Incoming!

The FAL is closing in on me as I race to finish the last side of binding for a final tick; I know 2 things on my list didn't even get a look in this quarter, but they involve a lot of hand stitching, so I am saving them for the summer holidays; yep really, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it!


So anyway, today I am over at Katy's with a little tute to distract you momentarily from your FAL lists whilst I play catch up!

But as I need to prove another finish, here is my Siblings Together quilt in full glory at Eclectic Maker...

Jo sponsored my quilt backing, so it was only right that I popped in for a chat and a laugh as per my usual visits.

It's also good that she shares my love of being photographed…

I have a feeling I will be popping back really soon, as today I resisted this gorgeous linen print…

… and I am already regretting it!

Summer holiday hexies...

Without 10 days of guaranteed wonderful sunshine to look forward to, I think I would go barmy.  So thinking ahead, I decided to turn my hexies into a great big beach bag.

It's a whopping 21" from top to bottom, plenty of room to fit in all the towels, lotions, goggles and biscuits for a day at the beach...

It's going to make me happy to keep looking at it until we head off to sunnier climes!

I quilted the hexies onto some fusible fleece and used most of the remainder of my parent's curtains, so another bargain make, and my second FAL finish too.  I promise, as soon as I go back to work on Monday, and-slash-or, the sun ever comes out again, my output is going to plummet, significantly!

This rainy afternoon though was spent cutting tiny pieces of Liberty and the rest of the fabrics for my Marcelle Medallion; a horrible job, but no-one else was going to do it for me.  But now I am free to piece to my heart's content.  Happy days xxx

FAL Q1 2013 Round up...

I posted my FAL Q1 plan of action back here; it seems so long ago, yet it is still freezing cold, snowing and could be mistaken for January, what's the deal with that!?

It is probably widely known that I don't like to have stuff hanging about, don't have the room to have things unfinished either, but there are usually a couple of bits in need of attention that have been pushed to the side as I jump head first into another shiny project.

I didn't think I was being too ambitious, as these were all I had on the go anyway, so I didn't have much choice.  

Anyhoo, here's how I got on...

1.  #scrappytripalong - yep!  I am under it right now, the perfect poorly-person-on-the-sofa quilt!

2.  Sizzix Commission - yep!  Sent on their merry way, on time, to France.

3. A hexie project - rollover! 

 

4.  Brit Bee 2 - Diamond Nipples - hell yeah!!  On our bed, and I love every inch of it.

I think 3 out of 4 is quite respectable, especially as my hexies should be my next finish; and in the last 3 months I also clocked up loads of other finished projects including my x+ and Orbit quilts, a number of cushions, pouches, Bee blocks and a handbag!

Linking with Leanne and all the other finishers, working my way through a box of tissues and getting ready to write my list for Q2. xxx

FAL La La La La, La La La La!

It is the last day of November, and I want to skip over the dire week I have had making-wise, and the fact that I was sorting through kids' stuff from 8am to 3.30am today, only stopping for 10 minutes to feed the bloody mess-makers.

However I can't let this month go without celebrating the fact that I have finished all 7 of my fourth quarter Finish Along items already!  I had the feeling that my Retro Flowers marked the final project, but Rhonda's post earlier in the week made me check...

• Finish my Mouthy Stitches swap tote and keyring, and wrap up the swap with the lovely Susan and Cindy.
• Finish a currently secret commission for Sizzix - all will be revealed before the end of the year I think/hope, but it is almost done and has to be mailed this week - hence everything else has been on hold.  (I think today is the last day you will find the link for my Winter Warmers on Mollie Makes ).
• Make my contribution for the Travellin Pic Stitch blog hop - currently under wraps, but all basted.
• Finish my something Tula Pink for Sara's linky, all cut and ready to sew and stuff!
• Finish the Christmas something for a tbc blog hop - again under wraps, but pieces are cut and waiting in line, patiently. (The Sizzix Christmas Quilting Blog Hop pillows).
• Finish the Thank You gifts for Susan and Trudi for snapping my quilt at FoQ, I've completed the embroidery already;
• ...and finally my Retro Flowers Quilt!  I really want this one finished, really really I do!  And I really really did!

Here they all are...

So into December we go, with a million and one other things to start, finish and contemplate, hoping to end the year with a clear slate; well you never know, 'tis the month of miracles after all!

Tula Pinkushion

When sweet Queen of Bags Sara started the Tula Pink Sewalong I knew I wanted to play, but I also knew that I couldn't commit to a whole quilt.

