Nordik ! The finished top!

Last year I set my lovely stingy bee members the task of creating or finding blocks with a Nordik theme!   I gave them some inspiration on my Pinterest board and made a few blocks as examples.

I have to say there seemed to be a bit of fear at first from some but they really excelled themselves and came up with the most gorgeous blocks.   They exceeded every thought I had about this quilt.

Here are Catherine's, Di's, Charlotte's and Lucy's blocks (top left and clockwise)

And here are Janet's, Helen's, Sheila's and Karen's blocks (top left and clockwise)

Collette's blocks....

And Emily's 

The variety is truly amazing!

And of course I kept on making blocks...I couldn't help myself.

When all the blocks were in I started putting them together - it seemed easy enough at first....but then I didn't really like where I'd ended up 

and put it away till I could see clearly where I should be going with it.

And that happened this August!

I did unpiece some bits .....Helen's block got a bit more space around it.  

And soon the central block came together...

I still had lots of blocks left...

I thought I would use them as borders and cornerstones.

After a brief misguided flirtation with Aqua framed corner stones it all began to come together. I knew where I was going and had the pleasure of adding a few new blocks to my border and one new corner.

And this is how it looks now!

So pleased with this quilt - I cannot tell you just how I love it !   And all thanks to my fabulous beemates who made it possible ...Sheila, Catherine, Emily, Charlotte, Di, Janet, Helen, Lucy, Collette, Karen!  

Scraptastic Tuesday - summer scrapping

I haven't been very scraptastic recently.

Though I did do something with that pile of 1.5" squares I posted last time....

It is not very big yet but I will add to it and make a crib or baby quilt with these little blocks.  Not sure if this is the final layout yet...

I am feeling very pleased that I have got my blocks for the Siblings Together bee for September finished already.  They came out of my scrap bins too...

We do tend to go for big, bold easy blocks and these are no exception.  All ready for posting to the lovely Julie (aka Mackandmabel on IG ).  Bring on October....but not quite yet!  

Next I'm hoping to get bring my blog up to date with my other summer stitching soon....two quilt tops finished that haven't had an airing here yet!  

Scraptastic Tuesday - August winners

I've been busy with non-scrappy things but was tempted by a block on Pinterest to cut up some 1.5" squares  - this is the colour scheme that is tempting me into yet another project....It may only be one block though.

I am struggling a bit with internet connection and my laptop so I'll be brief!  Straight onto the Scraptastic business.....


Thank you to everyone who joined in with the August Scraptastic Tuesday link up hosted by Leanne @She Can Quilt and me. We have been visiting all the links and there are some beautiful and inspiring projects being shared, so I hope you will take some time to check them out too.

By the way, if you linked up and did not include our button, hashtag (#scraptastictuesday) or at least a link back to one of the link up posts, please add it in as we are sure that you want to support our efforts to bring you this fun link and great prizes.  It helps spread the word which also helps us provide such lovely prizes.

Now, its time randomly award the prizes from our generous sponsors to those who linked up for August. 

A huge thank you to our generous sponsors! Here are the prizes and the winners, as picked by the Random Number Generator:

• Oakshott Fabrics - A Colourshott charm packs, colours 1 -30 - #40, Rosa from patch. the pink love of sewing

• Green Fairy Quilts - $25 gift certificate - #24, Anne on Instagram (annsim64)

• Fat Quarter Shop - $25 gift certificate - #3, Emma on Instagram (emerald_hills)

• Sew Sisters Quilt Shop - $25 gift certificate - #67, Heather on Instagram (nepeanquilter)

• Sew me a Song - a $20 gift certificate - #54, Stephie at Dawn Chorus Studio

• Massdrop - 2 Mixology Fat Quarter Bundles - so two prizes - #6, Julie at Julie's Quilts and Costumes, and #64, Lisa Marie on Flickr (Quilts by Lisa)

• Mad About Patchwork - a $40 gift certificate - #57, Sherri at Rebecca Mae Designs

Please plan to join Leanne @She Can Quilt and I for the September Scraptastic Link up on the second Tuesday - September 8.

Scraptastic Tuesday - August Link up

It's the second Tuesday of the month, and time for the Scraptastic Tuesday link up hosted by Leanne at She Can Quilt and me.

I have started yet another project !  Oh dear !   

