Quilting Prolifically

Another Finish!

2012-01-31T22:44:00.000Z

Yes! That's 2, I said TWO finishes this year!

and I might ask you to spot the difference!

I give you Carolina Christmas

aka the Monster Quilt!

finished, done, and on the bed!

Sorry, it was dark and no time for gratuitous, posing shots!

I started this one back in November 2009, designed by Bonnie K Hunter as one of her Mystery quilts, and in true Bonnie style, lots and lots and lots of little pieces. To be fair, the smallest piece is 2 1/2" so not tinsy winsy.

I got it to almost flimsy back in 2010, with the centre done, and then New Year 2011 I decided it's time had come. I set to with the aim of finishing it.

Finish the top I did, and I loved it so much I had to quilt it straight away! No hanging around the studio with all the other tops for this baby ... no sireeee!

With a serious dose of free hand feathers all over, with Superior King Tut thread on top and Superior So Fine in the bobbin, I am thrilled with the results .

So back to the spot the difference ....

somebody may need a good talking too!

Happy Quilting!

Maybe

2012-01-30T20:26:00.000Z

... I can achieve a little more!

The housework got done, top and bottom, tidying and the dining room table almost surfaced again, almost! And there was baking, and an quick hour of stitching ...

Oh Cherry Baby!

I finished piecing the centre square, and moved onto a quick layout of a couple of star points ...

he he, this one really makes me happy!

and then I had to stop, make dinner and bung it in the oven, and head out to the quilting group for the afternoon...

but back to the baking.... Thanks to Susan's recipe ...

now known as Pulverised Lemon Drizzle cake!

Delicious Susan, thanks for sharing, it didn't last long!

And tomorrow I have more!

Happy Quilting!

Sunday Sitrep

2012-01-29T21:41:00.000Z

Sunday already again, how did that happen?

Things are getting buy round here, and there will be a few changes coming ...

But you want to know what I've been up to really don't you?

Well I finished quilting this for a lovely lady ...

and delivered it, I was very relieved that she loves the quilting I've done for her :)

So whilst I was out, the LQS had it's annual sale, and these just happened to come home with me ...

I did get some more fabric, but that is for Pea Room BOM, so I'll save it for another day ...

So, because I got some more plain, I am now able to rearrange my fabric plans ...

so these are the fabrics for the Stained QAL about start being hosted by the wonderful Sarah ...

the plain was originally ordered with the 'Made in Cherry' QAL but it just didn't make me happy, so yesterday this teal came home with me, and now I'm definitely a happy quilter...

so Made in Cherry is on it's way!

I followed the advice and starched before I cut, and it is making a real difference ...

I also got another block for the Swoon along made ...

and I got the last block for Miss January of the Brit Bee, so I can get these babies sent back in the morning ...

It's turned cold again, and I was craving a bit of comfort food, so today we dug out some fruit from the freezer, and now I give you ...

Rhubarb and Raspberry crumble ...

delicious with custard! That's better!

Now about those changes, I've temporarily got some extra hours at work, so the stitching time is going to be more scarce, which requires some serious planning and organisation, forgive me if I'm not back until next Sunday!

Happy Quilting!

Oooooh

2012-01-26T22:29:00.000Z

I've got a few things outstanding in the post, and one of them arrived today

I've been putting this into and taking it back out of my basket for at least ooh maybe a year!

But thanks to this lady's very convincing recommendation

It's here!

And I'm impressed, very impressed!

Thanks Lynne!

Winter Stitching List - Mid Winter Update

2012-01-25T15:30:00.002Z

Apparently it's time to review 'The List!'

So lets just get a nice cup of tea find a comfy seat so we can begin ... ready?

1. ~~Finish and post on time Modern Christmas Table Runner Swap, deadline is mid November~~. Done!

I forgot to take a pic before I sent it off!

2. ~~Finish and post Brit Quilt Swap - Pillow Fight, again deadline is mid November~~. Done!

3. keep up with all the Brit Bee Blocks - :) Yep, so far so good!

For Miss October ...

and Miss November (and she has finished it already, you should pop over and see it here if you haven't seen it already!

December break

Miss January, I have made one and still have the other to do, but it's ok, I still have time!

4. ~~Complete some secret Christmas Gift sewing~~ Done!

This one was for my Mum

I ended up making a total of 10 of these, (yes, Madness!) one of which was a birthday present

The Teenage Diva requested this for her makeup ... and I am please to say, it is used, well worth letting go on some precious Amy Butler fabric for!

and specially requested for my partners' daughter ...

and I couldn't resist one for the man himself!

I also made a pouch and decorated tea towels as part of the Brit Bee Secret Santa, but I seem to have not got any photo's of that either (note to self!)

And I made 2 sets of decorated tea towels for my Mum and the himselfs' Mum (another oops, sorry no photo!)

5 Finish at least one of my own quilts a month, whether it's a UFO or a new project. Yep, seem to be doing this too!

October, Sewing machine cover as part of the Ghastlies blog hop ..

November, Double Delight Done!

December, Pick Four Done!

January, Liz's quilt - Done!

and just sewing the binding onto the Monster quilt, so that might be 2 for January!

6. Finish my own Brit Bee Quilt, I still have some blocks to piece - not touched yet! (there's still time!)

7. Finish piecing Jacobs Ladder quilt - still plugging away at this one, it IS progressing

8. Finish piecing Happy Quilting Stars quilt - not touched it since before Christmas

9. ~~Finish Commission Quilt No 1~~ - Done!

yes, this is one of those UFO's, it had been hanging around for over a year! And she loves it!

10. Make good in roads into Commission Quilt No 2 - not started yet!

11. Catch up on the Brit Mystery Quilt - not touched it!

12. Finish Dresden quilt - not touched it!

13. Finish Sassy Christmas Stars - I just have borders to do!

14. Expand the Quilting Service business :) - it's coming along slowly, but I'd still like to update the blog header and create a page dedicated to it

15. ~~Don't sign up any new swaps until the new year!~~ - Does Christmas day Sign ups count? It didn't start until January :) So I'm counting that as a Done! So, that means as well as the Brit Bee commitments, I am now in the Around the Bend and Across the Seas (Ab Fab Free Bees) Round Robin, the Mouthy Stitches pouch swap, and there may also be a spring themed Scrappy Mug Rug coming up. I also started the Swoon quilt along, have fabrics for Made in Cherry quilt along, and would really love to do Sarahs' Stained quilt along - over commited springs to mind!

I know it was quite an ambitious list, but I make that 7 out of 15 done! And with a couple of months to go, there is still time to make good progress on what's left on the list, but with 6 quilts to finish, that might be a few too many, even for me! (even if it's just to finish piecing some of them)

So how are you doing? Head on over to Sarah's blog for the Linky party to see how everyone else has been doing on their own lists.

Right, time to go shut myself in the shed at the bottom of the garden - someone call me when it's spring!

Happy quilting!

Let's Celebrate!

2012-01-24T21:32:00.001Z

Why?

Oh, well... because today was a Great Mail Day!

As good a reason as any right? and it may also be my Blogaversary today!

even the brown envelope was great! Now when does that ever happen!

firstly there was this enormous package from Backstitch, I am Soooooooo impressed

if you've not ordered from them, based on this order I highly recommend them

the Ice Frappe Klona is for my 'Made in Cherry' quilt, the rest is ... well, just because! In fact I was sick of seeing that lovely stack of Eric McMorris all over blogland I could resist no more! Well, it is my Blogaversary ....

and the international package was from the equally wonderful Fat Quarter Shop ...

'The British are Coming' new from Michael Miller Fabrics - I knew I HAD to have some of this when I first saw it on the site ... and again, I'm not disappointed.

so quite a pile of loveliness :)

Back to that blogaversary, did you know I've been writing in this corner of blogasphere for 3 years now? Really, that long! Even I'm a little shocked!

So to all of you out there reading along, dipping in and out, and just looking from afar, thank you so much for stopping by, commenting, making laugh, I appreciate every single one of you. You really do make my day!

And the last couple of days I've been doing more of this, not mine, but thought you'd like to see it :)

I'll be back tomorrow linking up with Sarah for the Winter Stitching - Mid Winter Review - yup, that time already!

Happy Quilting

Monday already!

