Well I think I should count myself lucky that I didn’t blow away this week with 2 storms passing through with 60 + mph winds! Oh, and it’s still raining. One day it won’t rain at all and that yellow thing will appear in the sky, but I’m starting to think that’s the stuff of myths and legends…
Anywho, I hid from the storm in two places this week, on Saturday at the Celtic Connections Song School, where I sang Songs Of The Sea followed by some Bold And Bawdy songs with a great local group called Muldoon’s Picnic. I had taken a class with them last year and enjoyed it so much that I decided that the 2 classes I was going to do this year would both be with them. Come to think of it, many of the songs might be handy if we ever need to start building that ark! Anyway, if you have subsequently found yourself in my vicinity you may have heard me singing a few of these songs to myself, not all of them entirely polite (google the lyrics to Yarmouth Town or the Drunken Scotsman for an example ;o) )
On Sunday I got the second of my 2 bags finished for Dashwood Studios to display in their booth at Stitches later this month. That and fixing the strap for the 1st bag, was the sum total of all my sewing for the last week, as I was otherwise engaged in grown up business things (ie the boring stuff)
I hope you all had a fun week and didn’t blow away either!
Finishes This Week:
With apologies for the awful lighting, since I took these photos at 11:30 last night with my desktop studio lights, here is my Rainy Days & Mondays Bag, using Dashwood Studios’ Streetlife collection. I used some Bosal In R Form fusible foam for this one and I love the structure it gives it:
And here’s the Mini Messenger Bag from last week, complete with strap.
In Progress This Week:
I’m going to say that ordering fabric from our kind sponsors at Remnant Kings, plus a 40″ zip for the Sew Brit Bag Camp pattern (advanced) is totally progres
To Be Worked On This Week:
Hanging out with my mum and dad, who will be up this weekend staying at my gran’s
The Camp Bag Pattern #2
Doing a little quilt show judging
Hope you all have a great week! Linking up with Lee and the gang:
Quilt judging?! Cool. Bags are lovely. Have fun with the folks! X
Lovely bags! Ali x
Thank you :o)
Think there is another storm heading your way so better get those hatches battened down! That Rainy Days and Mondays bag will certainly brighten up a wet and windy week 🙂
I miss the sun too! Gorgeous bags xx
Quilt show judging? I've always wondered what exactly do quilt show judges look at when judging a quilt. Is there a score card or points system? Also, please speak about what they look at on bindings and especially corners. I've heard many competitors say 'oh, I got marked down on my binding' but no one ever says why. My bed quilts… which will never see the light of competition because they are made from sentimental fabrics that don't make sense to any one else… have corners that would scare a quilting judge to an early retirement… but I'm always striving to improve… I just don't know what to strive for… Are mitered corners a requirement or does a quilt with square corners (the way we do the borders) stand a chance? would you help the girl out and give us the scoop from the other side of the judges table?
This particular judging is an online competition so I won't have the chance to see all the bits like the corners unfortunately, just a photo of the whole thing and some close ups on the quilting detail. It's more of an overall aesthetic, which I think I actually prefer than close scrutiny which ignores the whole piece. I've been in a few judged shows, some with feedback, others without, but I wouldn't say I'm any the wiser from the feedback I got, nor any indication as to how I compared with the winners. Maybe I need to hunt down some show judges to interview them!
It would be great if you could interview them! It's a shame that there isn't more feed back from the judges. I guess they don't have time, but it sure would be make quilt competition less overwhelming for new quilters if we knew what the judges were looking for in 'the perfect' quilt. At dog shows they have the Standards for each breed to indicate 'the perfect' dog. Even if each quilt show had it's 'standards' posted for everyone to see, there wouldn't be so many quilters quilting in the dark.
I'm going to Stitches so i'll be sure to pop in and visit your bags!