You may remember that I bought the beautiful Quilts From The House Of Tula Pink as soon as it was released, and I had been toying with a couple of the patterns for my second round of Brit Bee in the new year, but one smaller project immediately sprung to mind for this.

The Lollipops Pillow.

Having just finished my Girl On a Swing and gigantic Spring Carnival only recently, the family and sofas are a little over-cushioned right now, so I figured I should just make something for the one person here who really appreciates my stitchy obsession...me!

So I decided to scale it down and make a pin cushion, a Tula Pinkushion!!!

It's positively glamorous and probably not the most practical, but I don't care, it's got sparkles, covered buttons and a froggy prince.  Did I mention, sparkles!?

There's still time to add your recent TP projects to the flickr group; either using Tula Pink fabric, or a Tula Pink pattern, or both like mine, to be in with the chance of prizes, oh yes.

And this little froggy also marks another tick on my FAL list - hurrah!  Win win x

In the words of Meatloaf...

Two out of three ain't bad!

Blimey, how did it get to be that time already!?  As quarter 3 of Rhonda's Finish-Along draws to a close, I can confirm that I managed to finish up two projects out of the three I had hoped for back here.

i) The Mystery Quilt...

Yay for de-constructing and re-constructing and finishing my longest overdue bit of makery.

I only just blogged about it here, but if your retinas can take another look at all that yellow-ness, here it is...

ii) Retro Flowers Quilt...

Well this is a demi-fail, not yet completed, but I did progress from just 4 blocks made at the start of the quarter, to all 16...

This will be on the list again for the 4th quarter for sure.

iii) Spring Carnival mega-cushion...

I love this finish.  It is big, squidgy, in use daily and all mine!

I am not going to show(off) all the other things I have made along with these over the summer months, but there have been at least 9 quilt blocks for others, 11 purses, 2 bags, 1 mini-quilt, 2 cushions, 2 full quilts and some embroidery.  Add to that a lot of 'starts', and I am not too put out by the slowly blooming Retro Flowers.

Oh... and I finished the mega-block this afternoon.  Sneaky peak...

How did you fare?

It's A Mystery...

I finished this ages ago, but what with one thing and another I never got to blog about the fate of the Mystery Quilt.

So, to recap... I made a number of blocks under Sheila's excellent tutor-ledge, but at the time I wasn't all that at or about paper-piecing and so by the latter blocks, I just gave up.  My blatant hatred of my chosen fabric didn't help, and so the Mystery Quilt sat neglected for the whole of last year's Winter Stitching Plans and the first two FAL quarters!

I had tried some white sashing, that didn't work, so I cut it up, yep, all the blocks except one, into 4.5" squares and then just sewed them randomly back together again, along with a few extras' simply backed it with the last of the yellow peril, didn't bother with batting and was done.

It has found love as a garden/picnic blanket for the kids.  To be honest, it no longer fills me with a feeling of nausea, and the fact that it is finished, and used, makes it all the better.

In some light, I have to admit, it actually looks quite nice!

This was not taken today!

Sheila, please don't 'un-follow' me!

Spring Carnival Finish...

I have stitched away slowly on this one since June, and now summer is over, and it is done...

With a whopping 26" cushion pad, it has to be one of the comfiest lounging cushions ever, although it does not go with anything else in our living room!

I backed the carnival panel with some fusible fleece and did some simple straight line quilting at 3/4" intervals in aqua (5006) 50wt Aurifil.  Joined the front to the back with a french seam, and there's even a 'hidden' zip!

Ballet lessons start again this week, so I think I need to get sorting another little EPP project, to wile away those happy hours x

Finish-along Q2 Report

It's FAL link up time!

Well this has swung round quickly, too quickly for me to be able to tick off all my, albeit short, list!

I posted back here my top 5 hopes and dreams, but I only managed to complete 3.

i.  Hexie Cushion - yay!

ii.  Mystery Quilt - No - but it now looks like this...

... some progress has been made in that it now consists of 100 4.5"squares, but not a finish; I feel the longest-running carry-over happening here!

iii.  Stained - huge big yay for this one!

iv.  Retro Flowers - this got sidelined in all the pre-Retreat/post-Retreat making, but I will get this one finished soon...

v.  The final FPPFTT - oh yeah!

In my defence I did complete a tonne of new stuff, so I am not going to be too hard on myself, and I already have a batch of other things to add to the Mystery and RFs for Q3.

How did you get on?