Garden Journal top is done!

I seem to have been stitching, scrap-cutting and piecing forever... but finally the top is done :) We've had heavy rain day after day for weeks now but this morning was fairly dry and not too windy, so I managed to get this photo. It's still very overcast and dull, not ideal... but with even more heavy rain forecast for the rest of the week I might not get another opportunity. I don't think I'll be getting the grass cut anytime soon either... eek!!

I love all the different size patches in this quilt, even though those fiddly 1.5" squares drove me nuts at times. Still, I have managed to use a whole heap of scraps, the only yardage I bought was for the borders. Most of it is Nancy Halvorsen fabric with scraps from my Welcome Home pillow thrown in too. Next comes the layering, pinning and quilting. I'm not sure yet how I'll be quilting this. At 54" square it's about as big as I can manage under my machine so I'm thinking I may just stitch in the ditch, for the central part anyway. We'll see....

Hope everyone is having a good week
Chris :)

a parcel and a pincushion...

I've just been to the Post Office to send this swap parcel on it's way.... the clerk said it would take about 5 days to arrive.

If you signed up for Heidi's Quilters Day Swap.. then this might be for you! I had such fun sewing and putting this parcel together, I really hope my swap partner likes what I sent. I did remember to take photos before I wrapped everything up so I will post those once it has been received... I don't want to spoil the surprise!


I'm almost finished with the stitchery of the last block on my Garden Journal Quilt.. then I have two more blocks to piece before I can put the top together. Trouble is, I keep seeing other projects I'd like to try and it's so hard to keep focused when I am so near to finishing this quilt top! I must be strong.... I must not start anything else just now... sound familiar?


But I confess I had a little break to make this sweet Cathedral Window pincushion.

I've seen some lovely Cathedral Window cushions in my wanderings around blogland and wondered just how difficult they are to construct. I came across this tutorial on the My Go-Go Life blog and thought it would be a great project to try! The tutorial is excellent, with very clear instructions and lots of close up photos.  The pincushion really is lovely and because of all the layers of fabrics, it really holds on tight to those pins and needles :)


I might just have a go at a Cathedral Window cushion one day...
but not today..
I have a quilt top to finish :)

Quilting Mumma - Mug Rug Swap

I just spotted this and signed up right away... I love mug rugs :)

Sign ups are open until Monday 16th April 2012
Mug Rugs must be posted by Monday 14th May 2012

Click HERE to visit Quilting Mumma's blog for full details and sign up.

Hope you're all having a great weekend :)

Progress....

I've been working on a few things over the last couple of weeks and didn't realise how long it is since I updated my blog... oops!!

I have finished all the sewing for Heidi's 'Quilters Day' swap, I just need to get it all packaged up and posted.  The deadline for posting is the 1st May, but as my parcel is going overseas I'll be posting it next week. We also have a family wedding at the end of the month... there will probably be some last minute running around and I don't want to ruin my first swap by forgetting to post the parcel!

I've pieced a couple more blocks on the Garden Journal quilt... the border fabric has been ordered and I am working on the last of the stitcheries.... yay!!

I have cut all the fabrics for the 'Cinnamon Toast' quilt and they are all in labelled baggies, ready for me to start stitching.

And... I have finished the 'Flowers For The Bees' wall quilt!!! I have struggled to get a decent photo of it but I hope to get a better one once my hubby gets the wall fixings in place and I can hang it on the lounge wall :)

Not a very good pic at all, it really doesn't show up the details well... but it's the best I can do for now. My camera has distorted the delphinium colours, they are not that bright really!

These next three photos show the colours much better... the delphiniums flowers are paler towards the top.

with more intense colours at the base of the flower stems. I lost count of all the yo-yos I made... I just know there were lots! I found this lovely handmade ladybird button... just perfect :)

The vines scrambling up the wooden post are worked in chain stitch and the daisies have button centres. The quilting is swirly loops... a bit like the bees as they bumble around my garden :)

So that's what I've been doing over the last week or so...

