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

My Fluffy Winner

It's time to announce the winner of this week's giveaway, in proud conjunction with Cindy and her new beautiful online store FluffySheepQuilting.com.

Well new-format Blogger has been a beast and hidden my comment numbering, despite trying a couple of hacks, I have given up for now and resorted to actually counting the comments myself...  Thankfully it wasn't a 'big' number!

So the lucky lady (sorry Richard, not you this time!), is...

... and trust me... or count them if you want to ... the winner of their choice of 1.5yds of Kona from Fluffy Sheep Quilting is...

Well done!! Start pondering and I will give Cindy your details so you can create your ideal combination.

Sorry to those who didn't win, but don't forget there's 10% off any order of 20 Euros or more, using coupon code Launch10% valid until Monday, when, coincidentally it's Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!!!  I might just be able to rustle something up to offer!!

Tomorrow I will be joining in the Blogger 's Quilt Festival... now what to enter?

Happy Friday everyone xxx

Nothing doin'

I'm afraid I have nothing to report on today, it's been all work and no play for me; but this evening I am hoping to have a bit of fun with these...

You still have 24hrs, maybe, to enter my Fluffy Sheep Quilting Giveaway for 1.5yrd of lovely Kona, so don't miss out.

And that's your lot!  Tomorrow's Friday...woo hoo - I'll be back with the winner!

In the Pink Corner...

Today, being my day off,  I had a thankfully successful trip to the hairdressers, honestly, I was less anxious about the dentist on Monday, followed by a quick wander round the village, in the sunshine.

Look what was in the antique shop window - swoon along with me Melody Miller fans...

Anyhow, I didn't buy it, but came home with a spring in my step and flicking my hair like I just stepped out of a salon (metaphorically, for goodness sake!) and threw myself into my May blocks for Bee Blessed.

Judith, Sarah and Co. have asked for Converging Corner blocks, based on this tute by Ashley (Film In The Fridge).

Although it probably took me more time to pull the fabric than sew; trying to get pieces that were long enough was not so easy, I got these made in a couple of hours...

Thankfully there was no seam matching to be done, unlike the Retro Flowers, which, if I have to be honest are draining me right now, so these were a doddle and a pleasure to make.

If you want to make some blocks for Bee Blessed, then what are you waiting for?  No fabric?  Well there's still time to enter the Fluffy Sheep Quilting Giveaways, or you can just go ahead and do some shopping with the discount code, also found here; it's OK, if it's for charity, buying that sort of fabric doesn't count!

Always the sun...

Remember the sun?  I have passed down stories of it to my children, you know, the sun you see when you break through the clouds in an airplane, the sun that, according to legend, used to shine in these parts in something called 'the summer'... in the days before the rain came.

So this weeks Zakka Style sew-along project, the Rain Cloud Mug Rug needed a pick me up... there was no way I was sewing rain!  I have had e-bloody-nough of the real thing!

So may I present my take on this project...

A fussy-cut Heather Ross sunshine, looking a bit bemused by all the clouds in the way, but trying to shine none-the-less...

You can just about make out the detail on the clouds; fancy eh?  Bondaweb, not needle-turned appliqué is my friend, if it's good enough for John, aka Quilt Dad, it's good enough for me.

On the reverse I even went a bit wild, having broken open the variegated yellow Aurifil for the rays, I machine embroidered the words to the song that has been going round and round in my head...

It was all made with scraps, and it may not be my best or favourite project so far, but it's growing on me.

In case you are in need of a pick me up or a bit of teenage/80s reminiscing too, this one's for you...

Finally, a huge thank you for all the comments left so far on the Fluffy Sheep Quilting giveaway post yesterday... there's still time to enter or take advantage of Cindy's discount code, so if you haven't already, please take a look... there will be further reminders... and what could possibly make a cold miserable day feel better than a bit of online fabric shopping eh!?

Fluffy Sheep Shopping... and a Giveaway!

I am so pleased, proud and honoured to announce that my friend and sometimes collaborator Cindy of Fluffy Sheep Quilting, has today opened her online fabric store.  Lets hear a 'whoop whoop' please!

Cindy's aim is to provide fresh, crisp modern fabric locally; for the geographically-challenged, Galway is a lot nearer than the US, and all at a reasonable cost.

Over the last couple of months there has been a lot of behind the scenes action all preparing for today.

Some of the gorgeous ranges already in stock include Patti Sloniger's Backyard Baby and Circa 52 by Monaluna, and there are previews of some future collections when you take a look.

The store has a great range of Kona solids, working out at less than £6.50/yard and a collection of Aurifil thread that will grow by leaps and bounds in the next few weeks.

To stay ahead of the game and to know what's what, you can sign up for the newsletter, follow on twitter, pinterest and FB or keep tabs on Cindy's lovely blog for regular shop updates.

There's even a customer loyalty program that will give you redeemable points on all your purchases, and a refer-a-friend program to boot.  The girl's thought of everything.

OK, so it's in Euros, but only by default, don't worry, at the click of the £ symbol, or even $ if you are that way inclined, you can see the conversion, and for us UK folks, we are talking 'Europe' here, so no frustrating import restrictions!

Postage is determined by the weight of your order too, so no paying over the odds when you only want a small amount.

