Package arrived!

I am frankly bored with seeing this in my sewing room

But I am very excited about this 

From the ever so lovely Karen at Blueberry Park!


Expect some new lampshades at mrs sew & sow soon - how I wish I could start now!

Wonky on....

Yes I have pushed the wonky quilt one step beyond what we saw last time!

This quilt is sheer madness and like the Cheshire Cat says in Alice in Wonderland 'we are all mad around here' ...

After a bit of a conversation with the lovely and ever so helpful Katy I was persuaded to go with a babycord backing for this quilt.  I happened to have bought some recently from Shaukat for pouches/bags and the like in a beautiful bright orange!   (Shaukat has lots of Liberty - need I say more!)


Believe me,  I was nervous of quilting this I have to say and was not going to attempt the quilt as one whole thing so I have opted for quilting a row at a time and will piece them together after quilting some detail in these houses full of fun. 

So far so good!  My first row is quilted and it isn't one awful mess at the back, it shows up the quilting, it wasn't even a nightmare to quilt !  So thanks Katy I am giving this the thumbs up and have ordered more of the same delicious soft cord and will continue....[and it has arrived already - talk about a speedy overnight service ]

The reason I wanted something a bit tough on the back was that I am hoping we will have a summer this year - either that or I'll be taking the nightboat to Cairo I think - and that this could be a rug for outside if not a picnic rug!

I know my girl Clarissa would love to lie around with friends chatting in the garden....maybe fending a greedy pup away from a pile of food!  

Must say I am really enjoying this - it must be love!

Ok, how many did you find (wink)?

First bee block of the month

On Sunday evening I was in a stitchy mood and was inspired by a request from Debra to make a lighthouse, boat or bridge block!   She wanted a pieced one in one colour on a white background!

That was specific!  I find that helpful really as it tells you what not to include as well as what to include. 

So here is my lighthouse!

I have to say it was a fun make and quite easy to free piece (without templates or foundation paper) once I had given up on the complex paper pieced version I first drew up and didn't know how to proceed with.  Remember the KISS rule and we will all be happy!

I included a blue print with what I thought looked like life belts on it and the glass paneled light at the top is represented by the chevron print instead of trying to piece a whole load of panels!   Then the light coming out is another chevron print to represent the light waves reaching out to those ships in danger!

Hope this makes Debra happy (she seems happy - phew!)  It worked for me!

All Fired Up!

I suddenly realised that the first quarter of our Finish-along 2013 is coming towards an end.  I have 6 projects on my first quarter list, we are 2 months down and I have only completed three projects!

It was enough to stir me into gear and I have moved two of my quilts further on.  I showed you the wonky one recently and now I can show you a small bit of progress on another one - my spools quilt!

This quilt was an exercise in two things for me - the first was working in a mainly solids palette of fabric in a colour scheme I wouldn't normally choose - turquoise, teal, grey, mustard and a few toning colours in between!  There is just one Low Volume print in the middle of my spool. 

The second was sewing y-seams both by hand and on the sewing machine.  These y seams are relatively easy as the angles are quite obtuse thank goodness!

At the beginning of the year I completed the spools panel of 81 blocks, using the different two colour combinations in my colour scheme.  I had thought about making my spools panel the centre of another spool but have now decided against it.  

Instead the border features a square replicating one of the colours from the adjacent block.  The four corner blocks feature the lovely print by Heather Moore in the Cut out & Keep Collection for Cloud 9 Fabrics which I used as the centre of the spool!

My quilt top is complete and looks like this! 

Hurrah the sun came out yesterday afternoon but it was still a bit windy - here were some other attempts to catch it on camera.  The sharp eyed among you might spot Maddie helping in the background!

The other night I did a bit of late night shopping and bought these fabrics for backing  - I know not my usual style but neither is this quilt!

Sadly there wasn't enough of the Ikat diamond so I went with the co-ordinating solid which seems appropriate after all in a mainly solids quilt!  I know the Ikat diamond is still available elsewhere but I am stingy enough not to want to pay full price for backing fabric and I think this combination will work well.  Sometimes not getting what you want makes you more inventive and actually the result is more pleasing - well that's what I'm hoping!

 This is the last of my quilts that I started in a workshop with the lovely Carolyn Forster.  When I finish it, it will be the end of an era for me!  Might need to book another workshop!

In the meantime I'll be thinking how to quilt this one!

Two orphans find a home!

Over a year ago I had tried out a block that caught my eye - the Asterisk block - still to be found here and if you google it you will find several variations now!

I had thought at the time that I might make a quilt of these but only got as far as making two blocks.  Well I can't do magic and stretch two little blocks anywhere near a quilt and quite frankly have lost interest in doing so.

They are on my FAL list so I didn't just want to ignore them ....so yesterday this is what happened - these two orphan blocks 

Became this cute pouch!

Do I like my asterisk pouch?  Have to say that I do and revisiting pouch making is good practice for my modernscrappybitsswap pouch for my partner.   Wouldn't want to mess up the birdy would I!?

Another FAL project bites the dust !  That makes three down and three to go!  

Things are going a bit wonky around here....

One of my FAL projects is to make something with all the wonky blocks I received in a swap last year.


There were some crazy people in that swap and some marvelously creative people and they were probably one and the same!   I mean that in the best possible way....

Leanne's beach huts are in the middle there....and I met her on this swap!  Yeah!  Worth swapping just to meet new friends.

Wonky houses!

I got two extra houses from Helen as part of our one on one swap!

This is an animal fun house, with a green roof and mushrooms in the garden

And here is my castle, with drawbridge and Scottish Saltire flying from the ramparts.  I wouldn't be surprised if Nessie were asleep in the moat!

Then there were the trees....one of these is mine and one Leanne's!

Green trees

crazy coloured trees!

Anyway I was a bit overwhelmed by the blocks and hadn't got a plan to put the houses, stars, four patches and trees together until now!




The houses sort of grouped themselves into streets and then I thought some bright sashing would add to the fun.  

Bit crazy!?  Yes!  Success then!  This quilt is all about letting go, going a bit mad, fun details and trying new scary things like improv....(sorry the light is pretty awful round here but I will post a brighter outside photo when the quilt is more together)

Now I want to quilt-as-you-go on these rows and end up with an outer border mixing some wonky fencing perhaps and some words .....I have printed off some FP letters from Kirsty @ Quiet Play's Craftsy Store ready to go!  FP that is pretty scary too but less so now!  Wonder if you can guess what the words will be?

Here is the first one I have made as a clue!  Seems I'm in love with serifs ...

Have a fun sewing weekend and yes go a bit crazy ....

My February in Fabric!

Some of the things I made in February....

Some bee blocks for friends, a few frugal pincuhions made from leftover scraps, a Valentine inspired quiltop, table runner and mini quilt and a wee blue bird which has yet to be made into a pouch for a scrappy swap I am in!

One thing has been ticked of my Lazy Bums and Finishalong lists - the table runner made from a block I designed myself - that makes me even more sort of happy!  

It is based on the woven hearts found in Scandinavia - I love those wee paper hearts filled with sweets and have made my own fabric ones.

Happy stitching!  See you next month....meanwhile I'm linking up with Lynne for Fresh Sewing Day!