MIQ - Missing in Quilting!

I have been a bit MIQ this week.

A combination of teaching, Scouting and interview has left me very little time to stop!

Even today I trying to prepare for a class I am teaching for the first time tomorrow - How to make an Oilcloth Tote bag.

In the mist of literally running around the county to various classes I have been worry about something...

I don't achieve enough...

I have never seen myself as a perfectionist - my house is a tip most days, I don't wear make-up and I am  pretty relaxed about most things, so I have never seen myself as a perfectionist.

Recently I have been watching my middle son struggle with being a perfectionist and wondering where that comes from... I think I now know!

It is interesting when you realise something about yourself and it helps you to connect the dots of your life!

I am a perfectionist in the sense that I never think that what I have done is enough. There is always space to be much better, do to more...

After talking to my lovely coach Gail Gibson we have worked out a plan to help me sort through the mess of ideas, plans and thoughts. Now to get it rolling....

On a quilting note, I have been working on the first quilt for my boys school library.

I have started using a pattern that I learnt with my Craftsy Class, Free Motion Quilting VOL 2 with Leah Day. It is called Cat Hair Ball filler. It looks like a child has been scribbling over the quilt. I am also quilting words into the quilt design that are book and school related.

It is the first of 2 quilts for the school!

Winning an Award

It has taken a few days to process the weekend!

On Saturday I attended the Adult Education Learners Award ceremony for Gloucestershire. I had been nominated for Outstanding Tutor of the year, which had really shocked me!

Much to my amazement I actually won!

Receiving my award was so nerve wracking! This is the Head of Education and Libraries in Gloucestershire!

The person who had nominated me had written a statement about me that was read out. I had to fight back the tears! She praised my relaxed teaching manner that helped learners to settle into my groups. Not only that,  but she highlighted that my biggest skill is the fact my relaxed manner is backed up with rigorous planning and in depth knowledge of each of my learners achievements, skills and needs. Learners feel confident in my classes because they know I know them.

It was a lovely morning out which involved getting my nails done and having a cuppa with some of the learners who also got an group award.

I had invited my lovely friend Helen and my eldest son came too!

We had a lovely time!

When the ceremony had finished the husband of one of the learners came over to talk to me. With tears in his eyes he explained that I would never know how much my lessons had changed his wife's life. That she had regained some of the confidence she had lost 5 years before following a major life changing event. She now has friends and leaves the house. He thanked me for giving her so much, and for helping him too...

I had to fight back the tears.... I was so moved and pleased that I had been able to help them both.

That is why I love my job as a tutor. I love working with people who previously had found a classroom environment stressful. I love helping people to learn a new skill whilst building their self-confidence.

I love working with people who have struggled with things in their life, but have taken the risk of coming to my classes. Watching them change and grow is incredibly rewarding!

That is why I spend hours completing paperwork for classes and making sure everything is organised.

It is quite simply the best job in the world!

Linking up with Let's Get Acquainted at The Sewing Chick.

Tova #3

Earlier this week I finished my third Tova... it would be accurate to say I am obsessed!

I love the shape and the fit - I am pretty proud of myself for enlarging the pattern it is working!

It isn't up to The Great British Sewing Bee scrutiny, but I love them!

So the one I made this week looks like this:

It bright and summery! I made a few adjustments to the pattern for this one.

Firstly I put pleats into the front instead of gathering. Even trying really hard I just couldn't the gathering even so I just decided to make my life simpler and use pleats - after all that is the bonus of making your own clothes, you can choose!

Next I wanted short sleeves so I can wear it in the summer and add an under layer in the winter if want to. On the pink shirt I had shortened the sleeves and left them with a basic hem. This time I decided to add some elastic to see how that would look.

They have given me puffy sleeves. That along with a tiny bit of gathering at the top has changed the book of the sleeve!

Finally I wanted a more fitted look that Tova #1. So I marked and pinned the sides pulling it in by over an inch on the waist and the taking it out again. Much more fitted, but still mega comfy!

Is it the last Tova?

I really doubt it! Love the pattern and I am enjoying using it as a launching point for trying different ideas out!

I haven't decided what to wear to the awards ceremony yet, but I bought tights for this dress just in case!

Linking up with TGIFF over at Ms Midge

Taking a design....

I have spent today again with my lovely companion R.

Today we worked on making her patchwork into a quilted cushion - so pretty!

She also drew some quilting design on paper:

Isn't is a pretty cool design?

We we decided on a panel to quilt it onto on the city curves:

Fitted into the space really well!

We spent another pleasant day sewing and chatting about books.

After a lovely civilized day I am off to run mini scouts with 19 little boys and 1 girl aged 5 to 8........ not so civilized I fear!

Linking up with FMQ Friday!

WiP: Working Away from Home!

Today I am doing a favour for a friend and looking after her daughter whilst she works.

