It's been a while....

So what have I been up to in the past five months? Well, I would have said not much, but having put some thought into this post, actually there's quite a bit. I won't cram it all in here, but it includes 3 baby quilts; 1 wedding quilt; a lot of dressmaking; some lovely days spent working in The Village Haberdashery; a class with the awe-inspiring Luke Haynes; some quality time with friends and family; and a very special quilt made with some lovely friends for someone who's had a much worse summer than I have. There's been some pattern testing, and, I can't deny it, a LOT of fabric buying!

There's also been a job resignation; a lot of job applications; some hyperventilating about whether I'll ever find a job again; but mainly a lot of happiness and relief that I've taken myself out of such a toxic environment. In the words of Yazz, "the only way is up!"

I look forward to bringing you up to speed in more detail over the next few days!

 

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Shame, shame, shame

Back in the days when I was a PA and when we went on to have our own business, I was an organised person. Slightly less so these days (ok, stop spluttering, I CAN hear you!) but one area where I have always been hopeless is post. Where post is concerned, I am the worst friend / sister / daughter / auntie going.
Things are never on time, if they arrive at all. But it is my resolution for 2014 to get better at it...... It's not going entirely well so far....
Which is why I am hanging my head in shame while showing you this gorgeous beauty which arrived on my doorstep last week. The lovely, kind, generous, organised Emily, of Love Strawberry Patch fame, sent me this scrummy peg bag as a joint birthday / sorry-we-didn't-get-to-meet-up-while-you-were-in-Cornwall gift.

We won't talk about what I owe Emily in the post, or for how long I've been leaving it on the side as I trot out of the house, or bringing it back home in my handbag from work, or schlepping it all the way to Cornwall, only to be foiled by the weather.
And in spite of being the worst friend in the universe, Emily even made me my very own pair of Melody Miller pants!!

I got up early this morning so I could wash the bed sheets and hang them out before I went to work, just so i could nestle my pegs into this spotty lining. Who wouldn't want to dangle this on their rotary line?

Anyway, I have now packaged up what I need to send Emily, along with a certain something that I know she is coveting, and which I hope will restore my level of friend status to 'not so bad'!

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2014 FAL

Last year I completely missed out on the FAL, however, this year I'm ready to go with some WIP's in mind in hope the peer pressure will nudge me towards finishing them.
My Q1 list is as follows:

1) I gave this quilt to my OH for Christmas, but thanks to health issues, didn't get it finished, and it still needs the binding finished. It's been on the bed since the festive season, but I need to get it all hand stitched down. Should be an easy finish to start with!

2) this is a scrappy tripalong memorial quilt for my neighbour. Needs to be backed, quilted and bound.

3) Hexie Melody, which is back from being basted and needs to be quilted and bound and delivered. (And then I need to make another one to keep!)

4) HST quilt, needs to be backed, quilted and bound.

5) AMH voile St Louis 16 patch needs to be backed, quilted and bound.

There is one more quilt I want to do, which is for the Mexico Street children Alison blogged about, but I'm too lazy to walk upstairs and photograph the Sew Stitchy layer cake!!
So, that's my list. See you in March to find it how many I got done!

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Goodbye 2013 and good riddance!

So, it started with dreadful flu and it's ending in similar fashion with a chest infection, so I for one will not be sorry to see the back of this year. I started it thinking it couldn't be worse than 2012, but it had a real sting in the tail waiting for me, which I suspect will take most of 2014 to get over properly.
However, throughout the year, I used sewing as my distraction, and so have a reasonable number of makes to show off in this round up of the last 12 months....
I managed 8 quilts altogether, (there's more at the end) although half of these are still WIPs! My resolution for 2014 is to get them finished.

There were 4 mini quilts all of which I loved and 3 of which were gifts

This was the year I got back into dressmaking and I have a couple of projects lined up to start the year off.

There were a fair few bags too - I loved making these and again, there's plans for a couple more in 2014.

And lastly there were a few other bits and pieces that missed the mosaics above.

So, sewing wise, not a bad year, and I'm starting another quilt this evening - it's a scrappy tripalong for my neighbour. His wife very sadly passed away suddenly this summer, and, thanks to me, had just got into quilting. He has asked me to make a quilt with the fabric she had bought just before she died. It's an interesting mix of fabrics to say the least, but it will mean a lot to him, and seems a positive way to end this 'annus horribilis' and start 2014.

So, thanks to everyone for your warmth and friendship throughout the last 12 months and here's wishing you and yours health, wealth, but most importantly, happiness for 2014!

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Goodies from the east....

