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

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.

Back in the Saddle

Today I felt the urge to start sewing again.

After I finished the Ginger Jar Quilt, I decided my machine and I needed a break from one another.  I also wanted time in my days to pursue other things, like this wedding do I'm supposed to be organising.  Finishing my first large quilt to a deadline meant I spent every evening and weekend for three and half weeks at the machine.  This is not recommended.

Today, I really wanted to do some sewing again - hoorah!

Look familiar?  Matching cushion covers for Christmas gifts, oh yeah!

V and B's Wedding Cushion Covers - Done!

Thank goodness they are finished.  These have been a bit of a nightmare, not least because of the tight deadline I had to get them ready.

The offending article referred to in my last post:

Really, was there any need for that to happen?  Turns out yes, there was, because it taught me a lesson and out came the unpicker. I feel another Every Day's a School Day post coming on.

In other news I have spent my morning Blog Hopping and having a look at all the blogs scheduled for this week:

Friday 14th June

Julie @ Jolie Maxtin

Melissa @ Melia Mae Quilting

Adrianne @ On The Windy Side

Molli @ Molli Sparkles

Laura @ Little And Lots

Sarah @ Duck Egg Threads

Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

Cari @ There's A Thread

Valerie @ Between Quilts

Excellent and inspiring work on show.  It just makes me want to spend my afternoon sewing, but alas I can't.  Why?  I AM GOING TO SEE THE STONE ROSES!

  

Work in Progress

Hooray, some actual sewing happened!

I have made the second of the cushion covers for my pals' wedding in a couple of weeks:

I also quilted the top of the first one, but it kind of looks a bit wonky....

It's nicer from the side, but I don't think my basting was tight enough.

I then of course sewed it all up into a cushion and victoriously held it aloft after struggling all evening with it, only to discover I had blooming caught the material on the front and there was a dart effectively.

I am going to sort that mess out for another post.

Hope everyone's having a good Wednesday!

Linking up with:

Cushion Cover - Done!

Woo!  The mock up of my FMIL cushion is finished!

Now if only I could find the piece of fabric for the real thing!

In other news, I have started work on a cushion cover set for a wedding gift.  I used this tutorial from Bee Square.  I really want to make them the whole quilt, but I don't have enough time between now and the wedding.

 I also accidentally went shopping this week.  Twice.  

I think buying the fabric is half the fun!

EDIT: MONDAY 27TH MAY
Linking up with Melissa at Sew Bittersweet Designs as part of Let's Get Aquainted!

Potential - 2

Now the Under the Sea Quilt is finished I have been lavishing some attention on some other ongoing projects.

I have been working slowly and steadily through my Granny's knitted squares, until suddenly there were only ten or so more to do!  I got quite excited at the prospect of finishing it and spent the weekend working out how to sew them together through the crochet loops.  Turned out the careful preparation on the squares has meant it takes no time at all to sew the rows together.

This should have been included in last week's Every Day's a School Day post, but I have discovered can crochet in the car.  I start to feel a bit queasy if I do anything in the car, but having read so many blogs where people were able to maximise their car journeys, I thought I would give it a go.  Anyway, this new-found knowledge refers to the second WIP, the Rainbow Granny Square Blanket (s).

Third is the potential to which the title refers, which arrived today.

Other projects currently include finishing my mock cushion cover before being let loose on the real thing which will be gifted to my FMIL, and a bed runner for my sister which is very much still at the idea stage.

Sounds like plenty to be going on with when you also consider I received an email about the Stitch Gathering today indicating we are to make a badge for fellow stitchers and I have not started my ticket....

Linking up:

Every Day's a School Day - 2

Things I have learned this week

1. Sunny days off on my own are brilliant.  More of those please.

2. Sunny days off should really be spent outside, even if you planned to sit at the sewing machine.  Who knows when it will happen again?  However, I did sit at the machine and managed to get this done...

It is a practice run of a cushion cover I am making for a gift for my FMIL.  While I like the fabric and the design, I think it will be given away because it isn't really my style.  I don't normally do hearts and pinks (that said, they were really fun to sew).  I think I will much prefer the grey version I'm going to create!

3. Sunny days off are great for photos of quilts and projects.  Last weekend I went away to the beach and managed to get more of this project done.  Introducing the Rainbow Granny Square Blanket (s)!

Linking up with: