused great excitement, reaching its peak today after nursery. We have decided that Millie is a nice name for a monkey.

So, that is my first finish of the year, my next has to be the big wedding quilt, much done, not a lot to do.

In Aurifil news I am exploring the idea of concentrating my online sales on our favourite neutral shades.

For those of you attending Amanda's classes I will be popping in this week and next with my wee pop up shop and some fresh stock, so hope to see you there.

I'll leave you with an image of this beautiful Christmas gift I received from a kind friend from Down Under................