Busy Mail Day

I certainly kept the Postie busy today with these deliveries.

The first envelope I opened had a snazzy little leopard print tissue paper wrapped surprise inside.  It was my mini quilt win from Reene at Nellie's Niceties.  As part of the recent Sew Mama Sew Giveaway day, Reene designed a fantastic paper pieced pattern made and made it up as her giveaway prize.  I wasn't expecting to win when I saw that Catrin had been lucky enough to bag the gorgeous cushion/mini quilt panel Reene had stitched up.  But then Reene surprised me with a prize for naming her new block pattern - Nellie's Knots.   I am chuffed to pieces that she liked the name I suggested and even more chuffed to receive this mini quilt which arrived today along with some pretty scraps.  Thank you for your generosity Reene!

It's hard to stop people being generous to me lately, in lots of areas of my life, and this second little parcel is another example.  This time the lovely Di picked me up some tape for bag handle linings.  It's like having a personal shopper on the loose!  Thank you, Di!

The last parcel today is kind of courtesy of myself and the very generous 40% Super Sale hosted by Pink Castle Fabrics a little while ago.  Sadly, not all of my choices were available but that's just proof of the popularity of the fabulous discount on offer.  It's been a long time since I indulged in a fabric spree but the Super Sale was too good to pass up.  Must confess this is not my only fabric purchase this week, but more on that and the dilemma I'm in tomorrow.

Thank yous all round

I owe some thank yous in this post.

First up, thanks a million to all of you who made suggestions for the internal box corner dilemma on my  last post.  Tempted as I was to just trim and zigzag the corners over, I decided that you were all right and that binding them would be the best option.  Judith's reminder that the shower curtain fabric would likely fray like billy-o persuaded me to abandon my lazy approach.    So while I didn't have any bias tape, I did just make some little binding strips myself and get on with it.

In all honesty, these bindings are seriously lacking in finesse and I am not about to show you the finish close up - you really DON"T want to see that.  I really need to learn how to do this much better.  However, although that blind man on his galloping horse would probably be able to spot these awfulnesses, a pre-teen boy who is likely to open and close this pouch in a flash (if at all) will most likely never notice the problem.  So they are staying as they are, and this baby is going to find itself very shortly wrapped in festive paper and placed under the tree.  Job done!

The next thank yous are for very thoughtful friends.

My very special friend Judith, who knows I am collecting red and white fabrics, found these beauties for me -

and this adorable button trinket box too.  I absolutely love this kind of pressie 'cos it's fabric and goodies that nobody else in my house is likely to nick!!!  Thank you from my heart Judith.  I love, love, love the fabrics and know how hard it is to find true red and whites - thank you for searching for me.  I'm quite sure I will fill that wee trinket dish with knick-knacks in no time!

And then, as if that loveliness wasn't enough, this arrived for me courtesy of the fabulous and fun Di.

This is a vintage curtain Di spotted in a charity shop and she sent it over for me.  Di, it just warmed my heart to receive this because it's lovely to have such a thoughtful surprise arrive.  Thank you so much.

And, what Di didn't know was that the morning after I received her curtain, an order I had placed with Pink Castle Fabrics arrived containing some fabrics that will be perfect with the colours in the curtain.

Didn't I tell you, perfect?  And, I know I have some others in my stash that would work well too, so now my wee brain is whizzing with possibilities for another quilt (naughty brain)!  I MUST be good though and I think I'm just going to enjoy playing with designs and ideas and leave this one for later next year.  But, oh how much fun to have it shaping and shifting around in my head!

So, thank you, thank you and thank you!!  I feel smug and spoiled today!

Holiday Stitching

Part of my plan for August and having a two week break from work was to make a start on piecing two quilt tops.  So with lots of preparation (ie a cutting marathon) pre-hols, our luggage included little kits for the "Ruby" wedding quilt and the Hopscotch quilt.

I did wonder if I was expecting too much hoping to get two tops finished, but it is amazing what you can do when you have no internet distraction connection of an evening!  And, on the plus side, those Moda pre-cuts for both quilts fluffed up the holiday cottage and not my house.  Why, oh why do they insist on those pinked edges?  They make such a mess!  (In case you wondered, of course I dusted and vacuumed the cottage before we left!)

