Buzzin Around Quilt

 

Lots of fabric companies offer free patterns on their websites. I often go to have a look but I'm afraid I rarely make up any of the quilts. They are not usually my 'cup of tea'. This one, however, I love!! I had cut the fabrics and made up kits, including the panels, for my shop, and they sold well for a while. I had one left, teasing me... So, eventually, I set about making it... trying not to change anything or go off on one of my creative rabbit holes, ha!

As with all of the printed panels, there was squaring up to do. The pictures almost never print perfectly straight. I love the black and white fabrics, some of the stripes even lined up!  That made me happy when it happened but I wasn't about to try to do that on purpose, even I have my limits on matching up!

It didn't take long to get all the blocks framed and I just needed to play about with how I wanted to place the bugs... not a line you will hear me say often... I'm a catch em in a glass and throw 'em back outside kind of gal, normally!

A big skip foreword and the top was complete, with no photos but, trust me, it was finished. It's about 62 inches square. Huge backing fabric piece required. I used up lots of the left over bits to piece it and make it more interesting... that really means that there wasn't enough of the yellow fabric!

Quilting was tricky as I had broken my wrist by this point. I couldn't sew straight lines. Give me a problem... I'll make lemonade... is that how it goes? Ha! I just zig-zagged all over it. Not turning the quilt for each direction but using my reverse button, genius!

It's hanging in my shop now, finished and fabulous

Toot toot tooting for my very own self? Why ever not, ha!

This is the link to the free downloadable pattern.

Stitching News

We had rain and wind yesterday so the gardeners came fabric shopping, I got a good lot of exercise for my flipper, ha!
A few customers are ready and waiting with their quilt tops completed so I've pushed my tables together and started to take bookings for sandwich making.

Lorna purchased this kit a while back. She says it was advertised in a magazine. She's keen to get it finished so booked a sandwich session. As the shop was a bit busy, Lorna got on with the sandwich making, all by her very own self. Alas, Just as she finished I noticed that the tape hadn't quite done it's job holding the backing in place so all the pins had to be taken out and the process was repeated. Eventually Lorna left quite content with her perfect sandwich.

Our Pam came to show us her totally toot-toot toot-able, fabulous and finished gifting cushion... isn't it just perfect for a little fellow... Bright and fun. 

I took this closer shot to show you Pam's fabulous quilting. 

Spikey stitching is spot on perfect for a dinosaur. 

Pam's changed her thread colours to match the patchwork too. 

Toot toot toot Pam.

If you need to make a sandwich, please call to book a good time and I'll see what I can do, you know I try to give excellent customer service!!!

I've added a few Sunday Funday Sewday events to my diary... the details can be found in the tab at the top of this blog. Obviously they are all subject to the Covid situation though.

Stitching News

 I'm happy to see some of us are still sewing and not staying all the time out in the garden. You know how I worry about gardening accidents now, HA!

Our Pam has been luxuriating on her lovely patio with a bit of Big Stitch Hand Quilting. This project has been in the quilting stage for a while, couple of years or so actually, but there's no rush so long as Pam is enjoying it, which she is.

Dora has moved on to another baby project. 3D teddies ears are so clever. 

I imagine baby will play with them, when it comes, fiddley-diddlies.

Another long term project belonging to Our Pam. 

Hexagons... lots of folk stitch hexagons... not always with a particular plan, just because they can. Now Pam is making lots of quilt plans, 2 or 3 quilts worth of hexagons have been made so it's time!

Farmer Lynda made a knitting bag for gifting.

 A lovely idea and in beautiful poppy fabric.

It's a toot toot toot-able, fabulous finish

Dora has worked fast. All the applique complete and the quilt top is ready to be sandwiched, I think. We will see whether any border treatment happens, she's a dark horse is that Dora!

I'm sure you can tell this post has been written in rather a hurry...

I'm off to my shop now. I'm expecting a huge Delivery of 27 metre rolls of wadding.

Fracture Clinic Day

My fingers are crossed, on one hand at least! 

Today, Friday, IF all is mended, I will be free of the plaster.

Please take note that if you need to come to my shop you will need to call me first and I'll arrange an appointment with you.
Beano will be my taxi, she's dropping me off at the fracture clinic then she's available to pop to my shop if you have fabric or thread emergencies.

More news, hopefully great news, later.

Angie 07807530441

Every Quilt Has A Story

There's the story of why we want to make the quilt.

The story of the making of the quilt.

There's the very happy story of the gifting of the quilt too.

Christabelle sent me a WhatsApp message a few weeks ago. 

It contained some very distressing pictures. 

Little granddaughter had found a pair of scissors!!! 

Chris was really upset and wasn't quite sure what to do.

There were lots of snips on the binding. 

Luckily, I still have this striped fabric in my stock so the binding was an easy fix involving a bit of unpicking and adding a new strip.

There were a few holes which are more tricky to fix... 

I had flashbacks to Joan The Shop with her Mice!! click this link if you dare!! 

I suggested that Chris make a feature of the holes... 

Maybe Blanket stitch around them or sew a little label on with a brief explanation, adding to the quilt's very own story... Chris popped to my very own shop, purchased a bit more striped fabric and went home to create and mend...

Isn't this repair job wonderful?

It's just a chapter, maybe a few of many but, hopefully, not with snipping involved.

