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Here is a quick update of all the projects I have completed this year. Some of these were started a long time ago, but these are all the projects that have been completed this year. My goodness I have been a busy bee!! I've made a huge collection of runners and quilts and bags. Wonder how many projects I will complete next year! I hope you'll continue to follow my blog in 2012 to keep up with my quilting exploits!
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 Last year I made this quilt top using a couple of Layer Cakes (Fruitcake by BasicGrey for Moda). The pattern is from the book "Schnibbles Times Two" by Carrie Nelson.....  .....anyway, after I'd made it, it was far too big for me to quilt myself on my Bernina, so it was folded up, put in a box with lots of other quilt tops, and it was sort of forgotten about.....  .....then along came Janette, and her longarm machine, and yet again she has created something fantastic!! I chose an all-over quilting pattern, Meandering Stars, for this festive quilt, and I am sooooo pleased with it!.....  .....my local quilt shop, Quilters Haven, sold this beatiful fabric last year, which luckily just happened to be from the Fruitcake range - so I used this for the background to showcase the stars, and for the inner border.....  .....and as you can see, I also used it for the binding too. I cut the binding strips into 2 1/2" strips, joined the strips at a 45 degree angle and folded the binding over double. Then I sewed the strips onto the quilt about 3/8" inch from the edge.....  .....I slip-stitched the binding to the back of the quilt using a quilting thread that will blend in with the backing fabric, so the stitches don't show - and while I'm sewing I'm listening to some favourite Christmas songs.....  .....now the binding is on, I can use this quilt over the Christmas holidays - it will be perfect for snuggling up under on cold dark evenings!.....  .....and here it is on my bed - very cosy! Merry Christmas - now, where did I put those other quilts to take over to Janette? Think I'll be keeping her very busy in 2012!!
 A few days ago I shared a sneak peek of a secret gift I had been making - and here is the full reveal. I made this makeup bag as a Christmas present for my sister-in-law, and used a photograph of her daughter and grand-daughter to decorate it with, using the miracle fabric sheets that I'd bought from Chilford quilt show back in November. I was so pleased with how this turned out - what do you think??
 You can imagine how excited I was on Wednesday evening when I got home from work to find a parcel had arrived all the way from Norway. My friend Eva had sent me some gifts for Christmas (and no I haven't peeked at them - they are safely stored away until Christmas Day!) and also in the parcel was a gift for my birthday. I was thrilled when I unwrapped it - Eva had made me a beautiful purse (the pattern is by Bente Malm) - and inside was some fabric - thank you sooooo much Eva - you are such a good friend - you know I don't have any fabric hehe!!
 On the way home from Norwich on Saturday, I called into a lovely fabric shop in Bungay, called Sew and So's. Eva and Hanne liked this shop when they stayed with me - Hei hei Eva and Hanne ;) Sew and So's stock a wonderful range of Lecien fabrics (they've got the WHOLE COLLECTION of Secret Garden, by Lynette Anderson!) and they've got the new Durham Quilt Collection, which is gorgeous.....  .....anyway, I couldn't resist getting a few more assorted prints to add to my stash - I'm getting quite a collection of Lecien fabrics now. It really is beautiful fabric, and two of these ones are heavier weight, so will be great for larger bags.....  .....my purchases included some of the new Durham fabrics - these will make really beautiful makeup bags - wonder if I'll have time to play with these fabrics before Christmas?
 Well this has finally arrived at it's destination, so I can reveal what the surprise was - a gift for Lynette, - this time teamed with some vintage lace. This was made with the left over fabrics from the bag that Lynette asked me to make for her, Mathilde's Sommerveske.
Anyway, Lynette emailed me to say that the bags have arrived in Australia, and she was really pleased with them.  Today was the day that Mr F decided it was time to get the Christmas tree - so off we went, on a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon, to search for the elusive perfect tree.....  .....for the last few years, Mr F has managed to track down a tree complete with pine cones, and last years was just perfect - and he's come up trumps again this year too, felling a perfect tree - not too thin, not too bushy, not too tall, not too short - and LADEN with pine cones that will smell wonderful in the warmth indoors.....  .....ohhhh just look at all those little pine cones oozing their sweet sticky stuff that smells delicious! My daughter Alice took charge of decorating the tree this year.....  .....and she's done an excellent job! Hopefully Jasper won't try to nibble the branches or the decorations! Merry Christmas everyone x
 OOOPS!! I had forgotten to post a picture of the FNSI project that I had been working on! I can't show you the completed bag yet, but here is a little sneaky peek - I can reaveal all when Christmas is over as it's a gift for my sister-in-law, and although I don't think she follows my blog, I don't want to tempt fate!! Anyway, I am so proud of this and think this is my best toiletry bag EVER!!
 I've been busy making toiletry bags as Christmas presents, and this is the latest one. I have used an assortment of cream fabrics for this one, and I have experimented with printing photographs onto fabric (I'd already bought the special fabric in a pack from the quilt show at Chilford a few weeks ago). Anyway, here I am sewing in the zipper - my top tip? Use a walking foot - I find it much easier than the zipper foot.....  ..... I quilted the bag first, then I added the picture using machine applique - and no, before you ask, that is NOT me in the vintage photograph wearing just the sort of girdle that my Granny would've worn! I also added some lace and a few buttons for decoration to the front of the bag.....  .....and here it is completed - I'm really pleased with this - it's a "Secret Santa" gift so can't reveal who it's for yet, but I hope she'll be pleased.
 I travelled up to Norwich again today, partly to finish off my Christmas shopping, but most importantly to visit my sister and deliver pressies to her. My sister Lisa is very crafty, and today she was "in action" at the Green Party Fair which was at Chantry Hall in Norwich.....  .....she had some beautiful gifts for sale and I had to do a LITTLE bit of shopping form her - I'll show you piccies of that after Christmas though, as it's TOP SECRET.....  .....and her friend Sasha had a wonderful stall there too - she had made some beautiful stockings and animal dolls - they were very retro-looking and I thought they were super fabulous!
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 About me...Hi - welcome to my quilting blog! My passions are my family, my dog, my friends and sewing, not necessarily in that order! 
 
 
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