New beginnings....

It might only be February 22 but today is a beautiful spring day....

There is a beautiful clear blue sky, warm air, spring flowers and new growth on the shrubs.

Things have been a bit rough here for the last few months, but today feels like a great day for new beginnings and a fresh start.
So today I'm beginning a big clear out in the house, and tomorrow I'm starting up my sewing machine for the first time in a month.
It's time to come out of hibernation.....

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Where the heck did it go...?

So, I don't know if it's the endless grey weather, teeming rain and general wetness about the place.....Or tiredness at returning to work after 6 weeks off.......

Or the effects of the anti-anxiety meds I am on....

But I've lost it..... no, not my sanity (although it could just be 'not my sanity THIS time') but my desire to sew.

It's gone.....

Left the building....

Have searched everywhere including the fridge and the medicine cabinet which is where I usually find things I lost.

It needs to come back soon though, because I'm missing it.

 

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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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Crafting it forward....

So about 11 months ago, I signed up for Hadley's turn at crafting it forward. I've been desperate for a chance to be on the receiving end of a Flying Blind marvellous make, and so I have to admit I did check the post is EVERY day....
And it's arrived!

Now Hadley's been extremely brave, as she knows of my lack of love for Liberty, but, as she says, it's her personal mission to educate me, and I have to say, the Essex Linen, Alison Glass Sunprints text in this inside and the incredibly cute goldfishes button badge have made this so gorgeous I can live with the beautiful EPP Liberty hexies in the front - and just look how teeny they are...

So, now it's your turn. I am sure you can't wait to find out how you can get in on the Craft It Forward action!

The rules are simple...
The first 5 interested people with blogs to comment below, will receive something handmade from me in the next 12 months. I can't guarantee it'll be as fabulous as this, but I'll do my best!
When they receive their goodies, they must blog about it and then repeat the offer, and so it goes on.
If you're a no reply blogger, please make sure you leave an email address in the comments.
As what I make isn't necessarily limited to sewing stuff, you may find yourself the lucky recipient of the now infamous brownies. Surely that's an incentive?

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Blogger's Quilt Festival

I've never felt I had anything good enough to be entered into the Bloggers Quilt Festival before, but this year I'm giving it a go.
I've decided to enter this wall hanging I made for one of my sisters.

It's an original design, based in a much smaller mini quilt she had seen on my wall and admired. There's paper piecing, improving, appliqué, machine quilting and hand quilting.
It's finished up at 63" x 75" which is hopefully big enough the hide the crack in her wall in her rented house.....
Linking in to the Wall Hanging category.

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Have yourself a merry Cherry Christmas

My new boss is a Christmas freak. No kidding, she's obsessed. I did not know this in the interview - it might have changed things.....
I have now managed to add fuel to that fire, at the same time as selling my first quilt - how exciting is that!
My Cherry Christmas quilt that I started last year and couldn't finish because of a poorly sick Janome is now finished, quilted (although not without great fabric-creeping suffering) bound, rolled up and tied with a big red ribbon, and delivered.

And she couldn't be happier! I took it in on Monday after my week off and every time I turned round (she sits behind me) she was cuddling it! It is now apparently already in use on the sofa, and an order has been placed for a table runner, 6 placemats and coasters.....


All I have to do now is make another one for me.....

Quilt stats:

• Size - 58" x 58" roughly
• Fabric - Cherry Christmas by Aneela Hoey with Kona White backing and binding
• Pieced and quilted with Aurifil 50wt, quilting at around 1/4" - 1/2" apart

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