Bee-ing good!?

Have you noticed I have been good!?

http://www.cherrylanecollection.com/ClipArt/Angel.htm

I have been sticking to my plan of finishing UFOs - well almost - the Siblings Together quilts being the exceptions, but that was for charity so I'm sure they don't count as being bad!


I also had a pirate costume to make, which was on my daughter's list since Christmas, though I seem to have missed it off mine - obviously it should have been there!


I am feeling very virtuous!  Heehee!  You know there is a but..... coming don't you?


So when Lucy wrote about a new bee starting I followed like a lamb and found myself in the midst of chatty girls and lots of fun - aka Scrappy? Sew Bee It!

Button by the lovely Lucy!

Well it's all Cindy's fault apparently as the Bee mama May fell in love with Cindy's  Stargazing quilt which I contributed two blocks to in January!  I am expecting to see this quilt finished at FQ Retreat next weekend - pinch me, I can't believe it! - adorned with Trudi's beautiful FMQ!  Now she is a Queen of FMQ and I cannot wait to see someone's work who can do it properly!


Anyway here is a sneaky peek of my third Stargazer block....

And a siggy block to go with...more can be revealed once it lands in May's hands but she just wants to see a glimpse!  I may have revealed too much already!?   Yes and excuse my writing - eugh - this is the best I can do - honest peeps!




My virtue continues as I have done two converging corners blocks for Bee Blessed as asked by Jude!  This is a bee which makes quilts for people in need in Jude's community and prolific they are too!  


On a purely selfish point I enjoy the challenge that Jude sets me each month and all the tutorials she creates or points me to!  This block makes stunning quilts - go check it out!  So if you want to help out and learn at the same time - why not join in!??   There is no obligation to play every time and fabric is always welcome even if you cannot make blocks! 

I was in a very green moment and just hope they fit in!   Jude offered to collect them at FQ but I am entrusting them to the Royal Mail as with my record recently I would no doubt leave them behind!  But I am looking forward to meeting Jude at FQ too!  

And I know a girl called  Martha May (my beautiful bag that I won from Jude) that wants to be re-united with her mama!  I love this bag!

One or two things left to do before next weekend - my swap samples - panic not I hope to finish them today - and if I can fit it in, another Siblings Together quilt!

Posting about posting!

I have been posting ....

......at the Post Office 

Civil War blocks to the US

Bee Blocks to the US

I found this tricky! - haha!  All those points, all those bias seams!

and Wonky Houses to Jude for Bee Blessed

Who lives in a house like this?  Some dotty bird!

Is she the landlady?  or perhaps the chairwoman?

And in return I have now got -

• my fabrics to turn my grannies into a giant churndash - will show those when they are attached; and

• Moo cards to swap at FQ Retreat though I may put up a fight !

You may have to steal them or fight me for one!

• and my very own stickers - woohoo!

Think I will be a bit stuck up!

I went to Dorking today to meet a friend and give her a birthday present.  I got it all ready, wrapped and in a bag last night, problem was I didn't take that bag with me! Duh!

So that goes in the post soon or I will lose it before we meet again!   Can't show you what is inside yet as she now has one of my moo cards so may pop in for a visit - Hi Fiona!  I got some homemade Damson Jam and some Apple Jelly with Chili - yum yum - guess what I'm having for breakfast!

And as I was in Dorking I did have to go to the Quilt Room and this just had to come home with me!

Some cute fabrics at the top for my Rose Star blocks - must actually make some more of those - and some daisies for my daisy project which I have a vague idea about ...still collecting daisy fabrics so let me know of any you see....

Daisy love!

Did I tell you that I love daisies.....

These arrived today!  Aren't they lovely?  Had to get them after seeing them chez Judith and she got them from BlijeOlifantje.....in case I'm not the only one with daisy love.  

I have made my block for the April Sew & Bee Happy for Leona aka oneygirl! 

This is the card trick block and I raided my small stash of bright red and aqua to make this!   Hoping she likes it!

