Finished Quilts

Thursday 25 July 2013

chicken foot packman ghost

*warning:  this is a bit of a blether so you may need a cuppa or to skip to the end!*

Well, I think I've finally stopped spinning!  I had THE BEST time in Barcelona (if anyone wants to know that best place in Barca to have cava, I'm your girl!).  Of course I forgot to take any photos #idiot. Then it a quick turnaround and off to London for the FQ Retreat.  So quick in fact that I left half of the stuff I needed in neat piles on my bed, including the lovely tag that Ann made me and my sewing kit and caboodle #idiot.

Loads of people have blogged about the Retreat already.  There was much more chatting than sewing for most of us I think.  Especially me.  I am a little embarrassed to show you my "makes" but I'm all about full disclosure so here goes:

PJ class with Kerry
OK, so I'm not ready to for the Big Reveal on this one yet.  I did learn lots in this class tough...including...

Sitting next to the lovely Shevvy is not always conducive to accurate sewing.  She's too funny.  And we just laughed at and then copied each other's mistakes.  I had to borrow her spare seam ripper for the entire duration!  Of course, she ended up with a pair of almost finished and beautifully constructed PJs for her mum.  Where as I realised that making an XL size of a unisex pattern when your 5' 4" maybe wasn't my cleverest move.  I could leave them as they are, put a hula hoop in the waist band, add braces and fill them with balloons and I have very passable clown troosers.  But I will finish them and reveal at a later date #onefortheWIPpile.

FMQ with Trudi
Another great class that I was terrible in.  I broke two needles and had eyelash quilting until Jane took pity on my patheticness and sorted things out for me (wrong make of bobbin for the Pfaff machine).  Whilst all around me were doing fabulous work, I managed a few interesting moves:

I perhaps should have taken more sandwiches!
I've not got the smoothness in my swirls yet but it's all about practice (poo).  I'm liking the squares though.  I intend to FMQ the wee man's bee quilt so I need to get my practice head on!  Great class though and such amazing quilting being performed.

Trapunto
Ok, I had no idea what this class was about but I knew that Ruth was selling the kits so my lack of pre-organisation wasn't too troublesome in this class.  I learnt that this is another craft that I am useless at!  This was in no way anything to do with the instruction - pure user incompetence.  I was hoping to make a tulip but it morphed into a chicken foot/pacman ghost instead:


I like the back of it better, apart from the ruddy big scar across it:


Laughing Boy was less than impressed that I went to London for the weekend and a chicken foot pacman ghost was all I "finished".  Yup! #worthit

Hand quilting with Lu
My final class on Sunday morning was with Lucie Summers and it was a real giggle. It was hand quilting and (I'm sure you can sense a theme) I didn't have anything useful prepared so used a quilt sandwich I had originally brought for Trudi's class.  I like the look of the front stitches:

small stitches are hard!
 But the back needs work!


Lu was kind but I can do better!

Sample Swap
I was in a fab group for the sample swap. Sara (who was one of my clients many moons ago), Kath and Aylin made such lovely things....

my booty!
 
And lovely Di took a photo of us...
 
height order unintentional!
Which brings me to the only real downside to the whole weekend..... I've seen myself in other peoples photos a few times now and I'm having to readjust my mental image #fatterthanIthought.   I decided that urgent action needed to be taken on my way to South Kensington tube station, via Hummingbird Bakery to get some cupcakes for the journey home #obviously.
 
I'm seriously thinking about Couch to 5K, despite the scatological side affects experienced by Lu and Emily!  And Laughing Boy is up for some healthy eating, only after we get back from our hols #obvs. I'm thinking of rewarding any progress with fabric!
 
So the outcome of the weekend was pure joy at meeting up and spending time with friends (old, new and now not so virtual), pure amazement (but not surprise) at the gorgeousness of everyone's makes, pure lust over handmade bags, clothes and sundries (such inspiration), an unexpected reaction to air con (aaaa-tchoooo - sorry class mates), a re-energising of my sewing mojo, a sense of pride that I spent £0 at quilt market (tinged with sadness of course!) and a real desire to lose a few lbs.  That was worth it, I think.

Linking up with Clare's Brit Sewing Linky Party: it's a Thursday thing!


Maybush Studio

23 comments:

  1. I hope you frame chicken foot pacman ghost for posterity! Really enjoyed the Friday night meal with you & Kate. Sounds like you may have done as much chatting / little sewing as I did at FQR! My computer is still out of action so my FQR post (with paragraphs and photos, hopefully) is still on hold...

