This Weeks Fab List...

So, the Let's Get Acquainted Hop continues, and as promised, I've been checking out the links, and picked some more faves for your perusal this week:

Jessica at Stitched In Thyme, just beautiful quilt, made as a gift for a sick friend:


Amira at  Little Mushroom Cap: I love tea, and this is a fab version of the Patchwork Please Teapot Cosy:


and Michelle at Factotum Of Arts, and her cool cushion:


So now that's all done, let's have a look at this weeks willing victims:

Friday, July 5

Christa @ Christa Quilts!

Alyce @ Wonderland By Alyce

Anna @ The Crooked Banana

Rachel @ Sew Happily Ever After 

Stephanie @ Quarter Incher

Shayla @ Sassafras Lane Designs

Caroline @ Carolines Craftiness

Lisa @ Hilltop House Creative Works

Happy Blog reading!
Ange x

Finish Along Roundup

Well as I didn't finish the full 5 things on my FAL list, I can't exactly claim success, however, I did mange to complete 2 things, and they're 2 big thing, AND make progress on 2 others, here is the original post, and lets check what it looks like:
1: Chevron Quilt- Finished, yay, post here for details

2.: Hexy Quilt: Finished, wooohoo, post here yesterday

3. Siblings Together Quilt.  Well, it's basted now, so that's progress right, will be done this month.

4. 2012 Craftsy BOM- top is now together and basted, so definitely progress!

5. Crochet Blocks into blanket- not even touched, oh well, can't win them all!

So, that's me done for now, and I need to make a plan for the next quarter, the cogs are already whirring!

Ange x

My First Quilt, Finished...

That might confuse some, when I say first, I mean the very first one I started in January 2011 when I couldn't resist the temptation any longer, to make a quilt for my darling daughter (sometimes darling, sometimes not), who was 18 months old at the time.  

Although lots of people have said what a brave choice of first quilt it was, that really wasn't the case, more that when i googled quilt to figure out how to make one, traditional hexagon quilts appeared in images, and seemed to be the basic, starter quilt.  Oh what a fool, silly naive me!  So, I found a basic tutorial for making hexagon quilts, cut some templates and found some fabrics to upcycle, and a few in a local shop that were ok I figured for such a quilt.  At the time I had no idea about the amazing array of designer quilting cottons, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, as I used some of the old sheets from my babies cot (a cute lemon yellow), the top that I was wearing when I gave birth to her (a kind of jersey cotton type top- not really suitable for such a project but who cares), and some vintage fabrics from one of my mums friends, dated back to the 70's and 80's.  

I made a decision early on, not to have a pink, girly quilt, I had just painted her bedroom the sweetest light blue, and wanted something that would take her into adulthood.  I had no idea at the time that not only would I want to make her this quilt, that I would catch the quilting bug and want to make her lots more.

So, on long car journeys to my parents, the in-laws, and our numerous friends around the country, Mr HOC drove, and I cut, basted, sewed hexagons and felt like the hours weren't wasted.  The  hexies were sewn together in fits and starts, sometimes the whole project was put down for a few months at a time, whilst other projects took over, quilts, bags pouches and the like all had their chance to take centre stage, and now it's this quilts time.

The final push began when we moved out in March, and I really could see the end in sight, so I got my skates on, and got focused.  I decided early on that every stage of this project would be completed by hand.  That just felt right, like I needed to make it with my hands, no sewing machine, and that this would somehow give it provenance, a history, and hopefully when my now 4 year old is older, she can really begin to appreciate all of the work put into it for her.   

As part of that, I decided I didn't want to cut the hexagons off straight round the edges, I wanted to keep them whole, and that meant finding an alternative way to bind the quilt- so when I found this method at Badskirt, I knew it was the one.  It's been lightly hand quilted in perle, with white around the outside of the binding and to secure the inner part of the binding hexies, and a pink variegated chevron down the middle of the quilt, top to bottom.

So, here it is, 584 hexies in total (481 on the front, 103 as binding), all done, each one around 2 inches along each edge, with my little ones name embroidered onto some of the backing hexies, using the letters from Lu Summers Alphabet print.  Total size of 70 x 63 inches (178cm x 160cm) and as far as I'm concerned, absolutely gorgeous.  It's scrappy, not all of the hexies were exactly the same size, so I've had to tweak bits of it when sewing together, and I don't care, that's what gives it soul.

