Spruced up 2020

 I am in a flurry of tidying up posts from 2020 and i realised that i hadnt done a post for the Spruced up quilt i made .... December was a bit of a blur! anyhoo, I made one last year but that went to Marks mam. The pattern is Jenny Haynes - papper saxsten and it is such a fun quilt to make and she was offering a free class too, which was even more fun because two good chums managed to get on the class too!

I didnt want to make mine too christmasy and I wanted to add some charms to the trees in place of ornaments.

I do love this.

Instead of a fairy or star at the top of the tree i had a jingly panda, a present from my lovely chum Cath

using up all the Neptune and the Maiden fabric

If I have one fabric wish it would be for Tokyo Milk to produce more fabric, how utterly amazing was the neptune and the maiden fabric??? utterly surreal. I kept all my scraps every last piece,  i have used some up in mini makes but not all of it. I love the tub family pattern from Rosie Taylor Crafts so a nice easy make on hogmanay was to make a large version using up some of this precious fabric.

I lined the inner with some gorgeous indigo damask I bought on a shopping trip with my lovely chum Andy, I think it does the tub justice.

 

Charm pack quilts for Linus

 Like I said many many times, i have an inherent weakness for charm packs!!! so I made them a feature of my last finish along list. for finish no 7 i simply wanted one charm pack quilt, but hey i got 3!!!

I had two charm packs of the same fabric line bought from a destash so I put them together using my clearly perfect angles which i had put on my sewing machine for the hunters star quilt. I simply made a bazillion hsts then started laying them out from the center outwards. I didnt have enough to do one final round so i used those hsts to make a second smaller quilt for Linus. Bonus!!!

I mentioned that i have been meeting up with a chum at Kaleidoscope fabrics I do want to support them so try to buy something every time we go, they have a great sale table and often have meters at greatly reduced prices. I bought some of this big blousy floral, perfect for backing!! poor scoobs he doesnt look too happy there does he!!! I think it was getting a bit nippy at that point.

I said I got three quilts! well the third one was a leader and ender project, I simply took another charm pack and sewed the blocks together, bonus extra linus quilt!!!

It was a bit cold for me too taking all the pictures 😀

Janet Clare mini charm pack quilt

 I have a great weakness for charm packs, it could be worse though! I love seeing Janet Clare at the festival of quilts she always has stunning booths. She also always has bowls full of her lovely charm packs, just waaaaaaay to tempting!

This charm pack of Freya ad friends has been kicking about the sewing room for years so i decided it was time to go on a finish along list. I have been having great fun meeting up with a chum at Kaleidoscope fabrics which is sort of half way between us both. I bought some lovely child friendly bunny and racoon fabric from there on a recent visit so that was used as borders and backing. Here we have a cute little quilt for Linus.

Poor Scoobs, he looks a bit miserable there doesnt he! 

this was finish no 8 from my finish along Q4 2020 list

Hunters star quilt

 OK I had meant to squeak these in yesterday but the day ran away with me then there was gin and cava and port .... then it all got a bit blurry!!! I dont normally drink at hogmanay, but hey this year has been diffrent, very very different!

Right so there was my usual end of year flurry of finishes, and yes i know i put these in the furtle post but they need a separate post of their own, dont ask why they just do!

So lets start with the hunters star one! This was finish number 6 on my Q4 finish along list.

I was so lucky in 2020 to win a gorgeous FQ bundles from Morris textiles, lovely Leisa shipped them all the way from America! how lovely was that!

I waited until i found exactly the right pattern for it, that came in the form of the shining stars pattern from Lynne Goldsworthy from todays quilter. I didnt have enough fabric for the churn dash border but just enough for the center hunters star.

I literally had trimmings left, there was one section where i had to sew two smaller bits of fabric together to make a bit big enough .... i love doing that though, using up all the fabric, scraps scare me, i dont like them very much, weird but thats just me.

My poor poor scoobs, was perishing in the cold doing his usual sterling husbands holding quilts action!

This will go to Project Linus.

Mini makes

I love Arabesque scissors patterns and the mini makes series she did this year has just been fabulous, quick and easy makes using up long hoarded beautiful scraps of fabric! I had it on my Q2 and Q3 and Q4 list to make these!This was finish number 4 on the Q4 list. I first made the little pouch, using up some neptune and the maiden fabric, love love love those fishies!

Then it all lay dormant for a while, other things took over but i picked it up again when she put our the travelers sewing book pattern, I wanted to make something for a friend i had drawn in a swap, i totally read the rules wrong and thought it was no extras ..... it was exactly the opposite, I felt dreadful! She was fine about it but i felt bad. I didnt just want to send something for the sake of it so i thought i would make her the travellers sewing book.

Again using up neptune and the maiden fabric, how awesome are these!

Inside i put two pins and two needles into the needle case, these are both bought from the hidden needle shop in Kyoto, another highlight of 2020. I know she will like it becuase she is that sort of person who will love everything.

Up at my mams

 I managed one last trip of 2020 up to mams, I went up on the 19/20th simply because I was so tired and wanted to use the whole Christmas holiday rather than have to drive up there on Christmas Eve, good job I  did as well, we sat on the staturyda night and watched the announcement of the new CV strain and the new restrictions.

Not totally unexpected  but still a shock.

Instead of going round the normal graveyard I went round some different smaller ones. I do love a graveyard.