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  2. ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Hee hee - you made me laugh so much.
    I love your chicken foot packman ghost so much... and tell laughing boy that it's a finished item more than I came home with. One strip of a paper pieced typewriter is all I have for *Show and Tell* ;0)
    I think your clown PJ pants and a trapunto tee shirt could be a really good look.
    xxxx

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  3. sorry i didnt get to hang out with you. your pacman ghost is perfect, always be prepared to revise what you were aiming for.....

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  4. You are so hilarious!! Sounds like a lot of fun and your pacman is better than a tulip ;) You are also one of the most beautiful people I know so eat the cupcakes or run, whatever makes you happy! :)

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  5. Don't blame me for what happened in the pj pants class. It was all your fault I did so much unpicking! Why oh why did I think it would b e interesting to try a French seam!
    It was great fun though, even though we were the naughty girls in the class.
    Your PAcman ghost made me cry with laughter!

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  6. Ace!! Your post made me laugh, sounds like you had an absolute blast at FQR and I love the tulip ghost thingy :-) Do you know Catherine from Knotted Cotton? She's done the Couch to 5k and really enjoyed it. Running is brill (takes a while to get it tho, so persevere), I'm just wishing for some rain and the end to the eternal sunshine - the buckets of sweat at lunchtime was not a good look.

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  7. Hehe I don't think any of us actually finished anything. At least you didn't accidentally cut a block in half. Yep, I did.

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  8. Love your post and it was great meeting you at the weekend, even if it was fleetingly several times and on our jaunt across to the V&A shop (think we left you behind there - oops! BTW you do not need to worry about your pics, you are just lovely - flickr is full of pics of me from behind and I definitely need to stay away from hummingbird!!

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  9. You clearly had an amazing time! I love the reinterpreted tulip :)

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  10. Well Moira I am with you about the #fatterthanIthought but the hummingbird cupcake was divine. It was a weekend of chatting and sewing. How you did it after your Barcelona trip is beyond me. You have staying power Mrs.
    Di x

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  11. Chicken foot pacman ghost sounds like one of those crazy Japanese quiz shows! If it helps, I haven't seen a single photo that I'm happy with from this weekend. Was so lovely to meet you x

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  12. Sounds Fab! Loads of fun-I almost feel I was there myself-sniff! Life will feel quiet for you now, oh except you'll be too busy out running...?

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  13. LOL, your Post is so funny. I made better, i Even had not much Classics with sewing. I did a Bad Job at my EPP curves, but this doesn't matter, or? We had so much fun. And the next time we will Talk more too :-)

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  14. We had all the same classes although I didn't make it to either of the table top sessions. I've seen very few pics of myself and I look like a gargoyle in them. Of course I may naturally look like a gargoyle but no amount of activity or dieting will improve this situation ;-)

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  15. You are a funny chick, Moira! Too bad we didn´t really got to chat this time.. But we will next time, ok? can´t wait for your pajamapants, the ghost and the other sewing is very promising though :-)

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  16. Great summary Moira and you did make me laugh! I don't think you're the only one suffering from the need to readjust on seeing the photos. Couch to 5k sounds good though.

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  17. Love your pacman ghost tulip! It was fantastic to meet you last weekend :-)

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  18. Great write up which made me giggle #fatterthanIthought! Fab photos of the retreat and it was lovely to meet you again!!

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  19. You are so funny - glad you had a great time despite everything!

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  20. I LOVE your chicken-foot-pacman-ghost isn't this just another classic example of how if someone doesn't know what you were intending to produce they just appreciate what the end result looks like? And the amazing sample swaps I'm seeing from FQR are giving me even more of a reason to ensure I go next year!

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  21. It was lovely to meet you, I think this is the best fqr summery I've read!!! You have really made me giggle, I can't wait to see the PJ clown pants post!!
    I though I had avoided all photos, until I read a post on Hadleys blog and there is me and my #fatterthanithought moment!! But I'm waiting till after the holiday to start as well!! Hopefully the heat will curb my overindulgence! Some chance!!

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  22. You think YOU need drastic action??? The XL pants actually fit me! Mind you, I do like them big and baggy - lots of wriggle room! Still if we're looking to set up the virtual slimming bee, count me in. I too feel the need for drastic action. Hope your allergies are better now xx

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