So, now It's out of the dryer, it's a bit crinkly, but incredibly soft, and actually that's the beauty of hand worked pieces, if you handle the fabrics lots, over time they soften up in a way that you wouldn't normally get straight away in a machine made quilt, until it had been washed and used a while-so that's why don't I want to let her go to her rightful owner, but I will, but after I snuggle a while longer first, if that's ok.....

Ange x

And linking up to Karen @Quilty Creations Something Old, Something New.

A Weekend Away....

You'll have to forgive me for being a little behind on my blog reading and writing until tomorrow, I've had a lovely weekend away in Norfolk, the incredibly sunny West Runton with my 2 favourite people since Friday afternoon.  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, just perfect for a beach holiday (how often do you hear a Brit saying that??), hot but with the gentlest of sea breezes.  And mini-me has had a delightful time making sandcastles, rock pooling for winkles, and wave jumping.  

And then yesterday we went to Bewilderwood, where we climbed tree house, slid down slides, and looked for Boggles and Twiggles.

In the quiet of the evenings I have been hand quilting my Hexy Quilt, and now it is all finished, yep, you heard me people, F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D, but to see it in all it's glory, you'll have to come back tomorrow....

Ange x

Extra Fabness...

So, here is this weeks round up of my fave picks from the Let's Get Acquainted New Blogger Blog Hop, enjoy:
Ellas Cottage- these amazing tie bibs, how cute- and there is talk of a tutorial :o).  And check out the moustache babygrow- gorgeous.

The Tilted Quilt- wowsers, look at these cartwheels, stunning!

Lauren at Seraphym Handmade- gorgeous styling

And Amy at Cloud CouCou with her Bloom Bloom Pow Quilt- nuff said!

There is loads more to see on these blogs and all of the others, so keep looking ladies, and this weeks list of new bloggers is:

Friday, June 28

Green @ So Sew Green

Gwendellyn @ The Rainbow Revolts

Jessica @ Stitched In Thyme

Amira @ Little Mushroom Cap

Kathy @ Kayak Quilting

Michelle @ Factotum Of Arts

Paula @ The Sassy Quilter

Kris @ Sew Sunshine

Camilla @ Faffling

Ange x

Secret Sewing And A New Project....

It's been a busy week or so of sewing, as I've finally caught up with a couple of things I needed to get done, one I can't show here yet, and one I can, the abridged version of the Fat Quarterly Retreat name badge for my secret swap partner.  I was struggling a little for inspiration as my partner doesn't have that much information on their Flickr account, so I decided to work off an idea on their favourites, and to do a square in square, rainbow brights block- and this is what I came up with...

So, I added a little border, and hand stamped their name on it, and now I just need to figure out what type of ribbon or fabric to hang it on, any ideas?......

I also got all of the half square triangles cut for my June Simply Solids block, now I just need to actually put them together, and quickly- this will be an Inverted Star Block.

And finally, I cut and sewed a couple of blocks for the start of my own bed quilt, it's a low volume background, and high volume plus block, from the Marcelle Medallion Quilt, just the plus blocks, I've been itching to get started for a long while- and I needed to scratch this itch.  

Now, after a marathon cutting session last night, this must be put aside, whilst I finish my bee blocks and a few little things for Retreat, which is just about 3 weeks away!

Right, I'm off to get sewing :o)

Ange x

Linking up to needle and Thread Thursday

Let's Get Acquainted Link Up...

Good morning (afternoon or evening depending on where you are in real life), and welcome to my little corner of the blogging world.   A massive thank you to the wonderful Beth at Plum and June for giving me the opportunity to host the link up this week *gives a little curtsey*.  

If you want to find out more about me, then either pop over to the Let's Get Acquainted New Blogger Blog Hop 2013, or my Liebster write up.

So, let me tell you what I've been up to this week, sewing wise, I've been focused on binding this Hexy quilt for my little one.

I started it 2 and a half years ago (it was my very first quilting project), and although it has been put aside, sometimes for months at a time, I am now quite determinedly in the final throws of the finish.  It is 3/4 bound and the final side will be completed tomorrow, and then I plan on quilting the binding hexagons to secure it all in place.

I am loving the look of the binding Hexies, it is such a cool and unusual way to bind a quilt, this tutorial gave me the idea, and it is really simple process.

So, now it's time for you to tell me what you have been up to:

1. Link up any recent sewing/quilting post.
2. In your post or on your blog, please include either a text link or a button letting people know about this link up and link it back to this post.
3. Visit at least the two bloggers who link up before you and everyone who visits you from this post.
4. When the link tool asks for your name, enter your favourite fabric line.