I am weak willed!

In between all my handstitching I have been active on the internet pressing the buy now button and maybe I should share some of my beautiful booty with you.


I am weak willed - show me something pretty and it seems I cannot resist!


This arrived from Japan and the lovely Ayumi @ Pink Penguin!

sorry about the blurry photo - but Disney stamps!

The smaller pieces on the left were not on the order but thrown in by Ayumi to keep the others company!  Isn't she lovely!


This arrived from Katy @ Monkey Do!

 

told you I have a Carnival quilt somewhere in my future

This followed from Sew Kind of Wonderful

shortly after I saw this cushion Alison made @ Little Island Quilting - she has been showing off ever since what this ruler can do here and here! ( hehe!)


This was too tempting to resist from Martha....

 - first Lori was making a tiny Drunkard's Path then I saw Kathie's quilt and found a link to Martha's Etsy Shop from there on resistance was pointless!  


I watched Martha make loads of unique aprons for her daughter's wedding shower guests from beautiful vintage fabrics and she is still making them to sell in her Etsy shop plus she is making the most beautiful kits from her original vintage stash and cutting out all the tiny pieces...   

I had to put in my bobbin to show you the tiny scale of these pieces...all I need do is sew them up!

These were on sale at Seamstar - think I am getting a daisy thing!

This from Karen at BlueberryPark

Told you I am in love with daisies!




This book from Amazon

You have been telling me it is good and this time I was listening with my finger on the buy now button!






And this Oakshott cotton - I blame Lynne!

I have been buying these over the last month and a half ....honest!  I just have been keeping it all to myself...thought I'd better come clean!

I'm Fixing a Hole where the Rain get's in....

And stops my mind from wandering....where it will goooooooo! Where it will gooooo!  (Beatles Sgt Pepper - for you youngsters!)

I was going to put this quilt top on my next Finish-along-with-Rhonda list to encourage me to put circles on every round hole which was the next step to finishing this UFO.  I am happy to say that having started all my hand sewing with it's sister quilt - the little back number - I just got on with it and filled in those holes, all done now already see:

The pattern is the same as my little black number but looks quite different I think!  It is called Kaleidoscope Hexagon and was designed by Carolyn Forster -  but this one I started calling my Polo Fruity Quilt as it reminded me of the bright colours of Polo Fruits.


I was then on the hunt for a border fabric and having tested out several bright solid colours and with a bit of help in narrowing it down from Saffy and the girls - we decided on Kona Cerise !  I only have a half metre of this so have ordered 2 more metres in the hope that I can make nice wide borders of yumminess to hold all that colour.

Can't wait for that order to arrive!  


I know I could prevaricate for Britain but it didn't really take that long to get this step done and I have been putting it off for ages.  Why?




I think that with the help of a few deadlines (thanks so much Rhonda!) and a bit more determination to finish, I may get most of my UFOs done.....




Unless I keep starting new things again!  My wishlist of projects I want to start up is getting longer and longer....can I hold off?


Stained Pink - still haven't decided on the fabric....
Swoon  - in Echo
Retro Flowers - maybe in Liberty, maybe not...
Granny Squares - probably in 30s repro
Carnival - possibly in Liberty and Oakshott cotton 
Hopscotch - do not know what to make this one in!




I think I may need professional help!  I am a serial patchworker - is that such a crime?

The little black number....

I have been quiet for a little while....the reason being I wanted to finish my fourth Finish-along project (to see my list please follow here!) and still had quite a lot of work to do.

But then the sun came out....the flowers came out....and I started working in the garden in the sunshine....not digging, stitching!

There wasn't too much hand quilting left to do or rather I couldn't do too much handquilting because of this....argh!

But there was still the border to quilt and no time to get new thread I thought so I finished the border with some machine stitching and do you know what I like the extra definition of the machine stitching.  I don't usually mix the two!

