 It's FNSI - again!! Yes, there are two of them in December - perfect for catching up on all those last minute sewing projects! I've got lots of fabric already cut and ready use. Hop over here and sign up, and tomorrow I'll show you piccies of what I've made. 9 more sleeps to go - 9 more sleeps til Santa.....
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A couple of years ago I started this quilt "Tail Feathers" by Australian designer Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches fame. I'd bought this as a block-of-the-month kit from Buttonberry, (an online store that has since closed down) simply ages ago. This involved lots of piecing - it was made with a Honeybun (Patisserie by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda) lots of applique and lots of embroidery with varigated threads. Anyway, it wasn't going to be a quick quilt to make, and I finally finished the quilt top in the summer of 2010. It was left folded in a box, as I really did not know where to start in machine quilting it. It really was a project that was quite beyond me!...  ...then I discovered Janette, who has a longarm quilting machine - and she has woven - or should that be quilted - her magic and made a beautiful quilt absolutely stunning. We chose the quilting design "Debs swirls" for this quilt, which reflects the swirls of the birds tail feathers and the round curves of their bodies. Janette chose a soft yellow coloured thread that has blended beautifully across the muted colours of this fabric, and the design leaves the quilt with a lovely texture...  ...here I am slaving away attaching the binding - I used more of the Patisserie fabric for this, having already chosen an extra wide cream tonal fabric for the backing (Aster Manor, by 3 Sisters for Moda)....  ...and finally the binding has been slip-stitched into place by hand. I've also hand embroidered a label for the back. and added a quilt sleeve for hanging it too. Do you know, I am so thrilled with this quilt - it looks absolutely FAB-U-LOUS!!
This was started a long time ago - back in February 2008. I'd bought this as a block-of-the-month kit from Buttonberry, (an online store that has since closed down) simply ages ago. This is a design callled Butterfly Garden, and was designed by Leanne Beasley. I had originally attached the flowers and hearts with needle-turn applique, but apart form the butterfly it looked disastrous!! It was put in a cupboard, and every month the next block arrived, but ...I'd lost my mojo for it!! Last year my FB friends May Britt and Hanne had made a challenge with each other to complete a mini block each week, and May Britt invited me to join them!!.....  .....I painstakingly unpicked the applique, and decided to use a lightwight steam-a-seam to attach the shapes, and completed the applique with my sewing machine, using a buttonhole stich and a different coloured thread to match each piece of applique!!  .....I finally finished the quilt top in the summer of 2010, when I decided it was quite beyond me to attempt to quilt this darling, so it packed back in it's box yet again.....  .....then HORRAY!! I discovered Janette, who was able to work her magic with her longarm quilting machine, and hey presto! She brought this quilt to life.....  .....she picked a silver thread which blended beautifully across the pastel colours of the quilt - and used the Hearts in Bloom quilting pattern for this one, which picks out the hearts and flowers perfectly.....  .....I machined the binding into place on the front of the quilt, then hand-sewed the binding to the back. The red binding fabric is the same one as some of the appliqued butterflies and frames the quilt beautifully. Glad I've got some nice sharp needles for all this hand sewing!.....  .....drum roll pleeeease - here we are - Butterfly Garden completed at long last! Thanks Janette - you have worked wonders on this quilt!
 Well this is the scene that greeted me on Saturday morning when I went shopping in Woodbridge. The Market Hill had been taken over by The Woodbridge Festive Market, and the Town Hall that you can see in the background had also been filled with stalls.....  .....there was a good assortment of stalls, selling all sorts of crafty things, although no lovely vintage linens or lace this time - I think I preferred the market at Snape the previous week.....  .....there were lots of people around, and I bumped into quite a few friends, who all had the same idea as me - getting a bit of last minute shopping! I also had a browse in the shops along the Market Hill too.....  .....it was a bit chilly to be out for long though, so after about an hour of perusing stalls and shops, I made my way to Windmills Florist to collect my Christmas wreath for my front door. I was really spoilt for choice this year - and I will share some piccies of the one I picked later on.
