Blogger's Quilt Festival

Today I am joining in the fun and games over at Amy's Creative Side and the Spring Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Can you believe the number of awesome quilts that have been linked already!?

So which quilt am I going to enter?

Wrong!

I did think long and hard about taking the obvious route, but actually I thought it would be a nice change for everyone if I picked my somewhat overlooked Cherry Star...

I love this quilt to pieces; I finished it so close to the Brit Bee Constellation that it has been playing second fiddle ever since. 

It's just such a happy quilt, and actually took quite a lot of effort (for me!).  Do you do that, make something, get embroiled in it at the time, and then look back and wonder how you had the time and inclination to get something so right?

Now if you are coming over here from the Festival, and don't know me, please note, I sew on the dining table, and have to shift every mealtime, I have no design wall and 3 'helpful' children, so getting the layout for this was a logistical feat in itself.

I played along with Chelsea's Made In Cherry QAL, having fallen in love with Sarah Fielke's pattern after seeing photos from the Fall Quilt Market, I was hooked.  It was a no-brainer when it came to using all the Rainbow Swap charms I had gathered last year.

Having completed this quilt way back in January, when the garden was less than pretty, I thought it was only right to give it another airing especially for the occasion...

Full details:
60" x 60"
220 unique 3.5" rainbow charms
IKEA number fabric background
Grey fleece backing
Made In Cherry pattern - Sarah Fielke

Thank you for stopping by, I will be busy looking at everyone else's entries later today - it may take some time!  And if this is your first time Chez FB, thank you, please stay a while have a look around, the natives are friendly x

Star light, star bright!

I told you that I had completed the Cherry Star top...

Well then I went ahead and finished the whole blanket...

I'm opting for 'blanket' rather than quilt, as it has a simple dark grey fleecy backing, and minimal quilting just to keep it all in place.  I sewed it up, right sides together and turned through.

I top-stitched just under 1/4" around the edge in dark grey, and outlined the star the same way.  Simple, but effective.  This is for the times when we, or rather I, really want to snuggle down and be cozy.

Without batting, it is really light, especially compared to the whopper Constellation!  But it is beautifully warm, I know, I sat under it yesterday evening and it was great.

So, do you like the background?  Be honest.  I know it won't be to everyone's taste, but I love love love it!  Its an IKEA classic which I had been waiting to use.  I sort of envisaged counting the stars in the sky, and it made me smile as soon as I auditioned it.

Thanks must go out to Chelsea for running the Made In Cherry QAL, it focused my mind on using my rainbow charms on a superb pattern that I had pinned as soon as I saw it; and I am, once again, surprised and thrilled with how it turned out.

I think I normally play things a little too safe; so much time, effort and expense is usually being invested for me to risk making a big old faux-pas by getting all adventurous.  But I want to change that, and make things I will love, and reflect the look I really want to be creating, not just making the things I know will look OK from the outset.  Does that make sense?  First attempt, I will deem a success.

So onto my Mouthy Stitches partner, who will also receive a leap of faith, with 3/4" finished HSTs.  I wasn't too sure I could pull it off, but Lucy's excellent and timely use of the brilliant method from Elizabeth 'Oh Fransson!' for piecing small squares set me on the right route.

I can confirm that it worked a treat; I won't talk you through it, the original does that way better than I can, but all you need to know is that I gridded some light-weight iron-on interfacing with 1.5" squares, pressed on my trimmed HSTs and off I went...

I really hope my partner likes the Cherry Star off-spring panel, otherwise this Mama will happily keep it! xxx

Cherry Star...

Today, having made a couple of dozen paper dragons at school for Chinese New Year, I dusted off the glitter, came home and got cracking on my Made In Cherry.

The star pieces are complete...

I am 99% pleased with how this has turned out; with 220 different fabrics, I reckon there are 2 or 3 squares that should have been moved a little or swapped out, but without a design wall, minimal natural light and only having space to make it in 'quarters', I am actually surprised it worked so well!

It is completely inspired by the fantastic Kati, thank you Kati; if you want to see colour graduation in a different league, please pop over and take a look at here, and here!

I have a bit of a 'different' idea for the background fabric of this 60"x60" quilt using some great fabric I bought last year.

I will hopefully get that sorted tomorrow; it might be a bit marmite, (love it or hate it, no in-between!), but I am determined it will look exactly how I was hoping, especially with its fleecy backing and minimal quilting, I need a bit of minimal quilting!

And In The Green Corner...

I promise to keep it short this evening, as I seem to have rather a lot of comments from both here and flickr to respond to!!  Thank you all for all the wonderful compliments, I owe everything to the awesome Brit Bee ladies xxx

So not content with just an fantastic finish yesterday, I started trimming my Made In Cherry charms to 3.5", and pieced one corner...