I absolutely had to order more Melody for the hexies quilt (actually for the second one I'm making for me so that I can bear to give the other one up!). However the new Ruby Star Polka Dot is hard to come by in the UK. So I had to look east. Miss Matatabi on Etsy has a fabulous range of Melody Miller and other fabrics that she sends out from Japan.
Ordered on Saturday, arrived today. I couldn't resist opening them at work!

Don't forget there's still time to enter the giveaway.

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Well, hello September....

I can't believe it's September already! With one thing and another August was a busy month sewing wise, with wedding outfits, finishing projects and starting new ones. So here goes....
A family wedding mid-month prompted a flurry of stitching with a new frock, two new purses (1 for each outfit I had to choose between), and a tie for the other half made from my hoarded Birds and the Bees by Tula Pink.

Then there was the wall hanging I'm mid-way through for one of my sisters. She wanted a beach scene, so I drew on the improv teachings from Lu Summers at the Fat Quarterly Retreat and made this up, using Kona solids and all pieced with Aurifil 50wt - my new favourite thread now I know how to stop my machine rejecting it!

While I'm waiting on spray baste for that one, and deciding on a backing, I got going on the quilt for another sister (yep, we're never ending!) this time made from Melody Miller's various Ruby Star collections. I've been wrestling with the best way to display her fantastic designs with the huge motifs and eventually decided on super-size hexes. Photos of this on Instagram lead to my most exciting quilt related experience when Melody herself commented how much she loved it!

And last but not least is Fairground Attraction, my mini quilt made from the Triangle City EPP block I started with Katy Jones at FQR, in Mirror dots, and posted today on the Aurifil Facebook page and tweeted by Alex Veronelli himself! What a weekend! Thanks to Kelly at Jeliquilts for letting me know it was up there along with her fabulous Rainbow quilt.

Last but not least, I currently have a giveaway running in conjunction with The VIllage Haberdashery, so just click here for more details.

Linking up with Lynne over on Lily's Quilts for the Fresh Sewing Day. And by the way, according to Aurifil, this month is National Sewing Month, so let's do it proud!

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What more can I say?

This happened to me today.....

I'm not sure I've ever been so proud of something I've done,

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Update on progress

Ok, this is my first attempt with Blogsy, so let's hope it works....

Remember back in March I posted a list of things I wanted to do this year? And I promised monthly updates? Well, it's time for the first update, and as we're friends, hopefully you'll forgive the fact it's been a whole 5 months!

So, here we go with the list:

1) Cherry Christmas quilt - I've fixed the torn piece and unpicked the Himalyan quilting, and re done some of it, and unpicked sme more of it.... It still needs finishing but will be done for Christmas.

2) Melody Miller quilt - have been struggling with this and how best to do justice to the large designs, but this weekend I had a brainwave and I'm going to use mahoosive fussy cut hexagons.... So watch this space.

3) Macho quilt - Currently collecting denim.....

4) Welsh flag quilt - need to get cracking with this one - so am appealing for bags of red scraps and green scraps to swap for FQs so I can get started on this.

5) 3rd sister wants a wall hanging now - working on this one at the moment.

6) One of my work colleagues has commissioned me to make a quilt for her 4 year old son in blues and greens. I've got the fabrics for the top based on the Havana range and supplemented with lots of different Kona solids. - DONE!

Other things -boxy pouch for a friend's birthday which I adapted from an Annela Hoey tutorial - DONE!

Melody Miller Vintage flowers fabric messenger bag- this didn't happen but I did make a Melody Model Aeroplane and a Melody Super-Tote...oh and another full size Aeroplane shockingly NOT made from Melody...

There have also been lots of other things - some finished some still WIP:

HST quilt - this is still just a top, needs me to buy some batting so I can get it finished, but am saving it till the bedroom's been decorated.

Clothes - a new pleasure, as well as the Nani Iro Renfrew top, there's been a washi, schoolhouse shirt, Sorbetto top, and an a-line skirt.

Mini quilts - 'a Touch of Sparkle', which was for a work colleague's birthday, 'Home is where the Heart is' and 'Fairground Attraction' from Katy Jones' Triangle City pattern that I started at retreat and am currently finishing quilting.

So, all in all not a bad year so far.

 

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Another productive weekend...

I have had a busy few days, sewing wise. On Monday, I realised the birthday I've had since Christmas to make a quilt for was less than a week away! Cue some slightly panicked piecing, some less panicked unpicking, and some late nights - 1.45am in particular on Thursday.  I understand the birthday boy was so pleased with it he has insisted on taking it to bed with him tonight - cos you need a quilt in 30' heat!!

So having got that delivered on Saturday morning, I decided I would have a go at a full size Aeroplane bag to carry my sewing machine to Retreat.  I had some Glimma canvas - well, after coveting it back here, it would have been rude not to buy it when it came into stock - and having done some measuring, decided a normal size would be perfect.

