Post Coment Love 19 - 21 June

Hello there, welcome to this week’s #PoCoLo - a relaxed, friendly linky which I co-host with Suzanne, where you can link any blog post published in the last week. We know you’ll find some great posts to read, and maybe some new-to-you blogs too, so do pop over and visit some of the posts linked, comment and share some of that love.

Please don’t link up posts which are older as they will be removed, and if you see older posts are linked then please don’t feel that it’s necessary to comment on those. If you were here last week it was great to have you along, if you’re new here we’re pleased you’ve joined us.

It’s been a garden visit heavy week, and I’m not complaining - but there’s been a lot of steps, and a whole heap more photos. I started the week with a press invite to relatively local Barnsdale Gardens and ended the week with another press invite to Gardeners’ World Live. More on both of those visits to come, but I when I got home I was so pleased to see my first dahlia flower - let’s hope there’s many more to come.

Have a good week.

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Bursts of cloud and colour

I’ve still a few more quilts to share from last year’s Festival of Quilts show, but the good news is I’ve got my ticket to go along to this year’s show at the end of July. The ticket’s booked, my workshop is booked - all I need to do before I set off is not forget my SIL and sort out some parking.

But that means over the next few weeks I’ll be loading up the final few categories that I haven’t shared yet - and there’s some biggies in that list, but let’s start with the modern quilts. There’s a lot I like about this category, notably the colour and freshness of the quilts and while there were many in this category as usual I’m sharing a few of my favourites.

SUNSET AT ASHINOKO, SUET-FERN LEE

The first two have a cloud theme, but are completely different - and no just the colours used, but I like both. I like the variety of fabrics used above, but the cohesiveness of the colour scheme below, in fact I’d have been happy to have produced anything as good as either of these.

NEBULAE, CAROLINA ONETO

This one I like the composition and the form, and while the colours work together I can’t help but wonder about this design using brighter colours - maybe it’d be too much, maybe not. Either way, the amount of work in this quilt is astonishing and to be admired.

STREAMLINE 2, AITCHBEE

I love the cheeriness of this next quilt, and it’s name - it’s easy for all of us to visualise a concrete garden, but how many of us would view one quite this pretty? The flower shapes remind me of daffodils, and perhaps that’s why I think the colours chosen work so well, but maybe that’s just me.

THE CONCRETE GARDEN, JULIE TOMLIN

This final quilt in this post is my favourite from this category - and after spending some time at the Museum of Fine Arts in Angers last week I’m not surprised as there was a sculpture with similar colourings that I loved there too.

But it’s not just the colours, it’s the cross hatched quilting and the striped binding that set off the whitespace perfectly. And the colours, the colours really make this one pop don’t they?

IMAGINATION FACTORY, PAULA STEEL

So modern quilts, are they for you or do you prefer something more traditional?

A perfect pre-holiday pouch

Before I went away I had what seemed like an ever growing list of things I wanted to do before I went, which at times got revised down so it was shorter, and then again to include just the essentials. But one of the things that stayed on the list was completing my new pouch, and spoiler I did it - I was thankful that there was a sewing group morning the day before we travelled so if I needed to I could devote those three hours to finishing it. I didn’t need the three hours in the end, but I did finish it the day before I went. Phew.

This pouch was in the Day 14 box of my Advent Calendar last year, and after moving a pile of projects in my craft room I rediscovered it, so I thought why not get it done.

The instructions were good, but I hit a small stumbling point early on. The kit was supposed to have four pieces of fabric, but I had only three - I knew this when I opened it in December, and well let’s be honest, I knew I’d have some fabric that I could substitute for the missing piece.

What I didn’t realise until my focus was on making this pouch was that I’d pulled a piece from my stash that worked, and used that earlier in the year to practice some quilting on with one of the variegated cottons I’d bought.

It was perfect, and just what I wanted - although it was about an inch smaller than the other pieces. Problem solved, my pouch would be an inch smaller. And so I followed the instructions (which were clearly written) and all was well until I got to the line which said: ‘quilt as desired’.

In my head that turned out to be hand quilt this with tiny chain stitches in three different coloured cottons, and follow the wavy design. I shared this picture in my This May post, so you’ll be pleased to know that progress happened, and the pouch actually got made!

And yes, I then did decide to hand embellish the substitute side as well, clearly I’m a glutton for punishment.

But they do look good!

The kit also came with a navy zip, but as you can see I opted for an orange one from my stash instead, I think it helps tie both sides together - and it’s far more interesting than navy!

It’s the first time I’ve added a tag on the side, and that worked well - the fabric is fussy cut from remnants from the lining fabric. I even added a custom sized internal pocket with three individual spaces to hold smaller items, which were just the size I needed them to be.

I’m really pleased with how this new-shape-to-me-pouch worked out, and I can see that I’ll be making some more. I love the finish the zip tabs give the pouch, and the boxy bottom means it stands up too.

So that’s another pouch to my repertoire, and a pretty and practical one at that.