Quilty Projects (Kantha and Christmas)

NOW. if anybody laughs, I shall stomp off to read a book! quietly!
Here are the samples of the stitching I had a go at on two layers of calico following our lesson at College this week.
Unfortunately the photocopier at the College refused to churn out actual instructions AND patterns and as I'm, apparently, completely RUBBISH at searching through the files on the internet FOR information on how to stitch Kantha style, this is my attempt in the style OF said Kantha ..



And here's a close up just to PROVE you are able to hold back snorts and guffaws .. I am watching you know! ;-)

Okay. In fact I enjoyed this, not as much as the hand knitting I admit, but I feel after another session and more tuition I shall perhaps be better placed at trying a project-proper.
The calico is not quite the right fabric to use and I have bought some lighterweight muslin which I might try out. I also bought a packet of hand quilting needles too and these are much better than the rather blunt darners. (I DID say NO laughing and NO pointing fingers!)

You can see how I've tried to effect a running stitch "pattern"?
Being both geographically AND artistically challenged, it took me ages to get even this far! three stitches IN and I'd lose my bearings, my confidence and will to sew and start breathing heavily!



Back to safer ground! This is another Christmas printed panel that I am currently working on while I finish unpicking my other Christmas panel as mentioned before.
I know you can't SEE any quilting. yet! But here's a photo of it anyway!
At the back is a nice piece of chocolate brown quilters cotton and sandwiched between some wadding.
I used the walking foot to stitch in the ditch around the outside of all the larger squares to hold the layers in place using brown quilting cotton, and dropped the feed dogs and free-mot whizzed around the outline of the motifs within. I've nearly completed that stage, then I place to frantically dart about the insides in a sort of faux-stipple effect to add a bit of character.

To finish, I'll probably use some of the brown cotton to bind the edges and I'll use the easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy method of mitring the corners such as one of the visiting tutors from the College showed me during a summer feature ON sewing+courses. This particular tutor is "softfurnishings", however she quilts too and its always nice to compare different styles of sewing particularly in finishing things off and I'm told that her method is used by home-dec sewists particularly for cushions!

WHICH leads me rather nicely TO the subject of cushions!
I need some more!
Mine are looking somewhat shabby and past their best and having enjoyed the last batch of quilted tops, I thought I might make a few more - I kind of thought too, that I'd do some with embroidery although the family are starting to ask for "plain" items .. last night Matt stropped about and got quite cross when he couldn't find a PLAIN pillowcase.
EYES it seems don't seem to work once you pass 11yrs and start at secondary school.
VOICEBOX doesn't either. we get grunts. mostly. and thats when we're lucky! Occasionally we get a deep grunt, which is scary! on more than one occasion both dh and I have jumped out of our skin when we've thought someone has broken in our house and is stood behind the door GRUNTING DEEPLY at us, to remember than our elder son has shot up to a whopping 5'9" and talks like the bad guy on a James Bond film. like I said. think grunt.