Bloggers Quilt Festival - Fall 2011

Amy is once again hosting the Bloggers Quilt Festival! If you have never seen or taken part before hop on over and take a look, it is a great way to see hundreds of quilts and find new blogs to follow! Big thanks to Amy for hosting and organising the festival!

The quilt I am sharing today is the first big (ish) quilt I made, and the first quilt I made by myself. I think it was created before this blog so I don't think many people will have seen it before!

Before I started quilting I had been wandering around online and one of the first blogs I found was Crazy Mom Quilts where I saw this which I loved and which I thought looked do-able! A little later after I had made my first quilt (a baby quilt for my niece with assistance) I saw Rachel's Scruffily Quilt - the layer cakes, charm pack and jelly roll were ordered and I got to work!

This quilt was great fun to put together and perfect for a total beginner! When it came to quilting I recalled how the Crazy Mom quilt was quilted and quilted my quilt similarly!

I love everything about this quilt, I tend to see it as my first because it was all made by me. I love the Tula Pink Hushabye fabrics. I love the scruffy edges. I love that this was when I totally fell in love with quilting and fabric! I also love that it shows how amazing the online community is that I could make this with very little previous knowledge based on the free tutorials amazing people had provided!

It now lives downstairs on the sofa ready to curl up with when it is cold!

Don't forget to check out all the other quilts!

Lucky, Lucky, Lucky...

I have been very lucky with giveaways recently!

The other week I won Lynne's Christmas for quilters giveaway.

My pretty Aurifil threads arrived on friday!

Lovely colours!

If you've not been stalking Lynne's blog then get over there! There are even more giveaways going on at the moment!

Click the button to go take a look... even if you don't win you might be able to persuade your loved ones to buy you one of the lovely quilting related suggestions as a present for Christmas!

Thank you so much to Lynne for hosting and organising the giveaway and the Alex/Aurifil threads for the prizes!

It's FMF again!

It is free motion friday again with Cindy from fluffy sheep quilting!

This week we were set the task of trying Bright Star from Leah Day's website.

So I did :)

 

I enjoyed quilting this one! Leah is right though you do easily get a lot of thread in the middle!

This weeks challenge looks interesting, lots of sqwiggles... we shall have to see how that goes!

In the meantime check out everyone elses Bright Stars over on Cindy's blog.

More embroidery :)

So after a productive FNSI last night I decided to squeeze in a little bit of time to stay in a stitchy mindset today. Along with the FMQ last night I also spent time getting this lightbox into working order!

 I'm pretty excited about this! It was my grandad's, he wasn't into sewing but he was into photography and I'm told that what he used it for. (Photography is my sister's thing not mine as you can probably tell!) Apparently he made it himself and when I found it it had no plug on it (obviously needed that for something else at some point!) and it needed a good clean. So last night I managed to buy and fix a plug on.... was amazed that it did not go bang when I switched it on! Then gave it a good clean and put it back together again.

I hope my grandad would be pleased it is going to be used again instead of just sitting in a garage somewhere. And I love having something he made in my sewing space :)

So today I decided to give it a go!

I downloaded & printed this free PDF file of Aimee Ray's.

And set to work tracing....

It was so much easier to trace than trying to do it on a window as I've tried before! It's a cute design (I know its tiny on here sorry!!) Think it is probably way outside my embroidery skills but it fit onto the bits of white fabric I had lying around. (mental note:need to buy more white solid!)

Friday Night Sew In Results

Tonight was FNSI =D

Originally I planned to do some work on my last 2 pinwheel blocks, however yesterday I was messing around with the all hallows variation block and  I haven't quite decided how I want to do them yet. Plus I have been watching everyone else have fun with Cindy from Fluffy Sheep Quilting by participating in Free Motion Friday and I wanted to play too! Head on over to Cindy's blog to see how everyone else has got on stitching the free motion designs! Cindy is using the videos and tutorials from Leah Day's -Free Motion Quilting Project. I have stalked Leah's blog for ages now I love all her tips on free motion quilting and her tutorials. However I have only tried a couple so Cindy's FMF seemed like a great motivator to try some other designs!