Good Job Christabelle xx

 

Stitching News

All Day Di, more locally known as Lady Lidl, has been busy sewing. Her woodland theme blocks are keeping her busy, and very happy. 

Two Foxes with perfectly coloured fabrics...

An Owl, very co-ordinated and smart looking

A Fire Fly, hot and fire-y. Isn't Lady Lidl clever! 

The Elizabeth Harman patterns can be a little daunting at the cutting out stage, especially with all the little bits and labels, but if you just follow the instructions and do as your are told, it all works out really well. I wonder what's coming next?

This is an update on Sporty Sue's Quilt Along, block of the month project 'Colour My World' such a lot of work has gone into this and Sue will keep us updated on her progress as it happens. Good job Sue!

Dora wanted to make a baby quilt. She keeps saying that she doesn't know much about patchwork and sewing but I think she's done a splendid job. The back is made too using up the left over fabrics, so I expect we might need our tooting trumpets soon.

 

Fabulous & Finished

Does this photo help you remember the way we used to share our projects?

It's been taken by me, my very good self, with our Princess Jackie holding it up on the Photo Step! You can do that now you know, bring in your quilts for me to see and take pictures of. You should really know by now that I only have a shop to make my blog more interesting, ha!

What a stunning quilt it is too. Jackie had made the same design before but this time she wanted a slightly smaller quilt so had all the applique pattern pieces shrunk, clever people know how to do that, so Jackie asked one!! ha ha ha (sorry Jackie!) It's so lovely isn't it. Bright, fun and cheerful. Toot toot toot Jackie

Jackie had to stay up on the photo step as this too is one of her works of art. I'm starting to wonder whether people close to Jackie have babies just so they get to be gifted one of these amazing quilts? I suspect this rather cute bunny quilt will be gifted to a little girl

Ever so pink on the back too. We love to incorporate left over fabrics to make great quilt backs and you can see all the excellent quilting too. Free Motion style done with the walking foot... it takes patience though. Toot toot toot Jackie, yet another Fabulous and finished quilt. 

This is a quilt Nuttie has been making for several years. She had made a sandwich in readiness for her to hand quilt it over time, at least that was the original plan. You can just make out that she gave up on plan A and took it to a Long Arm quilting service, plan B. Toot toot toot Nuttie, it's a fabulous and finished quilt!

I have actually missed quite a few phot opportunities, I'm out of the habit you see. When folk call in for a bit of inspiration, or technical advice for getting their projects made, I mostly don't think about taking pictures until they've already left! I'm working on that going forward.

Lovely Yellow Daisies

Back in the earlier days of this last (?) lockdown, I set out to use up some of my older fabrics. I called them My Uglies, They weren't really all that ugly... many of you wrote to explained that to me, I had a few funny messages actually. Hey ho 

Bright Yellow daisies on Turquoise? 

I think it works. It's all about the contrast, don't you think?

We are not going to talk about that flippin soft toy... 

I still roll my eyes at it every time I see it, ha!

Lots of decisions on placement and, while I was at it...

 How come they are all different sizes. Using up odd bits of fabric, that's how.

Borders on and by now, I like it

Sandwiched with yet another piece of wadding that was really not big enough but I risked it anyway. I'm living a daring life!!! I could always trim a bit off the edge when it was quilted.

Do you remember me making this quilt top back in February Lockdown?

This is the link to that blog post if you would like to read it.

I used this as the backing, Very turquoise!

I got it all quilted up and the binding machine stitched on. 

The idea was to hand sew the binding between customers in my shop... 

that worked well until I broke my very own wrist. 

But now, it's Fabulous and finished, except for the label which is in progress, I promise

Toot toot toot for my very own self...

Another pile of my fabrics have been used up, that's progress!

Stitching News

 Eye Spy Six Packs.

There' are 30 x 6 inch squares in each pack, every square a different fabric design... I actually put 31 so that if there is one design you don't really like, you can leave it out. There are lots of ways to piece the packs to make larger quilts but joining them together as they are makes a great size for a playmat.

Toot toot toot Anji Nuttie, a fabulous and finished quilt.

Our Pam has been working away on her mask making production line. 

We think we will be needing masks for quite a while yet so

 why not make them really summery and pretty... 

like Pam's... Toot toot toot toot toot toot toot... 

one toot for each fabulous and finished mask!!

Farmer Lynda has  finished her dinosaurs quilt top, it's such a lovely project, perfect for the fast growing grandson... with the light shining through all those colours are extra vibrant, well done Lynda, we knew you could do it, even with all that huffing and puffing!

Pam was so inspired by Lynda's work that she is making this dinosaur cushions for gifting, but it's a secret who she is making it for. There was no huffing and no puffing from Pam though, she just got on with it! 

Lady Lidl (All Day Di) Is also making a quilt using an Elizabeth Hartman pattern, This one is called Fancy Forrest. Obviously this is the fox, Fancy Fox?

Here's a rabbit, which I'm guessing is a Fancy Rabbit, ha ha ha

The pieces have gone together perfectly, Di is very impressed with her very own self.

I showed you Sporty Sue's Mariner's Compass centre a bit back. I had several people contact me about it, quite stunning and very accurate. This is Sue's progress as of a week or so ago... gosh she's been busy! This is a link to a YouTube video if you would like more information about the project.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZBLzve4DKk

 Hope you had a great weekend, the sunshine certainly helps doesn't it.
I could do without the blooming flies though!