I thought this quilt had an Art Deco look because of the colours, well I think the machine stitching adds to that...and here's the big picture

And here's the back - it's actually a polycotton but don't tell those quilt police and I might get away with it.  The handquilting looks a bit like flowers which is nice.   The stitching isn't perfect - but it is done!

I tried a variation on the usual rounded or square corner - yes this was deliberate!  Not sure if it works but I was trying to add to that Art Deco feel!

So now I can feel like I have met the challenge!  Four Finish-along projects completed in this quarter - but oh so many more UFOs to do....!

Both Saffy and I are exhausted!

Better get ready for the next quarter then!


PS Linking up with Rhonda!

Fright Nite Bright!

It's raining today!  I know we need water in the reservoirs in the South of England but I was wanting to take a photo or two because The Fright Nite top is finished!




I went with option two as I liked it and thought there would be no need to match seams that way!  


The downside was it meant I had to make 20 teeth sections !  Yes 20!  Still not loving PP but don't dislike it so much and am getting used to getting that unpicker out to eradicate my (many) mistakes!  But they are getting fewer as I sometimes think before I sew.  


I have worked out that late night sewing is not particularly intelligent sewing as my brain does seem to disengage after about 9pm ....  Anyway I thought it looked very samey so introduced a bit more colour to the mix - a bit of pink, purple and green to go with the black, red, orange and beige - does that sound horrendous?  I think it does and it looks it too - but hopefully in a nice way....and you'd better get your shades if you are the sensitive sort!


Even my husband said "That's bright!"   That's all he said so I am not really sure what he thinks but my first efforts in quilting he thought were a bit dull..




So are you ready?

Told you it was bright!

Not tasteful is it?

Here is a close up of the Hallowe'en fabrics and those teeth...

What do you think?  Is it scary enough?


Just now I am plotting what will appear on the other side...


[Linking up with Rhonda!]






But before I can get started on that I have to finish this quilt...

Got a bit of hand quilting to do traditional style!  This is my last FAL (Finish-along) project for this quarter and I have until the end of March to finish it...Eek! 


I am already thinking of what should appear on my next FAL list....


It could include this one....

Two borders to applique till the top is finished

Perhaps this one...

Centres to handstitch on every hexagon but some already done 

And maybe I should make a few more of these!  My own Kona solids card.   My plan was to make one for every Kona solid I buy - have to say I am seriously behind in that project. 




I think three projects may be enough this time around as I plan to start a few new projects....well I keep seeing such lovely things how can I resist?

Should I be brushing my teeth?

They do look a bit orange - do you think I need to brush them?

I am working to finish one of my Finish-along list....lots of you are getting quickly through your lists (Erin - for example!) and I still have two to do!


I started this lapquilt last year as part of my first ever Quilt-a-long - The Across the Sea one run by Jennifer and Sarah.  I loved the pattern so much I actually was making two - a baby quilt which I did finish....sort of! 

And this one  - a lapsize quilt called the Fright Nite Quilt for Hallowe'en and watching Doctor Who!  These are all my blocks...

I did think about making the border the same as the original and but an image of teeth or rather fangs came into my head!  Much more Hallowe'eny!   

Then when I realised my best option was to paper/foundation piece them I became a bit less keen ....so after this one section it got shelved!


Now having survived wonky houses which were mainly paper pieced I thought I had better return to the ugly teeth!  So here I am six sections down and more to go but how many...?


Originally I was thinking of them being the border...

Now I am thinking of sashing.... but like this

Which layout to go for?   I am leaning towards option 2, more scary I thought.....what do you think?






Now we all like a smile and a happy face don't we?


Well I was helping out at toddler group this morning and taking my camera caught a few pics of the Twinkle quilt baby!


Here she is making a lunge for my camera hence the blurry image...

She was smiling shortly before I took this picture....and in fact shortly after..

Obviously being a supermodel is exhausting work but she did wake up in time for singing!

And here is her Twinkle quilt!

Don't forget to help me out on the toothy dilemma....