(Please ignore the crap pictures, it's late and dark!)

Sooo ....I gathered some scraps:

I decided I was way more likely to keep participating over the weeks if I had a few squares already prepared!

I had 3 weeks to catch up on. So I started with 

Week one: Shadow Wave:

Not really sure what happened with this one... I started at the bottom  of this picture... I think I went wonky with my waves somewhere though because when I got to the end (at the top right hand corner!) I was boxed into my corner!

Week Two: Drop Art:

This one started at the top.. It was all going well until I missed that drop out and did two fat drops instead! I didn't even realise until I was on the 4th drop from the left! Oopss!

Week Three: Slate Tiles:

I am not a great fan of this one.. I have a thing about squares and square things ... I don't tend to like them! (I know I'm wierd!) So that is probably why this design doesn't grab me! I started at the top and did square squares. Halfway through I got a little bored and decided to try making my squares corners round while still keeping the shapes as squares not circles. I quite like the difference between to two types of the design. I did struggle at first to get my pacing right on this one so I tried practicing slowing down and speeding up in the design.

I did also try this weeks design Bright Star but I will save that to link up next week.

Although I didn't get my pinwheels done I am happy with what I got done tonight! (And I really enjoyed it!!) I will do some more messing with the all hallows block and hopefully get them started in the next week.

I hope everyone else had a productive FNSI!

Linking up to FNSI and FMF

Winter Stitching List

Now I know (hell you lot probably know too!) that I am slow to get things done. Sooo I am hoping that this list will motivate me to get things finished! I haven't made it toooo long because I think for me, a long list will have an opposite effect on my motivation lol! Plus I am sure to find more things to add that are "must do's" between now and March! 

So in no real order:

1) Finish pinwheel quilt. (2 more blocks to make then sashing, backing, quilt, bind)

2) Make dress (If I can convince myself to stop being a wuss and cut the fabric!!)

3) Wiscasset Quilt (These blocks have been half finished for a year just need to finish the outer parts of the blocks and then sashing, backing, quilt, bind.)

4) Xmas Stocking for my niece! Or an advent calender type thing... Or both? We will see!

5) Curtains

6) Do something with this embroidery - (I have a plan but I need to get the curtains done first and see how much fabric I have left!)

7) I want to do some more embroidery... not sure what but try some more!

If I get any of that lot done I will be happy!

Now go over to FairyFace Designs and see what everyone else has planned!

The last month or so...

Its been a while ... again but here is what I have been up to.

Firstly I was lucky enough to win some Aurifil thread from Kati. I haven't tried it out yet but I'm excited to see what this thread is like! Thanks Kati!

I have actually done some sewing!

More Pinwheels for my Pinwheel Sampler.



The only downside was I chose my blocks before looking at what fabric was required so as a result these 4 had to be a little scrappy, which I'm not sure is a look I totally love but I am hoping that when it is all together they will just blend in.


I have two more blocks to do. I think I have finally figured out (after about an hour staring at the page!) what I need to cut for these. Yes I am having a total brain loss evening today...
I also went back and looked at Rachel's original pinwheel sampler quilt and its amazing how different blocks can look when you place the fabric even slightly differently. So I may do one all hallows variation block as the original and one like the one in Rachel's quilt. They are only slightly different but still.

It was my birthday last week and although I didn't ask for sewing related presents this year (on the basis that I still haven't used what I got last year!!) my sister surprised me by wrapping my presents with some fabulous Strawberry Fields fabric!


I was impressed with the fabric she picked out (she doesn't sew/quilt) and amused by the stories she told of how many times whe was mildly insulted by the lady in our LQS. Apparently the first thing she said when she walked in was "your too young to be in here!"
She isn't much younger than me, but I am used to the strange looks now! :)

I will hopefully be back soon. It is FNSI 21st Oct - thats this fri! So go over and sign up!
And Sarah at FairyFace Designs has posted about her Winter Stitching Plans so I am thinking up my list!