To market, to market ...

We are heading off to visit friends next week, so naturally I decided at the last minute that a quilt would be the ideal present to bring with us!

Here's the progress so far

The pattern is called Floating in the Air and is from the Aug/Sept 2013 issue of Quilt magazine. The pattern calls for 63 charm squares for the block centres, but I have reduced it to 49 as the full size quilt would take up all of the baggage allowance :)

I am using up the text charm squares that I received in the Texty Charm Swap, which I discovered when looking for the link that I received two years ago!

No progress will be made on the piecing for the next two days though as I won this in a giveaway run by Bernina a couple of weeks ago.

I have never visited the Festival of Quilts before, so I am really looking forward to it.

Fortunately, the show coincides with the first day of the next Test match in the Ashes cricket series, so whilst I am browsing the eye candy at the Quilt show my other half will be soaking up the sun at Trent Bridge. Win-win all round :)

Linking up to WIP Wednesday

Still waiting!

I have managed (just) to scrape in with my second block for the Siblings Together Quilting Bee before the deadline at the end of the month.

So, this Wonky Log Cabin block joined

this one I made earlier, and they are both now in the post.

The request for next month's block, which will be the last in this round, is for a rail fence block so, hopefully, I will get that turned around a bit quicker :)

Needless to say the block that I need to make for myself is still unmade! Hopefully, this week there will be some progress.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday

There is still time to win this great pattern donated by Bustle and Sew to kick start your Christmas and Holiday crafting

Just head on over and link up your Christmas/ Holiday makes in this month's Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew Link Party at SLIK stitches

Double Crossed

Our final Queen Bee in the Fat Stash Brit Bee is Jo, who blogs at Don't Drink and Sew and isn't that a wonderful name for a blog!

Jo asked for blocks based on the Intersection Block tutorial by Film in the Fridge and sent us out some solid fabric to be added to for the blocks.

There was some confusion about the sizing for the blocks as the tutorial provides a range of potential sizes for the piecing, but perhaps due to coincidence (or luck!) both of my blocks came out at the same size! The blocks were very easy to put together and, as you have undoubtedly heard here before, it probably took longer to decide on the fabric than it did to make the blocks :)

Jo intends to use her Bee blocks to make a quilt for the Siblings Together charity, which also has a current Bee, where I am Queen Bee this month. Now, I do have a confession to make with regard to this Bee, as Jo was the first Queen Bee in the current round and I managed to miss her month completely!

So, I decided that this was the ideal opportunity to redeem myself and make up for the earlier missing blocks by doubling up my efforts for Jo this month instead.

These blocks are also winging their way down South and will, hopefully, be keeping a child warm this winter.

With any luck my own Siblings Together quilt will be ready to do the same in the not-too-distant future too :)

If you would like to lend a hand without committing to a full size quilt, check out Joanne's block request at http://lilysquilts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/siblings-together-for-girls.html

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Dusting off a WIP

I have resolved that this year there will be more finishes than starts, which is very difficult when there are so many tempting new projects around to test my willpower.

However, I am beginning to be embarrassed by the just started, half-finished, almost finished projects that are currently gathering dust in my sewing cupboard. So, having found myself with a couple of 2.5" strips of white solid and a pile of triangles I knew exactly what to do with them.

Turn them into these, which will be added to strips received from my Bee mates in the Sunday Morning Quilts Bee and then added to these.

 

Someday, they will all become a quilt :)

Linking up for the first time in a long time to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

and

Back in the groove

The deadline for the fourth Round of the Scrappy Trip Around the World Bee is fast approaching, and the first of my blocks from my fellow Bees in Hive 4 arrived in the post this week.

This great block from Maureen in Michigan was a timely reminder that I needed to get into gear and start whipping up those blocks.

So with my trusty Sizzix machine in hand I have started slicing up 2.5" strips for my blocks.

One of the challenges for me with Bees is selecting the fabrics, it always takes me ages to finally decide. This time around though I am making blocks for two Bee mates that I have already made for in previous rounds, so in theory that should make the decision making process a bit easier. We shall see if that turns out to be true :)

One block down, four more to go!

Linking up to

Decisions, decisions!

In an attempt to clear the decks to give me some time to at least get one more finish from my FAL list for this quarter before it ends, I have been working on a couple of small projects this week.

I need your help though to get today's project done and dusted.

Which fabric should I go with for the binding on this small mat? I really can't decide which one I like best.

I didn't realise either until I looked at the photo quite how many puckers there were, but the good news is that I have some applique to add to this which will, hopefully, hide most of them :) If it doesn't I have enough fabric (and hopefully time!) to re-do :)

Linking up to

   

Shades of Green

I have a WIP list as long as my arm, so what do you think I have been working on this week? Well, if you guessed any of my WIP's you would be very wrong. Naturally, I decided to start a new project!

I pulled out my bag of green scraps and my Sizzix die-cutter and cut out 40 different fabric hearts.

Then put them together on a piece of natural linen from the rather large box I brought back from Latvia. Can you see where I am going with this??

Hopefully, I will have finished this (cushion, table runner, wallhanging??) in time for the celebrations this weekend. Then it is back to the WIP list I promise :)

Linking up to

New Bees and WIP's

Now that it is March, the first month of the Fat Stash Brit Bee kicks off.

