Bee block for Carole - bright birch trees

Carole requested blocks on a bright background using this tutorial.  I enjoyed making the block and it will be a jolly quilt. Here is my block (orange background) along with Jane's block which I'll post tomorrow.

 

 

 

I'm up to date with bee commitments, although I still have more retreat photos to share with blocks made over that weekend. I am the bee mama for the CQ Jersey bee, so get a month off. Beautifully planned by me as Lizzie and I are off to Barcelona to cruise with NCL for the half term week.

On my long arm - boats

A baby quilt for a boy who was expected to be a girl. I quilted this in Frozen Swirls to conjure up a storm at sea.

And a super cute backing.

Simply Solids retreat -.swaps

Are you tiring of my mini reports from the retreat? Sorry there's a few more to come. Next is swaps. As well as the secret sewer swap, there were badge, scraps, name badge and FQ swaps.

 

 

I didn't participate in the name badge swap and I used mine from the first FQR in 2012. I didn't have badges to swap by I did have some badge like zipper pulls and I received the above in return.

 

 

I made up three scrap packs for swapping at the retreat and received some lovely fabrics in my bags including some Summersville and Blueberry Park which are handprinted by Karen Lewis. Jenny brought lots of scraps that she didn't want to take home and Jacqui who is the distributor for Art Gallery Fabrics also added some Art Gallery fabrics onto the table. Even after we all had taken a few extras, there was a huge bag of extras for Justine to take back to the shop. I also picked up a blue checked fabric to use as a backing for a project. A great swap. Thank you Pippa for organising the swaps.

Farm Girl Friday - the final week

I have now finished all of the blocks in the book along with a few of the extra blocks - corn, pig and tomato. This si the Winter Star block which I have made 18" square. It uses some of Katy Jones' map print for the background along with my favourite pearl bracelets.

 

And here's the final block called Woolly Sheep. I will add the legs once I've either quilted it or put the top together. Another cute block.

 

 

Completing this top is my goal for October's ALYOF challenges. First of all I need for my long arm to return from being serviced.

Simply Solids retreat goody bag

When the party started at noon on Friday, we checked in at the desk and were given a lovely tote bag. Those of us who paid for our retreat in full on booking also received a £25 gift voucher which I spent on Sunday. More on that this Sunday.

The tote was a great quality and stuffed full of good stuff. Thank you to Lisa and Justine for the extra tote to be used as a giveaway at the Jersey Modern Quilt Guild's first meeting on Saturday 3 October.

 

 

What did the bag contain - well what didn't it contain more to the point. We also received a raffle ticket and the winner - Shevvy - won a box of Aurifil threads. I may have had the gingerbread man for breakfast whilst starting to unpack my stuff.

 

 

We received ever popular Aurifil threads. One of these may not have come from this goody bag and may have been one I took with me to make a bee block. That block is the only thing that hasn't come to the fore in my unpacking. Give me a few more days and it might appear.

 

 

A very generous gift from Sewline of a glue pen, marker and water pen to get rid of the lines from the marker.

 

We received two mini charm packs and a Kona FQ, but I particularly liked these FQs from Dashwood Studios. The fabrics also appear in a project in the issue of Quilt Now in our bags. A generous and quality goody bag all round. Thank you Justine and Lisa.