Cindy is eager to receive your comments and suggestions, so please email her with anything you are looking for that you didn’t find, or maybe a Kona solid colour suggestion or two.

To celebrate the grand opening, Cindy is offering you 10% off any order of 20 Euros or more, (that's about £16.10), using coupon code Launch10%.  The code is good from today 14 May to Monday 21 May on anything in the shop.  You can use it as many times as you like within the week.  You don't have to login to use the coupon, but why not create an account and be eligible for the customer rewards program straight away.

And what would a store opening be without a Giveaway?

Cindy is offering one of you lovely people the chance to win 1.5 yards of Kona Solids from her store in your choice of colour(s) and combo, maybe 1.5 yards of one colour, 3 half yard cuts or maybe even 6FQs, the choice is yours.

So how about 3 chances?  Leave a separate comment for each of the following...

1.  Pop over to Fluffy Sheep Quilting and sign up for the Newsletter and leave a comment here to say you have.
2.  Tell us in a separate comment which future fabric line you are looking forward to, (for market research purposes!) - I am longing for Lucy's Crab Shack by Sweetwater.
3.   Be a follower of my blog - well honestly, you don't think I'd miss an opportunity like this do you!?  Leave a comment to tell me so.

The giveaway is open to all, no matter where you are in the world.  You have until 8pm (British Summer Time) on Friday 18th May, when I will get Mr Random Number Generator to pick a lucky winner.

Oh, and if one giveaway isn't enough for you, then you may want to pop over to Susan's, Sarah's or Cindy's for the chance to win some other goodies.

Good luck Cindy, I wish you all the success there is, and good luck everyone x

*** The Giveaway is now closed***

Blooming Wonderful!

The sunny weather is making the flowers grow... at last!

A quick photo call to prove it; please excuse the rushed pegging and lack of pressing...

So My Precious Retro Flowers are go, and I am loving them.

The sun has bleached out the photos a little, but I am not complaining, so the acorn block is blending with the background more than it does in real life.  4 down, 12 to go.
 
We spent the best part of today though at the Duck Race...

 

If they didn't swim fast enough - they got beaten with a stick!

We didn't win, but we had a BBQ lunch, played games and enjoyed the sunshine.

Hope you have had a good weekend too, and a Happy Mother's Day to all of you in the 'odd' countries celebrating today ;)

Please make sure you stop by tomorrow... there may be something in it for you!

This and that...

Today we have had more of this...

Some of this...

...this...

...and this...

Then...

...home...

Not so much of this yet though...

But hopefully later I will get to put the pedal to the metal and get those Retro Flowers blooming!

At last!

Look what we had today, all day and still shining; what a refreshing change...

 And to top it off, here's a little finish for you...

Nova's Zakka Itty Bitty Magnets.  I think they are rather sweet, and I am going to take them to work on Monday to adorn my shelf fronts in an attempt to cheer up my boring little corner.

To prove they do actually stick, here they are on the 'specially polished for the photoshoot' cooker hood...

oooh look there's me!

I am hoping that this is a good omen, and for all our weekends to be as full of sunshine and makery xxx

Just popping in...

... which is obviously way better than popping out!

Today's mish mash pretty much looks like the contents of my head right now.  Things arriving in preparation for retreat...

Random bits of fabric from the Prints to Polkadots bargain bin...

And decorated gingerbread men destined for the School and Village Duck Race cake stall...

There has been a little Retro Flower sewing, and I am still awaiting my magnets, so hopefully I will have something more substantial to show soon.

PS.  I heard a rumour we might get some sunshine over the weekend!

Please... No More Rain!

I am fed up.

I have had enough of the wettest drought in history.  I have helped a dozen 5 year olds to read this morning, so excuse me if I think I deserve to spend a little of my day off sat in the sun, relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet.

So I am going to snuggle up on the sofa like it was WINTER, because I can't take the sound of the rain on the conservatory roof any longer, and do some hand-stitching on the next project in the Zakka Sew Along - Nova's lovely Itty Bitty Quilt Block Magnets...

I sewed up the fronts last night.  For those not in the know, these measure 2" square.  I am awaiting a sheet of magnetic... um... magnets to come, so it's all preparation.

Oh, and if you are enjoying some warm dry weather, please don't tell me, as I am already turning into a crazy woman, and I will not be held responsible for my actions!

Camp Quilting - Brit Bee Style...

Well I sewed like a trouper, without the swearing, and got Terri's Brit Bee blocks made last night.

Our orders were 8-or-more-pointed stars, so I had to make her a mini 'constellation' block didn't I! 

Terri provided some pale pink and yellow fabrics, to go against the green background, and I supplemented hers with some of my own to avoid too much repetition; I swapped the layout a little and I love how this has turned out...

The second block was to be red.  Now I don't do red very often, and really didn't have enough of the right tone to match Terri's chosen fabrics.  So with a quick flick through my Fat Quarterly 'Shape Workshop for Quilters - Star chapter', I was away using just Terri's Wizard of Oz themed prints... Star Within A Star...

Isn't this the campest block ever!?

So there you go, I can't believe a whole year of Brit Bee blocks are now done and dusted...

13 quilts, which are now quite frankly the cherries on top of our friendship, including the extra special Project 51; and all set to go again after we get to meet for the first time at FQ Retreat... Perfect x