Happy stitching.... Chris :)

Fernhill is here!!!

The pattern for the first block of Lynette Anderson's mystery Fernhill BOM/button club has arrived!

I ordered the materials pack too and oh my word, those fabrics are so lovely! As well as all the fabrics, the pack contains vilene, teensy-tiny buttons, all the DMC threads I'll need and a yo-yo maker. I have stroked and sorted the fabrics several times, read and re-read the instructions... but I have been good and put it away until I finish the Flowers For The Bees wallhanging. All the yo-yo's are finished for that  (phew) and all the appliqué work is complete. The inner border is a double row of 1.5" squares and then a wider border comes next. More on that when I have enough done to take a progress pic...

AND.... the postman also brought me this lovely fabric pack for the Cinnamon Toast Quilt that I bought at the NEC last weekend. The stall had run out of the fabric packs so I just brought the pattern home with me at the time.  It was so exciting to open the parcel when it arrived in the post!

The fabrics are from the Maison de Garance range by French General for Moda.

Yummy... yummy... yummy....

Happy stitching,

Chris :)

WIP - Flowers For The Bees

I've hardly had my nose out of this book since it plopped onto my doormat a couple of weeks ago. I'm a big fan of Lynette Anderson's designs anyway, but this book is just stunning, everything I hoped it would be... and then some. My only problem is that I want to make everything ... the designs are just 'so me'.

How to choose where to begin? The one design that had me oohing and aahing the most is called Flowers For The Bees, an appliqué wall quilt with a sweet beehive, daisies, vines and delphiniums (made from yo-yo's), a lovely cat and of course... buzzing bees. Perfect....I love to watch the bees in my garden, last year I put up a breeding box for solitary bees. The tubes were fully occupied within weeks and it has been in a sheltered spot in the garden all winter. Now the warm Spring weather is here I'm hoping the new bees will emerge soon and buzz round my garden!

Here's what I've done so far.. this central panel measures 17" x 21".  Most of the right side is complete, I am working on the yo-yo's for the delphiniums next and then I'll add the bees. Then it's borders and quilting time.. lastly I'll add the buttons in the daisy centres.

I really want to complete this before I start on any of my new goodies from the NEC... and a little while ago I signed up for Lynette's new button club and mystery BOM - Fernhill. 

The first block should be here soon and I just know I'll be itching to start that as soon as it arrives! It will be my first BOM and I am so excited about it :)

Right... back to the yo-yo's :)

Chris :)

Goodies from the NEC

On Saturday, my elder daughter and I toddled off to the NEC (National Exhibition Centre) in Birmingham. There were three different craft/sewing shows on at the same time in adjacent halls and our tickets gave us entry to all three. My daughter, just getting back into card making, wanted to visit the Hobbycrafts show and I wanted to visit the Sewing for Pleasure show... in the end we went to all three!

What a fantastic day we had, so many new ideas to inspire us,  such beautiful work to admire, so many gorgeous goodies to tempt us. And tempted I was... I came home with 2 books, 2 quilt kits, several patterns, some fabric, a mini iron and a lovely wooden carousel for my desk. I'd saved some money to take and my lovely hubby gave me some money too... plus I had some 'mad money' tucked away. Not much money came home with me... but look at what did....

I spent most of my money in the Sewing for Pleasure show at Daisy Chain Designs... how lovely their stall was, with lots of stitched samples and gorgeous quilts. I bought two quilt kits from there and some lovely sewing accessory patterns.

Isn't this quilt just gorgeous!!! There are a lot of techniques in this quilt that I haven't tried yet so it will be a real learning curve... and quite a slow process too I think! 

This is the fabric I bought, beautiful beiges, reds and aqua... very yummy indeed and absolutely irresistible :)

Now I have to save hard if I am to go back to the NEC in August for the Festival of Quilts... and as I live only half an hour away it would be rude not to go... wouldn't it????

Happy stitching,

Chris :)