2012-01-23T18:51:00.001Z

I know it's been a while, but I haven't had a lot to say ... sorry, I've just been a little distracted

I have been busy sewing the binding on the monster quilt ... almost there ...

there was some of these ...

and remember this ...

well, it was featured on the Fat Quarterly blog last week, so I can finally show you what it was all about

cute little pouch, free motioned with 28 wt Aurifil thread created fantastic texture to the fabric don't you think?

this year I'm in charge of the Pea Room Block of the Month ...

There was a little bit of baking that involved this ...

ok, there may not have been any baking involved but there's still some in the fridge!

and on Christmas day the sign ups for the Old Red Barn Flickr spin off group Around the Bend and Across the Seas which is a sort of round robin ...

but free form ....

my starter block for our group the Ab Fab Free Bees,

there are several groups doing various forms of traditional rounds, rows and a couple of free form groups

and we decided we'd send a little journal to go along with the block on it's merry way round the world ...

I've done a bit of dabbling in scrap booking, and found all I needed in my secret craft store, and blow me, I even have Amy Butler papers!

so that's me just about caught up, I have the second block for Miss January to finish for the Brit Bee, and am currently in the middle of quilting a quilt for somebody else,

and then I'd like to get on with my Swoon quilt and load up another of those UFOs

oh and I almost forgot this too ...

time I snapped out of this mental overload and did something more distracting ...

Happy Quilting!

I Know I shouldn't .....

2012-01-10T21:58:00.001Z

but I just couldn't help it! ... so i did!

I kept seeing it all over blogland ... such a pretty thing

and then Katy posted this ...

and resistance was futile ...

my stash was screaming at me, yes screaming I tell ya!

although the pattern calls for 18 fat quarters, these are mainly half meter cuts

i know it's busy, but hey, I'm going for bold here ...

so that's my first Swoon block ...

I know I shouldn't, I have a million and one things on the go, including the quilty and non quilty things ...

but do you know what .... I love it!

Sunday Sit Rep

2012-01-08T22:42:00.000Z

First off, where does all this snot come from, you'd think after two boxes of tissue I might have blown it all, but it would appear not!

So having finished one UFO, and feeling less than human, rather than tackling the UFO that was already on the table ready, no, I decided to delve into the archives and resurrect THIS little beauty :)

Yes, shamefully, I started this back in November 2009, and got the top pieced together Here in December 2010, so all that was left was cut and piece borders. For those that are not aware, Bonnie's patterns use scraps, and frequently have tinsy whinsey pieces, so I'm not surprised I ran out of steam at this point.

but I did have a plan, as I knew at this point I was at the limit of my frame set up at the time. That plan arrived in January 2011 in the form of a studio, which means my frame is now extended to a full 10 feet.

And this weekend I have used it for the first time to it's fullest in anger (well with quilts that stretch the full length of it anyway) After a basting job, (which I learnt the best settings for vanishing thread) I decided it was time ....

You see, last weekend I did the cutting, and some piecing ... and with an hour on Thursday evening when I was feeling more like me ....

I got it all together :) It now measures 92" x 92" a monster of a quilt, even for me!

When I counted and calculated the backing, ok, my brain hurt, depending on how many seams and how tight I was going to be, that was anything in the region of 6.5 meters to 7.5 meters - ouch!

So I went for a rummage in my stash, well, this quilt was made from stash to start with! And miracle upon miracles, not one, but two BIG pieces, one of which was lovely and soft and just beautiful, cream on cream. Perfect! at 108" x 122" just perfect!

ok, so the backing is a bit wide, but I set everything to one side and so it's a good usable chunk of cream on cream for later. Bonus!

Although I have a roll of Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 it was late and dark and I didn't fancy heading to the other office and bundling a new roll out of it's packaging ... and it's a beautiful quilt ... I love it already :)

So, once again I headed for my stash, and dug out this ...

Perfect, and it quilts like a dream!

It's such a busy pattern that an all over quilting design is ideal, so being as I am teaching feathers at the retreat this coming weekend, I thought I better get my hand in!

(by the way, if you are interested in learning how to do this in a workshop or retreat, let me know, there are still spaces available for the weekend and for the March retreat)

I've used a Superior King Tut Papyrus which is a very subtle variegated that just about disappears on top so it does not detract from the pattern of the quilt. After 3 1/2 hours of quilting today, I think I'm about half way ...

I have to get this finished by Wednesday!

So that's what I've been doing, and today, in between the quilting I made one of the blocks for Miss January of the Brit Bee, but I'll save that for another day :)

This week, busy, busy, busy, lots to get done, lots going on, I hope I have the stamina!

I hope I can get rid of this bloomin cold and chest infection too!

The Sunday evening Ironing marathon is done, ready for another school week, the cupboards stocked with fresh supplies, and the house in a relative state of tidiness, so I guess I'm good to go for some well earned sleep :)

Happy Quilting!

Feathers and finishes

2012-01-04T23:01:00.001Z

Yes, a finish so early in the year!

this is affectionately known as Liz's quilt, a commission piece for a friend of my mums'

final size is 60" x 80"

I had a little fun playing :)

I just can't help myself when it comes to feathers, something I wanted to learn how to do, right from the very beginning of getting my New English Quilter Frame

and if you want to learn how to do them too, you can!

All the details of the Retreat can be found here, so we could be playing about with feathers in about 10 days time! Go on, you know you want to really :)

I'm resisting joining some of the Finish It Up quilt along linkys going on right now, (I'm not ignoring you Rhonda!) choosing to concentrate on my Winter Stitching List. and guess what? Liz's quilt is on there! Check, another one done from 'the list'!

Whilst things have been a little quiet round here, it's not that I've been ignoring you, it's just I'm a tad inseparable from these ...

you'd think a break from work would have been enough, but sadly not, so stitching has slowed (hooray I hear some of you calling!)

I'll be back with some more UFO stitchery soon I hope, in the mean time, I'll keep taking the tablets :)

Happy Quilting!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T08:00:00.001Z

Happy New Year!

Thank you 2011 ...

2011-12-31T22:14:00.000Z

... I learned a lot this year ... and I achieved a lot more than I ever expected in so many ways!

As the year is almost over, it's good to look back ...

it's had it's ups and downs,

plenty of veg from the plot, lots of baking, loads of jam and chutney

and plenty of stitching, especially following the arrival of my studio in January ...

so these are the finished quilts, with a couple of imposter's,

one obvious, the other not so ... but I just had to include it...

that one quilt has had a profound impact on so many people, for all the right reasons

it continues to fill me with joy as much as it continues to comfort it's owner :)

And so I look at those 19 quilts and realise how productive a year it has been, yet I only managed to complete 3 of my UFO list for the year ... oh well, some is better than none!

which gives me hope that 2012 will be equally as productive a year as it fast approaches,

there is another UFO on the frame fast nearing finished ...

Thank you all so much for your friendship, encouragement and support over the last year, I truly appreciate every one of you :)

Wishing you all a healthy, happy New Year!

Post Christmas Catchup!

2011-12-30T19:42:00.000Z

Christmas came ...

teenagers both in the house, peeled unquestionably, slept in ...

allowing himself and I a very rare peaceful breakfast before he went off to visit his daughter ...

presents, children, lots of love and ...

lots of laughter!

they left, the dinner went on and the bottles opened,

my mother arrived drank, ate, opened and left ...

and we had a little more time to exhale :)

I'm still trying to work out what day of the week it is, and am in that post mayhem CBA (can't be arsed) mode

There are one or two makes that I never got to show you (some I still can't for now)

a couple of last minute gifts

I confess I was still finishing this one off for himself on Christmas Day!

Shocking I know :)

And then I headed off for a couple of days, no Internet, no sewing machine, I just couldn't go without SOME stitching ... could I?

it's coming along!

meet Brian! gifted to me by a friend at work, who also made the most amazing Angel that sits in the studio, she's such a clever lady ....

So, that's us pretty much caught up, all's quiet here, a little stitching each day, and I'm itching....

yes.... itching to start something new, but I know I shouldn't

not yet!

I'm slowly getting more blog reading done, but not much commenting, I'll get back in the swing of it soon :)

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and Santa brought you all you were hoping for, along with a few special surprises too! If I don't get a chance to say it before hand Happy New Year!

It's almost time ...

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000Z

... but Santa already snuck in early, secretly of course!

you see this little package arrived from my Secret Santa in the Brit Bee :)

all beautifully wrapped don't you think ...

oh wow! bunting and Liberty prints! Isn't it pretty ... Now I wonder who could have sent these ?

