A few months ago there was a discussion on the tatting group I am in called Here-Be-Tatters about what to do with all the tatting pieces that we start but don't finish because of an error etc. It was suggested that we make a crazy quilted square and add our tatted pieces to it, and a challenge was born. Sue Hanson our list mom at the time offered to supply anyone interested with a bundle of fabrics. Well anyone who knows me will know that I just could not resist an offer like this. The fabulous bundle of fabrics duly arrived together with ribbons, threads and beads, all colour coordinated. Scrummy! This is as far as I have got with the quilted square, the tatting is pinned in place and I will add the embroidery over the coming weeks. I intend to make a tote bag and add the finished square to one side.

This is going to be on the other side of the bag. I couldn't resist making some more of my fabric with the scraps left over from the quilt square. It is my contribution to recycling. At my guild meeting last night I was lucky to purchase some edging strip to hide the edges and which will coordinate perfectly with this fabric.

Mary Corbet on http://www.needlenthread.com/ is asking what project gave us the most pleasure and why. Well I can honestly say without hesitation the piece that has given me the most pleasure and continues to do so is the pulled thread whitework doily I did in my evening class with Anne Hills. I loved every minute of making it and could barely put it down while I was making it. I stitched on it every spare minute. It only took me about 3 weeks from start to finish. Anne helped me with some of the stitches as she had already made the piece and had started on a whole tablecloth in the same style! Anne died not long afterwards so it has wonderful memories for me of a very dedicated and caring tutor. I wonder where that tablecloth is now.

This is another fabric I made at a Lesley George workshop. It is very basic leaf shapes cut out and laid on to a piece of calico and stitched down using the machine's inbuilt stitch patterns. Once I felt I had stitched into it enough I turned it over and did vermicelli bobbin work to create a bit of texture. I love this fabric and have used it several times. The item on the right of the picture is a folder I made to hold all the different type of machine needles. The inside is shown below. If I made it again I would modify the inside by adding elastic to the pockets to stop the needle packets falling out. They don't fall far because it has a zipper all the way round the outside but it can be a bit annoying when some of the packets fall out of their little pockets.

I used to go to evening classes at http://www.lesleygeorge.co.uk/ One of the projects I completed as a result of the fabric manipulation idea in the previous post was to create this cushion. I had no pattern for this it just evolved over several weeks. The velvet centre Fleur-de-lys was created using machine trapunto. The trim around the edge of the velvet is free machine embroidery stitched on stockings. The stripey trim is just a length of Kumihimo made on my hand loom. The tassels at each end took me forever to make because I really didn't know what I was doing I just knew what I wanted to achieve. I consulted Anna Crutchley's Tassel Making book extensively and I am quite pleased with the result. This cushion was displayed in our local Embroiderers' Guild exhibition a couple of years ago.

I was chatting via email with a friend from Australia (hi Elizabeth) and when I told her I had started a blog she wanted to take a look so I thought I had better start posting something for her to look at :-) A lot of work I have done has never been photographed. I haven't done city and guilds or had a need to record my work in any way so there didn't seem to be any point. Yesterday I had a bit of a photographing session and I discovered a curious thing about myself; I seem to have a passion for making fabric. Let me show you what I mean.
This piece was created by tearing strips of dyed calico and then stitching it together using the sewing machine's inbuilt stitch patterns. The leaves were a digitised pattern purchased from Birdhouse Cottage Crafts at http://www.secretsof.com/content/463

For some while now I have been viewing other peoples blogs. I have found it interesting to see the progression of their experience of a particular technique or the progress of a particular project. With this in mind I have decided to start my own blog to record my feeble efforts with my crafts. My comments and images will be here as the days and weeks go by so that I can mark my own progress ,if at all. As I gain experience I will add links to blogs and websites I have found interesting. If you have chanced upon this blog I hope you will find something useful eventually and if so I would be interested to read your comments.

For now I am pleased that I have managed to post this while the date is still lucky 08.08.08. I will add some pictures of my work later.