Summer Sewing Contest...

I have been 'umming and arrghing about what to enter into Jennifer's amazing Summer Sewing Contest...

Browsing back through my recent photos, it seemed a bit obvious really...

My paper-pieced Denyse Schmidt - Union Jack cushion, started in Lynne's class of Fat Quarterly Retreat on Jubilee weekend, the epitome of the British Summer (rain obligatory).

I love this cushion, it brings a smile to my otherwise grumpy face now that the Retreat glow has faded and the bunting is looking bedraggled from all the shocking weather we have had recently.

If you haven't checked out any of the other entries in the Home Decor category, please do, Lindsey has already entered the most beautiful cushion/pillow in the universe!

For anyone interested, a special Retreat edition of Fat Quarterly will be available to buy here which includes the templates for this cushion; and a load of other amazing stuff too.

Sorry to the regulars who have only just seen this, and welcome to anyone new in town coming over from Jennifer's for the first time.

Tomorrow, I promise something completely different... probably xxx

God Save The Queen...

OK, not really a Royalist, but when thinking what I could put together quickly this weekend, and following on from my Jubilee Going There bag, I plumped for a Union Jack!

Inspired by this purse I saw in Cath Kidston the other week, and having claimed 'I can make one of those', it was time to put my money where my mouth was...

 

This one measures up at 6"x 8", uses a few of my prized Denyse Schmidt scraps, East of India heart ribbon, shell buttons and some shocking pink lining, and I am in love with it!

It's not perfect, but it's mine!  Now I really do need to think of something to make for Valentine's Day and my sister's birthday, probably should have thought about those before, oops.

Jubulant June!

Linking up with Lily's Quilts on the 1st of the month is pretty satisfying.  I have taken to looking back over the whole month, and it is cool to see that although I didn't feel like I got masses done, I did actually have a few, long awaited, finishes.

My Dad's Union quilt for Father's Day was as well received as I had hoped...

... and hubby's Father's Day pressies were just as appreciated...

I completed my Brit Quilt Swap skull, finally naming it the 'Resurrection Tea Party'...

...and my partner loves it!  I was so excited and relieved, even the postmen were in on the fun and instead of taking at least 2 days to get to her, my parcel arrived within 24 hours!  Until she calms down and lets the world know, I'm keeping schtum about the recipient!  So check back over the weekend and we will both have revealed all!!

I got to sew quite a few 'secrets' this month, which are starting to arrive...here's a glimpse...

... and I also made a block for the partnership quilts of next year's Tokyo Quilt Festival...

... read more over at Ayumi's blog about this great cause.

Also in June my Dad held 3 successful Open studio weekends, and I had a birthday!  Look at my new baby…

... and these long awaited books...

I am hoping for great things; a bad workwoman can no longer blame her tools!

A heads up, whilst I have a captive audience, I'll be celebrating my first year of blogging in a few weeks, so I am planning a little something, or perhaps a big something… I haven’t quite decided yet!

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you had a great June too x

All rise for another tick...

Now, despite deep reservations at about 9.30pm last night that I would get it finished, I did manage to get the binding fully attached before an albeit quite late bedtime, and with the early risers waking me at some ungodly hour, the Union Quilt was washed and tumbled all before 8am...

I am really pleased with it and hope my Dad will be too.  Unfortunately he won't get it until the weekend after Father's Day, as next weekend is the final of the Open Studios, but I'll pop a card in the post and keep the surprise until we see him.

So I have a tick for...
Make my Dad the Union Jack quilt I have been promising my Mum I'll make for him.

On the Open Studio front, things have been going really well, plenty of visitors, selling lots of stained glass, prints and cards, so he's a happy man.

I, on the other hand, am a poor customer.  I thought I had money to play with, but the Sussex Guild show was really disappointing.

Don't get me wrong, having waded across the wild, wet and windy gardens to the marquee, I was confronted with a lot of beautiful things, but the average price tag for a simple pair of silver earrings was over £100; there love at first sight for a glass beaded necklace, however at over £400 my premium bonds will have to do a little better!

I chatted to some of the sellers, Liz Moys who makes great silk-sewn pictures, and whose daughter works for Orla Keily, got the sum total of my spending, £1 on two postcards!

