Cultivate - Blog Tour

I can not tell you how excited I was to be asked by Bonnie Christine of Going Home to Roost, Designer for Art Gallery Fabrics,  to be part of the Cultivate Blog Tour  

How could I miss this opportunity!  I knew as soon as the fabric designs had been released that it was coming to live with me!  Well. Cultivate is my word of the year!  

So I already had this rather beautiful stack of fabric that I may have already made one quilt from, but unfortunately that one is still in the secret sewing category.

With a little bit of inspiration from this book by Amber Johnson

I had a little play around with one of the patterns in there.  Why do a baby quilt when you can do a bed quilt right? 

So this is the block, in the book it comes out at 38", but you know me, Keep it simple, so I rounded up the measurements to simple sizes, easy to work with, and less for my brain to think about, 

added in some extra sashing to tie in the four blocks, and hey presto

A quilt is born!  

a whopping 92" square quilt, and I love it!

I added some Pure Elements in White Linen as the background, and it adds a real sheen to the whole quilt.  

I had to wait for the rain to come, so I could get a photo, (there was a distinct absence of people around for quilt holding duties) and the sun just beamed in and blocked the view otherwise.

I used a wool wadding to give me great loft and definition for the quilting ....

cos, you know I'm all about the quilting!

and because this stripe runs across the width of the fabric, I cut it on the bias for the binding.  

I love using more than one colour of binding, and both colourways of this fabric work brilliantly, don't you think? 

So there you go, I have been cultivating my creativity with Cultivate, designed by Bonnie Christine for Art Gallery Fabrics, and what a joy it is to play with such beautiful fabrics, just because, and for no other reason.  

I hope you will take the time to go back and see what everyone has been making during the Cultivate Blog Tour.  You can see the full list of talented participants here. 

Yesterday was Rachel over at The Floral Suitcase, she made some fabulous coasters,  they are so pretty!  

And tomorrow is the turn of Maria over at Villa Stoff Blog.  I cant wait to see what Maria makes, because I'm loving her holiday pics right now! 

(just so you know, this is my third quilt I have pieced, quilted and bound this month, more about the others soon!)

Catching up with myself

Where to start! 

Its been too long, I'm sorry!

So, there was a BIG birthday, in fact we will be celebrating another big birthday for my youngest this weekend too!

Afternoon tea with friends, thank you Di for a day full of memories

and to Gillian for my amazing patchwork cake!

I was thoroughly spoiled!

including even more cake

and flowers too!

And lots a very lovely generous gifts from so many friends. 

Thank you all!

There was also a BritBee meet up, sadly my camera never came out once!

On the quilty front, oh so much secret sewing has been happening, 

But finally this months issue of Quilt Now Magazine has the Cloud 9 Quilt I quilted for Jacqui of Hantex, way back in January, along with 7 others too! 

Katy has a done a marvelous job of styling the quilt for the magazine, (as always) and its so nice to be able to share this now. 

And some recent fabric acquisitions include this bundle of Cultivate by Bonnie Christine for Art Gallery Fabrics.  I have something special planned for these! 

(just sayin'!)

Well, I hope to be back soon, with a catch up on the travels too!

Rapture Star

So my Rapture Star has been on my FAL list for some time

It needed to be done in time for Festival, 

With all the piecing going on, my quilt got put to the pile,  

When I loaded it, I wanted to do it justice for a competition, but just looked at it for weeks (ok, 2 weeks) before I quilted it.  

And when I did get round to quilting it, I had made the decision that it would not make it to Festival, as I still had Nels quilts to do, and well, the paid work comes first right?

So I just quilted it with feathers, no plan, just did it

on and off, no fuss

and I love it, not the best quilting, backtracking or anything like I wanted for it, 

but thanks to Moira and Mary and a binding party, whilst I quilted the EMMQG entry

my Rapture Star made it to Festival

This is another Whopper at 84" square

Fabrics are Rapture by Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics with Pure Elements in Snow from Art Gallery fabrics as the background. 

The pattern was from a Moda Bakeshop pattern Candy Flower pillow by Julie Hirt that used Mini Squares (2 1/2") 

but I went large and super sized those squares somewhat!

There is some AGF on the back and so this quilt feels amazing!

So that's another one off my FAL list!

Running!

Well, making table runners at least!

