Toot Toot Tooting

 This fabulous and finished quilt was made by New Sue and is another from the Elizabeth Hartman selection of patterns. Most people look at the patterns and presume they are Foundation Paper Pieced but they are not. It's all done with traditional piecing. Toot toot toot Sue

This foxy Reading Pillow, another Elizabeth Hartman pattern, was made by New Sue and is also for gifting... She does a lot of gifting doesn't she?

Sue added the pocket on the back of the standard cushion, which is very handy for book storage... and that's why we call them Reading Pillows! and of course made even more fabulous with a concealed zip, toot toot toot Sue

Rose completed both of her lovely quilted gifting cushions in good time for sewing prevention season. She's really enjoyed making them, quilting and all....

This is the second lovely cushion of the pair, it could be the After The Party Feather!!!
One is smooth and sleek and the other is slightly wild and windswept... not Rose's plan at all... I am interpret-ating (I know, I made it up!) the art!!
Toot-toot-etty-toot Rose.

Did you read this blog post? I wrote it on the 13th of November... I am very chuffed to report that the quilt was most definitely hand quilted, at breakneck speed (or rather sore finger speed, Linda showed me the "poor finger" evidence!) and was finished a week before it was needed (Just before Christmas but nothing to do with Christmas) It was a special gift made for a Diamond Wedding Anniversary. Toot Toot Toot-etty-Toot Linda, and a toot on top!

This toot toot toot fanfare belongs to Stephanie Iceland.... Inspired by a wall hanging on display in my very own shop... I had the brilliant idea (yes, I say so myself) of making the wall hanging into a personalised present sack!!! It is a brilliant idea.... Let's all make Santa Sacks now!!! ha ha ha

It's Here!!

Merry Merry Merry Sewing Prevention Season wishes to all.... each and EVERY one of you xx
I hope your sprouts are simply amazing this year!

See you on the other side!!!

Stitching News

Dwight The Deer stitched by New Sue using the very scrumptious, super soft and very snuggle-up-able Moda Flannel fabrics. Isn't he a very smart fellow. Toot toot toot Sue, another fabulous and finished project.

Di Butterfly finished her festive tree skirt. We made this pattern up! Obviously Di had seen an inspirational picture of one on the internet somewhere... She described it to me. We divided up a circle, added seam allowances and... it worked! Toot toot toot Di.

Sporty Sue is enjoying making her blocks, Ricky Ringtail, Carlos Coyotte, Cottontail Bunny with Aloe and a leafy thing... they look great don't they.  Sue is quite chuffed with her very own self!

Our Carol did all of this yesterday. Starting with a Moda Charm Pack helped speed up the first part... Have you had a go at any of these Twister patterns yet? They are very much fun... Fiddly? Yes!... but worth it.

Nothing quite like a last minute sewing dash... Lady Judith, as she does every year, started these fabulous festive stockings and needs them finished rather Lick-etty-split... They have a lot of detail to be added, but she will do it... who needs sleep anyway!

At the risk of repeating my very own self...
Please note that my shop will be open as normal Today, Thursday and Friday, that's 9:30am to 4:30pm
but
 On Saturday 22nd of December it will close at 2pm

Catching Up?

I'm meeting myself coming backwards!!! 
What on earth does that mean? Isn't language fun... but it's how I feel
This happened...

Yesterday I received delivery... after delivery... and even more deliveries... 
Just when my shop was looking organised and tidy ready for a long break during the upcoming Sewing Prevention Season.
25+ bolts of Batik Beauties... ordered back in August/September and forgotten about ha ha.
Many more bolts of excellent, great value, traditional Christmassy design fabrics, measuring 140cm width...
Extra wide festive fabric is very handy and I will be making my very own festive tablecloth with one of them... soon, possibly this year!
Several fabulous Art Gallery fabric bolts, including 100% cotton, jersey stretchy! 
More Elizabeth Hartman patterns arrived... The new one with the bees called Beehive came too.
Lots of King Tut threads, completing my recent part order so I am fully stocked with all the lovely colours. I decided to fully stock up when I got a note saying the prices were rising, thrifty me couldn't help it as they are actually my favourite quilting threads.

And to top off all the delivery madness... my new shop daylight lights arrived, ready for Sewing Prevention Season's, shop improvements... My landlady has an electrician booked. I am quite excited about the new lights. They should save me a bit of money in the long run (I'll be able to order more fabric!) We can never have too much light can we? 

Who would have thought that fabric could suck light up? It does when the shop owner keeps adding more, taller shelves and filling them up with fabrics!

Today I'll have to play fabric solitaire trying to find space for new fabrics. It gets a little bit messy in the middle of the process... if you pop in today, you will see it... it's always a fun game...

Stitching News

Rose is making feather cushions for festive gifting, aren't they fabulous? Quilted with a leafy design making it look like they and the feather are being blown around...

This is moody grey, feather cushion number two, sandwiched and ready for quilting. The designs have been lifted from a pattern that Rose purchased at Festival Of Quilts and they have been given the Rosie touch... PMS (Pleasing My Self) is such fun eh 

New Sue made her Dwight Stag sandwich. He's been made using the ever-so-stroke-worthy, Moda Flannel fabrics that were delivered recently. He is a smart Dwight... An Elizabeth Hartman pattern. He will be made into a cushion for gifting. That's all presuming he isn't already finished... you know how Sue rumbles... Blink and it's done!

