May 08, 2020

Do you have heroines? Lee Miller might be one of mine.

May 08, 2020/ Claire (aka Ruby)

It’s VE day today - 75 years since the end of the War and in our everyday lives, especially in the midst of a pandemic, perhaps it is a moment to reflect on what happened all those years ago and I thought I would take a moment to send a few thoughts out to cyberspace about one of those all but forgotten people who did something rather brave during WW2 and who seemed to fall into my meandering bookish sphere almost by accident a few weeks ago - Lee Miller. But first, a question. Do you have heroines? I certainly do….

March 05, 2020

A whole cloth Marimekko quilt

March 05, 2020/ Claire (aka Ruby)

Sometimes a project comes along that is rather out of the ordinary and challenges you to make something way out of your comfort zone. This piece of fabric has been sitting in the cupboard for several years and then found its way to the bottom of the ironing basket, where it has been hanging out for a couple of months. Impressed that I had actually got to the bottom of the ironing basket the other afternoon, I decided it was finally time to consider what exactly to do with such an amazing piece of textile art.

October 08, 2019

Sweet Escape quilt along

October 08, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

I don’t often join in ‘quilt alongs’, in fact I have only ever once before participated in this sort of social media ‘coming together’ kind of idea and that was at least 5 years ago. Instagram, for all the criticism hurled at it - if used ‘nicely’ can be so much fun and when I saw that Camille Roskelley was hosting a quilt along for a log cabin style pattern called ‘Sweet Escape’ I was smitten. Perhaps as well it had something to do with the fact that I am revamping one of the bedrooms in our house and a new quilt for the bed was a good idea. The colour scheme in there will be navy and yellow and white so I rummaged in my stash and ….oh what I surprise….I had enough fabric to make a start.

September 12, 2019

Abigail's Orchard - a tribute quilt and a story (a revisit)

September 12, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

This quilt though, is one of my most prized possessions, a family heirloom and perhaps one of the most challenging quilts I have ever undertaken. It is made entirely on a domestic sewing machine and by hand and although I have added in a few new photos and text, it is a difficult quilt to appreciate in photographs - somehow when you can run your fingers over the tactile surface it sweeps you back to another time… the time of conquering heroes and heroines and Abigail Adams…..

July 24, 2019

New Quilt Pattern : 'Typeset'

July 24, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

What can I say…. the typewriter ‘thing’ is always a ‘thing’ at Ruby’s place. How can a modern laptop compare with a wonderfully engineered piece of equipment like a typewriter?

June 08, 2019

Scrappy Quilts - a responsible choice

June 08, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

I’ve never really been one for scrappy quilts, which is surprising really and a little unimpressive when you look at my scrap basket which is overflowing with fabric bits just perfect for such projects. However, when I first saw this quilt on instagram, I knew it was a ‘make’ for me.

April 07, 2019

The Book Nerd Quilt

April 07, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

This ‘book nerd quilt’ is such a great pattern to let your own individual style shine - travel around the world, bury yourself in the classics, whip up the romance or make a book cover that might inspire you to write a book of your own someday.

February 03, 2019

A review of the JUKI TL -2200 QVP mini sewing machine

February 03, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

For the last four years I have been using a Janome Horizon sewing machine. It’s been a great piece of kit and I love it dearly, but late last year I made the decision to invest in a new sewing machine - the Juki TL-2200 QVP mini. There were a few reasons for this.

January 13, 2019

The Typewriter - New Mini Quilt Pattern

January 13, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

Hello there and Happy New Year to you all. I do find this time of year quite hard, taking down the decorations and feeling a bit flat after Christmas, so the best thing to do is hole up in the sewing room and create something….the result is a new mini quilt pattern to start off my new project ‘Literary Threads’.

October 06, 2018

Adventures in Bag making - The Shoreham beach bag

October 06, 2018/ Claire (aka Ruby)

Designing and writing a new quilt pattern is not an easy business! Especially when the project concerned is a seaside quilt and it’s October! Of course I know this is completely the wrong time of year to be popping out a design that is all about summer holidays - but then…just as this project has taken me much longer do than I ever intended, I figure that all you stitchers and quilters out there need time to plan. What could be nicer on a dreary winters day than making a project for the summer days to come.

August 23, 2018

Festival of Quilts and a new quilt design

August 23, 2018/ Claire (aka Ruby)

I decided to start with a new quilt pattern and this time it was easy to decide what to do...it's been on my list for quite a while. 'Shoreham' is going to be a really pretty, fun project with a lovely seaside feel and it all stems from this photograph.

April 06, 2018

The Cactus Quilt

April 06, 2018/ Claire (aka Ruby)

I retreated to the sewing room with the idea that I wouldn't work on any patterns or kits or plans, but that I would just sew something for our home. It took me all of 30 seconds to decide what. Sitting in a basket on my cutting table for the last few weeks has been Elizabeth Hartman's Greenhouse pattern.

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