First up is the Ruby quilt top which I was so pleased to get together.  Although now it absolutely must be layered, quilted and bound in the next three weeks to be ready for the upcoming wedding - no pressure then!

The pattern for this quilt is by Corey at Little Miss Shabby and is available free on Moda Bakeshop here if you are interested.

Secondly, there's the Hopscotch quilt which was potentially to be a gift but I am now rethinking that plan for a couple of reasons.

Obviously needs a good press and trimmed but you get the idea.

This pattern really tested my abilities and as a result isn't quite as securely made as I'd like a gifted quilt to be.  It's also much bigger than I thought it would be (60" x 70" which to me is fairly large!) and it has far to travel so I might go with something a little more my usual size and make it easier to post. Besides all of that, I really love the pattern but do not really love the idea of making another one for myself in a hurry, so maybe if I can come up with an alternative gift quilt this one might just remain resident at my house.  (Cheeky of me, I know.)

When the machine wasn't whirring, I picked up on my hexagon quilt again.  This little paper pieced  top was started in the Lake District two summers ago and holds a little significance for me in that it was instrumental in reminding me how much I loved to sew and that really I should make an effort to make time for something I enjoy so much.

Although it has been long in the making and still has a way to go before it will be finished, this hexie top holds a special place in my sewing history and heart and I have truly enjoyed making it, even if my fabric preferences are a little different these days.  (These fabrics were originally bought about 11/12 years ago for a purpose I can no longer recall and stored away until I found them 2 summers back.)

This holiday I had thought I might complete the cream border, but when I got all the edges stitched in it still looked a little incomplete to me, so I basted another stack of hexies and got stitching on a coloured border which I think really helps to finish it off.  (You can see the difference in the top pic.)  I love this little quilt so much and hope it won't be another two years before it's finished, but I'm making no promises.  Who knows, by the time I'm finished my fabrics might be back in fashion - country vintage or Debbie Mumm revisited perhaps?

So, I'm well pleased with my holiday efforts - enough to have been productive, not so much that it was a slog.  And, all just in time for me to be back at work tomorrow and school to resume on Wednesday signalling the loss of treasured sewing time during the week.  If only we could live off thin air!

I should also have shown you the lovely wee gifts that I received from Di and Catherine when we met up during my time away.

These jams (showing you my pic 'cos Di's were missing from her post as she'd already snarfled them) and the little hostess tray were from Catherine.  I think this little tray will be a great help as a thread tidy on my sofa arm when I'm working at finishing that hexagon quilt border andI have warned the men of the house to touch these jams at their peril!

Di had bought Catherine and I these lovely little felted Jubilee brooches which are very fashionable given the Jubilee and Olympic Brit Summer that is just now drawing to a close.  Need to think of somewhere clever to pin this now so that I will be reminded of Di when I see it.  Maybe on a winter scarf which no doubt I shall be needing sooner than I want to believe!

I also had a bit of a rummage in the charity shops while I was away and snapped up this lovely floral sheet and pillow case for £2.  Don't actually think it has ever been used it's in such nice condition.  I though perhaps it might make a nice quilt backing some time when I'm doing something a little more traditional.

Di and I found this blue duvet cover in another charity shop and thought that it might be useful for some of the Bee Blessed quilts.  Since it's a double we should be able to get two backings from it - a snip at £3 which Di kindly donated.

And finally, here are a few new fqs I chose at The Quilted Sheep in Milnthorpe.  I didn't really have anything particular in mind to purchase, hence the odd selections but I really liked them.  This teeny wee shop is stuffed full of lovely fabrics and wool, and the owner was very friendly and chatty - maybe worth a nip in if you are in the area.

Goodness, I had a lot to say today - forgive me.  I guess that's what two weeks disconnection does for me!

Fabric Goodies!

Can't beat a wee bit of fabric goodness!

This new Ikea print is just £3.99/m - wouldn't it make fab backing for a quilt?

the photo is a wee bit out of focus, but hopefully you get the idea

And these I ordered from ebay just for fun - the postmarks are definitely my favourite!

Self -Indulgence Saturday!

Headed out this morning in search of terracotta and soft buttermilk fabrics -

No, there's nothing wrong with your colour contrast, these are pinker than pink pinks!  It's a long story, and I won't bore you, but they will be for a future quilt project. (Pinks by request, terracotta option abandoned.)