 A few weeks ago I dropped off 4 quilt tops to Janette, who has a longarm quilting studio, and left her to do something wonderful with them. Well, she certainly didn't disappoint - they are STUNNING! She had emailed me some photographs of them earlier, so I could have a sneak peek at them - well, the photos are fab, but seeing the quilts properly was even better.....  .....each quilt has a different quilting design, and I have had a busy few weeks choosing binding fabric, and this weekend I have been busy getting the binding sewn on. This shows the beautiful quilting design that Janette used - it's called Bush Berries - and it looks just perfect with this layer cake quilt - you can see it a bit more on the back, as I chose a white tonal fabric, and Janette used a soft gold thread for the quilting, which just blends really well.....  .....and I chose an aqua spotty fabric for the binding - it was another fabric from the Bliss range. This is going to be used alot over the winter months as it will be perfect for snuggling up under while watching TV. Now I've already blogged about the Bliss Layer Cake quilt and the batik quilt - pictures Butterfly Garden and Tail Feathers will be coming up sooooon :)
 Last week at quilt group I spent about an hour trying to pick the right fabric to bind this quilt with. The purple batiks were too purple, or too pink, or too lilac. There wasn't a teal, and I really struggled to find the right colour, even drafing in help from the other ladies at the group.....  .....then Teresa, who works at my local quilt shop, suggested this one. I wouldn't have chosen it initially, as it looked a bit drab on the bolt, but when we put it against the quilt with just the edge showing, it was perfect.....  .....as you can see it ticked all the right boxes - it had the right colours, gave a striped appearance (I like stripey bindings almost as much as spotty ones) and it was a batik too! I really love this quilt - Janette made it look so beautiful with her quilting. And the name Batickles?? Well the quilt is made from batiks - both the front (pieced with 15 fat quarters) and the back (an extra wide purple batik) - and the quilting design that Janette used is called Tickle - simple really!!
Well I had a very hectic Friday evening that I hardly had time to take part in the FNSI - firstly I dropped a colleague off on the way home from work, then I collected my daughter Alice from her job after school, called in to see a friend before supper (Hi Fran - was great to see you!) to collect a superb pressie for one of my sisters (more about that later) and then after a quick meal took my other daughter Beth to the railway station as she was off to stay with her boyfriend for the weekend. Honestly, talk about spinning alot of plates.....  .....well, I couldn't NOT take part, so cut lots of strips of fabric for binding my quilts that Janette quilted so beautifully - firstly some aqua and white spotty Bliss fabric by Bonnie and Camille for my Layer Cake quilt. I just adore spotty bindings.....  .....then I was slicing up Patisserie fabric by Fig Tree Quilts for my Tail Feathers quilt. I haven't blogged much about this one, but it really is so gorgeous it deserves a whole blog post all to itself. Now I've just got to attach the binding to the back, which I prefer to do by hand. Good job I've got a new thimble!
 It's that time again - yep, it's Friday Night Sew-In - when lots of like-minded crafty people spend the evening sewing. What projects are you trying to get finished this evening? Check my blog again tomorrow evening to see what I've been busy doing tonight.
 After I'd visited the Cool Yule Festive Market at Snape on Sunday, I called into the shops at Snape Maltings to have a look around. I'd been there on Friday with my friend Sherry, and had seen a few things that I thought would make nice gifts, so went back for a little bit of retail therapy.....  .....I love how the furniture is arranged with beautiful glass and crockery and cushions and candles.....  .....I spotted some lamps that would look perfect in my lounge - and that clock was HUGE - it really was stunning.....  .....and there were lots of festive decorations to look at too, definitely putting me in the Christmas spirit.....  .....pretty china and bedlinen and toilettry bags - this all gave me lots of ideas of gifts to buy AND gifts to make. When I was there on Friday with Sherry, we saw a beautiful cream towel rail that would be perfect in my bedroom with some of my quilts hanging on it, but unfortunately when I went back today it had been sold - oh well, Mr F will be so pleased when I tell him how much money I have saved him hehe!!
 I know, I know, I've already blogged about the Cool Yule Festive Market, but I just wanted to show you some of the gorgeous goodies that came home with me today. This yummy vintage french linen cushion, £3.50, that will take pride of place on my bed with some other vintage linens (and the vintage Mr F hehe!!).....  .....this lovely lace cloth that will probably be used in bag-making, along with these cards of lace that were only £1 per card, an absolute bargain!!.....  .....and finally, this is one of the lace tablecloths that I bought. It was quite expensive, but I am so pleased with it, especially as the stallholder knocked £5 off the price - I really love it, but it will a Christmas gift, and I know the recipient will love it too. No, I'm not telling you who it is yet, it will spoil the surprise on Christmas morning!
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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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