Now I'm sure I saw some of that Liberty headlining on a waistcoat ... here!

I was so excited I hung the bunting straight in the Studio!

It's so pretty ... it may stay up a little longer

To my Secret Partner, thank you, thank you, thank you, to all my fellow Brit Bee'rs, I'm heading straight over to see what Secret Santa sent you too :)

Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas!

Busy as a bee!

2011-12-21T22:13:00.000Z

There was some of this ....

thanks to the Diva and her friend whilst I was out at a Guild meeting last week ...

and, believe it or not, I was in some serious need of retail therapy ...

these are in anticipation of an expected baby ...

some lovely Cape Anne ... well because it's just so lovely :) he he

and maybe a little Ruby, I've been eyeing this up for a while and being as some yardage arrived at the LQS, well, it would have been rude not to, right?

and these batiks ( oh sorry I forgot to warn you to avert your eyes) have been gifted already :)

and whilst I've been busy buying, I have been busy stitching too ...

just one or two more bags ...

and a dumpling pouch (enlarged) for the Diva ...

I feel there may be an order or two from her friends very soon, I also think I can add just a tweak or two to the pattern ... maybe next year

gotta love gingham :)

There has been other sewing too, but I can't show you the rest ... sorry

So as of today I have one more stitched gift to make for Christmas, all the shopping is done (read as - that I am going to do!) still a package to arrive by mr post man who has been very absent, and just the small matter of house tidying, table clearing and spare room to sort out... oh and the leeks and parsnips to go dig out the ground ... and we'll be ready for some food prep

oh, and wrapping ... I can do wrapping :)

How are you doing?

Every cloud ...

2011-12-14T21:59:00.000Z

... has a silver lining.

or a pink birdie one!

And today my silver lining called, and made my day!

It all started a couple of weeks ago with a reminder e-mail from a friend ...

(thank you Honey :) you know who you are!)

you know how it goes with good intentions, right?

well, time is slipping through my fingers faster than water at the moment, and organised I was not, no matter how good my intentions were...

So on the day it should of arrived, I toodled off to the Post Office with package in my sweaty little mitts..

I was a little surprised to find no ques, but stepped up to the counter to be greeted with ...

sorry we can't post that - the systems are all down, and also in all the surrounding Post offices!

Nooooooooo!

I needed this to arrive before today, because I knew this person would be out, chillin' at the Chemo Bar!

But sods law intervened and there was nothing I could do. So back I toodled yesterday and posted my package, praying it would not be hidden by the postie, or worse, ... but we won't go there.

So, one little cloud, I had to live with ... but today I had the mother of all days at work ...

and feeling just a little sorry for myself, I was a little surprised by my phone ringing ...

Squeeeeeeeeeal!!!!! Terri!

it's arrived! And she loves it!

and after a right natter about the up and coming FQ Community Retreat, and the Brit Bee, and ... and ... and

oh, Happy Birthday Terri!

You turned a truly cloudy day, back into bright sunshine, you never cease to inspire me, with your cheery excitement and exuberance.

Stay well Sweetie!

p.s. I used this Tute for the bag, and it is sooooo easy!

Re-Treat!

2011-12-13T22:02:00.000Z

There's something about a little treat, isn't there, so after my last little jaunt on the shopping front, it didn't take too long to take advantage of the Cyber Monday sales, AND a Fat Quarterly discount code ...

behold ...

I re-treated myself to more fabric!

I knew you'd want all the details ...

and who am I to deny you ...

your own treat ...

wonderful eye candy!

Nothing like like a Retreat, is there!

So, if you found me here at Festival of Quilts ...

and were tempted to treat yourself to a frame of your own ...

or you already have a quilting frame ... how about getting up close and personal, on your own

Machine Quilting Retreat ... for a little one on one to get the best out of your frame,

all the details are here, go on, treat yourself!

Martha, Anne and I will be there to guide you :)

And finally, for a little down time, and a great meet up ...

I'm also heading out for a little retreat here too!

And the best thing about this one, is all the ladies of the Brit Bee will be there, together!

How cool is that going to be!

Can you tell I'm just a little excited ...

You can get your own ticket to retreat here

in the mean time ... Happy Quilting!

Christmas Quilt Along Party!

2011-12-10T20:28:00.000Z

Gosh, where did the year go!

Well today Sue, at Quilt Times is hosting the Christmas Quilt Along Party, so I've dug out my party frock, and am going celebrate along with all the other wonderful ladies that have quilted along over the year

Did I make some makes? You betya!

a couple of notebook covers, one has already been gifted ...

a stack of coasters ... hmm, might have to whip up some more of these!

and a mug rug, again gifted already :)

an experimentation with pincushions and selvedges ... one already gifted ...

mmm, strawberry jam, fresh from the allotment, ready for some Christmas giving :)

and the quickest quilt ever with Charlie hosting on a Sunday!

a Card wallet ...

lanyard, hmm again, more on the cards of these ...

and my Sassy Christmas Stars ... still in need of a little border treatment ...

mmm, medlar jelly ... (aka rotting fruit jelly!)

a cheeky little zippy pouch, gifted already :)

my goodness, I learnt a lot of new things over the year, and whilst blogger has taken all day to load some of these pics, I'm sitting here watching Strictly, thinking 'Didn't I do well!'

Don't forget to head on over to Sue's blog to check out the Linky and see what everyone else has been up to over the year.

Thank you Sue and Cathi for being such wonderful hosts, we couldn't have done all this without you!

Happy Quilting!

Pick Four - Revisited

2011-12-06T22:24:00.001Z

Back in August I took part in a Blog hop for this book

for my friend Sue of Quilt Times

You can read my original post Here

Finally I sewed the binding down of this quilt last night, and today, whilst we had a little window of opportunity - sunshine, I dragged the hungry one outside ...

but sadly not for long, he took himself off to town to do Christmas shopping, but I got to stay home and play ... more of that in a bit ...

not my best quilting when taken in isolation like this,

but overall, not bad imho

This is about 80" x 80" ish

(I haven't measure it exactly)

I know you like to see the back! This one is just for YOU!

Despite the problems I had with my machine whilst quilting this one, I was pleased to finally get it done.

Especially as it was completely from stash, including the 5.5 meters of backing fabric!

Sweet!

Edited note: I'm linking this up with Clover and Violets Stash Project here:

So, back to today, and I got to play!

just a little :) I'll tell you more about this in the new year!

I did get my ORB Quilt Along Dresden pillow made today ...

sorry about the awful pic, it was dark by the time I finished it, but I was in too much of a hurry to show you :)

This one is now going in the Christmas box to be given as a gift ...

aaah, now that feels better!

Happy Quilting!

Shop-ability!

2011-12-05T08:14:00.000Z

Whilst there is some stitching going on, none that I can show you just yet, there has been just a little shopping too! Seems I don't have a problem in that area ... or perhaps I do! :)

Just a couple of lovelies picked up at the Pea Room meeting last month ...

and some lovely, lurrrrrvley Lotta Jansdotta arrive courtesy of The Fat Quarter Shop ...

and just one or two sips from Zipit ....

and these lovelies are part of the Fat Quarterly Designer Challenge ...

I have a cunning plan!

and this little lot is just half of my thread order from Martha of Machine Quilter ...

and just a little bit of this to finish off my ORB Dresden pillow, which has now made it onto the Christmas Gifts list ....

I better get busy! (before the next batch of packages arrive!)

Hello December!

2011-12-01T20:37:00.000Z

Wow that was fast wasn't it? Did you blink and miss November too?

It was another busy month, with 2 swaps done and almost dusted, I'm still waiting for one package to arrive at it's new home. So more than a couple of finishes, some purchases too, (oops!)

Looking back visually, I'm pretty pleased ... I'm linking this up with Lynne's Fresh Sewing Day, so head on over and check out what everyone else got up to during November....

Be quick, it's almost Christmas!

Happy Quilting!

A mid week finish

2011-11-30T12:18:00.000Z

If you in that group of peeps that's easily offended by the word, thought, or sight of 'BATIKs'

please look away now, I make no apologies, in fact, I embrace living dangerously :)

Finally I got the binding sewn down on my Double Delight quilt, a Bonnie K Hunter mystery quilt ...

made completely out of batiks (on the front)

AND

completely from stash!

on this quilt I tried out the free form baptist feathers, a mixture of baptist fans with feathers, and in true free form quilting, they go in opposite directions in each row of quilting ...

and the thread is a Superior Lava variegated #215 Diamond Head

you can see how it plays so well with all the colours in the quilt, remain more about texture, and less obvious in the overall look of the quilt .... lovely

I love this pattern :)

and I know you always want to see the back ...

