Sister's Choice

This week I started on the purple quilt for my sister.

Following some excellent advice from Fiona of Celtic Thistle, I settled on a pattern from Quiltville called Sister's Choice.  The name immediately leapt out at me, like it was meant to be.

I set about making the blocks after some initial drafting of the colours and layout.

However, once the first couple of tester blocks were made, I wasn't feeling it.  I just couldn't envisage how it would all look together, and if the starts would POP or just get lost in a sea of busy mayhem. 

I was also concerned about whether I would be able to finish this quilt to deadline.  It occurred to me that although I have been learning to quilt for just over a year, I had not really made blocks before.  Strips, squares, the odd half square triangle are about as far as I've been.  Blocks are HARD!  I have no idea why some points were perfect:

and some ended up like this:

I know practice makes perfect, but I do not have the time for this quilt to be too much a learning curve. I promise I will come back to this block and work out how to make each and every one a winner!

But for now, it was back to the drawing board.  I doodled one of my original ideas, discounted for being too safe:

I'm going to stick with safe!

Brown Paper Packages - 5

As previously discussed here and here, I'm collecting purple and grey fabrics at the moment for a quilt for my sister.

Behold my recent acquisitions, all thanks to M is for Make and Sew Creative (a sewing shop I happened across during my trip to Norwich after new year).

This is the entire purple collection amassed so far:

Sadly, I think I might have reached the part where I stop choosing fabric and start sewing something...

Linking up with Molly Sparkles for Sunday Stash:

Finish-A-Long 2014 (or how to get the DONE! done....)

Towards the end of last year I started to let all sorts of other things get in the way of my personal projects - quilting, crocheting and planning the wedding.

So, to ensure I stay on track with having fun in 2014, I'm going to air all my personal quilting goals in public so I am not the only person holding me to account!  Enter stage right, the Finish-Along 2014 hosted by Katy of the Littlest Thistle and Lovely Year of Finishes (already mentioned in this post).

Firstly, I am going to make a quilt for my sister using purple and grey fabrics.  This has to be a quarter one finish as it will be a gift to her for being a bridesmaid at aforementioned wedding, which is rather scarily taking place in April.  As I will be using a mixture of appropriate fabrics this quilt will also be my entry in the 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge.

Here are some of the lovely fabrics I will be using, recently purchased from M is for Make (where coincidentally there is a cracking sale taking place - grab your Christmas money and go!).

From the Uno by Stof

From Just My Type by Patty Young 

From the Uno by Stof.

And finally! Some Pearl Bracelets for my stash - this is grape jelly.

Now all I need to do is decide on a pattern/block.  I need something which looks very complicated, but is very easy, and will look good with a real mix of solids, low volume and busy fabrics in purple, grey, and pink.  Any suggestions quilty bloggers?

Merry Christmas - 2

In January?  One Christmas just isn't enough for me, and this week we have been spending time down south with FH's family.

Back in March, I blogged about a scrap of swatch fabric I procured to match my FMIL's lovely new curtains.  I was going to make a cushion which matched the curtains to sit on their swanky new settee.  That was in March and on the 26th December, I finished the cushion!

I designed it in May, and made a mock-up cushion.  This was partly to practice and partly because I could not find the swatch for weeks.  I had put it in a "safe place".

Well, I finally finished it over the holidays (another of my 23rd December finishes) and gifted it this week:

And now in situ:

We're having a brilliant week visiting family and touring the county.  I was taken with a new stool in the house of FH's aunt.  She found it in a charity shop - isn't it lovely?  It's hand quilted across the top.

That is the end of all my Christmas project gifting, so onwards and upwards to 2014 projects!

This year I have some goals in mind.  Firstly, I need to finish up this quilt I started at the Stitch Gathering:

I don't like having more than one project on the go, so this is on my mind.

Secondly, I need to make my sister a purple quilt.  She has been most supportive of my interest in quilting, mainly because she is very keen to own one!  This year though, she is doing me an extra special favour by being a bridesmaid at my wedding, so it is only fair she receives an extra special gift.

Thirdly, I need to make some bunting with this cassette fabric for the wedding reception.

So, in January I plan to start the bunting (at least the design and five triangles) and continue my shopping spree in which I will collect all the purple fabric required to make a special quilt for my sister.

Better get cracking!

Linking up with Melissa of Bittersweet Designs for A Lovely Year of Finishes:


And with Kelly of My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday

Thank You Quilt for Beth

In summer 2013, I participated in the "Let's Get Acquainted New Blogger Blog Hop" organised by Beth of Plum and June.  She rounded up sixty or so new bloggers, and arranged for us to introduce our blogs week by week over a two month period.

It was a great way to meet other bloggers, and to gain hints, tips and inspiration from all over the world.  The other bloggers were a talented bunch, not only displaying a wonderful range of quilts, but also sharing technical wizardy to help others get the most from their blogs.

My introductory post is here (hello!) and a run down of the introductory posts from the other bloggers is here.  Go check them out, they are great.

The point of this post was to introduce you to the top secret "Thank You Quilt" the bloggers made for Beth to thank her for her hard work organising the hop.  Jan of Sew and Sow Farm suggested it and Em of Sewing by Moonlight offered to put the whole thing together.  Here are some in progress photos Em was kind enough to send us:

You can read her post on putting the quilt together here.

I'm allowed to blog about it now because Beth has received the finished quilt - hooray!

You can view the finished article on Beth's blog here and I would suggest you do, it is gorgeous.

And for good measure, here is a picture again of my block which I rather cryptically included in this post in August.

Good work everyone!

Brown Paper Packages - 4

Although I have not managed to achieve a lot of sewing the last few weeks, I have still managed to purchase a lot of fabric!

Here's a run down of my goodies from the last few months:

This delightful pile of charm squares was sent to me by Rachael of The Floral Suitcase as part of the Low Volume Charm Swap she very kindly hosted.  It was SUCH a good idea, and I received a lot of fabric I would never have chosen for myself but am so glad to have.

Linking up with Molli Sparkles for Sunday Stash  Alyce at Blossom Heart Quilts for Sunday Stash! Quick Monday edit there....

Merry Christmas!

It has been a very long time since I last posted anything on my Blog.  As it is all about my adventures in learning to quilt (the notes have to follow the sew, see?), my lack of sewing over the last couple of months has hampered the writing process somewhat.

However, you know I love a ridiculous deadline and what better excuse to sew to deadline in a frenzy than Christmas.  Thoughts of "If I didn't manage to finish this, I wouldn't have ANYTHING ELSE to give them and it is Christmas Eve....." and "Is that burning I smell?", as I neglected my kitchen based contributions for the big day.  Only joking, I managed to have just enough time, and no more, to do everything I said I was going to do and Christmas was a great day.  I hope you and yours had a wonderful time.

So, on to the pictures of fabric and quilting!

You may remember back in September my grandparents celebrated a special anniversary and I made them a quilt.

And then I had to take a little break from sewing, and then work got hectic, and all of a sudden it was the middle of October.  I started on matching cushions for my grandparents' Christmas present.

So, obviously, this was all I achieved until the 22nd of December!  Starting something early lets you kid yourself that you're organised.  Not to worry though, I had a lovely day putting the rest of them together.

Okay, maybe two days...

I am so glad to have finished them though and my grandparents really liked them.  In her gift to me, my Granny managed to lay down a gauntlet:

Linking up with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts for TGIFF.