I don't love sewing....., I love sewing....!

Strange title for me I know but my attitude to sewing does depend on what it is I'm sewing...


This will show you what I was doing lots of yesterday eugh - 

Just a small sample of the very large heap I had to label for school - left to the last minute as usual.  Instead of hand sewing them on I stitched them in the seam by machine - much quicker and saves my fingers for some of this hand stitching....mmmm!

I now have ten holes on the Polo Fruity Hexagon quilt covered in a variety of non matching bright fabrics!  Sounds quite good until I tell you there are 49 to do so 39 left!

And to finish up it seems like I have two quilts to make for baby girls - my across the sea one may not do for either though I still want to make it...


Any suggestions?   


I have a fair bit of matroyshka fabric left after another project and thought they would be cute as the centres for some wonky stars blocks - then I could also get my Bee Blessed blocks done at the same time.

But what should I do for the other one - must be quite a quick project and I could  then give mum no 1 a choice.....for her delightful baby with the cutest button nose you ever saw!  2nd baby hasn't arrived yet!


Waiting eagerly for all your suggestions and I have just read Helen's latest post here! - did she read my mind or what!???  Still, let me now what your go to baby quilt pattern is....if you have one!

Goodie, Goodie Swap!

Goody, goody is what I am saying to myself as I think of this swap!  Anxious is how I'm feeling and will continue to feel until I actually get sewing.


What swap you say?  Well if you haven't seen it, or heard about it the swap is being led by the lovely Cindy at Fluffy sheep quilting!  It is too late to join in but you can drool over the inspiration mosaics and goodies being made on flickr


My poor attempts at mosaics are below and I have to say that I haven't managed to be terribly helpful I fear.  Problem is I like so many diffferent things so to help my patrners I thought I'd try to explain my choices:

I cannot see what these have in common!?  I love colour I guess and perhaps little details whether it be applique, quilting or embroidery.  There were so many mugrugs I adored these were a small selection - didn't know I liked toadstools so much but I do have a collection of dala horses!  Love them and all the colours they come in - still looking for a black one on ebay at a reasonable price!  Let me know if you spot one!

I have looked up birds, sewing items, covered journals and a coin purse in this mosaic.  As I like to hand sew on the go - anything to assist that will definitely be used!  I like journals for writing down inspiration!  How lovely it would be to have a special one for thoughts on creating...  And who could resist a little coin purse with money for a rainy day!   Need a little purse for car parking money!




But anything my partner wishes to make is great - I would rather they did something they felt comfortable making than stress out about one of the above.  I love lots of things and homemade is what I love most!


Happy sewing partners and all the other partners out there - hope this helps!

Bordering on insanity!

Here is my progress on the border of my applique quilt using the pattern Friendship's Garden by Blackbird Designs ie Alma Allen and Cherie Ralston.

There is something quite therapeutic about hand sewing I find - you have to slow down and take it gently, listening to a good story on Radio 4 (the American Senator by Thackeray).... cup of tea at hand.  Ahhhhhh!

I am sort of committed to finishing this top off this month - at least that was my target on the UFO domination 2011 group .  Fat chance you say of finishing it now??  Well I do like a challenge but I have only completed one side and two corners so it looks a long way off.

Also best not to step on your cream coloured quilt in an early morning sortie dressed in you pyjamas and wellie boots....I have to applique on this bit!

I got too distracted this month by the Across the Sea QAL and spin off projects - did I need to start a hallowe'en themed lapquilt???  Well yes apparently! 

Also the Delft Dreams and Polo Fruity Hexagon quilts both got more attention than my applique quilt. 

Now I am also panicking slightly about the first swap I have entered - scary new territory!  And I have so much school uniform labelling to do - two off to a new school!

Will it all happen this week? - probably not but I find a deadline sure helps me focus so  - bring it on - insanity or success?

   

Where is the fright nite quilt? Dr Who's back on!

Where was the quilt to hide behind when I needed it for the first in the new series of Dr Who!?  [Edit: not as scary as I had hoped...]


Still in pieces that's where and waiting on more blood red - aka Kona Ruby Red fabric - but I hope my order is being processed.


So I got thinking about a suitable border and this is what sprang to mind

Lovely sharp pointed ....teeth!  

Don't let the children see them or they will know there hasn't been any toothpaste anywhere near these gnashers!

And just to show you I don't get things right first or even second time

 I kept managing to get my wide bits stitched in the opposite place which makes a nice curve rather than a straight line - but this makes me think curved corners would be rather nice!

Liking this crazy idea more and more....just have to think what goes on the back of this quilt???   And I have an idea for that....!

In the meantime back to the baby quilt for the QAL - I have cut out all my cross pieces for the front of the quilt and here are a selection.  I have tried them out on a series of graduated blue backgrounds 

but I have to say that I like them  better on the same deep blue

they just show up so much better so they are waiting on that deep blue sea  background fabric....

I have also been back working on the applique border of the Friendship's Garden quilt - I have nearly finished one side only but my target was to finish all four borders by the end of the month.  It is a tall order!  Am I going to make it ...?  Not quite sure yet as there is a busy week ahead with the return to school.  I will post a photo when I have more to show!




One last thing - I let Clarissa see my post with the photos of Emily, including your comments.  She asked if I would tell all of you how grateful she is that you posted all those lovely thoughts to comfort her.  It really helped to know that everyone was thinking of her.  Clarissa has decided to print off her favourite photo of Emmy and frame it as a reminder of her special friend.  Clarissa added: Thanx again it cheered me up! XD

Thank Peeps you are the best!

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the supportive messages and advice we have had.  Yesterday we cried, we hugged, we sighed, we remembered and we laughed.  Hopefully we can go on remembering Emily as she was - a lovely cat and friend to Clarissa most of all!


