A quick quilt update: cutting is underway

It's been a while since I've mentioned my patchwork quilt here, and that's mostly because not much has happened since I sorted out the materials from my stash back in January.  That's partly because life has been busy (when isn't it?) but also because I always find it hard to make the first cut. 

When I chose my materials I thought I probably had enough of each material, but I wasn't sure. Because I'm using a mix of materials, including some old clothes I've cut up, it wasn't that simple. But with a couple of hours, renewed purpose and weather that encouraged me to stay inside, this weekend my well used rotary cutter and mat and I became reacquainted.

I've started to cut the 2.5 inch strips, from which I'll cut thirty squares. And yes, I'm using the floor which has been tough going on my knees even with a cushion.  I've also learnt, or reminded myself that:

• there's a lot more cutting to do,

• I have plenty of material for this project, even from the clothes I cut up,

• sewing projects require ironing, and that's before I've even started on any seams,

• purpose bought material is easier to cut than repurposed clothes, mainly because it's already square.

I know that last one is pretty obvious, but using old clothes has meant more finickity cutting. I'm glad that when I arranged the materials in the basket by colours to see how they worked together, that somehow I also instinctively knew to mix them up so the upcycled fabric was interspersed with the purpose bought material. That's helped as after every more complicated cutting I know there's an easier one to come.

I'm about halfway through cutting the materials and my next task is to iron these ready for cutting them into the thirty 2.5 inch squares I need. I'm not a big fan of ironing and it comes to something when I iron more for sewing projects than for clothes to wear, although in my defence I purposefully choose clothes that need less ironing, I mean if you can, why wouldn't you?

Once I have the squares then it'll be a case of working out how to place them - the interesting bit - and cutting out the plain, background squares and I've a feeling there's a lot of those. I'm not focusing on that number right now though and I'm hoping it won't be quite so tricky as I've an old duvet cover to use for that.

But first, back to the ironing, and more cutting...

Post Comment Love 3-5 March 2017

Hello there and welcome to this week's Post Comment Love. If you were here last week it was lovely to see you and if it's your first time linking with Morgan and I, then hello, you're very welcome. 

I've been feeling more organised this week and that's manifested itself in lots of lovely blog posts as I decided to harness my productivity. I'm not quite sure how it happened, or if it'll last but it's been very welcome. 

Last weekend saw my first foray into the garden too - I found some tulips which I should have planted in the autumn, oops, but they're planted now. I do wonder if the gardening is related to being more organised, who knows, maybe it's just a happy coincidence. It's been lovely to see some sun again this week hasn't it? And it's encouraged more of the spring bulbs to flower too, which is no bad thing at all. 

This week's photo is one from last night. MOH arrived home with some new tyres for his bike, he'd had a puncture at the weekend which he'd fixed but decided to buy some new tyres as a precaution. Both of us where surprised by the extensive instructions that came with them. Who'd have thought hey?!

NOT A NEWSPAPER, BUT TYRE INSTRUCTIONS :) 

Blogger Showcase: Emma from Emmmmerz

This week Morgan is hosting our Blogger Showcase, Emma from Emmmmerz who you may already be familiar with as she's a regular #PoCoLo linker. Before you pop over to Morgan's blog to find out more about Emma, who grew up in the 80s and part of the 90s and so is in that transitional generation who's watched technology take over the world. What she likes about blogging is how it makes her stop, calm down and think, I hadn't realised she lives in the centre of Alaska and says that's probably why she's not been to a blogging conference and is unlikely too any time soon.

Thanks for being our Blogger Showcase this week Emma, it's lovely to know more about you. Before you go and read all of Emma's answers please do connect with Emma, if you're not already doing so:

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  |  Instagram  |  Bloglovin'

An InLinkz Link-up

Talking texture and sharing some tips for adding more to your home

texture

noun

1. the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or a substance.
   synonyms: feel, touch, appearance, finish, surface, grain, quality, character, consistency, weave, nap
   "the quality and texture of the fabric"

It's something we take for granted in our homes and often it's something we add naturally when we decorate and furnish our rooms, guided by the products on sale no doubt. You might think you don't add texture, or don't have different textured items in the room you're in now.

Take a look around you, and look for the texture

Even if you're in the bathroom, a room you wouldn't naturally think would have much texture, I bet you've got fluffy towels - or wished you had - and a bath mat whose texture contrasts nicely with the smoothness of your tiles. Maybe you've got a loofah, or an exfoliator too... But enough about bathrooms, there's plenty more texture elsewhere in the house.

I'm sharing some snippets from our living room, to show how you can introduce texture easily if you think you could do with some more. 

With wooden floors, leather sofas, high ceilings and a wood and steel spiral staircase in the corner of our living room, we've had to work hard to reduce the echo and 'bounce' of sound, and we quickly realised that soft furnishings help. Cushions are a great way to add texture, and if you have cushions with removable covers then you can swap the covers to match the season.

The most obvious texture we've introduced in our living room is the bamboo wallpaper on the main wall. MOH found it years ago and showed it to me not expecting me to like it, but I did. And when we redecorated it was top of our list, and we haven't regretted it. It's also really easy to hang as it's about a metre wide and the note that comes with it says there's no need to match the pattern either - a novice wallpaper-ers dream!

A WALL LIGHT SHINING THE LIGHT ON OUR SPIRAL STAIRCASE

But it's not just textiles that add interest. Our round CD rack does that too, in a way that a more traditionally shaped rack might not. When I explained to our decorator that we wanted these two wallpapers together and to hang the CD rack back where it was, he told me it wouldn't work. But it does, maybe not in the traditional way, but that's not a reason not to do something is it?

I've mentioned cushions already, and throws, especially fringed throws are another quick way to add texture. And on those cold evenings they're great for some extra warmth too. Julian Charles are currently promoting their #NotCompleteWithout campaign and if you're looking to add more texture to your house then it's worth taking a look at www.juliancharles.co.uk as they've some great homeware items.

Nature too has some great textures, think of the smooth driftwood and the fun you can have searching for that. I've opted for something slightly more easy to find and that's giant pine cones, and equally as much fun to find on a long country walk. I display mine in terracotta pots from my dad, much to MOH's dislike. But for me the pots were too nice to leave in the greenhouse, and way too nice and characterful to just have earth in, I've three in a line, and no idea why I've only photographed two.

Lampshades can also add texture. The one above is a paper shade, you'd never think so would you, its pattern suggests texture and I love how it is against the radiator.  I said we'd worked hard to introduce texture, and along the way we've made what I can now call clever choices, at the time we just liked the chenille patterned material for our curtains.  

These add texture to the small Georgian-style windows but don't overpower the room, which I think is always a challenge with curtains. My ideal curtains are full, flowing and floor length curtains but they wouldn't suit our windows so they're on my list for another house!

Books add texture too. Whether they're more decorative like these above which we picked up in a local bookshop many years ago or your reading pile. If you look carefully in the photo below through the lamp base in the top right, you can spot my reading pile, which seems to have got a little out of control.  The encyclopedias which look old and interesting, are old and interesting but sadly we've no idea just how old. We liked their battered look and that they're Nelson's Encyclopedia, especially as we're up the road from Greenwich with its rich maritime history.

And with a beautiful wooden floor, at times it seems a crime to cover it with a rug but for us it's an essential. Without the rug the room feels bare, and we feel lost. It's amazing how a rug can help ground us, and zone the room - it's taken a while to get the right sized rug, but we're there now and we wouldn't be without it.

So, as I said at the top of this post it's easier to add texture than we think. Did you notice more texture than you first thought when you really looked?

* This is a collaborative post with Julian Charles, but all views and opinions are my own.