The only quilt stall was not entirely to my taste, a lot of pale Liberty prints, silk and cushions, but the lady seemed to be busy with the 'old fashioned brigade'.

I probably spent more time in the tiny Parham House gift shop, and I bought some cute note cards of Victoriene Parsons Mitchell's Crazy Quilt, just to go home with something a little more substantial!

Well it hasn't stopped raining here all day; so we had another 'cinema' session this afternoon with MegaMind, I fell asleep; and now I'm off to make some little felt creatures... hope you've had a good one x

The Weekend so far...

I've got the binding attached to the Union Quilt, and I am looking forward to sitting in front of the TV this evening and finishing it off.  If I get it done quickly I may even wash and tumble it before bed; yeah right!

In other news, I am now at liberty to show you the card I sent Fiona, but not her June Bee blocks (those pesky rules!).  The idea featured in Handmade Living, and I think it turned out pretty cute...

We've had tears and tantrums over ballet rehearsals although once I arrived, minus one twin (I left home with only one, before you ask!),  I had a lot of interest from a 'bored ballet brother' about a little toy I was stuffing whilst peering through the door at the ballerinas.  I think that'll be my first commission (non-paying, obviously) as he was so sweet, asking about the 'cotton wool' and how it all works and desperate for one!  More on that soon.

Tomorrow I am off 'round the corner' to see the Sussex Guild's Contemporary Craft Show at Parham House.  It promises 'Textiles and shopping', and there's a picture of a pretty dresden plate in the leaflet, so I'm just a tad excited!

Louise Bell's Big Red Tree

I'll be going it alone tomorrow, for my sanity, but will be back there again for the Sussex Game & Country Fair en masse next weekend.  Benta (slikstitiches) and I have already pencilled in a date there on September 4th for the 'Stitches In Time' exhibition - if any of you local types fancies joining us, you'll be more than welcome.

I will report back on my findings tomorrow.

Union Quilting...

It feels like ages ago that I got Dad's Union Quilt all basted and ready to go, so having got the skull 'in the bag', I made the most of the lovely light evening and quilted to my heart's content.

As the back is an expanse of grey, I was a bit anxious about any snaggles showing up, but it's all good.  I even chose to unpick a couple of wonky areas!!  A first, (Rhonda are you proud?), but as it's for my Dad, I really wanted it to look as perfect as my 'old' machine will allow, (2 weeks and counting old boy!).  

OK, so he did have a tantrum and I had to unpick a bit more; your days are numbered my Brother, so behave or you won't even be a 'spare'!  Look what he did the other evening...

Well it's the weekend, so I'll be cramming in as much sewing action as possible over the next 48 hours...  I might even spend my £25 Premium Bond winnings - Woo Hoo!!! 

Happy Weekend everybody x

That was the month that was...

Hurray, I love June!  It's my favourite month, not just because I have a birthday at the end or anything like that, but have a sneaky peak at what I am not allowed to play with for another few weeks...

Today I am linking up with Lily's Quilts Fresh Sewing Day - Hello World!  Last month I linked directly to the Happy Scrappy block post, but I achieved so much in May, I thought it merited a new post looking back at my best sewing month ever!

First, there were finishes...
Happy Scrappy Quilt - inspired by the Aneela Hoey crazy scrappy blocks.  My flickr pic of the top got added to Explore on 15th May and has had over 640 views; so many comments, so many 'favourites' - overwhelming - thank you everyone!!!!!!

Sherbet Pips Confetti Quilt - Fat Quarterly/Quilt Dad pattern...

There were completed tops...
Union Jack - based on a pattern from Mandy Shaw...

Brit Quilt Swap Skull - based on a Boo Davis design - the recipient is still a secret!

And the best of the rest...
Cushions...

Bracelets...

Toys for the boys...

...and three Mystery blocks...  PS. it's never too late to join in and learn by my mistakes!

I also linked up to Fairy Face Designs' Summer Sewing Plans; wrote a list of my top 20 To-Dos and have ticked off 7 so far!  Nothing like a good list to get you focussed!

If you've popped over from Lynne's, please come back and visit again soon; if you were here already but haven't been over to Lily's Quilts, go take a look there too, it's brilliant.

