Still stitching....

I managed to get this off the frame a good couple of weeks ago, but today I managed to get it trimmed up ready for binding.  Thank you to Amanda Jean for the pattern of this one. (I'd link to her blog, but she's decided to no longer blog - and I miss her inspiration) I have quite a stash of AmyButler fabrics, they were just right for this. 

My favourite feathers :)

I've been busy working away on my City and Guilds, the bricks are from a photo I took of some beautiful houses in Edinburgh.  The colours and patterns were amaizing.

I'm pleased to say my tutor was really pleased with this piece of work.

Using the same brick fabrics I moved onto some Log Cabin blocks.  I love the subtlety of these, the batiks and hand dyed fabrics work really well and adds a great light.

From there I moved on to Court House Steps, but not being satisfied with the traditional, I've chosen four different colours for each side.

This little block just really speaks spring.  Have you noticed how mother nature is sneaking around, sssshhhh we don't want her to realise we've noticed! 

So, you see, I may have been a little absent lately, but I have good cause, honest!  I've been keeping up with my blog reader, so I know you all have been busy little bees too!

Happy quilting!

Meet Ausie and his cousins ...

This is Ausie, the little gecko, he's off to the land of Oz for a thank you to someone! I hope she like him. He was inspired by a gift from this person. I just have to make a label and he'll be off to warmer climes.

I went to a raw edge applique workshop, not that I'd never done it before, and this was the project. So the middle man is Zebedee, on account of his stripes, (it's a childhood reference) the other pair are Spotty and Dotty! The last bit of applique I did was for V, and really loved it then too! Note to self, must do something more with raw edge applique!

The piece of wadding I took for the class was slightly too small, hence the appearance of Ausie above! These will be layered and free motion quilted on my domestic machine rather than the frame. Sometime soon I hope.

So I think that counts as another finish for this month!

Happy Quilting!

ps. note for Tina: I promise not to send him till you've had a chance to inspect!

Close to my Heart!

You know when you walk into the LQS and the new fabric slaps you in the face and says 'take me home - now!' well that happened to me just before Christmas. And thanks to a pattern on Moda Bakeshop, and a few fq's of Astor Manor, hey presto, we have another quilt!



The quilting ladies I was with laughed and asked it I always dressed the same as the fabrics I use? That day I definitely had!

I'm not normally one for a pieced back, but this really works well! So, although the fabric is called Close to my Heart by Moda, this quilt really is close to my heart, I just LOVE it!

This was on my 2010 UFO list, (well it was a UFO at the begining of the year!) so that's another one done, though not the one I should be working on this month .... shhhh!

In other news, I had a little Ooops/ Doh! moment earlier today.....

.... I usually do my quilting on the frame, but often those little quilts are just too small, and it's easier to just free motion it on the Bernie. More of this tomorrow :)

Happy quilting!

a little bit of this, a little more of that and a crinkle or two!

A little bit of this ... a finish.

Finally I got this little runner I made before Christmas bound and done! I really like it, I have a friend who has her birthday soon, it may be heading her way :)

A little more...

... time spent on my 'Camp Sloanie Keeping the Camp Fires Burning' quilt means I actually got the borders on it today. Wooohoooo! Another top to add to the pile of those awaiting quilting. I have a few ideas on quilting this one already! It may have to do a little queue jumping ... hehe!

I started my Expedition Quilt Art challenge for February. Using some of my snow dyed fabric, I had a good read of Nellies Needles blog, and set my fabric to dry in the airing cupboard! Today was the day it was released from the confines of the cup revealing a crinkle or two!

I eased the fabric out, and layered it onto the backing and some beautiful wool wadding. This is going to be hand quilted, and I just love hand quilting on wool wadding. I found myself some big needles, though I'm not sure about them just yet. They'll take some getting used to. I am so used to using tiny needles to get tiny stitches on hand quilting.

But I do have some beautiful threads to use on this project. I'm having fun with them already :)

Happy quilting!

February's UFO Challenge

I thought I better declare my intention for February's UFO Challenge. I was really pleased to get a head start in January, and am well on the way to finishing another on the list.

But for February this is no 7 on my list of UFO's. I saw a picture of a quilt whilst surfing the net, I can't remember where, but was inspired enough to dig out a jelly roll from John Louden and a big piece of yardage that contrasted well and started. The title is a bit of a joke between a Friend and I, but you could say they are mitered!

So, in this box is the remaining yardage, the strip sets sewn together, some pressed, some not. A few partially pieced blocks and a handful of finished ones too! It's going to be quite some challenge to get this one done quilted. bound and labelled by the end of the month. Wish me luck!

For now it's back to Camp Sloanie for a little finishing off.

Happy quilting!

Camp Slaonie Winter Stashbusting

As the US is gripped in the throws of a massive snow storm, Pat Sloan couldn't have chosen a better weekend for her Camp Sloanie Winter Stashbuster event.

How does it work? Take a pile of pre-cut strips, add a little yardage, and a sprinkle of magic twinkle from the Sloan Ranch....

.. and you get yourself some blocks...

repeat, and make as many or as few as you want, and this is what I came up with so far!

I've got a few more rows to sew together, but it's late and I'm tired (seems to be a re-occurring theme lately)!

More on this one tomorrow. Get yourself over to Pat's blog and have a look at some very talented people who are joining in. There's a flickr group too!

Happy Quilting!

A little finish to be going on with

I finished this little quilt a couple of weeks ago, but I couldn't show you as this wasn't the final story for this little piece. Not know for little quilts, this one measures a mere 12" x 24" and is part of the Challenge quilts for Expedition Art Quilts blog. Pop over there and have a look at Angela and Tina's quilts. We are all so very different.

I was away last weekend, and now have a pile of bindings to be sewn down, so hopefully I'll have a few more finishes for you soon enough.

I also got several quilt tops done as well, this is the Purple Kaffe quilt top. Now awaiting quilting. I'm really pleased with how this one turned out. I've got a few ideas on the quilting too.

My little challenge quilt, took on a new persona after several baths of soda ash solution and procion dyes. The final results are very different.

I prefer the back to the front, I love how the dye has been drawn by the thread, both the machine quilting and the hand quilting.

Work in the morning so that's all for now, I'll be back soon!