I completely changed my mind

Whilst surfing the net and quilter blogs, I came across a project which I could adapt for my Christmas" swap. I wasn't happy with the fabrics I was using for the vintage holiday inspired mini quilt so I made a decision to change my plans and adapt an Anni Downs Christmas project from 2011 and this is how I have got on so far. I was given a hot fix crystals wand for Christmas 2011, and this is the first time I've used it on a project. I'm pleased with my progress so far but I need first to order some more hot fix crystals in red to put on the end of each branch of the little Christmas tree under the house. I didn't have enough of anyone colour to complete the mini quilt today. I think I will make up the mini quilt tomorrow whilst Lizzie is celebrating Halloween with her friends. And then finish the mini quilt once the small crystals have arrived - hopefully by the weekend.

Tonight I'm out playing darts with some WI friends from Sirens. It should be quite a laugh as only one of us has ever played darts before. However we are making an attempt to participate in the island's W I events and so far have had mixed success. We came second in the quiz earlier this month, three trophies in the flower arranging competition and Michelle came first in the jam making competition not bad for a WI of only three years.

Bloggers Quilt Festival - Autumn 2012

If you haven't visited the Bloggers Quilt Festival yet you need to rush over and browse over 300 quilts all in one place from the comfort of your own home.

Over the last two years I have become a bit smitten with Bonnie & Camille's fabric. It started when I bought two Moda scrap bags online sight unseen. One was Bliss and I fell in love and went surfing the internet for some more. Of course I came to their lines late in the game so there wasn't much left of Bliss but I found some. Then I saw a couple of Farmer's Wife quilts using their lines and I jumped on the band wagon. Then I acquired some Ruby and made Camille's Hopscotch pattern (still in progress) with scraps being added to my Farmer's Wife box. Recently I bought some Vintage Modern to use for the new Fat Quarterly Retreat kinky bee. As those blocks came home, I added the scraps to the box.

When the Vintage Holiday quiltalong started in blogland, it was a no brainer to jump into the remaining Bonnie and Camille fabrics and piece along. I used my favourite Moda white on white for the background. This pattern is simple but effective and has become Lizzie's favourite quilt to snuggle under whilst watching television and is already on display in the lounge even though Christmas is two months away.

 

Details:

Pattern : Vintage Modern by Camille Roskelley

Fabric: Bliss, ruby and Vintage Modern by Bonnie & Camille with Moda white on white and Kona light red for binding

Quilting pantograph: Alex b2b by Anne Bright

Blogger’s Quilt Festival Stats
Finished quilt measures : 51" by 64"
Special techniques used : none
Quilted by : Sue Bone
Best Category : Throw Quilt, Photography, Scrap Quilt

Monday's happy mail

Two parcels of fabric goodness that I had been expecting arrived yesterday. First out of the bag were these beautiful Kona purples from Justine of simply solids.

Along with the ruler pictured that I borrowed from Sarah I will be making a quilt for Justine's shop. I chose purple as Nelson's house colours are purple.




Next to be unwrapped were fabrics from Carol to make X and O blocks for the FQR kinky beefor November. One of the bumble bees from the same bee chose the same block also with red crosses and it looks beautiful. I'm looking forward to making these blocks.

It has been interesting to see everyone's choices of fabrics colours and blocks so far in this bee. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the completed projects at next year's Fat Quarterly retreat.





Carol also sent us each a piece of her hand made soap. I was lucky enough to receive some lavender soap which has gone in my underwear drawer!

October FNSI

House season eight arrived in our house yesterday so Friday night sew in was never going to occupy the whole evening.

I had planned to work on my Christmas money quilt. I picked out some thimbleberries fabric. However having pieced a few pieces together I wasn't happy with the look and so I will go to a local quilt shop on Saturday morning and pick out some new fabrics.


Instead I worked on my farmer's wife quilt. I had pinned together a couple of rows during the day and I sews these together last night. Now that this corner is finished I'm not sure about the top right block. I think I need something stronger in colour so it will have to be unpicked and the block swapped with another from the middle of the quilt. What do you think?

Christmas swap

As I haven't made many of the calendar mini quilts for my lovely metalwork frame, I thought the mini Christmas swap might get me motivated over at http://stitchingcubbyhole.blogspot.com/ I've just received my partner's name and I think traditional fabrics are in order.



I loved making my Vintage Holiday quilt so I'm thinking of a mini version. I've just drafted up something using Quilt Assistant. As I haven't participated in this swap before, I'm hoping that it's the right sort of thing. Oops just noticed that the third block should have a gold top, never mind, you get the idea.

I'll have to go and see what fabrics I have in the traditional colour ways. I have loads in the aqua and red vein which is my current preference but I may have destashed all of the more traditional fabrics. I'm itching to get cutting. If it's FNSI time tomorrow, I will start it so that I'm ready to post before the end of November.

Fluffy Sheep Quilting

Did you get a copy of the Fluffy Sheep Quilting newsletter yesterday? If you didn't you have to go and sign up to receive the October newsletter with four free patterns from me, Ceri, Hadley and Dina.

My tutorial is for this sewing pouch which is big enough to carry a pair of glasses as well as your current embroidery or hexagon project.

Sweet celebration

On Thursday morning as I was starting this cold bug, I received an e-mail to say I was a winner in the recent Moda blog hop. I had no idea what I had won other than an ebook of the new Sweet Celebrations book as a non-US participant. As winners weren't announced on the participating blogs until yesterday, this morning I've been searching the 20 or so blogs to find where I won. And it was at Little Miss Shabby and apparently I have won a copy of the book and a fat eighth bundle. I was commenter 344 of 463.

