Quilty Round Up 2011

This was a much more productive year than last.  2010 seem to be a year of making tops and not much else but the advantage was that I had several flimsies ready to be quilted very earlier on and as a result had a good 2011 in terms of completed quilts.  Some were for Project Linus and others were for gifts.  Most were lap sized quilts or smaller. 

These four were all for project Linus....

1. Colour Impact Quilt for Project Linus, 2. Colour Impact Quilt for Project Linus, 3. linus quilt Colour Impact, 4. Floral Quilt

The top two if this set were project Linus quilts too and the bottom two were baby quilts made for 2 family members.

1. Strippy Quilt of a different kind, 2. Scrappy Linus Quilt, 3. Oh Cherry Quilt, 4. Lone Star Look-a-like

Lastly there were the 2 quilts for my MIL's spare room and the most recent quilts for the classes I'm teaching in 2012.

1. Pink and Blue Quilt, 2. Tumbler Quilt, 3. Easy Circle Quilt, 4. Crossed Canoe Quilt

With so many finishes I feel like I'm on top of my WIPs (Works in Progress) and hope to keep the momentum going into 2012.  As it stands I'm finishing two "quilt as you go" quilts over the holidays so that will give me a good start to 2012 ;o)

Well this is likely to be the last post of 2011.  It has been an amazing creative year and I want to thank you all for your continued support.

All the best for 2012!

Until next time....

Best Wishes for the Holidays!!

Just wanted to wish you, your family and friends the very best for the holiday season.  I hope your days are filled with laughter and good cheer and that the holidays are restful and creative!  ...I know I want some sewing time in there somewhere ;o)

Until next time....

Crossed Canoes

I've been back at the sewing machine sewing up samples for another class I'll be teaching in the new year at my LQS.  It is that classic pattern of Crossed Canoes.  I chose very soft small prints as I have been wanting to use fabrics like this for awhile.



The piecing was quick and the whole lap quilt came together very quickly.



I had some wool wadding that was just the right size and as a result gave this quilt a lovely loft when it was quilted.



I'm thrilled with the results and reckon this will be just about the last finish for 2011.



By my count I've finished 14 quilts this year.  I'm really pleased with those statistics! :o)  Granted most of them were lap quilts...but a finish is a finish! :o)



Here are the details on the class for those of you that are local.

Crossed Canoes Quilt

As easy as 1-2-3...just 3 cuts and you’ll be on your way to creating this lovely two-toned quilt. Come along and learn about a unique cutting and piecing technique. I’ll show you some of the other blocks that you can sew in the same way and it is sure to leave you inspired. No templates and no foundation piecing. Ideal class for the confident beginner to advanced.

February 25, 2012
Please book a place with Anne at - Heart of the Shires - Crafts and Quilts

Until next time....

Easy Circle Quilt

I bet you were wondering when you might see more of this quilt.  Not only am I revealing more, but the quilt is completed!  Now that's out of character for me, because normally I show you these things and then they disappear for months and months!



The difference with this quilt was that it HAD to get done as I will be teaching it as a class at my LQS (details below)



It is a mix of a few different techniques and it went together so well that I'm really excited to be able to teach it as a class.



There are those little mice again...that fabric is so sweet.  It's not often you find a good yellow, but this was a just right and played well with the blues and greens.  To quilt it, I did a meandering stitch everywhere but the curves and the results allowed the circles to pop.



Here are the details on the class for those of you that are local.

Easy Curve Piecing
Yes that’s right Easy! Who says curve piecing has to be hard or frustrating? In this class you will learn a fabulous method for piecing curves and getting them smooth and flat. After learning the technique you will realize the many, many other design possibilities it has to offer. Ideal class for the confident beginner to advanced.


January 28th, 2012 and April 14th, 2012
Please book a place with Anne at - Heart of the Shires - Crafts and Quilts

Until next time....

Sweet Christmas Delights

With Christmas right around the corner, we have been busy little elves in the kitchen making tasty treats.  DD1 saw this post on Adventures in Savings and we both knew we had to give it a try.  Anything that combines chocolate, peppermint and marshmallows together has to be "a good thing"!