And after a morning's fabric browsing, I now have the house to myself for a whole afternoon and evening! So these are now my plan for these rest of today...

Can't tell you how excited I am to be able to choose a movie I'd like to see and to not have to watch Harry Hill tonight!

And, there may well be some of this too ...

Yup, that's a big spoon! and only one of them!

Hope you have time to be a little self-indulgent today too!

Goodies for ME!

From Susan:

gorgeous Christmas tree decorations.  If I could take a decent pic of my Christmas tree with my camera I would prove these are now proudly hanging there for all to see.  But sadly my pics all looked like I'd had a little too much festive spirit, see?

Anyway, I promise they are there Susan - thank you, you're a sweetheart!

I must also showcase the talents of Susan's daughter Helen.  Isn't this a fabulous Christmas Card?

Clearly creativity is working through the generations of Canadians Abroad.  Amazing, Helen!


And then this beautiful, funky Christmas fabric and this Modern Blocks book was gifted to me very generously by my amazing friend Judith.  I can't wait to think of something Christmassy to use up these fun fqs, and now I can't wait for Christmas to be over to be able to get stuck into some of the blocks in this book.  Thank you so much J!

It is good to give, but it is also very nice to receive.  Thank you ladies!

Special Delivery from JoAnns!

Check out this special delivery from JoAnns all courtesy of my mum's collusion with her big sister who has just come "home" for a visit from Florida!  Yay - more fun fqs and mini-jelly rolls!

Thanks Mum and Aunt Roberta - I'm sure I'll be able to fit these into one of my future projects very nicely!

Kaleidoscope QAL - fabric selection

Well, I've scrutinised my stash (didn't take long as it's more a pile than a true stash) and chosen these for the Kaleidoscope QAL.

Makower - Blue Danube (and one or two extras)

I had been saving these fqs for a mini version of Dear Jane, but alas that plan has bitten the dust (for now at least).  And, while I had hoped I might be able to gather enough more modern fabrics for the Kaleidoscope and keep these for a more classic sampler type project, there just wasn't the scope in my little stash.  So, here they are all waiting for the kick off.  I'm sure they'll be lovely with a wee bit of kona snow and I'll have my blue and white quilt a bit sooner than I would if I were waiting on making the Dear Jane.  So off to the cutting table ...

Log Cabin in Greenfield Hills

Not so subtle that title, but it's what I was working on this afternoon as a wee start to a gift.  A log cabin cushion in Denyse Schmidt's Greenfield Hills fabrics.  Not sure somehow that log cabin and the Plantation homes that inspired these fabrics are compatible, but for this wee cushion front I think they've come together nicely.

It's not a very contemporary look, but I do love these fabrics in this blueberry colourway and they are a dream to work with.

I am hoping to make this into a gift for Agnes.  I've never met Agnes but the week before Christmas, when we had 8 inches of snow, my hubby was out for a snow run around the lanes where we live and he met Agnes for the first time.  Agnes is 84 and we learned she has no family, and she was there in 8 inches of snow underlaid with ice on a crutch trying to drag her recently emptied wheelie bin back up the lane to her house - hardy or what?  Anyway, hubby clearly offered to help and given the weather conditions offered to look in on her again.  So he and our son have been visiting Agnes from time to time just to check that all is well and she has all she needs.  I just thought it might be nice for them to take her a little handmade gift on one of their visits.  Probably more info than you are really interested in but there you have it - a start on Agnes' log cabin cushion.

Flash the stash

I am gathering up some fabrics for a class project in June and little by little they are arriving courtesy of Royal Mail.  These are from Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane range.  It's exciting to see this little bundle growing - I just hope that I can do these fabrics justice in a few weeks time.

Aren't they yummy?

All being well, these will make another appearance in a few weeks time -  I'm so loving them!

I've had mail...

When I saw Denyse Schmidt's Greenfield Hills collection on sale at fabricworm.com I thought the Blueberry fabrics would work up into the disappearing 9 patch quillow really well (here's hoping I was right).  I have never ordered fabrics from the USA before but took a chance and am really delighted with the result and the price - if only UK pricing could be so good! Although I think my package snuck in under the customs radar which helped keep costs down, too.   I know these fabrics have received a mixed response out there in blogland, but I really loved the blues and think they will be timeless which I hope is the most suitable choice for my quillow recipient. Now I just need some time to get cutting...