Monday 26 December 2016

Stitch gathering house quilt! Another FAL Q4 finish!

We are storming through the FALQ4 list!! This one went on the FALQ4 list LQ4 list because I really wanted to get it done and sent off to Siblings together. I was delighted when Jo asked me to take away some of the fabulous ticket 'house' blocks made for this years Stitchgathering.   

There was a lot of green in the house blocks so I bought some plain green fabric for sashing. A nice sunny yellow for corner stones and off we go!
 

Right that it's done and dusted ready to send off to siblings together and ticked off the FALQ4 list!

Sunday 25 December 2016

Hexies, another FAL Q4 finish

This was an after thought to the FAL list for Q4 when I was tidying out the patchwork room I came across all these hexies flowers I made ages ago. I do love paper piecing but tendon and shoulder issues mean I can't really do too much hand stuff so I don't think I will be making any more of these.  
  Soooo let's use them up! Simple machine applique onto plain white fabric and we are good to go. 

I made the back from a Corie Dantini panel I won in a raffle plus some orphan blocks and pieces of frozen fabric I had left over.
This isn't big enough for a siblings together quilt but will make a lovely Linus one I think. 



Sunday 11 December 2016

Mini quilt for mini Bud


Another tick off the Q4 FAL list from here 

I bought this mini pattern when I was in Paducah two years ago, the stand was gorgeous lots of fun little retro quilts. I bought another one for a Scottie dog quilt to use up my 30s repro dog fabrics.
It need twelve little three inch square hand embroideries, for over a year now I have had two embroideries done and needed to get a wiggle on with the rest. Perfect for a FAL project!
I took it up when visiting my mam and got cracking, aided by a lovely cheering squad on Instagram.










 Pretty!
Here is the finished quilt, all ready to keep mini Bud nice and snug.


Mini Bud has quite a few quilts this is the Scottie dog one.


This one I made while I was sick, all hand sewn, couldn't do that now! This was when big Bud was still alive, wouldn't have been big enough for him!



 

Sunday 27 November 2016

Cushioning along

I love an "along" I'm a sucker for them, so when the lovely Helen and Lynz amongst others started a Christmas cushion along I couldn't help myself, besides, there were some panda snowmen who needed to see the light of day. First up were these fussy cut blocks, so easy to whip up a couple of cushion covers.
These will go to my sister.
Next up, well I really really wanted to do something with my panda snowmen fabric but wasn't sure how to highlight them to their best.
Hmmmmm, thinking cap on!
Whoah yes, inspiration struck! Cathedral Windows, perfect!

I did forget how much ouchy ouchy finger burny ironing was involved .... Muchos sweary words later ...
I needed to find the perfect button to hide my shoddy joins, skiing snowmen! Fab.

I love it!! Thank you Helen and Lynz for a fab "along"




Wednesday 23 November 2016

Tick tick ticking off Q4 FAL

I'm glad I put this on the Q4 list I think I was in the scrappy trip around the world bee from the beginning, at least 3 years. It was a fun bee, I love the pattern by Bonnie Hunter. For the past few rounds I have been asking for bright sunny colours. They have really brightened up the sewing room. This went to linus on Wednesday, I was going to give it to siblings together but got a specific request from Linus. I'll make another for siblings. Plenty quilts to go round!

   

Friday 28 October 2016

FAL 2016 Q4 this is not a knitting needle case!

This is NOT a knitting needle case 😊😊😊 as mentioned on my Q4 list  

This is a one hour basket and a Lola pouch!  

I found this fab travel themed fabric at the knitting and stitching show in Edinburgh this year. I happened to bump into a lovely chum when I was buying it and she said if she bought some would I make her something? Well of course!!
She initially wanted a knitting needle case, no problem! So that's what event on the FAL list but then she happened to buy some more knitting needles which came with their own case so she said she would like a one hour basket instead. I adore making one hour baskets! There was enough left from the offcuts from the side to make the fab Lola pouch, my first one and it won't be my last.



Saturday 22 October 2016

People are strange


Got to love Jim Morrison, Heavens he was gorgeous. This takes me back to the eighties and The Lost Boys 😬 Totally over the top but a great film!
It's been a funny old week. Started off with a bit of a stooshie on Facebook, stooshie is a grand Scottish word, means "a small bit of bother" I was in a group swap, sent off my mini on time etc and waited. My partner commented she had recieved it and that was it.  Ok I thought, probably busy etc,  maybe got family around etc so I waited, she started commenting on other posts etc but nothing else so I contacted the swap mama and asked if there was anything wrong. Cutting a long story short, my partner left the swap (she had already sent hers off so her partner didn't suffer, but she left swap and also left main group?? My mama didn't say too much but I could put two and two together and was could see my partner wasn't happy with the mini ... Either that or the fact I hadn't included extras ... (They weren't mandatory and were only suggested half way through swap) I normally include extras but my partner did not interact at all, answered no questions and all I had to work on was original brief which was traditional sampler style with non neon non fussy fabrics. So I came up with this.
All the blocks are from the original Farmers wife sampler quilt book, it's all paper pieced. 