Svea our Queen Bee for March, is planning a space themed quilt so has sent me out these two FQ's with the instruction "to boldly go ..." Should be a fun project!

I am also ploughing away with the quilting on my And Sew On BOM wallhanging. Perhaps it is because Kristy's current BOM is kitchen themed, but I am definitely throwing everything including the kitchen sink at this as far as quilting goes :)

As well as the usual swirls and squiggles,

there have been

pebbles and even an attempt at

tree bark!

Personally, I blame these gloves, once I have them on I feel like I should be quilting everything in sight! They are certainly a step up from my pretty, but not so grippy (!) gardening gloves.

Linking up to

A little bit of FMQ'ing going on

If you are looking for the Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew February Link party you will find it here

Have I mentioned that I modified the foot of my Free Motion Quilting machine foot? Maybe just once or twice :)

Well, I don't know whether it is all in the mind, but suddenly the fear is gone and I have been FMQ'ing away to my heart's content.

So there has been hearts,

Holly leaves

and now stippling!

I can't claim to be a master of any of them, but I am enjoying myself all the same. I have taken the opportunity of Quiet Play's And Sew On BOM quilt to practise all sorts of weird and wonderful FMQ (to me anyway!) , and will, hopefully, be able to share them all with you soon. Forewarning though, some are definitely better than others :)

Tomorrow I am going to a full day FMQ class at my LQS, so perhaps by the end of the day I will actually know what I am doing!


Linking up to

Testing my stash again.

Today is the deadline for sending out blocks for Round 3 of the Scrappy Trip Around the World Bee. Needless to say these blocks were completely ignored in the run up to Christmas, so putting these blocks together was very last minute!

Again the requests for the blocks were a real test of my stash, but I think I managed to meet them, just :)

First up a request for black and white blocks with one strip being a colour but not a solid.

The black and white face fabric was a sale purchase before Christmas, which was intended for something else entirely!

Then an easy one, shades of green

This request was bright, bright, bright! I hope it is bright enough :)

Another straightforward one, blue, aqua, orange and teal.

 And finally the toughest test of all, French General fabrics and/or colours of which there were surprisingly few in my stash. Fortunately my LQS had a couple of FQ's of French General fabrics, the red, text and brown so once they were in my basket I was good to go.

These blocks are surprisingly quick to make and it is definitely fun seeing how the various fabric choices change the look of the block.

The next round sign-ups opens on February 1st, you can find details of the Bee here if you fancy testing your stash out too.

Linking up to

  

Adding to the WIP list!

A couple of weeks ago I spent a very enjoyable day at my LQS tracing and cutting and generally playing with fabric. The time just flew by!

I was at a Christmas craft class where we had several projects to pick from to work on on the day. Naturally I picked a project, an Applique Christmas Tree wallhanging,  that was unlikely to be finished in the time and so it proved.

This was as far as I got on the day!

Now I am hoping for a quiet moment (!!!) in the next week to tackle the applique otherwise it may well become a Christmas WIP for next year :(

What do you think the chances are?


Linking up to

Christmas Lists again!

I was too busy making this

this,

and this

and then eating them, to put together a post at the weekend updating my list for

 

So, I am only just getting around to it now. 

There was a lot of baking and not very much sewing going on in these parts recently, so my Christmas Cake is now made and safely stored away but there aren't any other finishes to be ticked off the list. 

I did get to make a start on the pyjama trousers, the fabric is all cut out and ready to sew up. Whilst I was at it I also cut out the fabric for the BBQ apron too, but sadly that is as far as that has got too. The pyjama trousers need to be finished for Sunday as that is our youngest son's birthday and I would like to give him them as a birthday present. I am thinking that as well as making the pyjama trousers, I might have a go at appliqueing an appropriate motif to a plain t-shirt for a pyjama top. 

Last year I found this moose cutter in a wonderful shop nearby, Re-found Objects, it has the most quirky products imaginable. I can always guarantee finding something that will take my fancy. 

So, I am toying with the idea of using this as a template for the applique, needless to say it will depend entirely on whether I can find the time before Sunday :)

I have searched through all of my recipes and recipe books and cannot find anything suitable for the biscuits I wanted to make for my brother. I will not see him before Christmas so will have to make them long enough in advance to send, but all the recipes I have only have a shelf life of up to a week, so I am going to scrap them from the list and think of something else to go with the relish and chutney instead. All suggestions welcome :)

So, here's how the list looks now.

• A Christmas Table Runner for our new dining table MADE
• Two Pleated Pouches to fill with make-up/nail polishes for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be
• Two One Liberty and linen jewellery roll for my sister-in-law
• One Triple Zip pouch for my sister-in-law MADE
• A Knotwork Christmas cushion - for me!
• A Fairytale Cushion for my grandniece using one of Quiet Play's Happily Ever After paper-pieced patterns
• Homemade chutney for my brother and son MADE
• Homemade relish for my brother MADE
• More dishwasher vodka!
• Biscuits for cheese for my brother SCRAPPED!
• Something to go with cheese! 
• Meat rub, BBQ apron and oven glove for my b-in-law - apron cut out ready to sew!
• Pyjama trousers for my youngest son - cut out ready to sew!
• Appliqued pyjama top for youngest son

 If you have classmate gifts to make this year, you will definitely want to check out Erin's post for Making Christmas, her Lollipop Nose Critters are adorable!

Hope you are making more progress than I am :)