My November...

If you have hung around here for more than a year, then you will know that my Novembers are just a little hectic.  All the kids and hubby have birthdays within a week of each other, Christmas panic starts to set in and I go into a making frenzy.  I also beg to have this as my Bee month so that I can make in advance and not let anyone else down!

So for November this year my Stitch Tease choices are Anna Maria Horner Feathers.  I mentioned them back when making my partner 'likes' list for #easyswapuk, and over the last few months any other option has been dismissed in favour of these lovely blocks.

I know, probably a bit 2013, and apologies to my Stitch Tease buddies who have already made versions for Ms Katy in the past, but this is an itch/tickle that needs to be sorted!

I have made the first feather already, and using the template from AMH's tutorial, it came out perfectly…

I used scraps rather than full wofs as per the pattern; cutting 7" strips are more than plenty wide enough, with the tips getting away with shorter and starting with the first strip at the correct angle,  I paper pieced the strips all the way up, staggering the strips as I went to cover the template.

My colour requests are based on a bunch of pics I had pinned here, so mostly pinks and aquas with touches of yellow, orange and other colours in tiny doses that will pop on a very dark grey background.  The stems are light grey.

Tips for my Bee-buddies:

• the templates include the 1/4" seam allowance (took me ages to check this was so!)
• the completed block will measure 9.5" x 18.5"
• cutting the background sections c. 1/4" larger, all the way round, than the templates will make it easier to get the correct finished size by trimming
• most of my strips were c. 2", although bigger/smaller sections would be lovely, but I'd say c.8 strips per side is a good guide; I trimmed my stitching edges parallel but didn't measure
• the scrappier the better
• please choose really bright colourful scraps with minimal white/light colours
• please use one dark grey background fabric per block, not scrappy
• 2 blocks please, but not joined together as I haven't decided on a layout yet
• anything I've missed, please ask
• Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I am even more excited by this future quilt than I expected to be since making my first block, and I know that my awesome Bee mates will do me proud.

Have a happy Halloween/Rugby World Cup Final weekend my friends xxx