But it has been prompted by joining a new bee: the Stitch Tease Bee.  How could I refuse ?  I know several of the participants and will be delighted to get to know the rest.

I am first up to share my request and it has been an idea I have had for a while - ever since we went on holiday to the south of Spain and visited the Alhambra palace complex, which was built when Grenada was ruled by the Nasrid Sultans.  

First I made a massive big fabric pull of all orange colours from orangey-red through to pale peach;  then added a bit of mustard through to citron and lighter shades of yellow; with a bit of cobalt blue, teal and aqua for contrast.  I picked off-white, creamy, light grey Low Volume for background if needed.  All my fabrics are tone on tone (my favourites to work with) or have the colour scheme I'm working with in them - for example one dark blue AGF fabric has elements of peach in it.  

I have even found a few fabrics printed with a geometric pattern to suit - some older Robert Kaufman and some I bought last week at the Festival of Quilts Show, some cotton + steel, some by Karen Lewis and Carolyn Friedlander.

I have made several different blocks as suggestions of the sort of thing I'm looking for - lots of eight pointed stars and tile like blocks - just like the Islamic art seen at the Alhambra.  

I am asking my bee mates to choose block(s) to make for me, rather than saying I'd like two of these please: either something I have made; something from my Pinterest board; or something they have found and wish to make.  

I don't mind how they make them, nor what size the blocks are up to a maximum of 12".   I am also happy with one beautiful block as we know some methods take longer than others. 

I have made a similar request before in my lovely Stingy Bee and my Nordik quilt (still to be finished) has been the result which I love and will finish off in time for this winter!

I am looking forward to seeing what I will receive!   But I am Queen Bee in September not August so I'm giving my bee mates a bit of extra thinking time.

So what is scrappy about that?.....I hear you ask!

Well this is!

Tiny diamonds or parallelograms (for you Helen and other mathematical souls) - each side is 1" finished.   My little panel when sewn up and framed in a bit of background ended up as 12.5" x 6.25" and not that difficult as they were machine stitched in diagonal rows ...

All my blocks so far with my diamond scrappy panel stitched together....

 I shall try to resist making more!  

Now, its time for you to link up and share your scrappy projects to inspire us all.

A huge thank you to our generous sponsors for providing the following prizes which will be awarded randomly among those of you who link up:

• Oakshott Fabrics - A Colourshott charm packs, colours 1 -30 

• Green Fairy Quilts - $25 gift certificate

• Fat Quarter Shop - $25 gift certificate

• Sew Sisters Quilt Shop - $25 gift certificate

• Sew me a Song - a $20 gift certificate

• Massdrop - 2 Mixology Fat Quarter Bundles - so two prizes

• Mad About Patchwork - a $40 gift certificate

Please join  Leanne at She Can Quilt  and I by linking up a blog post or flickr or instagram photo sharing a scrappy project, in progress or finished, or your thoughts on dealing with your scrap mountain:

• You don't have to have joined us before, everyone is welcome.

• One link per person, and it will be your entry into the random draw for the prizes. It is the same link up here and at Leanne's blog at She Can Quilt  - so you only need to link up on one of our blogs.

• Please visit at least a few of the links, they are very inspiring, and leave comments too as everyone loves to connect. 

• Use the Scraptastic Tuesday button if you like (code is on the sidebar) and invite your friends to join us too. 

• The link is open until next Monday night at 10:00 pm MST(canadian time). We will announce the winners next Tuesday. 

• If you have trouble linking up, let Leanne or me know and we will get you sorted.

Despite her recent move I see Leanne has been doing some scrappy stitching.....you should check it out and encourage her in her unpacking - she has a lot of stuff!

An InLinkz Link-up

Scraptastic Wednesday....er Tuesday!

Oops when we are in the school holidays I often forget which day it is and yesterday is no exception!

So what scrappy stuff have I been up to?

Well quite a lot actually.

I decided last week to celebrate my lovely friend Karen's good news about her fabric collection with Robert Kaufman.  I was showing some of the things I have made with her fabric and making new things.

I showed some of these last week and I have since added another

I used a pile of scrappy triangles and squares of Karen's screen prints in hot colours - offcuts from my KLT quilt - to make some wonky stars and combined them with some solids as background.  

I am pleased with how it has worked out.  I think some simple quilting will suffice to finish it off.

Next week will be link up week so I do hope you will join Leanne and I with your scrappy projects.  

It's Scraptastic Tuesday - Karen Lewis Textiles version

You may be a fan of Karen's hand screen printed fabrics already but the hot news is the reveal of the 75 prints she has in a collection for Robert Kaufman.

This works extremely well as a partnership as Karen has been printing on Kona cotton for quite a while.  I should know as I have been buying from her for a long time!

Want to see?  Of course you do...

I love working with blender fabrics - most of my stash are just that and Karen's are too.  It makes them easy to use in any project and of course they work so well together.

So this week - dubbed 'a week of KLT' by me -  I thought I could celebrate with Karen and post some photos of projects past and present.

Already on IG @nickyeglinton I have posted the following:

my lovely cushion with just one of Karen's fabrics though it has several different patterns on it!

One of the lampshades I made for my sewing room - I just love that I see a range of Karen's fabrics just by walking in and don't they look great all lit up!?

Then there are the new projects I've been working on:

A quilted tray - I didn't quite follow the pattern from the book...but I teamed Karen's fabrics up with some thirties repro and think it will be useful for my handstitching projects in front of the TV..

I came across a 'vintage' print by Karen and decided I would use it all up in a barrel shaped pouch.  I even added a bit of her trianglemania fabric on the ends and her signature on the loop at the end!  Oh dear now she might think it is hers!?  I am thinking it will be great for holding rotary cutters and large scissors as it is quite roomy at 10" x 4.5"

Next I wanted to sort out all the scrappy bits which are left over from bigger projects and I found a pleasing colour way to play with.

And look what happened!   A scrappy improv tote bag was brought into life...

Haven't quite finished it yet but I have added a Lotta Jandotter lining and a flush zipped pocket (thanks to the Lisa Lam Bag making bible)

I'll be working on it some more later in the week - next job is to add the bottom to the lining but I am considering adding a magnetic snap and leather straps!  So I may leave it as is till I figure out how this needs to be finished off.  Pleased with it so far though.

More Karen Lewis projects - new and old will be given an airing.   If I am honest I still have quite a bit of scraps and panels but if I make an effort I'm sure I'll be ready in November, when the fabrics will be released, to buy a few more!  That whole cool bundle is calling my name...

No I'm not on commission from Karen nor Robert Kaufman.....sadly not!

Scraptastic Tuesday - July Winners

July has been a slothful month for me so far.   The kids are on holiday and I think I have been too.

But I am gearing up for some progress on my double wedding ring quilt with an arrival anyday now of my background fabric - I'll be needing a lot!

I just managed to squeeze a few more arcs into yesterday's stitching.  Those 3 slender pinky ones!  I stitched two pinky fabrics together and used my 'Marti Michell Double Wedding Ring pieced arc segment templates' to cut out my shape.  Easier to do, than say, I think....

This is the big picture so far.... as you can see I seem to be running out of space here but I am planning on an eight by eight block layout - hmm that could be a bit tricky...

So much fun and totally legal - aren't we lucky!?

And now to winning matters....just a reminder of who our lovely sponsors are:

A huge thank you to them for providing the following prizes:

• Sew me a Song - a $20 gift certificate - #34, Sandra at MMM Quilts

• Massdrop - 2 Mixology Fat Quarter Bundles - so two prizes: first - #53, Heather as Nepeanquilter on Instagram and #46, Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework

• Mad About Patchwork - a $40 gift certificate - #21, Cathy at Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting

• Oakshott Fabrics - 2 Colourshott charm packs, colours 1 -30 and 31 - 57 - #19, Chantal at At the corner of Scrap and Quilts

• Green Fairy Quilts - $25 gift certificate - #17, Allison at Campbell Soup Diaries

• Fat Quarter Shop - $25 gift certificate - #6, Theresa at A Quilt and A Prayer

• Sew Sisters Quilt Shop - $25 gift certificate - Anne at limeleaf741 on Instagram

Thank you all for the inspiring scrappy links and congratulations to all the winners, we will email you over the course of Tuesday to get you connected to your prizes.

Now I know Leanne is busy packing up her house and flying to the far north to teach but I'm wondering if she has had a scrap of time for some scrappy piecing?