My March in Fabric!

This was March - the month of mad hares, a bit of sunshine and a hope that I might get closer to my goal of NO MORE UFOs!  One UFO finished in the top left corner and two more showing progress - middle and bottom right....that cannot be bad!  

I have to thank the lovely Rhonda and her Finish-along! for that progress!  

Thank you Rhonda! Thank you Rhonda!  Thank you, thank you Rhonda!

The one in the middle wasn't on my list for the first quarter but I was thinking of including it in my next list and have just moved it closer to the finishing line in anticipation.  

You can all join in for the next quarter - April to June - the link up post will be at Rhonda's on 7th April.   Go check it out!

I finished my other two quilts in previous months so that was a great result for me.

My other pics are of bee blocks, my blog birthday giveaway, a reversible bag I finished up from fabric cut out and given away by the lovely Cindy!   And my new project Rose Star blocks directed by the lovely Clare @ Selfsewn though she has now started another project - tjah I just cannot keep up!

Linking up to Lynne and her Fresh Sewing Day!  Check out what everyone else has been up to and I'll no doubt see you there!

Sewing on...

What have you been up to this weekend?


Here is what I have been doing!


A block for the March mamma Kara in our Sew and Bee Happy....

She wanted bright rainbow colours to make a baby quilt - hence all the bright novelty fabrics.  Just hoping it is not too much for Kara!  


It gave me some problems when it came to finishing off to the right size but I got there in the end.....with a bit of help from Miss Unpick!  We have a love/hate relationship I have to say!

Now I think there are some fabrics which want to be made into Rose Star blocks - got two centres basted anyway!

Some Wonky Trees waiting to be made, some toothy borders a-gnashing and a bit of hand quilting to come... all in March, if possible!


Better get started then!

More about Greens and lots of other stuff!

I do like French Beans, peas, broccoli and lettuce just to let you know that I try for that healthy diet.


But that is not what this post is about!  Surprised??


I have finished off the lovely block for Kat and wanted to give you a glimpse before it travels around the world to summer!  I was thinking why does Kat want a picnic blanket now but duh of course it is summer downunder while we are enjoying brass monkey weather!  



[Glorious sunshine today just not the warmth to go with it!  And driving my kids to school means I get to see fabulous sunrises with pink tinged clouds and sky - almost worth getting up for - a free display to gladden the heart!]


This block was made for the Sew & Bee Happy Bee which you can find here!

Liking this block - so thanks Kat, liked Cindy's too last month (though it did look scary to me), so looking forward to next month....








Do you like to check out new blogs!?


If so, you may want to drop past my local friend Nora who has recently started a blog and enjoys crochet!  She is much inspired by attic24 !  Mary - you need to get that crochet hook at the ready!

There is nothing worse than blogging into thin air - we all know that - so if you don't mind perhaps you would be kind enough to say hello!  


Sorry Nora I pinched these photos from your blog so that people could see what they were missing...hope you don't mind!?






I got into a crochet mood myself yesterday when my friend Eloise invited me to teach her how to crochet a rose like the one on the pouch the lovely Judith made for me. 

I have to confess I have not made one before but we followed this tutorial at Heidi Bears.


I am cursing the fact that I forgot to take a photo of Eloise's rose as she finished hers.  Katy, her lovely daughter, on an INSET day off school, and I were too slow to finish yesterday!  This is my unfinished one...ok not up to much yet I know but I am better at knitting than crochet I have to say!

And they taught me a bit of chinese painting - now that was fun!

First up is the one by Eloise, then her daughter Katy's and lastly my geriatric one!  Haha!


Here are a couple they did earlier in true Blue Peter fashion - beautifully modelled by the lovely Katy!

Lastly I have another secret little project in the process of being made - here is a glipmse....getting closer to sending that parcel!  Eek!

What could this be, I wonder....?

One more pouch and some greens!

My wonky blocks are off to the US of A to the state of Illinois no less which is quite a long way to go!  


