Time Flies...

Just over 3 years ago, I tried my hand for the first time at curved piecing and made a Drunkards Path panel using a charm pack of Kate Spain's Central Park. It was a success but it was small.

Over the years....don't ask me when....I added some white sashing and a scrappy border of some of my favourite fabrics.

Back in to the WiP wilderness it went before I rescued it and added some more sashing and a last scrappy border of Central Park and some of Anna Maria Horner's True Colors.

I did a pieced back using some Amy Butler and Anna Maria Horner fabrics which I picked up at bargain prices over the holidays....

....quilted it with some organic straight lines about 1" apart and bound it with some more True Colors.

Et voila! A baby/girl quilt for this little sweetie - my niece, Amina. She is my youngest sister-in-law's baby who I first met when she was just nine year's old and here she is all grown up 16 years later with her own baby.

I hope she'll enjoy kicking her legs while lying in the centre and later sitting and playing with her toys on it. I hope she'll drag it around and it will be a quilt she can grow in to. For me, well it's a first finish in a long time and a first finish for 2015.

Thoroughly Modern Maples (Marrakech Edition)

It's autumn.  My favourite season. It always has been - from my childhood when I grew up in leafy Warwickshire to my life now when it signals the end at last to months of extreme heat.

Back in April, I asked my wonderful Stitch Tease gals to make maple blocks for my second round. I wanted my own bit of fall in a country where there are only two seasons.

I suggested this tutorial for a 12¨ finished block but left them to make smaller blocks if they preferred.

There are some great variations in Lynne and Kerry's 500 Quilt Blocks. I asked for one block in traditional fall colours and the second in jewel tones - both scrappy with low volume backgrounds.

They sent the most beautiful blocks but summer quickly arrived and they were packed away.

Before we left for England in August, I made some improv. pieced low volume filler blocks and assembled them with the maple blocks in a random arrangement to give the impression of falling leaves.

Fast forward to last month when I basted and quilted it using organic wavy overlapping vertical rows every couple of inches. The batting is my favourite Dream Orient - it has a beautiful drape.

The backing is something I picked up in a Pink Castle $6 yard sale - it's Honeycomb in Sunglow by Freespirit and is very pretty. The binding is a yellow chevron. I wanted a paleish binding which allowed the leaves to be free rather than a dark binding which would frame them.

There was a bit of 'accidental perfection' with the last mitered corner.

Thank you so much to my bee mates Helen, Hadley, Susan, Katy, Ange, Di, Dianne, Val, Cindy, Jennifer and Trina for the beautiful blocks they made.

Now I have my small bit of fall - Marrakech style!

We're now in the third round of Stitch Tease and it was my month again in September. The blocks have started to arrive and they are amazing. I may have caused my bee mates some pain in making them for which I'm sorry - I'll show you them another day and the colour palette may surprise you!

For now I shall link up with Lynne's Fresh Sewing Day.

Window to the Soul - A Quilt for Juliette

Back in 2011, I made my Marrakech Rose quilt and soon after it went to live in Paris with my friend Margot's young daughter.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when Margot contacted me to see whether I would make a quilt for her other daughter, Juliette - aged 13 1/2. Juliette had seen a free Amy Butler pattern and wanted it in exactly the same fabrics - her Organic Soul collection.

As this was an old line, it took a while to track down all the fabrics.  Many were on sale at Hawthorne Threads (score!) but it took a couple of Etsy sellers to finalise things - and the centre fabric was ridiciulously difficult to find.

While it wasted quite a bit of fabric, I love the fussy cut centre and first border.

The top took no time to whip up before I straight line quilted it in vertical 1" lines. That took a bit longer...

I took these shots before rushing to the courier - I wasn't trusting this baby to the Moroccan postal system!
The bright sun doesn't do these fabrics justice, as well as the shadow from the railing!

I really love this quilt - it was quite difficult to part with but knowing that it lives with its warmer sister in Paris makes me happy. As does knowing this is my third finish of 2014.

Quit Stats
Pattern: Amy Butler's free Window to the Soul pattern
Front fabric: Amy Butler's Organic Soul collection
Backing and Binding: Amy Butler's Organic Soul collection
Size: 68" x 72"
Batting: Dream Orient

Lost

Well where to start? It's been a while.  I confess I've felt a little lost the last few months.