Quilt is about 80" x 90", top made in 2008/2009, quilted much earlier this year and now done!

That's a UFO off my list! and a little dent in the Winter Stitching List!

tomorrow ... November will be done for another year ... sigh

Modern Christmas Table Runner Swap

2011-11-27T22:33:00.000Z

Well, I come to write this post and realise I didn't take a picture of my table runner all done and finished!

Ooops!

But this gives you a good idea ...

I got a bit carried away with the quilting!

I'm hoping my partner won't mind the indulgence of the traditional feather ...

sent with goodies, and handmade ornaments ...

and yet to be received at it's new home...

I hope it won't take too long :)

But the postman called on Friday afternoon and dragged me out of my bed ...

not my usual Friday afternoon activity, but I was a little under the weather ....

and this is what was inside the enormous box the post man handed over ...

My partner, Nicolette who blogs as DutchComfort, sent me an amazing assortment of traditional Dutch Christmas goodies, many of which are personal favourites, and have brought back so many memories, for both me and the Teenage Diva!

Little did Nicolette know, I spent 3 years living and working in The Netherlands, right up to May 2002!

And the table runner .... oh the table runner!

Perfect in all respects! Thank you Nicolette, again, I am truly blessed :)

So, that is two things off of my Winter Stitching List, just need to nail some of that Christmas gift sewing, but I've been kind of busy on the quilting front ...

in the mean time ..

Happy Quilting!

Brit Quilt Swap - Pillow Fight

2011-11-22T22:50:00.000Z

I finished by BQS Pillow Fight cushion a couple of weeks ago, (all bar the label which I only did yesterday!)

So today it was all wrapped and taken to the local post office and left in the capable hands of the Royal Mail.

I do hope my partner is happy with it.

I also got another package sent :)

And whilst I was busy at the bottom of the garden the post man called at my house, fortunately my neighbour took pity on me ...

all beautifully wrapped, this little lovely arrived from Helen, Archie the Wonder Dog!

This is such a beautiful cushion, and I just love it! I am so glad Helen chose those beautiful batiks, and ignored my love of chartreuse! (the chocolate was delicious - mmmmm!)

It fits in so well, on the bench ..

and look, I already have a quilt to match!

right at home on my chair!

My Modern Christmas Table Runner is on it's way too, more of that tomorrow...

and today, despite the dark dismal wet weather I got quilting done, and yesterday I had a finish!

I got my mojo back!

Happy Quilting!

Vegging out ...

2011-11-13T21:08:00.001Z

... out of the ground that is, I ventured to the allotment and lifted some leeks, carrots and parsnips, oh and grabbed a red onion just for good measure, needless to say lunch was delicious!

There was more of this ....

LOTS more!

and I promised you better pics of this yesterday ...

I am so pleased with the stitching, the Valdani Perle is just wonderful

Thank you Tina for reminding me of the value of the needle :)

feeds my soul :)

and then there was a little more quilting on this ...

not as much as I'd hope, but progress, and that's always good.

Happy Quilting!

Christmas QAL - Part 3 - The late Edition!

2011-11-12T22:48:00.000Z

Yes, I know it's late, but I am home alone ...

so I went back out to the bottom of the garden having started this before tea, the stitching I did whilst watching Strictly....

and I'm pretty pleased with it, if I do say so myself!

the stitchery made all the difference (imho)

(not very good pics, it is dark you know! I'll get some better ones tomorrow, promise!)

Thanks to THIS tutorial :)

and now I know how, I can do more!

Christmas QAL - Part 2

2011-11-12T19:10:00.000Z

Well It's been a busy day, the Teenage Diva did what all teenage girls do, took herself out to town with her friends, came home for a quick grab of a bag and has gone off for a sleepover!

So, I've been asked about Medlars, hmm, a very old, neh ancient fruit, that cannot be eaten until it has bletted, (read as rotten)

Not the prettiest of fruit, in fact, it has some really rather disgusting names, but we won't go into that. You can get an insight into the medlar here.

after a bit of boiling, and passing through a jelly bag (muslin) it can be turned into the most delicious jelly...

and these ones are destined for Christmas presents ... Woohooo!

I have another batch ready for jelly making ... probably in the morning now....

so onto the sewing ....

My plan is to finish this top, a commission quilt that I really need to get done and dusted

the sort of commission quilt that your mother sets you up for!

but I did make good progress ...

this is about 60" x 80" limited by the size of the backing fabric, in so much as that's all there is and it's just going to do a quilt that size! And it was the only thing the lady liked!

I also got a couple more of my scrap blocks made ...

Now that feels much better getting back into the swing of things :)

speaking of which. Strictly has just started, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be back much later for a late evening round up!

Christmas is coming!

2011-11-12T11:02:00.000Z

So I better get a move on get myself ready for a day full of Christmas stitching for the Christmas Quilt Along with Sue over at Quilt times.

I've got medlar jelly on the go, and few other goodies planned for the day .... so come back later and see what they are.

In Remembrance

2011-11-11T19:03:00.000Z

Lest we forget

October

2011-11-01T09:39:00.000Z

Gone in a flash!

I blinked I think!

I think I slowed down in October, there were Moo Cards for Quilting Prolifically - a quilting service

Strawberries to be harvested

baking of course!

a dumpling bag

major fabric purchases

Pearoom block of the month

Brit Quilt Swap - Pillow Fight

Modern Christmas Table Runner

Ghastlies sewing machine cover

Brit Bee blocks for Laura Jane

it feels like October came and went with the sunrise and the sunsetting

and then one of my quilts was featured on the Banner of Sew We Quilt

here's to a productive November :)

I'm linking this up with Lynnes Fresh Sewing Day ...

if you get a chance head on over and see what everyone else has been busy with in October :)

Happy Quilting!

Ghastlies winners and a bonus

2011-10-31T21:29:00.000Z

Are you ready for another week of Ghastlies blog hopping?

Day 6 Happy Holloween!

What you really want to know are the winners from fridays post, 2 lucky winners won 4 yards of Ghastlies fabrics from Alexander henry Fabrics

Yes, 2 winners!

Manda who commented on this blog and

Dannelle from Mrs Tammy Ghastlies blog

Congratulations to both ladies!

(Manda I've sent you an e-mail to get your details, please contact me)

So if you would like even more chances to win some wonderful prizes, you'll need visit as many more of my Ghastlies Sista's as possible for maximum chances!

The full list for the rest of the week can be found here!

Thanks to Madame Ghastlie and Alexander Henry Fabrics for the genrosity :)

And in other news today you can find me here too!

I'm on the Banner!

Happy Halloween!

Bloggers Quilt Festival

2011-10-29T22:04:00.000+01:00

Although I'd really really love to be going to Quilt Market in Houston, or even the Festival that follows, sadly I'm here, but lucky for us all Amy has organised her Bloggers Quilt Festival for those of us not going...

So it would be rude not to, right? So to those of you visiting for the Festival, welcome, and enjoy!

It was a difficult choice, so I've gone with my second favourite quilt I made this year is Arcadia Hexagon Park...

This quilt was Designed by Lynne Goldsworthy, of Lillys Quilts for Moda Bakeshop, and when I saw it there I was immediately drawn to it, not just because it was designed by a friend ...

I confess, I'm not a love of grandmothers garden, but this, well this was different, yeah right!

Clear instructions, and Lynne's voice telling me how to do this as I sewed through it ...

What I learned, well, that would be to concentrate, I mis-cut three of my layer cake squares, and had to do a little fudging to make it fit! Oops!

I love the Arcadia line by Sanea, and when it came to quilting this one, it turned into a very organic process which I thoroughly enjoyed ...

I love how the Superior Lava threads glows with the sun shining through ...

this picture just sums up how magical this quilt is for me. I hope you like it too!

Please head on over and visit all the other peeps entering the Bloggers Quilt Festival, you are in for a wonderful feast of loveliness :)

Happy Quilting!

Ghastlie Friday Fright Night

2011-10-28T00:01:00.001+01:00

Well, it's my time to reveal to you the lurgy that has plagued so many of us with this Ghastlie flu ....