But I couldn't send them off without a little thank you to Jane our fabulous mama who has organised this swap!  So a little pouch with some fabric scraps has made it's way into the package

A little wonky house of her own with matching logo to remember this fun swap by!  I sort of got carried away adding steps down from the door, windows, shutters, rooftiles, smoke from the chimney and a tree!


What fun!




Now in the Sew and Bee Happy bee I am in, I am down to make a green block for Kat.  I was just so impatient to get started that I have cut out my greens ready to make a white wonky star in the top left hand corner!  Hope Kat likes my greens....not a bit of brussel sprout in sight!

And that's the way it should be as far as I am concerned!


Hope to finish that block and get up to a few more makes tomorrow which is going to be a day for creating - yipee!  

Sew & Bee Happy!

I joined the Sew & Bee Happy bee after a little chat with Kat at Mumma's Time to Create when I divulged that one of my goals this year was to join a bee!


I then chatted to Cindy @ Fluffy Sheep Quilting and she brought Judith @ Rags to Bags in with her!  Yeah!


So having had a bit of a wobbly joining a bee where I only knew one person I find I am in a happy little group of known people and feeling quite at home!  Not quite so scary then going to meet the new ones!


Anyway Cindy just dived straight in and is Queen for January and asked for this block (hope you don't mind me borrowing this photo Cindy from your fluffy blog ??)

from this book

Well I was back to feeling intimidated but when I actually got down to it, it was only a little bit more difficult than the wonky blocks I had done for the twinkle!  baby quilt.


So here are my blocks 

Hope Miss Cindy likes them!?   


Couldn't resist Miss Fluffy Sheep.....it sort of expresses how I feel about joining the bee and meeting friends and making blocks I thought were going to be hard but weren't quite impossible after all!

The Wonky House

I have joined up with this Wonky House Blocks swap!  We are to make 12 wonky house blocks - send 11 to the mama along with siggy blocks and keep one for ourselves.  We can make our blocks any way we choose!


I lulled myself into a false sense of security thinking this couldn't be that hard after doing wonky stars - how wrong can you get! 


This one block 12.5" square or just about, took most of the day to make!  Crazy or what?

I paper pieced the house and that went ok apart from getting the bits of house attached to the wrong side and wondering why the roof wouldn't fit - sorry should have taken a photo I know!


Then I thought well the background will be easy as I just fill in - this is where I came unstuck!  And had to add extra bits in to the house or unpick lots!


Normally a Y-seam seems ok to me but I seemed to be creating them all over the place.  Not my best sewing!






The second one was easier and a bit more fun too!  I paper pieced the light house, free pieced the background which was not very wonky really and then added detail with raw edge applique - think this could be the less frustrating way to go....

Don't think the cat looks too happy do you?


I am wanting a whole village including a shop, a school, a church and pub of course - just like my village (minus the shop sadly)....

Bee Blessed blocks!

I have fallen behind with making Bee Blessed blocks!  


I am supposed to send blocks to the lovely Judith at Rags to Bags and she makes them up into quilts with the help of a few friends and other virtual bee members.  These quilts are then gifted to people in her community.


We are supposed to send a different block every month....


Here are my overdue Log Cabin blocks for November.  These are destined for some more elderly recipients hence the traditional colours and floral fabrics.  

These blocks are disappearing into the quilt on the bed which has a traditional feel to it too.  


Note black fluffy blob in top left hand corner - Saffy's usual daytime sleeping position - only thing missing is my latop which she likes to keep warm beside!  Think that is her head and three paws!  She does keep me company for which I am very grateful now that everyone is at school/work!





I still need to catch up by making some Disappearing Nine Patch Blocks for October.....better look through my stash again....




If you would like to help I am sure Judith would be overjoyed to have more willing volunteers to make blocks, or even gift some material!  It is all going to a good cause and what better use to put our hobby to than helping others feel a little bit special?  The Flickr group can be found here!