Daring to Dresden

It's always a pleasure to take part in blog hop, especially one masterminded by the amazing lady that is Madame Samm!

Welcome to all the new visitors here, thanks for stopping by

Our Cheerleader for this hop is Christine over at Quilt Monster in my Closet

So, this isn't the first time I have tackled a Dresden or two, I made a cushion (pillow for our US friends  for my Mum a couple of years ago, 

and then there was the modern Dresden QAL that I took part in with Lynne of Lilys Quilts, and it was a serious consideration to finish off that project for this hop ...

but I elected for something new, and those of you who are regulars around these parts will not be surprised by this!  

Yep it a nice big Zippy Pouch, made with scraps from my Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille for Moda, a little scrap of Sew Stitchey by Aneela Hoey for Moda, all applique'd onto some genuine Irish linen ... 

and I'd be honest saying I'm pretty darn pleased with it, it turned out exactly how I imagined! 

Except, well, I confess, I did leave this one til the last minute, and it would be fair to say that it is need of a little attention, lets keep it real, I mullered the zip and now will unpick it and put it right!

But pretty all the same!

so whilst I was cutting those teeny tiny Dresdens I had 

a few left over, and having taken inspiration from my friend Katy and her recent tutorial on the Sizzix blog, I managed to create a great little pouch with low volume fabrics and those little Dresdens 

seems I'm unable to get my pics the right way up!

actually, when Katy says this is quick, its even quicker, 30 minutes, honestly that fast!

so there you have it, I dared, I conquered, and I sort of achieved my aim,

but as always I had fun doing it!

So if you fancy going to see who else has risen to the Dare to Dresden challenge, 

todays stops are all below  ...

Quilting Prolifically

Patchouli Moon Studio

Mountain Quiltworks

In Ga

Dachsies with Moxie

Color My World

Shepody Mountain Crafter

Christa Quilts

Moosestash Quilting

Lavender Quilts

Never 2 Many Quilts

Clothes and Crafts
Cathy's Chatter

Madame Samm @ Sew We Quilt 

as always, there is plenty to see and some prizes to be had, and maybe even a giveaway, so make sure you go visit all the stops on the hop.

thank you Madamme Samm remind of that little two letter word next time lol, and to Christine for keeping me on track!

A good day

Yesterday I spent a wonderful day with Di, drinking tea, eating cake, and even some quilting going on, but mostly, lots of laughter and silliness!

and whilst this was going on, my recent order from FatQuarter Shop arrived 

and today was a good day ...

the air conditioning man called this morning, and I am all warm and toasty, or cold and chilly in the studio again, bliss!

but best of all ... this arrived home ... no thanks to a certain post lady!

if you are on instagram you may have already seen the bubble gum pink binding!

we'll just gloss over the fact that IOS 6.1 means my ipad has to go to an apple store to be fixed ...

and the nearest? Sheffield!  Thankfully Meadowhall, so at least I can find my way there! 

We have an appointment!

and today, I also managed to do some more on my to do list, and I'll share that with you later this week!

Sunday Sitrep

Is it really over a week since my last post? 

I've been doing 'stuff' ... you know how it is ...

I HAVE been working on these for Sarah, but I'm still working on getting my head round them ...

and I did rustle up ...

another scarf, fabrics from Tracey at Quilt Me Happy ...

and I managed to pull fabrics ...

and unsurprisingly, started something new! 

X & + blocks to follow :) 

and I did manage to get a monster Ripple Nipple block for Hadley for the Brit Bee

and there has been the small matter of some quilting, now delivered

and of course, not forgetting the enormous amount of time spent on my tax return,

I am happy to have it filed and done :) 

and today I have been giving a trunk show at the Petwood Hotel, as part of a retreat weekend

run my Martha for Frame Machine Quilters

the sun shone, and it was a balmy 8.5 celcius!

How was your week?

It's a finish at least!

I finally got the #scrappytripalong quilt finished! I know, I know, it shouldn't take more than 2 weeks to sew binding down! But it did!



So whilst there was a break in the snow this morning, I waded out for a photo opportunity ...


I loved piecing this one, so quick ...


I loved all the fabric I put into it, but close up, well .... Lets just say the jury is still out on this one, I may even have to start an etsy shop to sell a few things, this one included!


The backing is Pure from Sweetwater for Moda ... I have a little left which is going into another project :)


And for the quilting simple swirls. Using superior rainbows and bottom line in the bobbin.

So there you have it a finish, and the first of my Finish Along list! Can we have a wooop!

There may also be a rumour I started something new, and I may have pulled fabric for something else new too this morning ... Oops! I better go catch up on the other stuff first!

2013 Finish-A-Long - 1st Quarter

its time to bare all!

Leanne of She Can Quilt is hosting the Finish-A-Long this year, and its time for me to declare my UFO's I intend to finish in the next 3 months

Now, unlike some, and others, I am not going to list absolutely every UFO I have, to be frank I think you'd be overwhelmed and embarrassed on my behalf and I don't want to do that to you,

so in the interest of public safety I have whittled my list down to these ...