Helen from Archie the wonder dog has come up with a very useful suggestion - a posting box or book so that any worries your child has can be posted or written down to be looked at with mum (or dad) at the end of an agreed period of time to review the situation - is this still a worry, has it already resolved itself, what can we do about it now?  Maybe useful to some of you out there.....!  


Clarissa is also starting a new school  next week - so it's an anxious time for her anyway!  Thanks very much Helen I will suggest it to Clarissa and see how she feels about it!


As to what else I have done - I have cut out some material according to the instructions for the Across the Sea QAL - and more than that I have started putting the blocks together. 


Now I was doing a baby quilt using this fabric

But now I'm doing a lap quilt using this

Why the change?  Well I don't have enough of that gorgeous background fabric to make all the blocks and having pondered about a multi coloured background I decided I wanted to stick with the original plan - so I will be waiting for more fabric and am not sure when it will be coming.  For the back of the quilt I have decided to go with white as the background so will join in then as I have quite a bit of white! And have more on order...




So rather than wait and perhaps miss out on the fun I decided to do a Fright Nite lap quilt to put over your head when scary movies come on!  I am sure it will get plenty of use watching the new series of Doctor Who alone,  but being the tinkerer I am, I am tweaking the blocks and the layout and the border!  I am sorry Jennifer and Sarah I just cannot stop meddling!

Was thinking of going with the second layout on this side of the lap quilt as I can pack more of those greek crosses and scary fabrics in but now I look at the photos I am not so sure actually!   But I do adore the blood curdling Kona Ruby Red solid - isn't it yummy!  Great for those knife wielding scenes in the shower or the birthing of a little alien or two!  


Honestly I am far too much of a wimp to watch horror films and Dr Who is about as scary as I will watch! 






I will go back to the original design for the baby quilt with cute whales on it....I promise the Fright Nite Quilt is NOT for the baby!   Any views on the layout anyone?


Thanks again for the comments - they were especially appreciated at this time.

Sad today!!

My neighbour rang me up last night.


She rang to tell me that she thought my cat had been killed on the road.  It was true - our lovely Emily is no more!


So I am sad today that she had her life cut short.  


Hope you don't mind a few photos of her but I'm not thinking about quilts just now!

I am thinking of how we tell her best buddy Clarissa......her grandpa died this year and it has shaken her little world - people die, and her fear is that I will die....I'm hoping it won't be for a while and so is she....but now her world seems uncertain!

And quite a bit less lovely.....

Beach bag beached roll on Across The Sea!

Back In March/April I decided to make a beach bag out of these fabrics 

Look I even did a mock up of it with ribbon and everything....

But did I do anything about it ?  No not in the least!  I haven't even been to the beach apart from a short visit to the Isle of Wight in Spring!

So I am re-purposing the fabric for a baby quilt like this

I am joining in the Across the Seas QAL led by Jennifer of Ellison Lane Quilts and Sarah of Fairy Face Designs and it is not too late to join in as well....if you haven't jumped in yet!

And I will add in these fabrics - do they all play nicely together?

Of course I have far too many fabrics but I like a choice and I may but in a little border round the edge...?




But my question today is - which one should be the background?  I was thinking it was a choice between white, aqua or the dark teal?  To be honest I'm drawn to the dark one but is this too dark for a baby quilt?




Hope it works out all right!  One of the babies is supposedly a girl and the one due last Sunday - well I haven't heard.....yet?

Borderless Delft Dreams

You were mostly telling me to go without a border and as I have never done that before I find I am only too happy to oblige - plus the fact that I can finish sooner!


But I do like a pieced back to a quilt to make my quilts sort of reversible so here is the back....spent all yesterday playing with it!

First of all there is a giant sized broken dishes block in blue and white - what else could I use? The block is deliberately off centre and I have given it a border first in Kona Ash from the lovely Mandy at Simply Solids.  Followed by a blue and white border suggested by new blogger Helen at Archie the wonder dog! 

Aside:
If you know Lynne then you have been to Helen's blog already otherwise go and have a look and say hi!  She has just started blogging but has done some lovely work which you can also see on her Flickr photostream - same name!  And you will meet Archie and his pal Alfie there too!   

Back to the quilt:
More Kona Ash and blue squares follow with a bit of white thrown in. 




You may notice a hint of black fluffiness in the bottom right corner......you've guessed I was visited by the lovely Saffy while taking my photos this morning in pyjamas and wellies in the gentle English drizzle....!


It was great fun making this pieced back and my next job will be to layer and quilt this little one.....here are front and back together

....with guard cat!

...and there is her seal of approval " Good job mum!"

Nearly finished but now I need Liz to nag me about getting on with that applique border on the Friendship's Garden quilt as I have done two swags and no more!  Go for it Liz!

Polo Fruity Hexagons!

The bright hexagons have been zigzagged on the machine together!  And now I have to decide what is to go in the centre as at the moment my quilt is full of holes!  




Just like a whole lot of Polo Fruits!

The options I was considering were


1  All one colour throughout the quilt
2  A fabric from each individual hexagon 
3  A contrast fabric from the quilt but not in that specific hexagon 

I had some very helpful comments and some ideas I had not thought of so I had to test them all out.  Thank you all you creative people even if I am not going with your suggestion I appreciate your time and thought!  


I placed some of my Kona solids under the quilt top to see what I liked best and these are my favourites

Well I like them all with some of the hexagons so I am leaning towards option three after all.  I will actually cut out some dotty fabrics next as the centres to see if this will work.  I will report back!


As for the Delft Dreams quilt - again thanks for your input and I will go ahead without a border - haven't tried that before so it will be fun to try something new!  

This post is linked to

Freshly Pieced WIP - Wednesday