I packed a few essential jobs into the car and I am now sat in the gorgeous house with her lovely daughter R.

R asked to look at the sewing machine I bought with me... she has now stolen the machine and is sat happily playing with different stitches and settings! I jokingly suggest we shoot back to mine so I can grab another machine and she whole heartedly agreed as she has no plans to get off the machine that she is using!

When I get a chance I am going to keep working on a block design I am trying to get the sizing right on. Made one too big, hoping I have got the dimensions right this time. Can't show you more until later in the year though!

I also pulled maxi's quilt out of the pile of UFO's to work on. Hoping Get some more done today...

I also have 4 pairs of trousers to turn into little boys shorts. This is assuming summer arrives this year and the boys actually want to wear shorts to school!

All of this depends on R letting me near the sewing machine of course!

Hope you have a lovely Wednesday and get lots of WIP's done.

Linking up with WiP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced:

Going on a trail

At the moment in Stroud, Gloucestershire the town is hosting the annual Stroud International Textiles season. Every May the town becomes the focus of textiles artists from around the UK and wider world. There is an amazing exhibition at the Museum in the Park as well as 2 weekend of studio trails.

I have never managed to go on the trail, between work and 3 little boys it has been hard to organise, plus dragging 3 little boys around studios is a pretty stressful and pointless activity!

On Sunday however the stars aligned and I only had one monster - yay! Plus this monster loves sewing and  being creative. So when I suggested we spend our day together meeting artists and eating cake he said yes - I agree it might have been the offer of cake that swung it in my favour......

So off we went armed with our guide book, a map and promises of a fun day.....

First we went to Stafford Mills and met Nick Ozanne, who is an amazing handweaver.

Nick has a fabulous and light studio in the old mill. Midi was really interested in what weaving is and chatted to Nick for ages. Nick kindly demonstrated to us how his loom works and explained how many hows it takes to make one scarf. So inspiring!

In the same building there is the studio of Victoria Sangwire-Gould and Gemma Sangwire, two fabric addicts who transform pieces of fabric into cushions, brooches and, our favourite, bunny ears! Their studio was crammed with fabric - my idea of heaven - and sewing machines!

It was fascinating to see into other creatives studios. As we walked back to the car midi told me they worked like me - surrounded by fabric and thread!

Next we needed out first cake break so we stopped in Stroud for cake before heading to the Stroud Valleys Artspace (SVA) to visit the studios of painters, potters and textiles artists. We were fascinated by all the different creative techniques in one space. So many ways to create and touch people's lives. Amazing!

After a look around we headed to Frogmarsh Mill for an artist exhibition of their work. Midi was fascinated by Cleo Mussi's mosaics.

Image from www.mussimosaics.co.uk

They so beautiful!

There was so many pieces of work by different artists - wish I was a millionaire!

Our last visit was to Sharland and Lewis in Nailsworth. We needed another cake break so we visited the Canteen. As fabulous little cafe with amazing cake and coffee!

In Sharland and Lewis we discovered 2 amazing quilters, Liz Brooke Ward and Catherine Kingzett. They were amazing!

Liz Brooke Ward

The work they do is really complex and full of colour and layers. I did loiter with them for quite a while chatting fabric, ideas and quilting. So much lovely work to see!

Catherine Kingzett

They have taken quilting to the next level and it was lovely to see the progression to their amazing pieces of work!

I am so glad we went together. We had a lovely few hours together learning new things and chatting about art. It was a day full of precious moments!

State Side Shopping

When I bought the fabric from Angie's Quilts for my first Tova - which I love by the way - I also bought some yardage from a shop in the States that I hadn't heard of before, Hawthorne Threads.

I had seen the name in a blog post I had been reading and obviously being a fabric addict I had to investigate!

I was not disappointed!

They have masses of fabric, I mean every collection under the sun and then some more!

I spent ages just scrolling through all of the pages, trying to decide if I could afford to shop...

Then I clicked on the sale section ....... OMG, I think I actually gasped!

It is packed full of gorgeous fabric at amazing prices. Plus they had a whole load of Tula Pink's Prince Charming which I wanted to back my bee quilt when I finish the missing block:

I have searched high and low for enough to back the quilt, so finding enough to do it meant I just had to shop...

I knew I wanted more Tovas so I started looking for other fabrics and I decided on these 2:

Graphic Mums by Heather Bailey

Birdy by Tanya Whelan

 In all I ordered 10 yards, enough for a shirt, dress and quilt back. It worked out at $9.2 a yard which is £5.99 a yard, including postage. Just can't beat that for top rate cotton from the best in design....

My wonderful bundle arrived on Friday and was actually opened whilst chatting to the lovely postie, and the birdy fabric has already been transformed into a shirt that was worn all day Saturday!

GO and check out Hawthorne Threads, they are simply awesome!