It didn't start well. Janome had complained bitterly when I asked her to sew the headliner foam for the model aeroplane, and she was not pleased to see it return. No matter how much I tried to placate her with promises it was all for her, she spat her dummy and the headliner and canvas came to a knotty tangled end.  When I tried to unpick it, the canvas just disintegrated. Swear words were exchanged but then I had a brainwave. I had some lightweight HeatnBond and so I used that to fix the canvas to the headliner - perfect.  

Next came the base, and as I once again had no Peltex, I used headliner foam and an extra layer of duck cotton. I decided this time to cut the headliner slightly smaller and hold it in place by basting the canvas to the duck cotton..... Nope, fraying again got in the way, and so I stitched vertical lines about two inches apart, effectively quilting the base. Have to say, it might have been a 'fix', but it actually looks good - I like the extra texture.

Other than completely losing the plot with the pocket, and so ending up with the lining upside down,

and being so peeved I decided to forego the other zip pocket, the only other hiccup was the zip. Now, I spent 5 hours altogether making his bag, including cutting out, but about half of that time was spent wrestling with the zip, and I have to say, the blinking zip installation is the reason why I won't tackle another one. It is an absolute beezum - and believe me, those are not the words I used yesterday - and I can't believe there isn't a better way to do it.

Anyway, it's done now, and after an initial heart-stopping, 'it doesn't fit' moment, all is fine.

So then, having nothing else to do... (That is so not true I can't begin to tell you) I decided my life would not be complete without a skirt made from Ruby Star Sparkle telephones. Had I known then what I found out later, I might not have been so quick to use so much of my treasure, but hey, too late now. This is an a-line skirt, and I'm not convinced it isn't a little TOO a-line, so I might alter it yet.

Today was spent getting my stuff ready for Retreat, and then this evening I had a little play at some paper piecing. I don't find foundation paper piecing easy to say the least, so the first one took me nearly an hour! Luckily the second was much quicker.

All in all a busy, hot, weekend. I suspect there will be little sleep being got tonight too as it's so warm again

Hello!

So here we all are again, once more enveloped in the exciting lead up to the Fat Quarterly Retreat. I'm very happy that this year, I'll have a slight clue about what to expect - last year was so overwhelming to begin with, but this year, I won't be such a newbie, I will know people there..... And I will probably still be overwhelmed!

This is me....

It's quite likely I won't be looking quite that glamorous ( yes, for me that IS glamorous!!) especially not first thing in the morning. Last year I said all this although some things have changed since then - I no longer have my own business for a start. But I do have a lot more time for sewing! I've been happily making various bags and bits and pieces for the weekend - the super tote is definitely coming:

 I will be recycling the gorgeous name tag I had for last year's retreat.

So, I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends and making new ones. Do come and say hello.

By Jove, she did it!

So, during the week, I got a bit carried away cutting out stuff to sew this weekend. We were due to have a sewing day in Saturday, but for various reasons - finances, builders, wedding quilts and puppies - it was postponed. So I decided I'd get stuck in and get all three items finished..... 

Just waiting for a hem

First was the Sorbetto - a free pattern from Coletter, available here. Because I was trying to make this from 1 metre of fabric, I chose to not have the pleat in the front. The saga with the missing 3cm was resolved with the suggestion of a contrast hem leading to the realisation that, at only 5' 2", I didn't actually need any addition - it turned out the perfect length.

Next came the Schoolhouse - I have already made the tunic length version and I loved that - found it very easy. However, for some reason this one didn't work anywhere near as well. Something went wrong with the top, and so it's a bit on the snug side! Also, I don't like the proportions as much as on the tunic.

That took care of yesterday, and today was the turn of the washi dress. Why, oh why did I take so long trying this?? It's was an absolute joy to put together, including some exciting shirring!

               

I've somehow managed to collect a rather large amount of this gorgeous pink records fabric, Melody Miller Ruby Star Vinyl, and so it seemed like the perfect way to use some of it instead of gazing adoringly at in on the shelf! It's a beautiful soft, fluid linen and it sewed up like a dream.

This was the final pressing before the grand trying on! I chose not to make a muslin, basically because I'm lazy! But also because I'm not good at repeating myself (as the Schoolhouse proved). Considering how hard I find it to find clothes that fit well in shops, it's remarkable how lucky I've been with those I've made, without having done too much fitting, if any.

And here's the finished article. It's fits beautifully, and I'm so pleased with it. I have some gorgeous Lnen Dots linen/cotton blend in Heather that I was gong to use for a dress length Schoolhouse fora wedding. However, after the problems I've had with this one and how much I love the washi, I'm considering a change of plan!