It all began with the small person who shall remain nameless dropping my lap top and breaking the screen so that blog reading and posting was impossible for a while.

But it wasn't his fault. The screen was easy to fix..but then there were computer glitches of the viral kind.

They got fixed too and after finding a spare moment to sew, I basted the scrappy trippy and started to quilt. Straight lines quelle surprise! Nothing fancy.

But a couple of lengths in to quilting, the needle fell down...and then again...and again...and again.  The quilt was thrown in a corner. By now, mojo was dissipating by the second. I was 1500 miles and several months away from getting the machine fixed or serviced. I felt completely lost. I couldn't read blogs. I stayed away from Instagram. I seriously thought about throwing it all in...  stopping blogging...trying something else.

But I missed the emails and contact with bloggy friends. After a couple of weeks, I left the pity party and tried to find a solution to the needle problem. I looked online and found a forum where someone had posted the same problem. Despite never having had to do so before, I tightened the screw using the metal key and it worked! I was surprised by how much further it turned than simply by hand. I quilted and bound the scappy trippy and have my first finish of 2014.

I love it! It's the biggest quilt I have made at 72" x 82" and I hope it'll fit in nicely on our soon to be re-modelled roof terrace. The front is pieced entirely from scraps and definitely a few fuglies! The backing and binding are Cameo by Amy Butler.

So that's it! Expect more from me...I'm not going anywhere for the time being and I'll be getting back to commenting on a regular basis...I promise.

Linking up for the first time this year with Lynne over at Lily's Quilts.

I Shall Tease You No More

As some of you will have gathered, I have been struggling to find a balance between family life, work and blogging these last few months. My new teaching job has taken up much more of my time than I thought it would with lesson planning replacing any sewing and blogging time. I've missed sharing everyone's makes  - the highs and the lows.  Still, I'm hoping that as this semester winds up, things should improve and I resolve to be a better blogger!

Still, I have a finish to share!

Almost 2 years ago, my sweet blogging friend Di invited me and a few other friends to form a new round robin bee.  We picked a theme and over the course of the next year, we secretly made for each other.

I asked for scrappy curves, and my bee mates didn't disappoint.

Di assembled my blocks perfectly and in spring this year I received my gorgeous flimsy - an eclectic, one of a kind quilt top!

I quilted it with alternate 1 1/2" and 2 1/2" diagonal crosshatch straight lines and bound it using a couple (on the basis I never have enough of anything) of different Anna Maria Horner Drawing Room prints.

I wanted a darker binding to frame the blocks, and I think the colours work perfectly. I used a bamboo and cotton batting from my mum's local quilt shop and the backing is Pagoda Hill by Tina Givens. The quilt measures 72" square.

It's such a pretty quilt, and I can't thank my bee mates enough.  It really is one of a kind!

Top Row (left to right):  Di's wonderful Drunkard's path block, Katy's beautiful abstract appliqued blocks and my clamshells.
Middle Row: Susan's gorgeous portholes in her signature bright colours, Helen's amazing Dresden block that reminds me of millefiori every time I look at it, and Di's beautiful lemon and limes block.
Bottom Row: My lozenges using my quick curve ruler, Danny's beautiful appliqued pebbles and Hadley's exquisite New York Beauty!

Thank you my friends - if I'm not checking your blogs....know that I'm thinking of you every time I look at this quilt.

Linking up with Lynne's Fresh Sewing Day.

Done Baby!

A week or so ago I finished the baby quilt for Cindy and her shop.

A few weeks ago, she sent me a charm pack of Mama Said Sew, some Kona Snow and I used this tutorial.

I quilted it in  horizontal and vertical lines and bound it using the grey chevrons, which I think look great! Good choice Cindy.

The back is simply pieced. Now it's off to Ireland!

This is my 6th finish of the year. Linking up with TGIFF.

Spot On

A final finish for March and just in time. I've rushed to take these photos as the light is dimming so they're not great but you get the idea. My scrappy granny quilt is finished. Ta-dah!


I started these blocks back in March 2012 when grannymania had taken over but then other things got started and projects needed finishing and they lay abandoned in a heap until early this year when I added them to my FAL list.

The blocks are made entirely from scraps and I really love the deep saturated colours! I used Kona Snow for the background but wish I had been a little more adventurous.