I'm afraid I just couldn't resist them when I saw them...

and had to order just a little to satisfy my Ghastlie desire ...

I needed a sewing machine cover ...

My Berni needs to be tucked up overnight ...

I hope it's not too frightened!

It's been half term here and my Ghastlie plans have been scuppered, this Ghastlie flu has sent my mojo into hiding ... still, there's still plenty more Ghastlie inspiration to be seen ...

Make sure you check out all my Sista's who are blogging their own Ghastlie stories today :

And a full list of all my Ghastlie Sista's can be found here!

Make sure you leave a comment, (just the one comment per person, and make sure I can contact you either through your blogger profile or by e-mail) there are some great prizes and a name is selected from each blog and sent to Madame Ghastlie who will pick a Grand prize winner each day. Make sure you visit all the blogs and leave comments for maximum chances to win!

I'll be back tomorrow (evening, cos I've escaped the Diva) to announce the Grand Prize winner :)

Here's to a frightful weekend!

Ghaslies Blog Hop

2011-10-24T00:01:00.002+01:00

Welcome to our 1st Annual Ghastlie Blog HOP

If you have this thing for Ghastlies

and they have tied you in a knot

and you wish you could get them out of your mind

than this may be a thought.

We heard her plea for a cure

Mdm Samm was pos/it/ively sure

that we could stitch the nights away

in hopes that we MAY----

( all 54 of us)

BUT....

The side effects are Ghastlie

there is no mistaking too.

if you don't run this very minute

YOU too will catch the FLU...

We suspected all along

this was her master plan

she did not want to be alone,

with all YOU Ghastlie FANS...

So here is today's all important schedule for the Ghastlies Blog Hop :

Monday, October 24th

There is all sorts of fun going on over the next 2 weeks, with daily Grand Giveaway Prizes from Madame Ghastlie, (there will be some postage to pay on Grand Prizes, but this will be well worth it!), some of the bloggers will also have their own giveaways too. With 54 Ghastlie blog hoppers, you'll have 5 or 6 to visit each day ... are you ready?

There's a button her and on the side to help you navigate your way around the Ghastlies Blog hop, have fun!

I'll be back on Friday for a Ghastlie Fright Night!

FMQ Friday

2011-10-21T23:16:00.000+01:00

I got a head start this week on the fmq practice, on Monday I have a bonus time that allowed me to play a little with the 'Slate Tiles' pattern ...

I found this to be quite an easy pattern to do, but identified a few things that made it easier for me to be fluid in my quilting, but to have sharp corners to my slates ...

this is the back ... oh what did I learn?

I have far great control by slowing the speed down, pedal to the metal means you have less control, slowing gives me more time to think about what I'm doing and going to do next...

and in order to create corners to my slates, I found I needed to stop, just for a moment, like taking a breath, with the needle going up and down in the same place just 2 or 3 times, and then move on in the new direction ...

And then I got to thinking about the choices I make when it comes to thread, my choice of thread has been Aurifil 50 wt mako cotton both top and in the bobbin...

but what if I change threads?

So I tried it to see what effect it would have on the quilting ...

on this piece I retained the 50 wt in the bobbin, but used 3 different threads to see what the effects would be , L to R above we have Valdani 35 wt cotton, Aurifil Invisible thread, and finally an Aurifil 40 wt mako cotton ...

the invisible thread gives great texture, and my stitches were much smaller, yes, it was harder to see them to try and keep the stitches even ...

the 40 wt makes the stitches more visible or should that be more noticeable ...

and the 35 wt (the heaviest/thickest) made the stitches very obvious... and less easy to control and keep the quality even ...

I also had to reduce the tension on the top to let this thread through without pulling the bobbing thread through from the bottom ... but I did have a few loopyish stitches too ...

so I conclude, I'm sticking to what I like, the 50 wt, I like the delicate look that it produces, fine stitches that allows me to play with some tiny quilting

did I tell you I'm using a size 70 Microtex needle? (tiny I know, but worth it)

and I had a play with my BQS Pillow Fight swap pillow whilst I waited for my central heating to be fixed!

So how did you do this week on the fmq challenge from Cindy? Head over to her blog Fluffy Sheep Quilting to see how everyone else has done, there's a Linky

Have a great weekend, happy playing!

Winter Stitching List

2011-10-19T22:42:00.001+01:00

I've had a thunk and I'm as good as I'm ever going to be with my Winter Stitching List ...

Well, it is a plan (read as movable feast!) to take me through to spring :)

1. Finish and post on time Modern Christmas Table Runner Swap, deadline is mid November so this is achievable.

2. Finish and post Brit Quilt Swap - Pillow Fight, again deadline is mid November so another achievable goal.

3. keep up with all the Brit Bee Blocks - :)

4. Complete some secret Christmas Gift sewing :)

5 Finish at least one of my own quilts a month, whether it's a UFO or a new project.

6. Finish my own Brit Bee Quilt, I still have some blocks to piece

7. Finish piecing Jacobs Ladder quilt

8. Finish piecing Happy Quilting Stars quilt

9. Finish Commission Quilt No 1

10. Make good in roads into Commission Quilt No 2

11. Catch up on the Brit Mystery Quilt

12. Finish Dresden quilt

13. Finish Sassy Christmas Stars

14. Expand the Quilting Service business :)

15. Don't sign up any new swaps until the new year!

It's a long list, with plenty of big projects, but I figure if I take one project and focus on just that, I may make good progress :) Well, that's my plan!

I'll be linking this up with Sarah's blog, so head on over and see what everyone else has on their list!

(secretly holds head in hands, OMG what have I set myself up for! Well mid March is still several months away!)

Pillow Fight continues

2011-10-19T06:00:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I was confined to barracks. I had to wait in for a courier to collect my No 1 Juki to take it to the very nice man at Franklin's for a service :) You know how it is, he'll be here some time during the day ...

which meant I needed something to do, that didn't keep me in the studio at the bottom of the garden...

so, I gathered some supplies ...

and got busy with the paper scissors ...

set myself up by the front window so I didn't miss the man in his van ...

and had a pressing time ...

got busy with the fabric shears ...

and got all the pieces ready for my partners pillow ...

I hope you like it partner, my next step will be putting this onto background fabric ...

something for the weekend, for now, it's time for work!

Oh, and the man with the van arrived about 1pm - bonus!

A Winter Stitching List and a Modern Christmas Table Runner update

2011-10-18T10:23:00.000+01:00

I think it's time I knuckled down and finished a few things, so it's a great idea to join in with Sarah's Winter Stitching. I'll be making a list, I think that might keep me focused, particularly if I print it out really BIG and put it in the studio and on the fridge where I'll see it often!

So, what's going to be on your list of things to do over the winter months?

So, yesterday I had a good day, I managed to squeeze in a little stitching on the Modern Christmas Table Runner for my secret swap partner ...

on Sunday I had my hst's sewn together, so I got busy with getting messy ...

there's something very satisfying about a lovely pile of trimmings, don't you think?

so we started the morning with 3 lovely piles of 2 1/2" HST's

and after a cancellation, a bolt out of the blue phone call and some lunch ...

I got this far before the Teenage Diva got home, and it was time to start dinner ...

oh, and I almost forgot, I got my Pea Room block of the month made too, phew, just in time!

and I managed a little FMQ'ing play, but I'll leave that for Friday :)

Bit of a Ghastlie weekend!

2011-10-16T13:34:00.000+01:00

OK So it wasn't THAT bad!

Firstly I have this Ghastlie cold - yuk!

which in turn leads to Ghastlie procrastination!

Hmm, who knew this could happen!

I did have a little play with these Ghastlie fabrics ....

and moved onto working on the Modern Christmas Table Runner Swap for my partner ...

do you know how Ghastlie it is to make 126 Half Square Triangles!

and then I moved onto the latest round to the Brit Quilt Swap - Pillow Fight!

I have a good idea for my partner but needed to try a little experiment with some bondaweb (not my normal fusing medium)

so I can then convert it into this ....

trust me, my compass work was Ghastlie!

But the Ghastliest thing about this weekend was the treatment of my credit card, which is now hiding in terror!

Mmmm, Tanya Whelan ...

Amy Butler, Kitty Yoshida and some Erin McMorris ...

oh and a little more Amy Butler for good measure ...

and just a little autumn inspiration for a commission quilt in the making.

