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.

Sewing Out of My Comfort Zone

No no, not this! Anyone who is a regular reader will know this is very much in my comfort zone.  Yesterday, determined to ressurect the abandoned grannies before Helen reported me to Age Concern, I began chopping up 2.5" squares of scraps and today I began making blocks.  After a couple, I got out the old dears grannies and noticed that the new ones were looking much shinier - the white that is.  I thought at first that it was because the old grannies had been lying on the spare bed and perhaps the white had faded or they were just a bit grubby.

I decided to compare the white with some Kona Snow and yep, it was a perfect match. The block in the foreground is Kona Snow.

So why the sewing out of my comfort zone I hear you asking. Well disheartened by the fact that I only had a little Kona Snow and after reading Di's post about her Siblings Together quilt and a quick way to make HSTs from a layer cake, I dug out my Cabbages and Roses layer cake I purchased just over a year ago. I bought this fabric to try and use something different and of course it sat unused...well until today that is.

My sister in law who got married this time last year is expecting a baby girl next month. I wondered whether the Cabbages and Roses might make a nice baby quilt?

I chopped up some of the layer cake majoring on the blues and pinks and not so much the grey and assembled the pinwheels. This is so not me and I can't really tell whether I'm on the right tracks I'm unconvinced about the cabbage print and think that perhaps it ages the quilt...so what do you think?  Keep going, take out the red, dark blue, add more grey, take out the cabbages or go back to the drawing board? All suggestions welcome.

Going through the Bins

I'm sure you are completely fed up with me moaning like a minnie about the heat.  She lives in Morocco, what the heck does she expect? I hear you cry and you would be right but the heat recently has been relentless.  Apart from a couple of days earlier this week, temperatures have been in the high forties (today it's 115F) and it's relentless with minimum temperatures of 26C and that's in the middle of night! We are luckier than others.  We have air conditioning.  Not in every room but where it matters.I try to be  positive...really but the other night I blubbed to my husband and was feeling really down.

Liberty granny square

So I'm getting out...I'm going back to England.  Next week! I haven't yet booked my flight back to Marrakech (dangerous) but we should be there for 3 weeks.

I'm hoping to soak up some post Olympics euphoria.

So I suddenly have quite a lot to do before I leave and it's not sewing weather! Having said that, I ignored my to do list, and whipped up a super size granny square. A few weeks ago I started collecting Ali's Liberty tana lawn charm packs from her folksy shop here as ever since I made this quilt I have wanted to make a big sumptuous Liberty quilt. I have quite a few of the 5'' packs now and one 4" pack. Using some 4'' squares and some beautiful Irish linen, which lovely Karen sent me, I made this mini quilt top. It measures 18" and really is very pretty.  Much prettier in real life.

I'm hoping that if I can get it finished in time, I shall take it with me for a friend.

Thank you for all your clever suggestions about my hexies, and for your kind donations of fabric! If I didn't got back to you it's because you are a no-reply blogger so if you are still interested please email me!

I've decided to keep to the original palette of  aqua, orange and gray.  I had a good root through my scrap bins and managed to find quite a bit of fabric. Sometimes it's been a loose interpretation of aqua but that will add interest hopefully. I think I'm going to arrange them in abstract clumps on a background of perhaps some  crosshatch sketch fabric.  What do you think?

I haven't forgotten about the giveaway.  I shall announce it once I'm back in England and it will be a glad to be back pre-birthday late 300 followers giveaway!