Aftersashing the blocks and adding a 3" border to all sides, I kept to the KISS rule (Keep It Simple Stupid) and did 'organic' straight line stitching 1/2" apart and it took ages!

For the backing I used some Hopscotch fabric from Amy Butler's Cameo line and some Robert Kaufman Spot On in navy for the binding, which I love.  All my bindings may now be spotty and navy from now on!

I think it was Jude who said that scraps are the memory keepers of quilt making and she's absolutely right - there are some of my favourite fabrics in this quilt - either because they are my favourite colour or design or remind me of a swap, QAL or a person who sent them to me.

I love this quilt.  It's sooo last year but it's very pretty and perfect for spring.  It's a quilt for my mum's room so now she has two quilts!  She was in Marrakech just recently after bringing forward her trip but it's on her bed waiting for her when she's here next.  In the meantime it may just get a snuggle or too...or not as it's warming up here and my quilting days at the machine are shortening.

Statistics
Front Scraps, Kona Snow
Back Hopscotch in Lake, Cameo Amy Butler
Binding Spot on, Robert Kaufman
Batting Quilters' Dream
Size 60" x 60"
Quilting Vertical Straight Line

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it!

Little Sign of Snow

Despite me being a day ahead of myself and thinking it's Friday today, I have had a good couple of days of sewing.

Yesterday, I re-did the granny squares I had made using Kona White with Kona Snow.  Here's a group photo of the grannies placed on an old sheet.

I was quite surprised to see how much orange and green were in the blocks but I'm very happy with that.  There's also quite a lot of purple - another surprise. I have loads of 2.5" pieces of fabric cut so I guess I shall keep going until my meagre supplies of snow run out.

Today I added a border to James' quilt -  a monochromatic Union Jack in shades of blues and varied neutrals. This is the first time I have shown a full view of this quilt. Don't ask me why as I have absolutely no idea - like days of the week, clearly.

After gathering all the solid scraps I could find and the improv. blocks I made the other day I pieced a backing.

I'm hoping this will be another finish for February using resources I already have. It really depends on the thread situation. This was not on my FAL list but with granny progress slowing, this may be a substitute finish.  Are they allowed?

Thanks for all your comments on quilting style - some more polite than others *cough*. It seems many of us are unsure as to what our style is, are still trying to find one or are simply embracing the fact that quilting gives us the opportunity to do the same thing but differently.  I like that.

What's Written Down Gets Done

As I continue to work on my outstanding bee blocks over the next couple of days I confess my mind is already wandering to the next project...

Anxious not to lose the momentum gained over the last few weeks, I have decided to link up to A Lovely Year of Finishes hosted by Melissa.  I missed January but the idea is that you publicly pledge to a doable  one finish for the month, so I am digging up the scrappy grannies.

These babies are on my FAL list so by signing up to Melissa's linky I should be able to keep on track for the first quarter.  Now the grannies were probably started almost this time last year when granny mania was sweeping this comfy corner of the blogosphere.  Since then, they have lain abandoned poor things. This is even more disgraceful given they are lovely blocks to make!

My mum is visiting in April and we are about to do up the spare room and make it hers.  It's a small bijou room but we can make it lovely I'm sure. Up until now, she has shared Zaki's room but they are both getting a bit big for sharing.  I'm thinking of this quilt for her room. Grannies for granny.

So that's it.  Oh and if you fancy linking up there are prizes too!

Fresh Sewing Day - January Edition

'January - sick and tired you've been hanging on me' 

Forgive me for feeling ever so slightly smug but last month I turned 2 quilt tops and a pile of blocks in to three finished quilts. This is a personal record.  Likely never to be repeated.  

I continued to work on my bee blocks and still have a couple of outstanding ones, which I shall finish over the next couple of days.

1. X and Plus Block for Nicole in the Sew Euro Bee An Bee, 2. EEEP EEP Bee Block for Helen, 3. Strip for Hadley in the Stitch Tease Bee, 4. X and Plus Block for Nicole in the Sew Euro Bee An Bee

January was the month I celebrated my 2 year blog anniversary, or rather didn't.  Keep your eyes out for a belated giveway...coming soon!

And here's a mobile phone snapshot of our non-sewing January.

.

Tomorrow I shall link up with Lynne and her Fresh Sewing Day.  Head on over there for lots of inspiration of the sewing variety.