No wonder I had a Ghastlie weekend! There may be a few more Ghastlie moments to come!

Happy Quilting!

FMQ Friday

2011-10-14T22:48:00.000+01:00

Well, I couldn't resist joining in the play with FMQ'ing over with Cindy at Fluffy Sheep Quilting blog . I played a little catch up from week one ...

OK, I'm no Leah Day, but considering I just sat down to do this and went for it, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. So I moved onto to the task for week 2 ...

so, they're not all evenly shaped, but again, I was pretty pleased for patterns I've never tried, ever, not a bad attempt at all.

The Teenage Diva asked for a dumpling pouch, shocked ... yep! She thought it was shop bought, so I guess I should feel complimented. So I went and bought extra zips so I could play about making it slightly bigger, and will aim to play over the weekend.

Tomorrow, I'm heading for Horncastle for a rendezvous with Doughty's!

Happy Quilting!

Christmas Quilt Along - Part Two

2011-10-08T22:33:00.000+01:00

After being rained off down at the allotment, and a little light lunch, those potatoes were delicious baked!

Time for a little baking ...

Mmm, banana cake ... smells and tastes delicious (good job you can't see all the crumbs round my mouth! lol)

And a couple of Courgette Bread loaves.

So I thought I should get on with some sewing, and get to trying those Dumpling pouches ...

I'm quite pleased with my prototype, would I make this again?

YES! And it was really very straight forward, and lucky for me I even have a stash of zips!

(don't ask!)

time for a little glass of a cheeky red and rest, it is cold and dark after all!

Christmas Quilt Along

2011-10-08T14:10:00.000+01:00

It's that time again for the Christmas Quilt Along, and this month we are hosted by Cathi. Don't worry, Sue is still quilting along too, in fact she's already steaming ahead.

I've been don the allotment this morning, a bit of tidying, harvesting those butternut squashes, some tasty potatoes (Bonnie's make fab bakers!) and the last few raspberries, oh and don't forget the strawberries,.... yes, strawberries in October, mad! Completely mad! But delicious!

So having read over on Lynz's blog, about the dumpling pouches, I'm going to give them a go and see how I get on. I may just start off with a prototype and then crack on with a few of the real thing once I've got my head around all that curved zipping. Wish me luck

Come back later and I'll let you know how I got on, I may .... or may not have done a little baking too! Shhhh, don't tell himself, though I fear the smell may have given me away!

The MOO Scoop!

2011-10-03T19:36:00.001+01:00

Well, you all asked, and I have to confess I first saw these when I was reading my friend Brigitte's blog, in fact this post to be precise. And whilst you are there, please make sure you check out Brigitte's blog, she is very inspirational. I was intrigued by the Moo cards, so I headed over the their website and had a jolly good ol' read.

And boy did I get an education!

I knew when I was ready, I wanted my own Moo Cards ...

You can upload your own images for them to use on your business cards

up to 100 images! Instant portfolio of your work or products

These mini cards are just so damn cute!

you can even choose the back colour, not just plain black on white

So if you want to read all about Moo Cards, head over to their website and get a good education in the possibilities. I just know you are going to love it!

I am one happy bunny!

Mail call!

2011-10-02T23:57:00.001+01:00

The mail man knocked on my door yesterday...

happy dancing! :)

So that was September

2011-10-01T21:25:00.000+01:00

Is it just me, or is it really hard to say goodbye to September, this mini heatwave we are having it feels like it should be August not October!

With the return to school and work, I've slowed down a little ...

I'm linking this up with Lynne's Fresh Sewing Day, head on over and take a look at what everyone else has been up to over the last month. And don't forget to head back to Lynne's on Monday to wish her a Happy Birthday!

Friday - and exhale!

2011-09-30T21:49:00.000+01:00

I'm pleased it's Friday :) aren't you?

Firstly I have to tell you about a couple of swaps I've signed up for ...

my dear friend Susan is organising the Modern Christmas Table Runner Swap, sign up close on Sunday so head over to the Flikr page and give it a go ...

for my swap partner, these are my starting point for inspiration ...

Do you remember the Brit Quilt Swap? well now it's time for Round 2 - Pillow Fight!

there is so much inspiration out there, it was hard to choose! If you are up for a pillow fight, head on over to the Flikr page and sign up - quick! Sign ups close on 10 October.

It's been a good week for mail too ...

lovely sale fabrics for backing ...

and today I received my package of goodness from Laura Jane (aka Laulipops) who is Miss October in the Brit Bee.

Fortunately the Teenage Diva is a little off colour so the edible goodies are relatively safe ... for now!

but oh, look at the wonderful fabrics I get to play with ...

I see stars in my immediate future :)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and make the most of the glorious weather whilst we have it :)

Happy Quilting!

A finish ... and a start

2011-09-28T16:00:00.002+01:00

I promised you a finish ....

and I finish I give you!

Arcadia Hexagon Park

all done

I love how the sun shone today, and the shadows highlighted this grandmothers garden block

I had great fun quilting this one

it was very much an organic process

and the Superior Threads Lava Lanai glows in the back light of sunshine,
it's almost golden

and after much procrastination yesterday, I loaded up a new quilt on the frame

I've been mulling this one over for a while

I had done some initial drawings

but again, it's been quite an organic process,

and I'm loving it so far!

Happy Quilting!

tired

2011-09-27T21:42:00.000+01:00

Is it the change of the seasons, life ... or just my age, but I'm tired.

My apologies for not blogging, things just get complicated don't they ....

The postman brought me these ...

aren't they lovely, thank you to the ladies at the Fat Quarter Shop. You're the best!

And my friend is home after convalescence with her daughter in South Wales, and as a thank you she brought me these ...

all the fabrics needed for this little lovely ....

so what would you do, make this quilt, or make something else?

and I pulled out fabrics ...

for a workshop based on these quilts

And on Sunday afternoon I got this far with 6 more blocks for the Happy Quilting Stars quilt along

I think that will do, but next time I actually have a finish for you! I hope you can contain yourself!

Happy Quilting!

Sunday so soon!

2011-09-18T23:12:00.000+01:00

Well, my first job was to give the studio a sweep, I'm guilty of cutting trimming and just brushing them right off the table, it was getting a bit slippy ...

Ooops, I think it needed it!

I got my two blocks made for Susan Miss September of the Brit Bee

but I can't show them just yet, I hope you like them Susan. :)

I got six wonky stars pieced for Judith for Bee Blessed ...

If you don't know about Bee Blessed, go take a look at the post Judith wrote on her blog...

I got my block for Pea Room quilters done ...

and I finished block #2's for the Happy Quilting quilt along ...

I'll try to get block ~3's cut tomorrow, I need to get a move on and have this top finished before the end of the month!

And I got the quilt loaded on the frame ....

this one is for a friend who was having trouble quilting it on her domestic machine ...

and I even managed to do some quilting on it! Wooohoooo!

so that leaves just two things on my list from the last post :

add borders to Sassy Christmas Stars

Mystery QAL catch-up

not a bad weekend's work! I also got a batch of Pear chutney made, just got to wait 3 months for it to mature, and all the washing and ironing is done, so I just need to sort these back into order ...

for a trunk show/talk tomorrow night :)

OK, I'll let you into a little secret .... come closer.... closer ....that's better :) the Teenage Diva was out by lunchtime Saturday, went on a sleep over and came home mid afternoon today! :)

How was your weekend?

Weekend already, thankfully :)

2011-09-17T09:41:00.001+01:00

What a week! What can I say, we lost our water for more than 24 hours, and now have not one, but 2 leaks, and need not one, but 2 new stop cocks. Fortunately they will get fixed and the water is back on. I can't tell you how much you appreciate something when you've had to struggle on without it!

And then we got sick! Both of us, the Teenage Diva and I had to take time off work and school, but we seem to be getting over it.

So when I got home from work yesterday, the washing was on, the bathroom was cleaned and all was under control, I made a list ..... and I lost my energy ...

but I can show you my progress from last Sunday...

the sun shone, and the made pretty patterns with the blinds :) I got my Sassy Christmas stars pieced, just borders to attach, they are cut ready and I think I'll take Sue's lead and piece the corners (because some fabrics are running short)

and I got the first 6 blocks of the Happy Quilting Stars quilt along done, and the second set of 6 are on their way,

So this morning, the last of washing has been done, I hung it out in the vein hope I might get some of it dry before the rain showers started, nope, it's in again! I was hoping the Diva would sleep in to her usual 11 am, nope, she's up already!

