Free Motion Quilting 2/365

OK, so yesterday was fun... I checked it out today and it was OK...

Today was harder!

I picked at random from the beginner page Sea Algae....

Not too bad, but not great. I did enjoy seeing it coming together though!

Where to tomorrow...... any suggestions from the beginners page?

Never Curb Your Enthusiasm

I am notoriously enthusiastic about quilting and sewing.....

If you read my blog regularly, you will know my addiction to fabric is seriously detrimental to my bank account...

I am also a huge advocate of the power of crafting/sewing to boost peoples self esteem and confidence. The sense of achievement and fulfilment a person gets from making something is unmeasurable.

I teach 4 young ladies every Thursday how to sew. They are sisters, each with their own strong personality and strengths and weaknesses. The eldest (N) has both dyslexia and dyspraxia, which has made her sewing journey an interesting - sometimes triumphant, sometimes hard...

We decided a couple of weeks ago to make quilts. Everyone picked a couple of charm packs, which have mixed with plains. The girls picked their own pattern and we started cutting. Each quilt reflects the makers personality in a way I never thought was possible!

Working steadily and gaining confidence, N started pinning her own work. She has a gorgeous quilt of reds and pinks that we have just basted together. Her seams have steadily improved and the smile on her face when she finished the lesson is infectious.

Last week we tried straight line quilting and free motion quilting. N loved the free motion. The lack of restraint and the fact she could make 'mess' and it still looked good caught her imagination.

Today I showed her my Shadow Waves sample from Leah Day's website and she wanted to give it a go... so we did!

Her attempt was amazing.. and I mean amazing!

She then decided it needed something else and could she investigate filling the waves with circles....

Here is her work:

What do you think?

I think this 14 year old young lady, who has struggled with traditional education, has found her groove!

Free motion quilting 1/365

So, after checking out Leah Day's website and her fantastic journey through free motion quilting last week, I have decided to try out her designs.

The best way to learn a new skill is to do it, and do it often!

So I am going to try and do one of her blocks everyday... I think by the time I have practised free motion quilting everyday for a year, I should have cracked it!

So here is today's go:

It is the Shadow Waves block that starts the beginners section of Leah's patterns. It's not perfect, but I do like the texture and I tried to concentrate on getting the stitches the same length!

Tomorrow I have picked Sea Algae, we shall see how that goes!

Variety is the Spice of Sewing!

Sewing is a hobby, like many others, that grabs you and holds you fast! One day you are frightened of the sewing machine and the next you have a stash of fabrics that fills a room... even more scraps!

It can be daunting, especially if you are coming as a beginner to the hobby as an adult.

My role as a sewing teacher is varied... I work with keen and confident 10 year old girls, who show no fear, 16 year old veterans who are more unsure, but love the challenge:



My work for Gloucester County Council involves working with adults from all backgrounds. The organisations that approach me want to use crafts to help support adults who have been identified as needing support with confidence and social skills. The aim is to ease them  into a classroom environment without frightening them too much!

Today was no exception. Tenants from the housing association have been offered the chance to learn new skills. I have 5 lovely ladies with varying abilities. They were brought together by one common aim - to learn to use a sewing machine.

2 of the ladies had never used an electric machine - they have hand cranks at home which haven't been used for years.... this is a new one for me! Most people have some experience of electric machines from school, but no experience of sewing machines except of hand crank machines.... Amazing!

The power of 3 hours sewing together in a room of strangers is amazing... they learnt how to set up a machine, played with the controls and made their own pin cushions for use on the course. They all left smiling, happy and with a sparkle... I love seeing that sparkle...

Next week I will have 9 ladies. 9 ladies to pass on some sewing skills to, to guide through the process of measuring, cutting and marking clothing for adding embellishments.

I can't wait!

Being prepared to teach..

Courtesy of WildGeeseDigital

I have trained in the past to teach Maths to 11 to 18 year old, which was a riot!

And I have a Diploma in Home Based Childcare - much easier working with 0 to 5 year old!

I have just completed post-16 teacher training, so the only age group I am not qualified for is the 5-11 age range.

Both jobs require the skill of preparing and delivery. It takes time to put together a lesson, all the information you want the learners to understand has be thought through and put into order. This takes time, energy and dedication!

The preparation involved takes time and involves bringing together so many different elements. For maths it was using resources in the classroom to teach concepts that kids are pre-programmed to hate. With under 5's it was developing learning experiences that were fun and inclusive - paint, paper and little clothing being one of their favourites.

Sewing is a whole different ball game. Today as part of my prep for tomorrow's lesson I have completed checked all my paperwork for risk assessments, put together handouts, cut fabric, checked machines, gathered all the sewing equipment I can find (and spares just in case) and triple checked everything... That is in addition to writing a 20 page scheme of work and 6, 15 page lesson plans....

To me preparation is key. Whatever you teach, writing plans and lists for each lesson is key to ensuring that your learners will enjoy their experience and they will learn what you want to.

During my training I have observed loads of lessons that were not planned - I mean NOT planned. Each time the teacher seemed to think their knowledge of the subject was secure enough that they didn't need to plan. They would be able to teach automatically...

It just doesn't work like that. Not planning makes you feel awful - it is like being on a speeding train and knowing you have no control over it. The lesson unfolds and goes in directions that feel uncomfortable.... and the learners sniff a run away train... believe me they do!

So next time you have a class whether it is sewing or math and it is going smoothly, remember that your teacher will not have left anything to chance.  They will have spent hours planning the session to ensure you learn what you need to and have fun...

New sewing finds....

I am always looking for new supplies and ideas for my quilting/sewing.

As you know I started my first quilt along with Fat Quarterly blog, which has been fabulous. Not only have I learnt a new sewing technique of English Paper Piecing, I have also tried out loads of fantastic new products.

Katy from I'm A Ginger Monkey and co-founder of Fat Quarterly, made some suggestions for supplies that I hadn't encountered before - some of them I will be using from now on!

Aurifil 50/2 thread was suggested as great thread for the hand stitching. It was a thread I hadn't heard of. I bought a neutral colour for my Hexy MF quilts. It has been a joy to sew with!  Since then I have ordered 6 different colours for my studio - they piece, quilt and hand stitch! They are sublime!



I ordered mine from Quilt Direct, who were super fast in getting the threads out and they have a superb range of threads to choose from!

Another tip I picked up was using bees wax to coat the thread when I am hand sewing so that is less likely to knot. I got mine from the Eclectic Maker, which is also a new website to me!

It has meant that my thread no longer breaks and there are far fewer knots than before. I really recommend it if you are hand sewing. I have even used it when basting a couple of quilts - I am old school and hand bast my quilts...

I hope you find my discoveries helpful!

Sunday Morning Reading 12.08.12

Good morning!

Last week was a frantic week of work, meetings and monsters!

I have put the TV on for the monsters and found some gorgeous blogs to explore, and as usual I have them here for you too!

The first is a fabulous riot of colour!

Kate's blog, Greedy for Colour is a fabulous blog. I love this blog because it is packed full of gorgeous images and ideas. There are so many cute bunnies that it makes me want to learn how to improve my knitting and crocheting skills!

The next one is written by an American in the UK:

This blog is full of fabric, quilts and life! The Sew Happy Geek is full of finished quilts and links to other quilters with projects to admire and drool over - perfect on a Sunday morning with a cuppa!

I hope you enjoy these 2 blogs - they are great fun and perfect for a Sunday morning!