Can't wait to see what fabric I've won. And even better news, Matthew is home for a week. I wish I wasn't coughing and spluttering though. Lizzie is doing her Duke of Edinburgh practice hike today and tomorrow. I hope it keeps dry for her.



Happy mail

I am definitely going down with some Bug. I received this lovely package In the post this morning.




I wondered what I have done to receive such lovely fabric. Was it really mine?




Then the penny dropped it was from Claire. Thank you for making my day. I'm also looking forward to next year!



I also received these lovely muffin cases in the mail. I think Lizzie needs to get baking again.

Vintage hexagons

I took some hexagons this morning to our quilt group. These are only 5/8 of an inch in size. I had left behind my stitchery at home so didn't have much to do this morning.




While stitching my hexagons Gladys pulled out a box which at one time had held ivory postcards from Harrods of London.




Imagine my surprise when she opened the box to find that the hexagons in the box were exactly the same size as I was working on.





These hexagons were prepared by a lady who has gone into a home and her daughter was clearing out the house. I am now the proud owner of a box of vintage hexagons some of which have already been sewn into hexagon flowers.

The fat quarterly retreat is being held in July next year in London. Last year we exchanged handmade items. I thought other ladies might like the small wall hanging from the pattern that I picked up at the knitting and stitching show last week. So I plan to make up some wallhangings from the small hexagons. Astra also had a small token hanging from her scissors to identify them and I thought I would make some using the hexagons too.

Does anyone know how to get that musty smell out of the fabrics without washing them?

Vintage holiday finish

I couldn't find more of the red and white Vintage Modern border fabric to do the binding and the Pin It and Stitch ladies we met at Ally Pally matched up some Kona light red which has worked well. Thanks too to Anne for helping hand sew the binding whilst I did our guild announcements last night.




Pattern and Fabric by Camille Roskelley.

Massive hexagon quilt

This quilt was hand stitched by Sue in creams and autumnal colours. Sue had fallen out of love with the quilt and asked me to stipple the borders. The challenge was that this quilt was already finished and bound so losing any fullness wasn't possible. For this reason I did a big freehand stipple in a variegated cream and brown thread.

Perkoimen Valley blocks

Tuesday was the third of five workshops with Carolyn Forster and the blocks were based on a split nine patch. A great variety of fabrics and different positioning from the seven attendees. With the class not being at full capacity there was much more room for us.

Sarah's blocks with Lynette Anderson fabrics

Joy's subtle blocks

Janet couldn't decide which way she wanted to position her accent fabric

Lorraine's zingy yellow and blacks and greys

My neutrals are from Sunkissed by Sweetwater, hot pink is my hand dyed fabric from some time ago mixed with a variety of greys for contrast

Jenny's stiking black, white and cream blocks. Not a blue in sight.

Jill's purple and blue batiks. Beautiful.

And Lizzie provided some lovely peanut butter cupcakes topped with homemade peanut brittle to use up two of the three pots of peanut butter in the larder.

Fourth quarter 2012 projects

What shall I commit to do this quarter? So many projects to choose from.

I'll start with two which are nearly finished:
1. Vintage holiday quilt. This is quilted and trimmed but I don't have enough fabric for the binding. I will try and pick it up at Alexandra Palace next week.

2. Hopscotch. Another Camille Roskelley pattern. The quilt top is put together but is in the process of being quilted on my domestic machine. I think I'll work on it at our UFO day tomorrow.

Now what else?

3. I have two blocks from yesterday's class which need to be made into a carrying bag for my lamp. With some wadding in between my lamp should be better protected.

4. Heart stitchery which is getting there as I worked on it on the cruise.

5. Sew laugh love stitchery as that doesn't have too much to do to complete it either

6. Hexy MF which I'm making with Jenny and Lorraine.

Third Quarter finish along report

Two successes only this quarter:
1. July Schnibble -Reveille

2. Rainbow squares which Jenny and Lorraine finished over a year ago.



Now what to focus on for the last quarter of 2012?

A sneak preview

I agreed to make an item from some fabrics from Fluffy Sheep Quilting to be included in a newsletter this month. The project has been finished and the instructions written. They have now been sent to Cindy for her approval (I hope). Here is a sneak peek of what I created. For the full instructions sign up for Cindy's newsletters.



Strips and strings

Day one of Carolyn Forster's classes in Jersey. We all completed two blocks and made a 10 minute Japanese bag. Thank you to Joy for providing everyone with fabric to make them and line them.  A few photos of the blocks. Carolyn's car was stuffed to the gills with sample quilts, books, vintage quilt blocks, Valdani threads.  The class was a mini quilt show with about six variations of blocks with strings demonstrated. Good value for money and no matter how long you've been quilting, there's always something to learn.



Tomorrow's class is Hidden Stars but Lizzie would be left at home alone so I won't be going but I will be at the UFO day on Monday and Perkiomen on Tuesday.

October UFO

September's UFO didn't even come out of the cupboard, however my TQS BOM has come on well during September and my rainbow squares is now bound. As I have already finished number 6 I am going to complete my Vintage Christmas Quilt instead.





1. blue and cream stars - finished for February
2. Jan Krentz difficult quilt - Summer salsa lone star
3. rainbow squares - finished in Septeber
4. Heart stitchery
5. Disappearing nine patch - finished for January
6. Swoon finished in May
7. Modern V meets Thimbleberries scraps
8. Christmas table runner
9. Love laugh live stitchery
10. accuquilt feathered applique
11. Fat Quarter stars - just making some setting blocks
12. TQS BOM