Which I didn't think was too shabby?? Certainly not enough to remove yourself from two Facebook groups for? Now partner said she is not on any other social media apart from Facebook so I know she will never see this post and I wouldn't like to hurt her but I'm perplexed. But then again people are strange!! Nowt as queer as folks. But is it so bad that I am concerned about my mini? I put a lot of love and care into that, I am actually distressed it might be somewhere unloved or worse in the bucket 😱😱 I know I know, but still ...
Onwards chaps onwards, my zen and chill was restored when the ever lovely Helen @archiethewonderdog asked me if I wanted to join a very informal Christmas cushion along on Instagram. Yea!! Of course I do!! 😀😀 I'm going to bust out the totes awesome pandas snowmen fabric and cathedral Windows cushion here I come!!
Not sure about the green background fabric but something in my gut is telling me to stick with it.
So people are strange but they are also lovely too 😊😊
So I'll finish this on an even lovelier note. The fabulous Helen sent me a present, a gorgeous shweshwe Lola pouch!! How fab, and she also included some tunnocks tea cakes for my knitted doggie @minibudthepuppy to be shared with my husband affectionately known as Scoobs, here they are tussling over the tunnocks, 😊😊 now that's a nice note to finish on.





Sunday 16 October 2016

First finish for Q4!!!

Ok all I had to do was sew down the binding but it's still a finish! And my first tick from my Q4 list ðŸ˜ŠðŸ˜Š My mam asked me to make her a makers tote after she saw the one I use to carry my craft stuff around in. I saw this fun fabric at the FOQ and decided to make one for me too. Fabulous pattern from Noodlehead. Love it and mine is in use already 😊😊        
    

Sunday 9 October 2016

FAL 2016 Q4

Blimey!! When did it get to Q4?? Ok first up is NOT the silk quilt!! Sorry still have to mention it because as my longest ever wip it's now no longer on the list!! Thank you FAL for sticking with me and making me get this one done! Right so what is really on the list!

This one has to be, almost finished, I've been in the scrappy trip around the world bee for years now! I think it has almost reached its end though. These are my latest blocks. This one will be a siblings together quilt. Just got to quilt and bind it.

Next up some fab house blocks from the stitchgathering. These will be another quilt for siblings together.
What next? Well I just have to finish the binding on these two makers totes. One for me and one for my mams Xmas.

These hexies have been kicking around for well over a year. They need to get made into something!  Probably a linus quilt don't think there are enough for another siblings together quilt.


What next? I think I had this on the Q1 list, I really want to make a quilt for each holiday we have been on. Morocco still needs to be ticked off, I want to make one from the Kaffe Fassett Morocco book, I have the fabric.


I'm just waiting for my chum to confirm sizes then I can make her a knitting needle case from this.

I also really need to make this. When I was in America almost two years ago I am not normally a fan of these colours or patterns but I gained a lot of respect for the traditional American quilts. So this need to get done.


I found a conversion for the sewtogether bag to make a mini sew together bag! My lovely chum Marshall bought me this fabric years ago so I want to make her a mini sewtogether from this lovely fabric.


Right this has to be last, again from the trip to America, I found a lovely pattern for a 30s mini quilt with little embroideries on it. I have made two out of the twelve embroideries so I need to get a wiggle on with this!


Right I think that is more than enough!!






Wednesday 5 October 2016

Stitchgathering 2016

There are events which punctuate my quilting year. The festival of quilts has become an annual semi colon along with the Cullen quilt retreat. The Edinburgh Modern quilt guild jaunt to Gartmore house looks to become a staple too. And then there is the stitchgathering! Wow what an amazing event. Organised by the lovely Jo Avery of Mybearpaw this has become the sewing event of the year in Scotland! Every year I don't think Jo could make it any better but it just keeps on getting more and more sooper awesome! A meal out on the Saturday night is now a regular occurance. A pre event to break the ice and have a few laughs.    
Above is the gorgeous Pam who made have led me astray on the old alcohol front .... Not that I need much leading astray mind next to her is the gorgeous Lucy from Skinnymalinky fabrics. 
Below is the sooper Nicky Eglinton and the lovely Mrs Moog who had a stinking cold poor soul. That did not stop her having a huge laugh though! Great night.