But I have my list:

Finish Susan's Brit Bee blocks

Add borders to Sassy Christmas stars

Bee Blessed blocks (at least 2)

Pea Room block

finish piecing block 2 blocks (6) for HQqal

catchup on Mystery quilt

load up a quilt on the frame

Oh, and maybe one or two other things might slip in along the way!

that should keep me busy for the weekend! And the Diva is heading out later for a sleep over, so I can really get a move on!

How about you, do you have plans for the weekend, have you made a list? Will you get a few minutes for some uninterrupted sewing?

Happy Quilting!

Christmas Quilt Along - September

2011-09-10T22:56:00.001+01:00

It's that time again already! The Christmas Quilt Along hosted by Sue over at Quilt Times. But first of all, we had to go to the allotment for a little harvesting, tidying and sorting out after all the strong winds we've had.

And then I had to supervise the installation of these for a pathway to the studio ...

and then it was time to get down to trying out one of these ...

thanks to the wonderful tutorial on Stephanie's blog Loft Creations ...

really, I've never made anything so quick in my life! I can see more of these, useful little key Leashes/Lanyards in my very near future.

and I've done a little cutting, for Melissa's Stars Quilt Along (shh, I'm way behind!)

then himself decided it was tea time, and I was dragged to the kitchen to cook! Shocking!

especially as I should have been doing these for Miss September! (tomorrow Susan!)

so, after a delicious chicken curry, it was back to catching up on the Sassy Christmas Stars, so lots of this ...

and I'm playing catch up because, last month I was Christmas Shopping at Festival ...

but I did get it all laid out ready for piecing in the morning ....

and I got a whole one of my stars pieced ...

Mmm, loving this Joel Dewberry Heirloom fabric ...

I got mine from The Fat Quarter Shop

and I made good progress in getting the other 5 of block One on their way too ....

I can finish those in the morning too!

and lastly I had to wash these ... Sloes...

tomorrow I need to go buy Gin, not in my cupboard at all, but I feel some sloe gin in my immediate future and maybe next week a little sloe jelly too! (at least that will be ready for Christmas!)

Busy, busy, busy :)

Project 51

2011-09-06T22:43:00.000+01:00

I know many of you have been curious about Project 51, having seen little snippets of it in blogland and on Flickr. Well I can now tell you more about it.

Earlier this year sometime during or just after the Brit Quilt Swap a little Brit Bee formed. Like many virtual quilting bees, a band of 12 happy eager ladies starting on a new venture and new friendships. And being such a happy bunch we joked about Calendar Girls each month as we bantered back and forth. Then one of our friends, for we quickly became friends, was in a dark place, things in life just seem so unjust at times. And this was one of those moments. So as quilters we did what we know we can do best. We secretly agreed on a plan, busied and made blocks, and sent them to Laura who pieced them lovingly into a stunning top. Just before Festival, I did a mad dash and met up with Laulipops and collected the top and all the messages.

So i got 'busy' with my task to piece the back with the messages and to quilt and finish our special gift.

The Calender Girls dancing on the front ...

... the back

The package was ready to be sent August Bank Holiday weekend ...

I'm pleased to say the quilt has been received by our friend and brightens her world daily. I cannot express the utter JOY I felt whilst working on this special gift for a brave lady who continues to inspire me with her courage and cheery perseverance.

Calendar Girls, wow, you did good!

Pick Four Giveaway - Winner

2011-09-05T20:15:00.000+01:00

Well, what a tour we had on the Pick Four Blog Hop , I hope you enjoyed it, and we visited some very interesting places, and I discovered what a wonderful varied selection of muchies you all like with your cuppa . I even learned some new recipes, for which I am very grateful. Delicious!

So what you really want to know, is who has won an autographed copy of Sue's wonderful book. So I have learned something new today, how to do snapshot captures. Well, who knew!

So commenter 20 was Sheddy who said :

Sheddy said...

Congratulations Barb! Please e-mail me your details so I can pass them onto Sue and your own autographed copy of Pick Four will be on its way to you.

Happy Quilting!

Pick Four

2011-09-01T07:00:00.004+01:00

Easy Fabric Choices for Great Quilts by Sue Abrey

Welcome one and all to the the Pick Four Blog Hop, for those of you who have been travelling with us on the tour bus, I hope it was a pleasant flight back from Paulette's over on Vancouver Island and welcome back to Blighty! Are you refreshed and ready for another day, and another chance to win your own signed copy of Pick Four? Grab yourself a cuppa and help yourself to a slice of Lincolnshire Plum Loaf, with or without butter (apple and/or cheese optional)

If you are not familiar with Sue, then please take the time to visit her blog at Quilt Times, say hello, and enjoy all the wonderful patterns, quilting eye candy and amazing quilting. I've been very lucky to have met Sue last year, and what a delightful lady she is!

So lets get down to business, Pick Four arrived on my door mat and I was so excited, I just had to read it from cover to cover and admire all the wonderful quilts in it before I could truly appreciate the book in all its glory.

Sue openly admits she doesn't 'do' scrappy, this little nugget allowed her to realise just how she puts together her quilts with a limited colour pallet. Now I'm not one to shy away from colour, choosing colour or even scrappy for that matter. My immediate reaction was to take four, and then turn it scrappy, but actually, I don't do scrappy well, it tends to be controlled. Whilst I have not done that, I will give it a go for the next quilt. For the new quilter and to be fair, so many experience quilters alike, choosing fabrics does not always come naturally. Sue leads you through your choices, how to choose, where to start, and the whole mystery that choosing fabrics can be.

What a relief, finally some sound, honest and lets face it, damn good advice on where to start and how to go about the process!

And that is the whole feel of Take Four, the techniques are clear, concise and easy to follow, as I read through the book I can hear Sue talking to me, in her calm, considered manner, leading me through all the decisions, as I go along my quilt journey.

There are so many beautiful choices to make when it comes to which quilt do I make first, I had a hard time deciding. In fact, I changed my mind several times!

But I finally settled on 3D Naughts and Crosses ....

Now I wanted to shop for my fabrics from my stash, but there was a problem.... not a show stopping one, but a significant one that made me change my pattern choice, I really didn't have enough of some of the fabric choices I made, and so a a compromise was made ...

yes, I picked five? Let me explain, I have my two mauve, one light, one dark, and I have a cream and a white on white, those are my FOUR, but not enough to do the outside border as per the instructions, so this is pretty much a suck it and see quilt. I knew I had enough to do the centre and then I'd see where it goes from there, with the option of adding the purple as a small accent in the border. I'll be making that decision once the centre has been made and I can see how much of each fabric is left ...

so I set to with the instructions and completed the cutting for the centre of my quilt.

Now a word on instructions. Pick Four leads you through all the cutting and piecing in a clear and methodical manner. Again that sensible voice of Sue was with me with great little tips like "...since you'll be cutting the squares of dark tan and light tan along the bias edge, I recommend that you apply spray starch to these fabrics and press with a dry iron rather than steam before cutting." It's little nuggets like this that make all the difference in the success of your piecing, and ultimately the your finished quilt.

Attention to every detail of the process had be paid, including specific pressing instructions (which frankly I loved!), there are even colour options to give you an idea of how each pattern would look. Sometimes you have to decide is it the colour choices or the design that really makes me love it.

Now I have to say, although this will be a big quilt, the piecing really didn't take that long. Those of you who are regular visitors know I am very much a procrastinator, however, when I sit down to do something I can get a lot done in a relatively short space of time. I only started this quilt last Thursday. And I've been 'busy' with something else too.

Border decisions were now necessary, assessing how much fabric is left and how I could make this work.

There's 20" of the light mauve left, JUST enough for middle border so this is what I went with ( a slight deviation from the pattern, but that's OK, it's my quilt after all ) ...

and now I only have 5" of dark mauve, less than a meter of the white on white and just over a meter of cream. Now that's a result! This is all from stash! (and I even have found just the right backing fabric in my stash too! Bonus!)

Whilst I may not have a finished quilt to show you, I am thrilled to have such a fabulous top I can now take my time to make considered choices about how to quilt it.

