#DSTTchallenge revealed...

I am not sure why I have been slacking on this reveal, I am normally rather quick off the mark to toot my own trumpet!  Sorry.

So back at the beginning of the month when I read about the Dear Stella/Timeless Treasures 'modern traditional' challenge, I had one idea in mind, an old fashioned block in modern fabrics, (I can see you all nodding off already!), but I just couldn't get enthused about that.

I went back to basics; in fact I went back to the V&A collection of quilts (online) that had got me so excited about fabrics and sewing and all the things that I now obsess over; I trawled for something to get me going, and one quilt immediately did that...

This was made between 1740 and 1800 and look how modern it looks; it was love at first sight!  None of those brown basket type blocks I immediately think of as traditional.

I decided to recreate this in my DS/TT fabrics along with the quilting, which you can see a bit clearer if you look at the link.  Rotary cut, machine sewn, and purely decorative, a far cry from the original, but using only stash fabrics, I have, I hope, combined the best of what both eras have to offer.

So I cut and randomly stitched rather a lot of tiny pieces from 1.25" strips, using some of my Dear Stella Hadley fabrics, (what else!?), half a dozen different Sketch prints, some How to Make A Pillowcase text and more.

To me, the current love of low volume, text prints and pops of colour is not a long way from what was being sewn in the 18th century!

As per the rules, this quilt is entirely made of Dear Stella and Timeless Treasures fabrics and measures up at 20" square...

... and I even used an almost brown Hadley print for the backing as a further nod to the traditional roots of this mini-quilt...

This was entirely pieced and quilted in Aurifil (50wt 2021), another icon of the modern age of quilting.

I took a batch of photos to try and show off the quilt and the quilting as best as I could...

... and then I had fun with the garden centre models...

I really enjoyed researching and making this, which after all is what it is all about; yep the prizes are amazing, but I think I veered off at such a tangent that I can kiss those goodbye!

This mini-quilt really makes me happy in a way that piecing a non-brown basket block ever could; I call that a success!

I hope you have enjoyed my little foray into trying to be a little bit more meaningful in my stitching, but don't worry, I won't do it too often xxx

#DSTTchallenge - did you see?

I think I have found the perfect project to fill a little (imaginary) gap in my schedule over the Easter break; did you see this too?

The prizes look amazing, the judges are pretty hot, so why not!

I had a rummage through my stash already...

Timeless Treasures is probably the manufacturer that UK peeps will find in bountiful quantities in even the most traditional of local quilt shops.  OK, so mine doesn't stock Sketch, but it is overflowing with the florals and the like.

My Dear Stella stash, I think, is made up solely of my Hadley scraps, but as that's all I need, I didn't dig any deeper, and I have a plan!

Whilst Minecraft and the Frozen DVD work their magic next week, I will get to play.  Well it's sort of a plan, now what to make?

Mother's Day Eponymous Reveal

Happy Mother's Day for all the mothers celebrating today.  I did very well in the pressie department, lots of handmade things, fudge and vouchers, lunch out and I am off work until Wednesday, so I am happy...

Monet Water Lilies before you ask x

Yesterday we celebrated Mother's Day with my mum, so that meant, um... handmade gifts, chocs, vouchers, lunch out... like mother like daughter!  But I also got to take a secret project and my finished Hadley quilt for a photo shoot in my parent's garden, so everyone was a winner!

So... ta dah!

This quilt has been a long time waiting to be finished; when the top was super speedy and with my concerted effort this week, I could have had it made on about 3 days if I had tried harder!

The colours are a little more vibrant than the end-of-day shots show.  You can just about pick out the straight-line quilting, I stitched corner to corner, then filled in each quarter with parallel chevrons about 1.5" apart.

It really is a rich and grown up looking quilt, and I think the orange binding gives it a little twist...

Thanks goes out again to the Dear Stella team for couriering me the collection after I suggested that they really should, seeing as they had named it after someone with the same name as me!

Full details...
Fabric - Hadley collection - Dear Stella
Pattern - Gypsy Shawl - Jane Brocket - The Gentle Art of Quilt Making
Additional Backing - Klona Rose
Pre-wash 70" x 70"
Piecing - Aurifil 2021 50wt
Quilting - Aurifil 2430 50wt and a little Gutermann to finish.

And this is my last FAL finish this quarter, leaving me only my MATO, so that's a bonus on top of a lovely finish.

Tomorrow is an Inset Day, so we are hoping for some more family fun times, and I am aiming for a little Sizzix action too; you know I'm sure to report back what actually happens xxx

FAL freakout!

