Patchwork Please!

It came! It came! I don't usually buy quilting books but the last Zakka sew along looked so good that I didn't want to miss out this time around.

I tore the box open in front of the postman and started leafing through it straight away, he even asked me to make him a grown up size one of these! Lol!  The book is packed full of gorgeous projects for kids, the home, the kitchen, for crafting and Ayumi's fabric choices are to die for, I'm not sure my stash holds quite as many cute fabrics!

The Zakka 2.0 sewalong is being hosted by Debbie & Lindsay and starts in June, so there is still time to get your copy of the book before it all kicks off.  I got mine from Amazon where it is on offer with a saving of 40% at the moment - you know me I love a bargain!

The difficulty now will be to stop myself from making any of the gorgeous projects until then! I'm already seeing some popping up around blogland... Resist! Resist!

Sunday Stash - a win!!!

I was a very lucky girl and won a giveaway of 4 fat quarters on the Simply Solids facebook page and they arrived yesterday!

I believe these beauties are Kona Solids Pomegranate, Orange, Buttercup and Timeless Treasures Sketch in Grey.

After the fun of children's roller disco yesterday afternoon, I delivered my Spring Whimsy quilt to one of my best friends Susana. Having made a Quillow for her daughter Bella last year she was eager for a quilt of her own! Here she is just after I gave it to her.

I'm now under orders to make one for her husband, who is 6 foot 4 inches tall, so that they all have one! He may have to get in the queue!

Linking up with Sunday Stash @ Finding Fifth.

Spring Whimsy finished!

I'm so pleased to have this quilt finished, for three reasons;

1: The quilting went wrong, I was left with a baggy bit in the middle of the quilt and had to unpick all the way to the edge, repin and start the quilting again! Tedious is an understatement!

2: My friend bagsied this quilt when it was just square blocks unpieced hanging on the wall and I'm seeing her on Saturday and wanted to give it to her then - we're taking the kids to another roller disco!

3: This is one of the projects on my Finishalong list - yay!

Made with the Laurie Wisbrun Modern Whimsy layer cake that I won, some coordinating Robert Kaufmann solids, and a gorgeous Cath Kidston-esque fabric for the backing and binding.

I just love the striped binding!

I really didn't want to chop up the 10"x10" layer cake squares, the animal prints are adorable and I didn't want them to get lost in the quilt, I wanted them to 'make' the quilt.

The measurements are roughly 55" x 68" but it's in the wash at the moment so I can't confirm them exactly.

I'll be linking up with the friday parties...
Link a Finish Friday at Richard & Tanya Quilts
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts
and also
Let's Get Acquainted

Unpicking is so tedious!

Well I have spent several hours today unpicking the quilting I did yesterday ... I somehow ended up with a baggy bit in the middle :-(

I tried unpicking the lines either side and resewing it but that didn't work so now I'm unpicking all the way to the edge so that I can flatten it out and repin it...

I'm seeing my friend Susana who wants this quilt on Saturday so I'll be desperately trying to finish it by then.

I hope everyone is having a more productive sewing day than me!

Spring Quilt Festival

I forgot to post about my flying visit to the Spring Quilt Festival in Exeter a couple of weekends ago! Shame on me!

We were down in Devon staying with family near Honiton and the quilt festival was only a half hour drive away, so while my boys were playing on tractors and quad bikes I spent the morning fabric shopping and gawping in awe at the display quilts.

These quilts are so amazing, and you know how poor my photography skills are, so I hope you can appreciate the workmanship from my pictures, they are just so inspiring.

I'm planning a union jack/London themed quilt for him indoors, it's our 10th wedding anniversary next month - so although it's highly unlikely he'll be given it on the day, he hopefully will receive it in our 10th year of wedlock!

I managed to purchase a few more fabrics for his quilt while I was there along with a couple more random FQ's for an I Spy Quilt also taking shape in my brain!

One of the stalls at the festival tickled me, all the fabric and ribbons was stored in wine boxes! I wonder if they drank all that wine and then wondered what to do with all the boxes?  Or if they are saying, 'I need more storage, quick lets drink more wine!'

I've spent the day quilting my Spring Whimsy quilt and my shoulders are aching so I'm off for a glass of wine of my own and a catch up of some Paul Hollywood Bread to unwind...

WIP Wednesday - Spring has sprung!

After the bedlam of the Easter break it's great to be back in routine and have some quiet time in the afternoons to rediscover my sewing mojo.

I've been reading how organised everyone is and how they're ticking items off their finish-along list already, you know who you are!

My Spring Whimsy quilt is pretty much all pieced, I just need to put a little bit more white around the edges. I have ordered the wadding and backing so there will not be anymore progress for a couple of days on this one until it arrives.

And don't you just love it when friends come around, see the blocks hanging on the design wall (sounds posh but is really just a piece of wadding held up by trouser hangers suspended on picture hooks!) and bagsy the quilt before it's even pieced! And she said she'd pay me for it as well! Result!

Another item on my Finish-along list is to resurrect my kaleidoscope blocks which were a complete failure at my last attempt. I went back online and printed the templates again, re-read all the instructions, comments & feedback and voila! Two lovely blocks so far!

I think this particular project was about overcoming the fear that I couldn't do it and mentally being in the right place to try again.  I was able to recut the triangles I had previously cut to the wrong size which I am very relieved about because I DID NOT want my Denyse Schmidt prints to go to waste!

Stats:
No progress this week year so far on the;
Solids HST Diamond Quilt - needs re-basting as I've changed my mind about the backing fabric!
Black and White King Size Bed Quilt - completed quilt top, partial quilt back
Dresden Plate - partial quilt top
Kids T-shirt Memory Quilt - some t shirts cut....

Finishes this week: 0
New Projects this week: 0
In Progress: 7

Linking up with Freshly Pieced

Whoops!

I may have left the iron on all night! Please tell me I'm not the only person to do this! And please don't tell him indoors - I'll be in the doghouse for a week! I know, I know - I could have burned the house down!

;-)

Sunday Stash 14/04

Ooops another little fabric purchase!

 

I've not succumbed to the text print revolution before now but this 'how to make a pillowcase' print is pretty cool.

 

I have been threatening to make a sewing machine cover forever - so maybe these little beauties will be put to use sooner rather than later - although I'm going to try to finish a project from my Finish-along list before I start something new!

 

I've been piecing and sashing together my Whimsy Spring quilt top today but sewing was interrupted by sunshine, family, fun and a BBQ! The first of the year!

 

I hope you all enjoyed the sunshine today, it's back to school and the old routine tomorrow for us...

 

Linking up with Sunday Stash @ Finding Fifth.

2013 Q2 Finish-a-long Plans

We are home from a lovely long weekend spent in Devon, I didn't want to come home, it's great catching up with the family we don't see very often.  I made it to the Spring Quilt Show too! But I'll write a quick post on that later.

I missed out on the Q1 fun for the Finish-a-long over with Leanne at She Can Quilt, but I was very impressed with everyones recently posted finishes so here is my UFO list for Q2.

Back in July 2011 I joined the Kaleidoscope QAL and cut up my precious Denyse Schmidt Picnic Fairgrounds prints, but my template had printed to the wrong scale, my fabric was cut to the wrong size and being a novice I had no idea how to proceed.  Using a new template I eventually plucked up the courage to have another go and managed one - yes one! - block, the right hand one... the left one is all puckered in the centre...  I'm going to be realistic and just try to attempt to resurrect a couple more blocks from my already cut fabric on this project.

Last spring (2012) I made my Rainbow Diamond quilt top with an RK brights charm pack.  It was layered and pin basted and then I changed my mind about the backing fabric, so it was unpinned and popped in the drawer while I decided... I'm sure I can manage to finish this one up before June!

The Super Mario Quilt for my boys has turned into a bit of a labour of love! The small pieces in these blocks are getting to me and I keep taking breaks from it, which means there isn't alot of progress on it lately.  I pledge to finish a few more blocks on this one.

 

The distinct lack of spring in the air prompted me to pull out my Laurie Wisbrun Modern Whimsy layer cake and add some zingy solids to the mix.  This is a very recent WIP but with a few more  pieced blocks and a bit of sashing in between it should come together quite quickly.

 

I'm looking forward to making a start but with the kids on school holidays for another week there may not be much time for sewing, seems all I've been doing today is refereeing! I also can't wait to see what projects everyone else is linking up, I'm off for a look!

 

 



Easter Getaway

We have arrived in Devon! Yay!

It's trying to snow and is bitterly cold and windy but it was like that a home so what the hey!

We're staying with my hubby's family near Honiton and guess what? The Spring Quilt Festival is on this weekend and it's about a 20 minute drive away from here on the way to Exeter!

I didn't plan it that way honestly but I wonder if I can persuade hubby to drop me off there for a couple of hours?