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Progress Update

31/7/2013

Well I'm making good progress on the "Lattice Top" quilt! This is a quilt that I started several years ago and was part of the "Stash Pot Pie" scheme that involved using up fabrics that were lurking in your stash. Well I managed to piece the star blocks together yesterday and then I had the mammoth task of sorting through the pieces that had already been cut out for the 9-patch blocks. It was a bit like sorting out a jig-saw puzzle!.....

...once all the 9-patch blocks were sorted into piles ready for chain-piecing I was ready to go! I have used a grey Mettler thread for the piecing as this seems to blend with whatever colour fabrics I'm using. Oh my goodness there was SO much chain-piecing too...

.....well all that chain-piecing was very worthwhile, and the remaining blocks were quickly pieced together. I used a variety of white and cream tone-on-tone prints for the background, and really like the subtle scrappy effect.....

...well as you could see from the first picture, the blocks were all completed and I spent the afternoon sewing the rows together. This pattern uses a 5x7 layout. The next stage is the twisted ribbon border, but that will have to wait until the weekend! This is the first time that I've spend a few hours at the sewing machine since my surgery, and it's been absolutely exhausting - I'm off to bed!!

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Sew Cute Tuesday 30.07.2013

30/7/2013

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Well it's that time of the week AGAIN!! Yes it's "Sew Cute Tuesday" over on the Better Off Thread blog, and this week I've got 4 - yes that's right - 4 projects completed to post pictures of!! First of all there was the lovely Beehive Sewing Book, designed by Lynette Anderson. This was started when I did a course with Lynette 3 years ago - and finally finished!! Then there was the cute vintage-style cosmetic bag that I made for my friend Judy's birthday. She was really thrilled with it! This was followed by a stitchery project called "Peace and Plenty" which was designed by Leanne Beasley and again was started a few years ago. I not only finished the stitchery, but I sewed on the borders and managed to frame it too. And last but not least, "Friends Needle Case" designed by Rosalie Quinlan - this was started in 2008 and I finally finished that this week too. I've had a busy week finishing up UFO's, and have really enjoyed getting these completed. Now if you head over to the Better Off Thread blog you see all the other crafty things that other crafty bloggers have completed this week too!

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Lattice Top Revisited!

29/7/2013

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About 5 years ago I took part in a scheme organised by my local quilt shop, Quilters Haven, called "Stash Pot Pie". The idea was to encourage you to use your stash - fat quarters, scraps, whatever you have. The pattern for each quilt gave yardage amounts for lights, mediums, and darks, allowing you to choose whatever colour palette you would like to use. This was great for people like me who often went on a fabric buying binge! Anyway, this one is called "Lattice Top" and I used a combination of red, white and blue fabrics (very patriotic hehe!!) and there are several different fabrics in each colourway to give it a very scrappy look. The quilt top is made up with 2 different blocks - a simple Friendship Star, and a variation of a 9-patch block sometimes known as Thrifty. As you can see, I didn't get very far with it! I'd made several star blocks and a couple of 9-patch blocks and some of the pieced border and that was all I'd had time to do on the day of the class. I'd packed it away with other started projects and there it had stayed. So, as my challenge with the "Tour de Fibre" is to finish 5 projects before I start anything new, I'm now going to tackle this one! This is going to take me a bit longer than my other ones, but as usual I'll update you regularly with pictures of my progress!

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Friends Needle Case

28/7/2013

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I know, I don't normally blog TWICE in one day, but here is the completed "Friends Needle Case" - pattern designed by Rosalie Quinlan. I'd bought this as a kit from The Fat Quarters back in 2008, made a start on it (well - I'd completed the stitchery) and put it one side - and as I'm still taking part in the FB group "Tour de Fibre" I decided to tackle this as my next project. Hanne who organises the group challenged herself to complete 5 unfinished projects before starting a new one, and I also took up the challenge! This is my fourth project that I've completed so I'm doing quite well! And here it is - it really is very pretty - and just like shoes and handbags, a girl can never have too many needle cases.....