I have actually pieced a second corner this evening, but no photos yet.  You like?

Right, I need to get replying and put in some stalking hours for the Mouthy Stitches Swap - I have a few ideas, and I just want to see if they are heading in the right direction before dipping my toe in the flickr pool.

PS.  I didn't place in the Quokka Quilts final selection, nor did any of the MS ladies which was a double shame, but still, a wonderful feeling to get so far.

PPS.  I'll be back tomorrow with my 'Winter Stitching Plans' update, linking back with Sarah and the Fairy Face followers, how have you got on?

Piles...

OK, we have moved on from carbuncles on my backside to piles.

This time beautiful pile of charm squares, that this evening I am going to sort into colours, and do a little stroking and pondering for a while.  Pure indulgence.

Today disappeared in a haze of Tesco, Sunday Lunch and snuggling on the sofa, so no sewing for me.

For those interested, the bride looked stunning, the cake was a success and we were home by 9pm; we sure know how to party!

My Big Day In...

I have been busy, although just looking at the photos, it doesn't really look that way; you decide.

I was home from school by 9am and did not move from the conservatory for the next 6 hours, all bar a 'comfort break' (so polite), and to pick up the post from the mat!

So want to see what a 'day off' looks like? 

Firstly, what some of it sounded like was Rhonda!  She kept me company and in stitches for hours, (OK not hours, but at least one!); another fun podcast, and lovely to know more about you **nicke.

There was more cutting to start with.  The binding for the Across The Sea, just because I want to be ready, and even though I haven't checked if I have enough batting yet!

I trimmed and cut all my Oakshott Fat-eighths into 9" squares for the Dead Simple QAL, they do look lovely, and even the trimmings looked great!

...and a quick stack of 2.5" squares cut, to add to the mini charm pack of Sherbert Pips that I converted to hexies last night...

After that, I needed to sew.   So an instant hit, 2 Farmer's Wife blocks using some left over HSTs from my last blitz; matching them to blocks they would fit, (well I still have a lot of choice), today Broken Sugar Bowl and Flock...

So now there are 10... and so far behind it's not funny!

Then I got a pang of the guilts that my machine is almost 3 months old and has never been given a good clean.  Oops...

Dust-free from now on, I promise.

After that, I knuckled down to the Japanese Scrap Bag Challenge, and I have just finished for the day.  I took some 'in progress' photos; but they are rubbish, so I will make one or two more tags before the competition finishes and post about making them properly.  In all honesty, they are so simple, a few written 'instructions' would be more than enough. 

So do you want to see?  OK, just a peek...

These were made with some non-competition scraps, as I didn't have enough 'pink' for both girls to have 2 more each of this batch; and Twin 2 threw a complete wobbler over the first pair; so anything for a quiet life.

The 'real' ones I will keep under wraps for a little longer, just to keep the Competition on their toes.  I have made six that are already in use daily on the girls' book bags, lunch boxes and PE Kit bags, and including the two above, and I made 7 more today.

So that was my making, and this was the icing on the cake... Post!

I have been eagerly awaiting 2 packages from the US, and one arrived today.  My super-duper Rainbow Swap Charms from Jennifer.  She is such a lovely friend, she also sent me a beautiful mug rug, I was so excited I was trying to type a 'thank you' and lay out the charms simultaneously!

OK, so the Across the Sea will go into piecing-overdrive again tomorrow - but having received such a lovely gift, those 170+ pieces have been well and truly excused!  Once the other parcel arrives, I will get Goodie 2 sorted, and then I'll almost be on top of things again, phew!

Next Wednesday I have my long-awaited, full-on dentist appointment, so I can't imagine getting much done before (nerves), or after (pain and dribbling!); but this was definitely a lovely interlude in this working week.

Rainbow Quilts

In a week or so, Jennifer will be sending out mammoth parcels for Round Two of the Rainbow Charm Swap to the 56 person-strong crew!  If that wasn't enough, I have also signed up for Kati's Color Wheel Charm Swap too!

In anticipation, and inspired by the charms I received in Round One, I have been pinning away to find the elusive rainbow of my dreams.  So far I am still undecided...

Source: audreypawdrey.blogspot.com via Hadley on Pinterest

Source: weshallsew.blogspot.com via Hadley on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Hadley on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Hadley on Pinterest

Source: blueelephantstitches.blogspot.com via Hadley on Pinterest

Source: ohfransson.com via Hadley on Pinterest

Source: freshlemonsquilts.com via Hadley on Pinterest

... but what's the hurry?