DD1 did all the work and I stood by with my camera to document the tasty unfolding. I also had a play with the video feature on my camera and made this little "artsy" video...I hope you like it.



Not long to go before the man in the red suit comes down the chimney.  Hope all your preparations are coming together :o)

Until next time....

Fat Quarterly Win!

I've been meaning to post about my recent win from Katy for the past few weeks and have finally managed to get the picture taken and give credit where credit is due!

There were all kinds of goodies in the bag but the one that caught my eye is sitting right in the front....You see that stitchery kit from Lynette Anderson..that is going to be my Christmas holiday sewing.  Just the perfect project to pick up between all the excitement!

Thanks again Katy for all the goodies..I'm going to enjoy every single one of them!

Until next time....

Mollie Makes Fun!

Every so often I wander down the magazine aisle in my local grocery store.  I don't do it too often otherwise I'd be buying a magazine every week...but once in awhile it is nice to have a look....  Last week as I wandered to that side of the shop I had something specific in my mind...Happy Loves Rosie wrote about how she would be featured in Mollie Makes and I was completely drawn in and thought if it was there I might buy it...and I did :o)

This is one of those magazines that is more like a book and is full of lovely inspiration and beautiful photography! ...just up my street :o)



There is a selection of fabulous Tilda patterns which I definitely want to try.



And there was a lovely bunch of Christmas decoration patterns using felt.  This little Christmas tree totally caught my attention and I decided it would make a lovely badge (brooch) for my coat.



I started with a bit of ribbon which I folded in half and sandwiched it between two triangles of red felt and top stitched it on the machine.  I left a little opening for the stuffing and then closed the hole up with more top stitching on the machine.  I then got my perle cotton and my button box and decorated the front with buttons.  I added a safety pin on the back and ta-da the brooch was completed.



I've been out and about wearing it for the past week or so and had several compliments..nothing beats that feeling when you smile and say you've made it yourself! :o)

Until next time....

Orchid Update

You may recall seeing this orchid before back in July and that I was going to do my best to keep it alive.  Well not only has it survived, but it continued to give me a fantastic show of flowers right through the Autumn.  They just kept growing and growing...and then I noticed a second spike beginning to grow next to the original spike.  Eventually I thought it would be best to cut the old spike off (it had pretty much finished flowering) so all the goodness would get concentrated into the new growth.



So far so good, the orchid seems happy enough if not a little cramped in its pot, but I don't dare try and re-pot it while its growing.  If anyone has any advice, please let me know...I'm just winging it and hoping for the best.

Until next time....

Starting Something New....

The best thing about finishing a few projects is that you can start something new!  I'm only giving you a sneak peek as I'm still in the process of working the plan out, but it does involve more curves and circles. ;o)

I have chosen very cheery fabrics of green, yellow and blue and so far I'm loving every aspect of the construction and design.  As soon as this is blog post is published, I'll be back at the machine putting more rows together!



I love it when a project makes you smile..!
Have a great weekend!

Until next time....

Last of the Quilts...for now :o)

Lastly but certainly not least is the quilt I started back in ...ummm March!  You might recall my post over at Sew WE Quilt (when is was known as Stash Manicure) where I demonstrated the construction of the piecing of the circle using the Dresden Plate ruler and the sewing in of the circle using Sharon Schamber's method of Piec-lique.

The entire quilt was free-machine quilted where I quilted petals from the centre of the circles and then did a large meander in the blue areas of the quilt.



I ended up making 12 blocks and set them together in a 3x4 setting.
This quilt was quite a lot of fun to put together as each wheel was different.  I think I wouldn't mind trying the design again but in scrappy fabrics and maybe even bigger circles...now wouldn't that be fun!

Until next time....

Tumbler Quilt Completed!

Here is the first of 2 quilts that were finished for my mother-in-law for her spare room.  It might seem familiar and that is because I posted about it back in April!

Following Autumn's advice I did straight stitching down the columns of tumblers.  It was bit of a struggle to (wo)man-handle the 6' long quilt...but I got there in the end :o)



The shapes were cut using the large tumbler die from Accu-quilt which made piecing it a breeze.