.....first of all I traced and cut out some hexagon templates, using some template plastic. I've stored these away in my sewing box incase I ever need these again! Then it was time to cut out the main fabric, the lining, the pocket, the wadding and the woollen felt for the needles - all hexagon shaped of course!.....

.....I constructed this a bit different to Rosalie's instructions. Firstly I decided to machine applique the stitchery onto the front of the needle case, and used a pale pink King Kut thread for this, stitching quite close to the edge of the applique, and stitching it into postion before attaching the lining. I used the same colour thread when I made the handles, and to top stitch around both pieces of the needle case too.....

.....I love the vintage style buttons that decorate the inside of this needle case. They are SO pretty! Oh and another slight change in the construction - I used a button magnet to keep the case closed (really this was because I forgot to attach the tab to loop over the button, but don't tell anyone!! and also I sewed through the pocket making 2 smaller ones as I thought it would be easier for storing a couple of packets of hand sewing needles, reels of thread, etc. This was a super kit, as it had EVERYTHING I needed to complete the project without having to search for other supplies. Now - where's my next unfinished project?!

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Sew Sunday!

28/7/2013

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Well I've found yet ANOTHER unfinished stitchery project! This one is called "Friends Needle Case" and is by the Australian designer Rosalie Quinlan. I bought this kit absolutely YEARS ago (?2008!!) from The Fat Quarters, and they still have this pattern in stock if you're interested in making one too!! The kit had just about everything I needed to complete it - the fabrics (Lecien - my favourites!! - part of the Dunham Quilt collection), the pellon, the stitchery stabilizer, the embroidery thread, even the cute buttons for embellishment. AND it is a hexagon shape - too cute! I had initially completed the stitchery and then packed it away - and goodness only knows why as it's SO pretty - or should that be SEW pretty?!! I had traced the pattern with a fine Pigma pen, and stitched the design using 2 strands of DMC embroidery thread. As everything was included in this kit, I was ready to go - however, life got in the way - and it didn't get finished, like so many of my other projects! So today I am having a super sewing Sunday and hoping to get this one finished! What are you busy doing today?

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Peace and Plenty

27/7/2013

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I've finished ANOTHER stitchery project as part of "Tour de Fibre"!! This pattern is called Peace and Plenty and is designed by Leanne Beasley. I had bought this a few years ago, and didn't start it until a couple of years ago when I had a long train journey to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham! Then it was put away, and I did a little bit more last year on yet another train journey to Birmingham (yes, to the Festival of Quilts yet again!). Anyway, there was just the top right-hand corner to complete, so I managed to get this finished on Friday. I already had this red tone on tone spotted fabric, and thought it looked perfect for the borders.....

.....the next stage was to think about getting it framed - which can be a rather expensive procedure! Mr F took me shopping today, and I saw the perfect picture frame in a local DIY superstore, so thought I'd have a go at doing this myself. Well my other stitchery picture, "Sew Laugh Love" will definitely be framed professionally - doing this one myself, I managed to break most of my nails, and said a lot of VERY bad words while I was struggling to do it! Not quite sure where I'll this hang up, but it does look smart!

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Special Gift For Judy

26/7/2013

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One of my colleagues had a VERY special birthday last week. Judy is a lovely friend, and she has been a great mentor at work - I really couldn't have asked to work with anyone nicer. I wanted to make her a special gift - so I set too with some fabrics and buttons and lace, and printed off a retro picture (I used a piece of EQ printables - these are really great for printing off pictures - they don't distort, and are lovely to sew with too) - I thought this picture would be perfect to have on a bag to keep all your beauty bits and bobs in.....