There were swaps !! This is the stunning badge I got from @cuckooblue the lovely Poppy how ace is this!
            This is the potholed I made for @theoriginaltrash I loved making it.    
                                    There was a badge swap! I got a boob full of badges 😊😊 thanks to @gingerscribble for organising that one.  
     This was my badge, me and my lovely boy Bud.

Morning class was with Julie Rutter @forestpoppy we were making bucket totes. Great pattern really good instructions.
 There was a show and tell at lunchtime where I got to show off the silk quilt which was finished the day before!

The afternoon was spent with the amazing Trudi Wood attempting to master Free motion quilting won't say it's mastered yet but I am feeling way more confident now after Trudis expert advice!!

The ticket this year was a house block, this is mine.
 I took away 20 of the blocks to put together for a siblings together quilt. Watch this space for progress on that!
 There was a tombola at lunchtime! Look what I got a Threadhouse pattern from Lynn Goldsworthy!
 And of course there was the goody bag!! Every year I think Jo can't make it any better but she does. Huge thanks to the sponsors.















Huge huge thanks to the sponsors, goodness the goody bag just gets better and better every year!! So many thanks to:





Friday 30 September 2016

OMG!!!!! It's off the FAL2016 list!!!! Silk is done ....

This is going to be a loooooong post but then again this has been my longest ever WIP it was on My FAL Q3 list and it had been on every FAL list for 6 count them 6 years!! So forgive me, indulge me or skip to the end or go and read another blog 😊
It started at the FOQ seven years ago. My chum Irene came running up to me saying there was this amazing lady demoing the most fantastic techniques. Intrigued I went to here stand and met the lovely Pauline Ineson, we both bought her book:
                                                    We both thought this was an amazing quilt to make and bought all the silk and calico and other stuff needed for it. I got stuck in and made a few of the test blocks, even made this box to hold the blocks in. 
   I do love it, it feels weird not having it kicking around the sewing room it's been a part of my sewing life for so long, while I was sick it was a beacon, something which would mark me *being well again* then it just seemed like a bit of an albatross. Now it's more like a  rite of passage. And oh my goodness didn't I learn soooooo much about my sewing machine!! 14 quid this book cost and I learned about £500 of sewing lessons from it. So thank you Pauline for your wonderful book which led to my lovely quilt, I do love it. I will finish off with this pic of the blue mine I made simply because this stupid blogging app won't let me delete it! But it is pretty 😊😊😊😊 
I have lost all of these pictures! hey ho i still have the quilt!

Thursday 29 September 2016

Next finish for FAL2016 Q3 sisters 10

Next up from my list for Q3 is this lovely! One of the quilt groups I go to the Muckhart quilters decided to make the Sisters 10 quilt from the Gen X blog.  I had a batik fat eigth pack from my trip to America last year I thought this would be be an ideal use for it. I love the setting, I found the perfect batik for the background at the FOQ last year.  Here it is all bound and quilted and ready to go to siblings together.   
                                         

Wednesday 28 September 2016

Lone star, ticked off FAL2016 Q3 list

 First tick from My Q3 list!!   I have wanted to make a lone star quilt for as long as I can remember. I have tried and failed miserably several times. When I saw the fab Jo Avery from Mybearpaw craft     was doing a class on her lone star quilt I knew this was my chance. I really needed a colour boost at that time too so settled on some of my precious Kaffe Fassett fabrics for the star. Off I toddled and we got started! Loving it!
                               
                                                     


         
                        All it needed was quilted and bound!  I wanted to give it to Siblings together and knew the lovely Nicky was picking up quilts from the Stitch gathering for them so I got a wiggle on and hey presto!

Sunday 18 September 2016

Pixie baskets

I've been getting a bit obsessed by making these pixie baskets by fabric mutt. How cute is the bunny fabric?  also more lacy zip pouches. Sometimes small is good!

Friday 26 August 2016

FOQ


So buy much at this years festivsl of quilts then?? Above was just day one 😊😊😊

Above was the final haul, Whoah yes baby I went for it!
Below is mini Bud fondling the goods ...

Show and tell back at the hotel 😊😊😊

Best tee shirt?


Slight drama at airport when I lost my drivers licence .... They let me travel on my cineworld unlimited card ! I kid ye not!

Till next year 😊😊😊