A + B = A Clever Quillow!

This past Saturday I attended a workshop with Andrea and Bunty from the Lutterworth Piecemakers to make a very different quillow. The construction of this quillow (quilt and pillow) is slightly different in that it folds to the centre and 4 triangular flaps wrap around and fasten to make a pillow...and when it's a quilt the flaps open up and attach to the top with elastic and buttons.

These two quilts below were made by our tutors to show us how they should look when they are finished. (as always, click on the pictures to see bigger versions of the pictures)

This is my work space. (See that Bernina again :o)

This is me and my finished top...do you remember these blocks from here?

And these are the quilts made by my fellow class mates...Isn't it amazing how different they all are!

Well that's another top to the pile...hmmm I think I better get quilting some of these things!

TTFN

William Tell Overture for Moms

Here's a video that's been around and back again...but it's soooo clever I had to post it!

BTW, thanks to everyone that left comments about my frustrations. I've taken on board all your comments and feel energized to get quilting! Thanks to all of you!!! As I want to hand quilt my top, I'm going to quilt around my freezer paper flowers and then add the baptist fans as I go. Sarah Jayne suggested watercolour pencils, which I have and had forgotten about and I think they might be my best bet to see the marking on all those different fabrics.

Also, Lynda has started a blog for our Lutterworth group. Pop over and have a look and see what we got up to. Meetings are monthly and therefore there should be new stuff to see every month.

TTFN

Frustration!

Do you remember me telling you how I wanted to quilt the Autumn Quilt (second one down on the post) with sunflowers and baptist fans...
I was all set to go..I had a simple design of flowers that I had enlarged and then printed as a massive poster on Microsoft Publisher and I had my lightbox all ready to use to draw the outline on the top and then fill in the background with the baptist fans using a cardboard template. Well, I guess I didn't really count on the fabric being so hard to see through, or the marking pencils so hard to see and by the time I had reached the halfway mark I couldn't tell if I was coming or going. So I have bravely washed my top to remove all the markings to start again. I had a friend suggest quilting the sunflower outlines using freezer paper, which I think I might do, but have you got any braining ideas as to how to tackle marking a quilt with so many colours!?

Very sad news - Laurel Burch

I only just read this on my quilting list that Laurel Burch has died. What a sad day for those of us that have appreciated her work in so many ways.
Read more on her website.

Meet the Twins!

I should say these quilt tops are fraternal twins in that they share certain fabrics and they originally started as one quilt, but then split into two as I went along. The appliqué row in the second quilt was my starter "block" for an exchange we did at my quilting group last year. That row went on its merry way along with some fabric to 3 other group members and when I got the 4 rows back they just didn't quite go together...even my DH noticed that they weren't quite happy together when I had them strewn across the living room floor. After much pondering, I split the rows into 2 groups of 2 and then made 4 new rows that complemented the 2 sets. My DD2 (age 4) has already claimed the top one and the second one has turned out quite Christmasy so I think it will be a seasonal quilt.

I also what to share a very sneak peak at some work I did today on a exchange I'm doing with friends (half in the UK and half in Canada) I had to make the picture as cryptic as possible as the recipient might just be reading!!!

Until next time,

No bills..just thrills :o)

Oh don't you love it when the postman doesn't gives you any bills, but a lovely bundle of fabric and a pattern all the way from Australia?! Woohoo!

Here's what I got:

Firstly some fabric I bought off Ebay. I wasn't planning to buy anything, but clicky-clicky and next thing I knew I'd bought some lovely quality fabrics from a lady in Hemel-Hempstead. Ebay is just too easy, you don't even need to find your wallet. If you want to have a browse her Ebay shop is Fiddlesticks Fabrics & Crafts. She was very quick to reply to emails and to ship..and her prices are very good!

Secondly, I was Moore Patchwork & Quilting's winner of her give away and she has sent me a lovely pattern all the way from Australia. I can't wait to have a go at put this Blooming Wallet together. Thanks Lyn!

'Til next time...

The Name Game

Just a bit of Monday Fun! I saw this over at the Happy Zombie.
Feel free to play along and leave me a comment so I can read your list.

The Name Game

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car),
Timothy Ford

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie),
Bubblegum Chocolate Chip

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name),
J-Wes

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal),
Purple Cat

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born),
Isabel Montreal

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Wes-Ja

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Cyan Blue Wine

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers),
Milton Henry

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy),
Oceanus Twizzler (ooh that sounds saucy!)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ),
Jeanne James Edward

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter),
Gould Glasgow

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Autumn Rose

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Banana Aproniey

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree),
Oatibix Maple (had to tun to the cupboard to find out how to spell my cereal!)

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”),
The Quilting Rain Tour

Two Flimsies

I'm on a mission to get some tops completed. I feel like I can't work on anything else until I get some of my projects to a more completed stage.

The first flimsy I got finished today is a challenge quilt I organized with my local group. It worked very much like the Ostrich quilt you saw here in that each month there was a theme or instruction. I chose to do a block per month instead of a row or a round. For those of you who are close to me, you are getting a privileged sneak peek at the finished top! I'm also suppose to tell you that the black sashing was my DD1's idea (she's 13) I didn't even consider black, but I think it works very well.

The second flimsy I got completed is quite an Autumnal one. I had made the centre part before today but always felt it was missing something...a border. The fabric came as a gift from a dear friend of mine in Canada. I plan to hand quilt this one with a sunflower design I have dreamed up and some baptist fans as filler.
Have a good weekend!

Scraps

I was sorting out some scraps into my scrap bins today and thought I'd take a picture to share with you. They are all sorted by dominate colour and then I have one that is multi-coloured scraps. I'm hoping to have a go at the Mile-a-minute blocks, but want to make them within one colour family. I quite like the idea of a controlled scrappy quilt..does that make sense? (...or perhaps I'm being to anal about the whole thing LOL) I think that idea will work well with most colours, but perhaps not so with the multi-coloured fabric and the white fabric. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do with those...especially since some of the pieces are crumb sized. I look forward to hearing your suggestions..you are all such an inspiring bunch. TTFN