.....anyway, I made up a rectangle using some other fabrics and a quilt-as-you-go method, then embellished it with some vintage buttons and lace. This was based on a pattern called "Anna's Sminkepung" by the Norwegian designer AnnAKa. Well now I've just got to get this wrapped up, as Judy is coming round for afternoon tea today - as I'm still off work recovering, I haven't seen her to give her this earlier - hope she doesn't mind it being a bit late!

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Beehive Sewing Book - Completed!

25/7/2013

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This pattern is called Beehive Sewing Book and is by Lynette Anderson. 3 years ago I started this project when I went on a class at my local shop, Quilters Haven. The class was taught by Lynette, and she was a great teacher - we learnt all about needle turn applique, and stitchery, and oh yes - Colonial Knots!! and most of all we had lots of fun. My friend Eva was staying with me, and she really really enjoyed this class too. Well, I'd put the project away, and never seemed to get round to getting it completed. Now I am trying to get some of my unfinished projects completed before I start anything new. So today I've been very busy!.....

.....I had already cut out all the remaining applique pieces last week (see this blog post) - some more flowers and LOTS of little leaves all from wool felt. I spent a wonderful afternoon sitting in the sunshine stitching these into place, and look at the finished sewing book - it's super! It's embellished with some beautiful buttons.....

.....here you can see the inside of the sewing book - a little woollen patch for needles and pins, and pockets for packets of hand sewing needles too. I added a sew-in magnetic button fastener (I bought these from Sew and So's at Bungay a few weeks ago). And the inside is also trimmed with applique flowers and leaves and embellished with a cute little beehive button. Oh and of course I didn't forget to add one of my "Quiltystuff" labels either! I really love this - and can't wait to show it to Lynette when I see her in a couple of weeks at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham.

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Roadtrip to Bungay

23/7/2013

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My friend Helen has been taking me out and about over the last week and we've been having a great time. Last Friday we went over to Snape Maltings, had a lovely lunch, browsed round the galleries and shops, and stayed so long we had afternoon tea too! Then today she drove us over to Bungay, where she dragged me kicking and screaming, into Sew and So's - well there I was surrounded by gorgeous fabrics - it was hard to know what to look at first!! I quickly spotted a beautiful display of Lynette Anderson's fabrics and patterns and books - I'm really looking forward to meeting up with Lynette in a couple of weeks at the Festival of quilts in Birmingham.....

.....well of course I couldn't leave without buying just a little bit of fabric, so I chose a few half-metres of these gorgeous Lecien fabrics from the Floral collection to add to my ever growing Lecien collection! I also bought this very unusual bag clasp too - I'll make one of this over the next few days and post some pictures to show you. Then we walked through the pretty market town and had lunch AND cake at the Earsham Street cafe. It really was a perfect day out - and it meant Mr F had lots of peace and quiet at home to he could get on with decorating our bathroom. All this fabric-buying is definitely helping me recover from surgery!! It's just a good job I can't drive yet, otherwise I'd be getting up to all sorts of mischief! Oh and yes me and Helen are off on another road trip next week too!!

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Sew Cute Tuesday 23.07.2013

23/7/2013

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It's Tuesday again and so it must be "Sew Cute Tuesday "- hosted on the Better Off Thread blog, you'll find lots of gorgeous crafty stuff - and each week Janice features her favourites from the previous week - and I'm really excited, as this week Janice has featured my "Sew Laugh Love" picture that I had completed!! Anyway, this week I'm adding a picture of the Memory Cushion that I made at the weekend - there are other pictures on my blog here that show this cushion in progress! Now I'm going to grab a cuppa and browse at all the other lovely "Sew Cute Tuesday" goodies - why don't you join me?

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<<Previous

Progress Update

Sew Cute Tuesday 30.07.2013

Lattice Top Revisited!

Friends Needle Case

Sew Sunday!

Peace and Plenty

Special Gift For Judy

Beehive Sewing Book - Completed!

Roadtrip to Bungay

Sew Cute Tuesday 23.07.2013

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