Jean Bean told me that there will, in fact, be another season of Advent days in 2019, so she is getting ahead for just that... A 2019 Advent Calendar... will it be finished on time? Jean has used Vlieseline Stylevil for her Stabilizer, in place of wadding... what a good idea! It can be rolled up rather than folded... but not until it's finished!!

Farmer Lynda's Unicorn Lap Quilt top... made for gifting and now ready for sandwiching... Stars will be quilted on the background... I know this because Lynda purchased a new Chaco Marker for drawing around her star template.

Only 10 more open shop days to go before sewing prevention season kicks me... oooops I mean kicks in!!
Open hours as normal until Saturday 22nd of December when I will have to close up at 2pm to get my sprouts on... they will probably still be bullet hard on the 25th as I missed getting them started in October!!

Fabulous And Finished

Carol started thinking about what to make with these fabrics back in February. She had one of the Kaffee 10 inch square packs (Like a Layer Cake but not Moda) She didn't want to chop them up... that does happen you know (a lot!) This design was perfect for Carol... she got to leave her favourites as large blocks and had fun with following the instructions. It's taken a while because of all the other projects Carol has made at the very same time.... lots and lots.

This is the back... a double sided WOW...
Carol had used her walking foot to stitch in the ditch to pop the trellis design then added free motion quilting, because she can. Toot toot toot Carol, a fabulous finish

Gail is an expert with these Christmas Stockings now. I think she's made about 20? ha... of course I jest a little but Gail has made quite a few and I bet there will be more... Auntie Gail's little Christmas 'thing' 

This is the back... a brilliant way to use up your festive fabric scraps.
Toot toot toot Gail it's another fabulous and festive finish

It's always tricky to get long thin projects in a good photo picture... I've cropped this one and, as you can see, it looks quite funny... It's a lovely table runner though, made by Beryl and finished with Faux Piped Binding...

There you go...
My lovely shop as the backdrop makes Beryl's table runner look even more spectacular. She made this project with her old sewing machine... and it will be gifted. The next project will be made with her shiny, new sewing machine... toot toot toot Beryl, a fabulous and festive finish.

Stitching News

Luna Twearly is making up gifting items. These two in particular will be cushions... not your ordinary cushions mind... beautifully stitched and perfectly co-ordinated, they will be perfect partners with other gifted handmade things.

All Day Di is stitching up a festive storm... even though she has a hundred and two projects waiting to be finalised , she's decided to "Festivate" her very own sofas with stylish Christmassy cushions... most using the patterns in Di's favourite Art To Heart books.

Norma is trying to decide what to do next... Not that all of her projects are finished either (Are we seeing a pattern or trend here?) Courthouse Steps might be made... we're trying a few prototype blocks first... and they would have been easier if I had mathemised more professionally!!!

When Annbacan is in between projects she gets out her scraps and makes Mile-A-Minute blocks... she has a good pile ready but she'll carry on for a while... this will be a large project me thinks.

Janet Le Vet popped in to choose her binding fabric. She had just picked up this beauty from her Long Arm Quilter, who has done excellent work, even changing the colour of the top thread to do the two inner borders! 

Brenda Barbara decided to make this winter scene Fat Quarter into a wall hanging. She's owned the Fat Quarter for a while and could never bring her very own self to cut it up. So that problem has now been resolved, Lick-etty-split!!

Sandwiches And Beginners

Christabelle's Gifting Quilt

To give you an idea of the size? Enormous!!
I don't have a space large enough to show you this beauty in all of it's glory... 
Beautiful colours, beautiful fabrics, wonderful workwomanship!!

Each block was pieced and quilted individually then joined together with the Apartment Joining method. Chris chose an On-Point setting which just makes it a little more tricky and needs the quilted setting triangles.

This is the back... it's so completely different from the main side and to top the whole project off... Christabelle used the double sided binding technique which is ever so smart and allows the binding to match perfectly with either side rather than choosing one binding to suit both sides at the very same time. Toot toot toot Christabelle... A fabulous, if not magnificent, finished quilt... toot toot toot-etty-toot.

Advent Calendars

Today is the day. Such a lot of lovely Advent Calendars have been made this year. Some are customer's own designs and some are pre-printed panels... they all look wonderful, don't they.

Here's a small selection of works finished and works that will be finished by now... 

Of course there will be another chance to either start or to finish your very own Advent Calendar... I have planned another December for next year!

Susan's Fabulous Finish

Susan made this wonderful diamond quilt for gifting to her very own daughter... Carefully chosen fabrics with very favourite colours should make it a hit. It's a tricky design only because of lining up all those sashing strips.

Left over diamonds have all been used up for this backing making a double sided quilt.... I've just had a daft thing pop into my head, and now I'm singing... Double Diamond, Double Diamond, Works Wonders!!! Can you remember that advert?  It was for beer (here's a link) gosh isn't the internet fun!!!! Anyways... toot toot toot for your fabulous and finished Quilt Susan,.