It was delivered last weekend along with it's fraternal twin which I'll post about tomorrow!

Until next time....

Almost Wordless Wednesday

It took me a few goes to get this picture...but I finally caught it and I love it! I'm half expecting fairies to be dancing in the grass.

Until next time....

Look-a-Like Star Quilt Completed!

As predicted I have finished 4 quilts in as many weeks and like buses they have all come in at once. Over the next week or so I'll post about each one.

This quilt, which you have seen in progress, was made for the newest member of  the family..a little boy! 

I gave the quilt to my sister-in-law last weekend and she loved it!  I used most of a jelly roll by Sandy Gervais called Lollipop. 



I'm thrilled with the results and the quilting and I hope it brings the little fellow a lot of warmth.



DD1, whom you might recall is the knitter in the family, made him some booties!  Aren't they adorable!  I think she did a fantastic job!

Until next time....

Pretty Pictures from a Day Out...

A few weekends ago while I was visiting my in-laws we took a drive up to Leek and stopped at the Cheddleton Railway. The trains weren't running when we stopped by, but it still presented an opportunity to take a few pictures.





Just on the edge of Leek by the sports centre we found a park which didn't take long to walk around, but offered up some of the most beautiful autumnal colours.



We have really been spoiled this autumn with some very warm and sunny days...makes me wonder what kind of winter we are heading for!?



Until next time....

Lone Star Look-a-Like Update....

I've been getting things completed and it feels so good...here is the Lone Star Look-a-Like at the machine ready for quilting.



I did stitch in the ditch around each layer of the star using some King-Tut variegated thread and in the large triangles I did further straight line quilting echoing the shape.



In the large corners I marked out a star and then did free-motion quilting to fill the area.  I really like the effect.  I just have to finishing the binding and then I can share the final result.


Until next time....

Happy Halloween!

Just a quick post to wish you all a safe Halloween!
We are all set here with the pumpkins carved and the sweets by the door.  It is set to be a mild evening so I'm expecting we could get quite a few trick or treaters.



DD2 being a fan of wolves came up with this design...which was easier to carve than I thought it would be.  I place a paper pattern of the wolf on the pumpkin then I used a push pin to mark the outline.  After I removed the paper, I went in with a sharp knife and carved around the markings.



DD1 went for the more classic look of a kitty! I love them both :o)

Until next time....

Just for the girls...

You're going to think I've spent my half term watching Youtube videos...but I haven't. :o)  I have done some sewing too (.. I'll share it with you in a few days)
In the meantime, I am sharing yet another fab video.  If only exercise was always this entertaining!



Until next time,

Dancing Through the Ages...

I like to bring you the very best Youtube clips from time to time...Well I found this one from HERE who found it through HER....Enjoy!



Until next time....

6 Charms Squares = Very Useful Item

What can you make from 6 charm squares?
Well, you can make a very fetching and useful camera strap cover :o)

Randi had a great tutorial on her blog which was really easy to follow and within 20 minutes I had a new cover.  Probably the hardest part was taking the picture of the finished strap cover! LOL  I cropped this picture down as the expression on my face was much like a deer caught in headlights!

Until next time....

More cupcakes....

We've been at it again in the kitchen making cupcakes!  Just like last time we used this fantastic recipe and once again it came out trumps!  I might as well throw out the rest of the recipes in my collection as I honestly don't think I could do better :o)



Until next time....

Oh Cherry Completed!

F
inally what you have all been waiting for....

TA-DA! 

Here it is, the completed Oh Cherry Quilt!  I'm thrilled with the results.  It's quite a fresh looking quilt and the border fabrics which were from a a completely different line of fabrics ended up being a perfect match.

I did free-motion cherries in the large border and had marked them before I basted using Roxanne marking pencils.  They were such fun to do and I think complimented the whimsy of this project.

Thanks for all the lovely comments while I've been sharing the journey of the making of this quilt.  It really spurred me on to get it finished.

Until next time....