A Bit Of This, And A Little Bit Of That...

Last week has been a bit of post out, post in type week, firstly, cool post in were these delicious 4 blocks from the lovely Lynz @ Domestic Light and Magic, aren't they stunning!

Lynz is a total superstar, and after posting my original 2 blocks on Instagram last week, she very kindly offered to make me a few to help me out.  Now I can't offer her my first born (her Dad wouldn't like it), but what a kind thing to do, whilst asking nothing in return.  I'm reminded once again what a terrific community I am part of, thank you Lynz you are lovely, your kindness has not gone unappreciated.

So now I have 318 more to do for a Super Kingsize bed quilt, I think I'll leave it a couple more weeks until after I've been on my jaunt to London, as I have a few other jobs to do.

And on that note, the name tag I made for my secret partner has arrived at it's new home.

Sarah at Guerilla Embroidery is the new owner of this tag, and as an embroidery expert (check out her Flickr photostream), it did mean I avoided like the plague, any embroidery on the tag, hence the splotchy printing of her name!  Sarah seems pretty happy with it, but I admit it was a bit of a shot in the dark from one of her Flickr favourites!

And finally, one of my fabulous bloggy friends, Karen @ Quilty Creations, has a little linky party over on her page, for a Something Old, Something New Challenge:

It's a fabulous idea, you can showcase a project where you have:

• made an item from vintage fabric
• repurposed something in your home for the sewing room/space
• given something a new lease of life by transforming it into something new.

You are not limited to one entry, the more thrifty posts the better!
International entries are welcome.

I have linked up my Hexy Quilt as it has some vintage and recycled materials in, and there are some great entries- and a whisper of a giveaway, and we all love a giveaway, right? :o)

Ok, off to get some more FQR prep done, as time is running very short!

Ange x

Queen Bee, and Lucky Ducky New Projects...

It's been a busy week with starting new bits and pieces for my must do's for July.  I've started putting together the sewing kits for FQR swap, and this is the block for the first one, I'm thinking 3 different ones for variety:

And in preparation for my month (August) as Queen Bee for Simply Solids, I've been putting together my chosen, tester block.  It comes together quickly, and I think a whole load together should give a nice effect, they're all random width pieces, good for stash busting.

And I've been rather lucky, and won a giveaway of a Pink Chalk Fabrics voucher with Clover and Violet.  Unusually, I didn't choose to get fabric (shocking I know), so I decided to get 2 patterns I have been hankering after for a while, including the Single Girl Quilt Pattern by the fabulous Denyse Schmidt:

and the Washi Dress, Made By Rae pattern

These are future projects, September onwards, when I get a little time....

Ange x

All About Me...

Oh wow, I seem to be doing a lot of posts about me at the moment, and I'm really not that interesting, but as this is the introductory post for Fat Quarterly Retreat, it needs saying I guess, so if you know this stuff already, feel free to skip this one, I wont be offended! :o)

I am a 37 year old mum of 1 little darling, full time at home, and formerly a wage slave in the Electronics Industry as an Office Manager (snore).  Now full-time, sewist, gardener, house renovator, occasional cleaner, and general dogsbody!

There is a picture of me over on the left hand side, forgive the cheesy grin, I was a little drunk at a friends wedding when it was taken, I'm much more miserable and serious in person (sometimes!). ;o)

I have just finished the first quilt I ever started, it was a massive Hexy quilt, started 2 and a half years ago.

I started blogging about 11 months ago, and wondered who one earth would want to listen to my ramblings, but it seems a few crazy people lovely ladies keep coming back for more, and it is an absolute pleasure getting to know them!  

I am a member of 2 bees, Stitch Tease with an incredibly talented bunch of international ladies (many of whom will be at Retreat), and Simply Solids, which is all UK quilters, and also stacked with talent- perfect for my love of solids.

And I am also part of the East Midlands Modern Quilt Guild, along we a lot of very clever quilters, many of whom will also be at FQR.

I will be travelling down to Retreat with 2 lovely sewing friends, Kerry who lives nearby, and Sarah, who will be travelling down from the north to join us for the drive into London.

On the day(s) I will be sporting this beauty, made for me by the immensely talented Helen at Indianna Dreams.

i love it, and she has clearly spent lots of time making it just right, It has a little forest featured, and as my blog is named after the (Charnwood) Forest in Leicestershire (where I live), just perfect!

Class wise I am doing the EPP Curves with Joanna and Julianna followed by stalking of Lu Summers as I am in her 3 classes, Improv, Portholes and Hand Quilting- whoops!  And yes I have to admit I have a little sewing crush on Lu.  There, I said it, I adore her prints, her AMAZING solids quilts for the style, design and texture she creates, and she's a fellow East Anglian!

And I might be sporting this bag, maybe, but hopefully in a more finished state, hopefully!

Ange x

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