Blog Archives

God Påske - Happy Easter!

29/3/2013

God Påske to all my Norwegian friends and blog followers - and wishing a very Happy Easter to all my other friends. Have you got something special planned for the Easter holidays? Well poor Mr F is working, so and Alice is busy working too (the local quilt shop, Quilters Haven is open today so if I NEED any supplies I can pop over there this morning!) so I've got a marathon sewing session planned - a new runner and place mats for my dining table, ready to use on Easter Sunday, and maybe I'll have time over the hols to make a new tote bag too! This year I've got all 4 days off work and I really don't want to waste a minute of it! So whether you're spending time with friends and loved ones, or whether you're working, or even if you're relaxing at the pub with a beer and nuts, have a good Easter weekend!

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Wisdom - Owl Earrings

28/3/2013

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I know just the girl who will LOVE these cute little owl charms that dangle with crystal accents. These earrings are petite and feminine and perfect for someone very special who just loves owls!! These are for my daughter Alice, and I'm sure she'll love them! I bought her another pair of Amanda Davie "owl" earrings for Christmas, and a couple of years ago I made her an owl tote bag too.

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"På Quiltelaup" - Another Tote Bag!

27/3/2013

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Do you remember these beautiful fat quarters that I bought from Sew and So's? This range is called "Silent Cinema", and is by Jenean Morrison for FreeSpirit fabrics. I decided that I really NEEDED to make another tote bag, and thought these colours would be good for Spring as these pretty soft greens and yellows reminded me of daffoldils and primroses - although this weekend it really doesn't look like Spring as it's been snowing. I have picked a couple of threads to use with these fabrics. Variegated yellow King Tut quilting thread shade 982 which is lovely and would blend nicely or should I choose a variegated green and yellow Gutermann Sulky quilting thread that would stand out more. Oh dear - decisions decisions....

.....I decided to use an AnnAKa pattern that I have used several times before, called "På Quiltelaup". I know, I know - what a surprise that I'm using another AnnAKa pattern - but I really love her patterns, and everytime I make them they look different. I have made this bag before using batiks, and was looking forward to seeing how it would look made up with modern prints. And I was going to try a design twist too - using different fabrics for the front and the back of the bag as I was using a fat quarter bundle. The front pockets were both quilted in a "diamond" pattern. I used the Guterman variegated quilting thread for most of the quilting.....

.....I've never been very sucessful with pockets, so I decided to try something different for the inside of the bag. I used a pattern by Elizabeth Hartman for the lining - this was made using her method of making pockets from her pattern "Perfect Quilted Tote" and it really was SO easy - both to download the pattern and to make it! her instructions are really well written and very well illustrated too. I'll definitely make these pockets again, as they really do look so professional.....

.....I added a key-holder too, as it's so annoying when you have to rummage around in your bag looking for your keys! As well as quilting the outside of the bag, I quilted the lining too, to make a very structured bag that will stand up on it's own.....

.....I quilted the handles with lots of straight row quilting and decided to use the variegated yellow King Tut thread as the variegated Gutterman one didn't look so good for this.....

.....here you can see inside the finished tote bag, with a zipper pocket, a neatly bound slip pocket. I used the same fabric as tyhe lining for the binding at the top edge of the bag. Oh and of course, one of my lablels added to the side seam. This one just says "Quiltystuff by Nicola".....

.....what do you think? This shows one side of the bag (hiding behind the daffodils!!), showing the green handle. Oh and you can see the snow has all gone now - it was far to chilly to take these pictures outside at the weekend! I just need to buy some large grey buttons to sew onto the prairie points.....

.....and here is the other side, showing the yellow handle. It's a great size to use for work or going out for the day shopping and I'm really pleased with it. Just don't tell Mr F how many bags I've got in my cupboard - I really should start selling some of these!!!
*If you want to purchase the pattern for the tote bag, "På Quiltelaup", you can contact my friend Hanne at who has a quilt shop "Lappedilla", or Elisabeth at "Lapp-Elisa" and I'm sure they'll be able to help you, and the pattern for the "Perfect Quilted Tote" is available to purchase from Elizabeth Hartmans pattern shop.

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Sew Cute Tuesday 26/03/2013

26/3/2013

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Well this weeks completed project is just gorgeous - a baby quilt for a little girl called Nevaeh May. These fabrics were just lovely to sew with - this is a charm pack of "Gypsy Girl" by Lily Ashbury for Moda.....

.....and if you hop over to the Better Off Thread blog you might get even more inspiration too!!

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Gypsy Girl

24/3/2013

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This fabric is called Gypsy Girl and is by Lily Ashbury for Moda. I bought this pack of charm squares, along with the floral fabric for the backing and the green print for the binding from Glenroy Designs. The whiter tonal fabric is also from Glenroy Designs, and will look great as the top and bottom borders and the sashing too.....

.....this is one of the easiest baby quilts I have ever made - the pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman (I avidly follow her blog Oh Fransson! and I've got her books too!!) anyway, this pattern is designed by her and is a free download over at the Sew Mama Sew website. I love the modern design and the clean straight quilting lines.....

.....This charm pack is one of the prettiest ones I'ver used. These colours look great mixed together too - pink and red and turquoise and lime green. The dense quilting lives this baby quilt a lovely ribbed effect.....

.....and here it is finally completed - quilted, bound and one of my labels securely stitched in place. As you can see, I've stitched the label on the front of this baby quilt, which my daughter suggested as a design feature.....

