Quilting: Apple Baby Blanket

This was my first big quilting project: a blanket made for my nephew, G.
The white polka-dots on the green background made it straightforward to work out the diagonal quilting pattern (although it's not quite lined up properly on the back, to be *completely* honest ;-S).
The apple motif is attached via fusible web, and then zigzag stitched around the edge to prevent fraying.
All machine-quilted and stitched, apart from the binding, where it was finished off by hand.

Clerical shirt patterns and advice

Just to keep a record of advice found:

Clerical Shirts:

Suggestions of patterns to use (along with the suggestion to just convert the collar on a 'normal' shirt):

http://forums.threadsmagazine.com/gatherings/patterns/clerical-shirt-pattern 

Apparently there is a Simplicity pattern which is now out of print, but crops up on Ebay:

http://artisanssquare.com/sg/index.php?topic=7415.0

EHow.com can clearly tell you how to do almost anything...

http://www.ehow.com/how_7308732_make-clerical-shirt.html

Vestments:

One lady has quite a passion for making vestments - it looks like she may have patterns available here: 

http://www.churchlinens.com/vestment-patterns.html

Ebay appears to be the answer again for a McCalls pattern from the 60s/70s:

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/cassock-and-surplice-pattern-for-men-and-women

Bingo - useful blog:

http://magdalenaperks.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/clerical-patterns/

links to:

http://www.everything-vestment.com/ (which describes itself as 'everything you wanted to know about vestments, but were afraid to ask' - brilliant!)

And here we go...new blog!

Hello everyone*,

It feels a little odd to write the first post on a new blog. I've been blogging for a number of years here, but thought that it would be useful to separate out the craft stuff.  I suppose that it is a bit like buying a new notebook for the start of the school term (something I still feel an urge to do, some 10 years after leaving full-time education...). The most useful thing I can think of to do with this post is to note briefly why this blog is here.

I like crafts and crafting. I have a *lot* of projects on the go and, being somewhat fickle, tend to change from craft to craft every so often. As I'm a hoarder, I can see which crafts I've worked through over the last ten years or so:

• Cross-stitch (about 8 years ago - didn't get too far)
• Quilting (a couple of years ago, made a couple of hotpad patterns and a baby blanket for my nephew)
• Knitting (last year, prompted by my sister's wonderful knitted garments for my nephew)
• Crochet (taught myself last summer, and now my main crafting hobby). 

I'd really like to learn to make my own clothes (would love some 'Joan from Mad Men' style workwear!), and now think that this might just be possible - my sister-in-law is making all kinds of wonderful things (and blogs here). 

I also think that it might be quite handy to be able to make clerical shirts and vestments for Mr. Vicarage Crafts ;-)

*(well, perhaps just me? Who is out there...?)