Thursday, 16 July 2009

Turning Nines and trips away.

There is really nothing special about these two quilts. Very basic quilts made from what was available and what I could recycle. They really only had the minimum of planning and attention.
This first one has a pretty scrappy look as I used odds and ends of fabric which I had in stash, not all of the fabrics were fat quarters so there are one or two extra odd pieces.
This second one was at least made mostly from a fat quarter collection with the addition of a single odd piece, though that odd piece does fit in perfectly.

They were both layered with an old blanket and a chenille back. There is no fancy quilting, just a very basic stitch near the ditch affair which serves only to keep the layers together rather than compliment the pattern. These quilts were made to be used and abused.
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Many of you have asked for hints and clues about what it is I want to do with my beautiful collection of' patisserie' fabrics, including Joanna from Fresh Figs! I have already mentioned it to one or two people so no harm in telling more. Some time ago Claire sent me a copy of Australian Patchwork and Quilting, it had part one of a beautiful quilt called Peaches and Cream in it. Well I fell in love with peaches and cream and had to have part two, which I eventually found. I harboured the dream of doing it from stash and despaired at ever having enough of the right colours, then I saw Patisserie and knew it would be just perfect. I kept telling myself that I couldn't afford to get all of the required fabrics all in one go, but didn't want to buy it in dibs and drabs. I happened to mention to Tony that it would make a nice birthday prezzie this year if he was stuck for ideas, well he wasn't!! In fact he was planning around an earlier hint! He asked me what was required, did some quick mental arithmetic and told me to "Go for it Sweetie, just buy it". See why I call him Hunney? So I went for it! And now it's all here and I'm itching to make a start. I want to get one or two other things out of the way first. Soon I promise.
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My birthday? Not until next month. We are having a day trip to Birmingham to visit the Festival of Quilts, I'm sure I mentioned it already. Who else is going by the way? Will anyone be there on the Friday? Want to meet up? I would have loved to be able to have two days there, but it costs an arm and a leg to get off this island, the flights just were not convenient and the added expense of a hotel etc so soon before our trip to NZ (and so soon after splashing out on lots of lovely fabric), just meant it wasn't possible this year. Hunney has already promised me that we can budget for a quilt trip next year and that I will have more time to look around. To be honest having never been to anything like this before, it will make a very memorable and special 40th birthday gift.
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Speaking of trips and holidays. Provided that Swine Flu doesn't close the world down, Hunney and I will be off to New Zealand in 100 days and we'll be getting married while we are there! I know I told one or two of you already, but we finally decided to go public. We have our rings and have begun to make arrangements. Nothing huge and flash, just a quiet simple affair with a few family members and a BBQ later. I'm delighted and couldn't be happier. Hunney is fit to burst and tells everyone he meets.
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Still on trips away from the island, yesterday was my training day and once again I was up and gone before the lark, not getting home until after 9pm. I do find these days very interesting and inspiring though, the course facilitator Susan is a wonderful coach and knows her subject well. Once again she has given us a tree each to read and absorb as well as some homework. In spite of my worries last months homework took only a couple of hours and I'm certain that this months will take only a little longer. As I have already completed what I planned to do today that means it's time to play, I'm off to find a needle.
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Gratitude's
1) My Sweet Hunney.
2) Not so challenging homework
3) Still drooling over that 'Patisserie'.

Tuesday, 14 July 2009

Ooops! I forgot.

Lurline reminded me that I hadn't shown a picture of the completed quilt yet! I also forgot to mention that I had used a pretty pink thread to quilt the leaves/hearts in the outer border. I guess I was so busy trying not to show too much that I forgot to show it off after Kay had received it. She had seen me working on it, but I wanted to try and keep some of it a surprise.
Here you go, one completed quilt. Not only did it have it's first wash already it's also had it's first sleep too.
Kay says it's wonderful, very cosy indeed.
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Thank you everyone for sending birthday wises to Kay, she is tickled.
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Gratitude's
1) Birthday wishes.
2) It passed the cosy test.
3) Time to go play.

Monday, 13 July 2009

Just Some Stuff.

I have done some sewing, but to be honest not worth taking a photo of! So I've gathered together a collection of other images to show and tell about.
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First up is my beautiful, gorgeous, yummy, scrummy collection of fat quarters. What you see here is the entire collection of Patisserie fabrics by Fig Tree Quilts. I've been waiting for this to arrive from the Fat Quarter Shop. Now it's here I'm itching to start up another long term project! LOL
But at the same time, I'm also reluctant to start cutting into these beautiful fabrics, so maybe I'll drool over them and fondle and stroke them a little more first. I have to say this picture does them no justice, they really do look good enough to eat when you see them for real.
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Second up, now that she has received her gifts I can show you some of the items I bought for Kays 21st birthday. You may remember I mentioned that I had prepared 21 gifts. There were all manner of things from pens and pencils to jewellery, to lollipops!
I knew she would adore this pendant the moment I saw it. I was hoping to find matching earrings, but couldn't see any.

I tucked nineteen of her gifts into gift number twenty. Those pretty roses and blue totes I made last week were for a mother and daughter thing.
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Last but not least, a closer look at the French Roses quilt, it's had it's inaugural wash and dried on the airer rather than in the tumbly, but you can see the shabbiness getting started.
This was gift number twenty one! Kay had ooed and awed over it several times so I just couldn't help but gift it to her.
I was really pleased with myself when I managed the pretty quilting rather than some plain old simple stuff in the borders and I'm pleased to say that Kay loves it too and loves the idea of it getting shabbier as time goes on.
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Elaine has received her bags and both she and her grand daughter were thrilled with their collections. So were Elaine's daughters, neighbours and friends.......... Elaine said that she had explained to them that I'm all bagged out at the moment or she thought I might have several orders for more! Thanks Elaine! Yep, I'm all bagged out for now, but will make more some time I'm sure.
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It's been a long day with an early start at work then I had to go back in this evening for a meeting. The birthday girl had to cook her own dinner. I'll take her out for lunch tomorrow. Right now we're sipping her bubbly! (She received two bottles.) So neither of us will be doing much sewing this evening. I have a day off tomorrow so I hope to get something achieved to show off.
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Gratitude's
1) Kay loves her pressies.
2) Elaine loves her bags.
3) I love Hunney.

Saturday, 11 July 2009

Two tops done!

I did it, I set off cutting at about 8.15 yesterday morning and by 9.45 I had the first top done! Look, see the clock?
I took a break then, had my shower and tootled into town to grab something for lunch and pay a visit to the charity shop next door where I grabbed a chenille throw to back these with, I also spied a cotton waffle blanket and snapped that up too.
When I got home again I cut and pieced the second top. I had to add a couple of extra bits of fabric to that one as I discovered that some of my 'fat quarters' were in fact 'skinny quarters'. Never mind, they are only to throw on the sofas.
By 1.30 pm I had both tops finished, and layered with waffle blanket and chenille throw. Here they are all pinned and ready to be quilted! Now all I have to do is figure out how to quilt them.
Having just spent a small fortune paying for flights to Birmingham for the Festival of Quilts and also saving like mad for a last few $NZ for our trip there in October I was pleased as punch to be able to make both tops from my stash with the addition of only £5 for the items from the charity shop. Hunney was amazed that I had done them so fast and even more so to find that I could and would finish them in such a way. I don't think he had quite realised what I was planning to do.
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Gratitude's
1) Quick finishes.
2) Recycling.
3) 105 days.