.....and you can just see a glimpse of the backing fabric, which really is BEAUTIFUL! This quilt is for a special little baby girl called Nevaeh May. I hope she'll love being snuggled up in it, and hopefully her mummy will love it too!!

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Sew Cute Tuesday 19/03/2013

19/3/2013

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Goodness that last week has really flown by!! I haven't really made very much this week - lots of projects started, but nothing completed, so I'll have to save those for another week! I hope you don't think this cheating, but this week I'm sharing pictures of the bag that I taught my daughter to make - we had a super evening sewing together, and she was really pleased with the completed bag, which she gave to one of her colleagues. No doubt she'll be making several more of these - I wonder who she takes after!! There are lots more projects to look at over on the Better Off Thread blog.

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Hollyhock Garden

19/3/2013

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Do you remember I went along to Bungay to visit Sew and So's on Saturday with my daughter Alice? Well she really "needed" to get some of this lovely fabric by Lynette Anderson - it's called Hollyhock Garden for Lecien, and she wanted to make a bag for one of her colleagues, so who better to give her a masterclass in bag-making but her crafty mummy?? We used a Norwegian bag pattern, called "Anna's Sminkepung" which is by the Norwegian designer AnnAKa Alice wanted to add some lace trimming that she found in my stash, and I just happened to have a reel of variegated King Tut quilting thread that matched this fabric perfectly - oh yes I know my friend Heather will be totally AMAZED to think that I had just the right colour thread lurking in a box.....

.....anyway, I helped her to mark out a 2" grid using a Clover Hera marker while she threaded up the Bernina. Alice was a very good student, and she soon mastered the art of quilting and adding lace trimming and binding and adding a zipper.....

.....and in no time at all her bag was completed. She really has made an excellent job of this. The inside is lined with the beautiful pale grey fabric shown in the top picture. Unfortunately the lighting wasn't very good indoors last night.....

.....anyway, I've taken another picture in the garden this morning where the lighting was much better! This bag is for Stella, as Alice wanted to make her something to say thank you for taking her along to the Spring Quilt Festival at Duxford last week. This evening when Alice arrived home from work she said Stella loved it! Alice wants me to help her make another one this evening - honestly, there's no peace at Foreman Towers!!

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Handmade and Timeless - Update

17/3/2013

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Well today was the Handmade and Timeless indoor market in Ipswich, and it was super to be indoors in the warm, rather than braving the cold!! Alice came with me, and we checked out the "Handmade" room in the Corn Exchange first of all - and this stall caught my eye straight away - it was so bright and colourful! This stall was Scarlet-Sometimes, and it had a super selection of cushions and bunting and hearts. I really did have to be very strong-willed not to buy anything!.....

.....after a browse among the other crafty stalls, we made our way to the "Timeless" room, in the Town Hall, where there was all manner of vintage paraphernalia, from clothing to records, from books to china, from linen to jewellery.....

.....I did rather fancy this large pastry bowl - my granny had one, as did my mum - and there were some beautiful vintage linens on display too. All very tempting! After we'd ohhed and ahhed and looked at everything, we made our way back to the "Homemade" room for one last browse around then made our way home. Wonder when the next one will be?

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Worldwide Quilting Day - Update

16/3/2013

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Just a quick update to let you all know what a great time I had today with my daughter! We drove over to Bungay, to visit Sew and So's - Alice needed some fabric for some gifts she's making, and I needed just a half meter of fabric to line a tote bag that I'm going to make with a fat quarter bundle that I bought from the Sew and So's stand at Duxford last week. Well, while I was browsing I spotted a great book containing patterns for table runners - I've already got another book and a couple of patterns by the same designer, and they are really easy to understand, so just HAD to get it, and then I saw some gorgeous purple and green batik, that I'm hoping will go with the purple and green lace that I bought recently. Finally I spotted some more magnetic sew-in buttons for bag making - the ones I had bought from Duxford last week were 3x as expensive as these - I think you can guess where I'll be buying these from in future!.....

.....Alice bought a selection of fabrics - she is going to be busy making gifts for some of her colleagues, and bought Hollyhock Garden Leciens, and a yummy pink batik and some pretty red and white fabric.....

.....and these cute fabrics are going to be used for her laptop cover. Oh don't you just love those cute little piggies!! Anyway, after that super shopping spree, we were in need of refreshments, so hot-footed it off to the Earsham Street Cafe for lunch - and if any of you see Alice at work this week at Quilters Haven, ask her about the delicious Chocolate Orange cake she devoured for her pudding!!

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Worldwide Quilting Day

16/3/2013

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Well what are you doing to day to celebrate worldwide quilting day? I'm taking my youngest daughter to Sew and So's at Bungay as she really NEEDS some of Lynette Anderson's beautiful Hollyhock Garden fabric. She's promised to treat me to afternoon tea at the Earsham Street cafe as a treat too! She's making a bag as a gift for one of her colleagues, so I suppose when we get home we'll spend the evening sewing with her new fabric - oh dear it's a hard life, but it has to be done hehe!!

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<<Previous

God Påske - Happy Easter!

Wisdom - Owl Earrings

"På Quiltelaup" - Another Tote Bag!

Sew Cute Tuesday 26/03/2013

Gypsy Girl

Sew Cute Tuesday 19/03/2013

Hollyhock Garden

Handmade and Timeless - Update

Worldwide Quilting Day - Update

Worldwide Quilting Day

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