Quilting is such a difficult decision for everyone, personally I like to see how the original was quilted, do I like it, would I be able to do something like that on my short arm set up, would I prefer a different quilting design. Sue has taken up the quest to look at how each quilt was quilted and why. This information is invaluable to the quilter, novice or experienced. In fact, Pick Four has a whole section on quilting choices and decisions, to help you make the right choice for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of making this quilt, and Pick Four leads you through the process from start to finish. This is the book for any novice quilter, AND experienced quilters too!

So, if you have made it this far, phew, thanks for sticking with me, please leave me a comment (just one) telling me what your favourite munchie might be with your cuppa, for your chance to win a signed copy of Sue's book, Pick Four. I'll close the comments on Sunday and announce the winner on Monday.

If you are not lucky this time, you get another chance to win tomorrow with Quilthaze over at Cotton Cocktails. You can also buy your own copy at your Local Quilt Shop, Martingale or Amazon.

I'd like to thank Sue for inviting me to be part of this Blog Hop, and for the opportunity to review her book, which is Excellent! (imho!)

Coments for the giveaway are now closed

Happy Quilting!

August - done!

2011-08-31T19:20:00.001+01:00

Is it really the last day of August already? Really?

Another busy month, plenty of sewing, quilting, baking, harvesting, purchases and friends :)

I've linked this post up with Lynne's Sew Fresh Sewing Day, I hope you'll head over there and check out what everyone else has been up to in August too :)

Have you been keeping up with the Blog Hop? Today is Paulette at Sweet P Quilting and Creations, hop on over and read all about the beautiful creation she's made.

And tomorrow ..... it ME! and there's a giveaway too!

I may even tell you all about the last little quilt in the mosaic up there!

Taking a Load off for a Blog Hop

2011-08-24T18:30:00.000+01:00

It's that time of the day to sit down and enjoy a nice cuppa, well it is here in my house :)

So, whilst I take a load off, I'm heading over to say hi to my friend Sue over at Quilt Times

Why? Well, Sue is an Published Author don't ya know!

And to celebrate, she is hosting a Blog Hop. First up is Hazel Quilts, who I was very privileged to meet at Festival of Quilts. So, whilst I sit and sip my cuppa tea, why don't you join me and head over here and read all about it, and then go visit Hazel, she'd love to see you :) And you could win a signed copy of Sue's book!

Oh, and I have been busy, but shh, I can't tell you about it just yet!

Happy Quilting!

Must be Mad Monday!

2011-08-22T22:13:00.001+01:00

Well, you'd think so .... my day went a bit like this ...

Morning...

I finished quilting my Arcadia Hexi Park which was loaded up on the frame before Festival

I'm really pleased with this quilt

rather than doing an all over pattern I chose to be very specific with the quilting

Feathers in the squares

and penguin feathers in the hexi's

the back shows the texture left by the quilting

Afternoon...

The twins got a clean, brush up and oil

oh, and they got to meet each other too! :)

Evening ...

I loaded up this top, which is to be a tablecloth

and gave it a quick meander all over

with Rainbows Allspice ... magic thread!

this top belongs to a freind :)

The frame is clear again ready for a special (sssshhhhh, it's a secret) job!

and I headed down to the allotment to do a little harvesting

don't want these spoiling in the rain ...

I also came home with a kilo of french beans! The usual half a dozen courgettes and red onions too.

Hmm, I see some blanching in my immediate future!

in the mean time ...

Happy Quilting!

Lazy Summer Sunday

2011-08-21T21:54:00.000+01:00

There's something rather decadent about a lazy summer Sunday. A lay in, a slow start to the day, pottering along ... I did make 3 pints of passatta...

yesterday I got my August Brit Bee blocks finished for Sarah (Miss August) of Narcoleptic in the Cupboard

Sarah has said she will be sashing the blocks with black, so I wanted this cross block to float

and she's partial to curves too :)

I really enjoyed making these blocks, I started them before I went off to Festival, time to play a little catch up now :)

Today I pottered with a little quilting of my Hexi Park quilt, which again, was loaded up before I left for Festival

I'm really pleased with how it is going

particularly this curvy curly pattern

I've got plenty to keep me busy over the next couple of weeks

Happy Quilting!

Festival Workshops

2011-08-20T21:58:00.000+01:00

I did 2 workshops and a one day Masterclass whilst I was at Festival of Quilts this year.

Thursday I was very honoured to take a Masterclass with Noriko Endo who is known for her Confetti Quilts.

My attempt is now where near the magical images Noriko produces, but I am very pleased it actually looks like the picture it was based on :)

I'm looking forward to playing with free motion quilting and some bright threads on this.

Saturday saw me do a quick workshop with Alicia Merrett call Interpreting Kandinsky.

And Sunday morning I did another quick workshop with Gail Lawther on New Zealand Seascapes.

All of these workshops were very different with each one using a different technique. Yes there is still work to be done on all three projects, but they are all small and will be quick enough to finish (hopefully whilst I am off for the last weeks of the school holidays)

Happy Quilting!

Confessions of a Festival Go'er!

2011-08-19T22:11:00.000+01:00

Well, what's a Festival without Quilts!

Just some of the quilts on display...

but I must make a confession about 'the haul' that come home with me ...

Oops!

Festival of Quilts

2011-08-16T22:26:00.001+01:00

Well, what can I say, other than it was a GREAT Festival of Quilts!

oh ....and I'm a little pooped!

I was demonstrating on the New English Quilter stand with Martha and her daughter Emily

I realise we didn't get a group photo, as we also had Anne demonstrating on the Art Quilter frame too. A very talented lady who is soon to release a DVD of her own, you can see a trailer of it here.

I was extremely lucky to meet up with some of the Brit Bee ladies ...

Judith of Needles and Lemons, Terri and myself, photo kindly taken by the visiting head of Juki Europe!

Susan from Canadian Abroad and me :)

And I also met Hazel too who blogs here and here!

Of course I did manage to get out and about for a little meet and greet myself, which may or may not have included one or two purchases ....

Anne and her hubby from Quilt Essentials ....

from whence these lovelies came home with me!

And of course the wonderful Mandy of Simply Solids, who I visited every day, as promised ...

I'm afraid I couldn't possibly repeat what led to this photo!

But I did find some fabulous finds on Mandy's stand ...

yes, Chartreuse! Well, what did you expect!

No trip for fabric would be complete without a little spree at Doughty's ...

so two backings and a almost a bolt's worth of white on white, I'm ready to go again!

And no self respecting quilter would leave without some thread....

Superior Kimono Silk and Superior Rainbows both from Martha

And these lovely Valdani threads were from Sarah at Crafty Notions. I highly recommend them, they hold stocks of all sorts of interesting crafting materials, and Sarah's books are great!

I also stocked up on some Aurifil Mako 50 weight for piecing (my fave for this job)

And I must confess to these babies that were ordered before Festival and arrived today ...

I have something special in mind!

And that's all without the quilts, or the workshops and Masterclass I did! I'll be back!

Happy Quilting!

Road Trip

2011-08-10T23:04:00.000+01:00

The weekend saw more blackberries, add, apple, a little pear and some crumble and I give you ...

So good it's all gone!

I made two little ones, one of which went home with the Beau and the other is tucked up in the freezer!

So just to leave you with something quilty, I got this pair finished yesterday ...

Oh, and the road trip? I'm at Festival of Quilts, yes, now, whilst typing this! Tomorrow I'm taking a one day workshop, but am hoping to meet up with some of the Brit Bee ladies :) (I've got my badge ready)

And you'll be able to find me on Stand F49 with Martha from Machine Quilter for most of the other time during the show. And if you're not sure if you've found me, you;ll find some of my quilts and I have my name on my apron (just in case I forget who I am of course! lol) just like this one below! Come say Hi!

And we're off again!

2011-08-06T22:37:00.000+01:00

yep, after a few days 'rest' I'm back in the groove!

I was about to drive home from work yesterday I thought I'd just check to see if my machine would be ready ... just in case ...

you know how it is to be separated from your sewing machine for a whole week right?

... well, I'd hate to get home to find a message saying it was ready and have to drive back into the city centre on a Friday afternoon ... you understand my dilemma don't you?

... Wooohoooo! I got my Juki back!

so I got my act together and finished off the Sunkissed Schnibbles quilt....

I've even got the backing pieced and ready ...

but decided to go get the Arcadia Hexi Park quilt back on the frame ...

... and quilting has commenced!

(sorry about the pic, it was a bit of an afterthought as I was heading in, it was dark!)

Happiness is a day quilting!