I hope you all had a great May, and here's to a June full of fun and fabric x

Union Top...

I've finished my Dad's Union Jack quilt top, and although I have used some 'quilter's artistic licence' that only a vexillologist would notice, (or anyone who feels the need to compare it to a 'real' flag!), I am really pleased with how it turned out.

 

There were a couple of worrying/confusing moments, especially when one of the four sections turned out to be a totally different size and ratio to the others, but happily only one bit of sewing the wrong, or rather wrong and right, sides together. 

Although I had to carry out a major squaring up exercise before joining the sections together, it still needs a little trim to straighten up the outside edges, but I will do that after quilting; and I have no idea how I am going to do that yet.

There was no way I was going to risk trying to take a picture outside this afternoon, between dodging showers and the gale-force winds, the conservatory was the safest place to be!

I have so many off-cuts, I will be making a scrappy strip or two to add to the backing, although at 40"x 60" I could just back it with one piece of the Klona grey, but that would be too easy!

The second cut of the week...

Boo...

Looking good so far for the Brit Quilt Swap?

I'm having a dilemma about the background though.  You'll remember that the original pattern should look like this...

However the highlighters at work were too tempting and I've had a play.  Now I'd probably go for the all-over random background, but I've also come up with other patterns...

What do you think partner?  Once again I will either go for majority rule, or the one I prefer if you don't speak up!

I've also be piecing the Union Jack quilt, and the top will be finished tomorrow.  Which reminds me, I forgot to tick these off...

1. Finish the Sherbet Pips Confetti quilt, and not let it just sit there for fear that my quilting will ruin it.
2. Finish my Scrappy quilt completely.

That's 7/20 completed and 3 kept on target; Bee block, Mystery Quilt and purposeful fabric buying; not bad I reckon.

The first cut of the week...

Last night, whilst waiting for cutting approval from my Brit Quilt Swap partner and 'wannabee partners', I decided to cut the fabric for my Dad's Union Jack quilt. 

This will be for Father's Day, and it's on the To-Do-List, so why wait.  Lots of strips, lots of trying to make sure that all the little trees are facing the right way, (like I was going to choose a multi-directional print to make life easier!), and lots of different widths for the white bits. 

It's not to scale so it won't be mistaken for a real flag, but I wanted to get it as big and with decent proportions as the fabric would allow.

I laid it out to make sure I hadn't missed anything, nor cut any pieces too short, and I think I am ready for the off!  Looking at the picture I can now see that it is going to be impossible to line up the horizontal tree-lines, so, if I mismatch each of the 8 triangles, it'll look OK!

As for the Brit Quilt Swap - an almost unanimous vote, (can you have that?) for 'get cutting', so who am I to disagree with the BQS masses!  The true recipient might or might not have responded, but I was only asking to be polite!  I will do some final sketching and counting rectangles whilst sonny boy has his swimming lesson later and then I should be ready for some more rotary action.

A very welcome Tick!

I got my head and cushions all straight, sorted and back in order last night!
No.10 Make the covers for the final 2 cushions I have been procrastinating about for too long.  Tick.

The ill-fated corners are not perfect, but they will be squidged and fought over by the children, so I shouldn't worry too much!  They are from a Sugar Pop charm pack and some extra Lollipop yardage, just in case you were wondering.

My Mystery Quilt fabric is being posted out today with the Sherbet Pips backing, so I won't touch those projects until next week, however the fabric I ordered for my Dad's Union quilt has arrived from Backstitch - how beautiful was the packaging never alone the contents!

The Avenues print is one of the new Heather Moore Cut Out & Keep for Cloud 9, and it is gorgeous, and I have been waiting for it to be released for a long time.  I also bought a Klona (with an 'l') swatch card, which is great as I am so bad at choosing/matching solids, and the Klona cottons are a great price, so I will definitely be ordering some soon.

Lynne at Lily's Quilts has just posted a mini Union flag tutorial using 2 FQs, so I might have a practice run first with some of my old stash, just to get a feel for the cutting and piecing, as it is very similar to the Mandy Shaw pattern I am following.

But first things first, Trudi's Brit Bee blocks will be this weekend's project of choice.  Have a good one x