So I've been working on a simple project that is suitable for beginners, 

in preparation for teaching this as a class at StitchCraft Studio, Grantham 

I asked my lovely friend Katy of I'm a Ginger Monkey if I could use her book as the basis for the class, 

and I was thrilled when she agreed!

If you don't have this book, it's a great compendium of blocks and small makes, ideal for the beginner, 

I'm more than happy to recommend it! 

I chose fabrics from Art Gallery Fabrics

made a few blocks

remade one

made a few more

and before long a runner was in the making

and of course I had the perfect match for the quilting too!

I quilted in the ditch on this runner, I wanted the blocks to pop and don't want to intimidate my beginners with any fancy schmancy quilting ...

so, if you are a beginner quilter, been watching from the sidelines thinking you'd like to give it a go, but don't know where to start, I will be teaching this as a beginners class, along with all the basics of cutting, 1/4" seam and the difference between borders, sashing, and half square triangle!

StitchCraft Studio 

Saturday 5th, 12 & 19 October 2013

11th, 18 & 25 January 2014

22, 29 March & 5 April 2014

Indie!

So whilst at fat quarterly retreat, a lovely friend said to me, can you do something with these? 

well, it would have been rude not to! 

I didn't like to say Hell, Yes!

so during my 2 weeks off work, I took this pile of lovliness and started something for me!

as you do!

divided them into lights and dark's ...

and before long, there wasn't a lot left of that lovely stack of fat quarters...

and in no time at all there were a pile of blocks ready for the off!

of course this was happening in between customer quilting!

before I could load it up on the frame for a little bit of special treatment with this Aurifil Poly thread, just the perfect match!

as you know, I do love to piece with Aurifil Mako 50 wt cotton, and was pleasantly surprised at how well the polyester thread behaved too!

Don't get me wrong, I still love Superior Rainbows for the beautiful high sheen and the way the light catches it, but this thread caught me off guard a little :) 

because I know you want to see how it was quilted!

so the first week I pieced it, went to Festival of Quilts, 

and the second week I quilted and bound it!

nothing like a quick make to satisfying the need for a finish 

but only this week, did the sun go in so I could get a few shots in the garden

(no I'm not complaining about the wonderful summer we've had, I don't want it to end just yet)

and because this is made with Art Gallery Fabrics, it really feels fabulous!

I love this quilt, its definitely a grower, and its currently residing on my bed!

and those scraps?

I may have started something new!

I bought a new ruler at Festival, and I wanted to play!

so, Indie

62 x 82 (I think!)

Indie by Art Gallery Fabrics (top) 

backing - Belle by Amy Butler 

Binding - Oval Elements by Art Gallery Fabrics 

Thread - Aurifil

Resting

As instructed I have been resting ...

and quilting ...

and teaching ...

and shopping ...

and a little more shopping ...

and baking ...

and today, Di came over, and we stroked fabric, drank tea, ate cake ...

laughed a lot, put the world to rights ...

and came up with a plan for some of that lovely fabric ...

oh and in between all of that, I made a start on my FAL Q2 list 

resting is quite productive :)

a last minute make ...

so before I finished work on Thursday I need to hand over a birthday gift, 

so that meant a little last minute gift making on Wednesday evening,

after work, and all the other household chores

you know what its like ...

so I grabbed some of those pretty scraps from the last big blocks quilt, 

and my pattern from the Framed Purse class by Katy at FQR last summer

and proceeded ...

and before long ...

a little purse was born

ok, maybe not so little, I used a 6" x 3" frame

and do you know what, I'm pretty damn pleased with this!

I do hope my friend is happy with it, filled with some always needed pretty tissues

and emergency chocolate of course!

Ooops ...

seems I fell off the wagon again!

prepare to look away!

a visit to the LQS to drop off some samples resulted in these jumping in my bag,

seems that happens at lot when I go there!

there was a charm pack of Indigo Crossings too, but I cut into that before I got a picture of it! 

Ooops!

and these lovelies ... oh ....

Textures by Angela Walters and also Urban Mod both lines for Art Gallery Fabrics 

courtesy of The FatQuarter Shop

I've given my FAL Q2 list some thought, and I think I now have a plan :) 

and as I am now on leave from the day job for the next 12 days, 

lets see what we can get done around here ...

along with some well needed rest ... especially as I made a promise to a dear friend!

so expect to see some resting pictures too!