There's less that a week until April folks - FAL Q1 2014 is zooming up on us, which brings me two sets of angst.

Getting stuff finished, and then making sure I have something started to put on my Q2 list!  But we'll stick with the former for today.

I have two quilts left on my list, one of them is my Midnight At The Oasis, and that isn't going to be finished any time soon, but I am OK with that.

My Hadley quilt is another story.  The top was finished probably back in October, November time; I even cut the backing, but it has sat waiting for me to get the energy to even contemplate basting it, never-alone quilting it.  But today was the day.

Children safely dispatched to school; no strike action for me to re-organise my life around, thank goodness, and hubby left in bed poorly; I cracked on.

Binding was made, backing pieced and the whole thing basted, all in a couple of hours, then the quilting could begin...

I managed to use up a whole small spool of Aurifil, but before panic could set in, I found a super match in some old Gutermann, so I could get the quilting finished and binding on, all before I went back out to get the kids at 3pm...

The colours are a bit all over the place in those indoor photos, this outdoor shot is truer,

I have begun stitching down the binding already, but I feel like I am paying for my excess, so that's me done for the day.

Hopefully I will have this finished by the weekend - if the weather is fine I have a good photo op on Saturday, so that's my stitchy action sorted for the rest of the week xxx

All kinds of good...

Yesterday I got the 'OK' to rant and rave about the full collection of Dear Stella's Hadley.  It is beautiful; the official photos are so much better at showing off the colours than I'll ever achieve on this grey old day.

I had already cut into some of the fabrics; I was lucky enough to be sent yardage of all the prints a couple of weeks ago, but I got on with cutting the rest and started sewing last night.  I will go into the whys and wherefores of the pattern I chose when it is finished and I present the grand reveal; this morning I finished the top!

To say I am thrilled to bits with how it is looking so far, is an understatement.  The rainy-day backlit photo does it no justice whatsoever, but I wanted to give you a peek at the loveliness to come because I am just so happy with it.

In making the quilt top, rulers were hurt though! 

Fortunately the lovely old-lady sewing shop in the village came to the rescue - I picked up a new Sewline 12.5" square for £17, which is not only a total bargain, but meant it was in my hands instantly; no postal delay, unlike the bloody stuffing!

What I did receive through the mail instead were Cindy's blocks for my LV Stitch Tease Scrap Vomit...

Lovely, fresh from the envelope, creases n' all, oops, sorry!

I also nipped out in the rain and delivered the bunting to my friend's new house and received the grand tour; it's a beautiful place.

And and and...

... I may have made a hotel reservation already!

2013 FAL Q4 - The end of year list...

Before I begin, I want to thank Leanne, for corralling the masses again, on this, her final quarter as the FAL-Mistress, and to all the wonderful sponsors who give us a little more focus for getting things done.  My Q3 was a bit of a flop, so I am hoping for better things this time.

I was seriously worried I would have nothing to put on the list though, seeing as basically once I get started, I don't like to stop until I finish!

So I have spent an agonising week just starting stuff!  Things that need to be made this quarter, and things I will definitely make time for.  So here we go...

1.  I got the girls to chose some fabric combos, plus one for their best friend, and did all the cutting and made the ties before they could change their minds last weekend.  These are going to be goody bags for when we go out for their birthday in November...

 2.  These you have seen, and I need to have finished by the end of November; a little secrecy, but I will tell all when they are done...

3.  I received a huge parcel from Terry's Fabrics ages ago, after commenting on Charlotte's lovely lamp; and these are now raring to go too...

4.  Another secret project, which has moved on a little from this fabric pull, but I can't show you that yet, sorry!

5.  This has to be a secret for a tiny while longer too, sorry; but as soon as I get the a-OK to snap away and rave all about it, I will, you can count on me.  I was able to start playing with these beauties (and some others which are strictly for my eyes only) today, and I am loving how they are looking already.  I am so excited, and now I know how the big girls feel when they get to play with not even new yet fabric lines.  It's not going to my head... much!

6.  And my final hope is to get this beauty completed.  My Stitch Tease finish is in the hands of my fellow bees, as I am still awaiting a few blocks.  But when all the ladies come good, I will be straight onto it, because I completely love how it is looking so far!

I have a list of more Christmas and birthday makes to start, and I have pulled fabric for the Midnight At The Oasis QAL too, but there is no chance, in a month of Sundays, of me finishing that this quarter.

So all I can say is bring on that cold wet weather, I am totally prepared for being house-bound now!!