1.  #scrappytripalong - to be fair, I am not feeling the love for this, shock horror, I thought I'd get that in straight away!  

I just need to sew the binding down, and to be honest, its not something I've been rushing around to get done, I've already started something else in my head and left this aside!

2.  Ab Fab Free Bees Round Robin  for Lynz

I should have finished this way back in August, it got to me late, but September should have been it!  I stared   at it for the longest time, then had an idea, then waited for fabric and there it sits goading me!  so I need to add to this, make a sigi block and write my confessions in Lynz's hand made journal.  

3.  Brit Bee LynnBob Quilt - this is from the first round of the Brit Bee last year, and I was first, which also means, I've already got my blocks for the second round, but we'll save that one for another quarter eh? 

I have 22 blocks, I need to make a further 3, piece the top and get it quilted!

4. Big Vintage Modern Stars Quilt 

its a top, at least, and that's how it's stayed, I have the backing, I have some spare blocks, I just need to piece the back, its a bit of a monster, and quilt and finish it!

5.  Christmas Quilt - I started this one just before Christmas, but just ran out of time and steam, I don't want it to sit around for the rest of the year and lose too much momentum.

All the pieces are cut, apart from a few background squares, only because I ran out of fabric, I was trying to do this one from stash only, but I think a visit to the LQS to see if they still have some to keep it unified.  so just piecing, quilting and finishing another!

6.  Big Blocks Quilt - I got this pile of fabric in the sales and I had a plan for it when I bought it, are you shocked?  lol!

so, turn this pile of fabric into a quilt - easy right?

I think 6 things is manageable, 2 a month, seems achievable. 

So what can go wrong?  well, there are the Bee Blocks I need to keep up with, and I still owe one set.  I have a couple of samplers on the go, and I need to catch up on those, and then there are the customer quilts,  I have a several in the pipeline, and a commission quilt I need to move to done, but I don't think these fit in the FAL rules.  so it's going to be a challenge, and I hope I can get myself organised enough to complete it all!

wish me luck, I think I need it!  

#scrappytripalong

it's gone viral on Instagram, 

if you want to follow my drivel over there i am trudi_wood

(same on twitter)

so back to #sccrappytripalong - pattern is here

flickr group is here

so i raided my 2 1/2" strips, pulled all the pretty Amy Butler ones and some other lovelies 

and soon had a pretty block for my efforts

and then there were 8 ...

and after returning to work, and going out and doing a couple of hours each night, 

then there were 16

at which point the pretties had all but run out and I turned to my stash,

and calculated how many more strips I needed for another 20 blocks,

and cut, and cut, and cut ...

and unusually, refolded and returned said stash to the pantry, all nice and neat!

(no I don't think I was feeling quite myself!)

and soon there were all 36 blocks done!

so yesterday I laid them out ...

and after an afternoon of gentle piecing went in search of backing

seems I had just the right amount of this Pure by Sweetwater for Moda

so I loaded it up before I changed my mind and saved it for something else!

and whilst the momentum was still with me ...

got that baby quilted!

and before retiring for the night, I went back to the pantry, pulled a few potential bindings, made a decision and cut, ready for a little more sewing action this morning!

I started this a week ago, and seems I could have another finish for you very soon!

And then, perhaps I can get back to what I should have been doing all this time!

I need to get my list together for the Finish Along that is being hosted by Leanne this year!

Perhaps this will keep me more on track, and get that startitis back under control!

Looking Forward ... by looking back

It was a busy year, there's no denying it! 

and December was no different!

4 quilts quilted for others

prize winnings from Katy and The Fat Quarter Shop

Christmas makes, secret Santa's and stuff that never got its pic taken

Cake!  there's always cake

a finished quilt - Secret Garden Stars

my Swoon top pieced 

and 

of course I got sucked into the #strippytripalong

Its been a great year, though the weather may have sucked at times and my allotment is neglected, 

the highlight was going to the Fat Quarterly Retreat in London and, not only meeting up with all the members of the Brit Bee, but meeting so many on-line friends as well as making new ones.

its hard to say what has been my favourite quilt of the year, there were quite a few,

some more stressy (Festival of Quilt Challenge springs to mind!) than others, but this one sums up how I want to remember 2012

soft faded sunshine with happy memories attached

and perhaps as the sun is shining I may be able to get a better pic today!

I'm looking forward to the challenges that 2013 is set to bring, 

some are already in the diary

some planned, some complete curve balls

like the shower stopped working, electrician will be here tomorrow  :)

so I'm linking this to Lynne's Fresh Sewing Day

2013 - Friends Fun Frolics and Silliness!

(and perhaps a little better organisation along the way!)

Happy New Year!

image courtesy of Madam Samm - Thank you 

Happy New Year to you and yours!

here's to an exciting year ahead, hope you'll join me for the journey as it unfolds