Tulips, block 6

Another block finished. I am slowing down now - it takes a whole weekend to cut out the bits and put a block together. I have allowed myself to get distracted.... Dresden fan blocks at the moment.... but how long with that last....

Christmas present for Max

Found some mile a minute blocks in a drawer when having a tidy up and put them together and had enough for this quilt which I will give to Max - from Scarlett - for Christmas. I like how the quilting came out - especially on the back. This is a Pat Deacon method. I can't stand this mile a minute block though - I had loads of unfinished blocks which I put in a bag and took to Lutterworth last time and somebody had them away within five minutes! One man's tea and all that.

Functional finish for Kaboodle

The huge "functional finish" mentioned previously is currently being stored at the foot of the bed as - fortunately - it isn't cold enough to use it yet. Unfortunately, Kaboodle has taken a shine to it and has been sleeping on it. I decided she needed her own small cat sized quilt to lie on, on top of the functional finish so I only have to get the cat hair off that when I want to use the big one. She has definitely used it - it has a cat shaped groove in it but today, when I went to photograph it........ she was sleeping at the side of it. Cats!

Next block and a confession

Finished block number 5 - Poppy which is the first block I have completed on my new confession (which is number seven.....)

Holiday

Off work for the week and this is all I've managed to finish so far. It was originally going to be my strawberries and cream entry at Bramble but I changed my mind before finishing it. It only needed some of the quilting finishing off and binding so I've got it done but now don't know what to do with it - it is only small!

Block 4, Pinks

Block 4. I asked Mark to hold it up for me but he couldn't be arsed to get off the sofa - that's what snooker on the telly on a Saturday afternoon does for you. There are three shades of pink in this but Mark said he could only see two. I think I will stop asking his opinion on things......

Another block done

On a roll, block 3.

A functional finish

A functional quilt. By the time Mark has pinned down MOST of the duvet and then Scarlett has pinned down another bit, I get left with practically no duvet and a large draught. This quilt is approx 72" x 104" and large enough to drape from the floor on one side of the bed to the floor on the other side of the bed so even if I get no duvet, I should get a bit of quilt!

Block 2

Second block done. I asked Mark his opinion on the first block and as a result have dyed some more green - a darker one. This gives me a dilemma - do I redo the first block? I think I will have to but then, do I do it now or later after I have finished more blocks? Do I unpick it and just redo the green bits or do I redo the whole block? decisions......

Silk painting workshop

A workshop at Daventry Embroider's Guild last Saturday - silk painting with Yvonne Bell. It was great fun to do and I was really pleased with my finished result. We did practice pieces first which didn't come out so well but all part of the learning process. Silk painting is like painting by magic - you just dab the paint on and it spreads out up to the edges. Brilliant. I really enjoyed it.

Back in May at Malvern I fell in love with a massive block of the month quilt. As a BOM though it was waaaaaay too much money so I waited until Mark wasn't looking and bought just the patterns. This is the first block. Not 100% finished as it needs some satin stitching for details and all the blocks have log cabin borders but I will do them bits later. I am dyeing all my own fabric for this project - I needed to dye 8 yards of pale blue just for the background. I've done most of the dyeing but still have about 4 yards ish to go. The picture at the top is the next block cut out ready to be sewn together. The whole quilt is pieced, good thing really as I don't like applique.....

Sizzling Strips

Sizzling Strips - in my two favourite colours. Finished it last night but it was a Lutterworth workshop from earlier in the year (I think it was this year anyway)..... I made the binding from left over orange strips so was very pleased with myself - it came out OK!

Not exciting but finished!

Not very exciting. A banner for the Lutterworth Piecemakers exhition in October. Not even quilted, just a fabric sign.... I finished it while listening to the chart show on Sunday - which was nearly all Michael Jackson. 3 albums in the top 5 (including the number one slot) and something like 13 singles in the chart - the highest being number 2. Amazing.

Strawberries and Cream

My Strawberries and Cream entry for the Bramble Patch in June. I finished it last night (couldn't bring myself to sit down and get the binding done) and delivered it today. I have called it "Next to the Elephants" as the challenge fabric that had to be used is next to a fabric with elephants on it..... I think this is the biggest one I have ever done for the SnCream challenge.

Quilt Festival Spring 2009

An online quilt show, the idea being everybody blogs about their favourite quilt with a picture. Nice idea. Nice opportunity to post a picture of something finished a little while ago. This is my favourite quilt that I have made. Mark said he would hang it on the wall for me but it hasn't got there yet. I called it "Look, no pink" - because there is no pink in it (although there is on the back but I won't mention that). At the time of making it I couldn't stand the colour pink but I think I am getting a bit more mellow in my old age as I don't mind so much now and have even SHOCK HORROR bought some pink fabric - yes - parted with cash for pink fabric!!!! This was a Quilt University class with Dena Crain (favourite QU teacher) and probably one of the best classes I have ever taken. Keep meaning to go back and take the next class on - Ladders and Crystals - but I haven't got there yet. This class was called Reflections and involved the whole designing process as well as the making of the quilt process. This quilt is therefore truly all my own work. I dyed all my own fabric (apart from the black - struggle to dye black), it is my own design and I put it all together and heavily quilted it all by my little old self. I like it.

Second finish for March - on a roll

Andrea at work had a first grandchild due in January this year but he arrived a month early so had to spend a little while in SCBU (down in Devon or somewhere). Andrea proudly brought in photos of said baby but, needless to say, I was more interested in the quilt he was lying on in hospital. I told Andrea all about Linus and how he would get to take the quilt home. Well, it wasn't a Linus quilt and he didn't get to take it home so I have made a quilt for Andrea's grandson Jacob.

March challenge

March challenge for BQL finished. Printing a picture onto fabric so I had to use my little girl of course - there was no other option.

Another finish! Mark told me last Tuesday (just over a week ago) that we were invited to a Christening this Sunday and could I make the quilt he had asked me to make for his cousin's baby last October..... Last October Mark chose the quilt he wanted and I bought the fabric - and left it in the bag and didn't think anymore about it. The Christening invite meant I had to get a move on but I always work best to a deadline..... never achieved such a tight one before though. I had to do at least an hour every night after work. I sewed the label on this evening.

February finished! I asked Mark to chose a colour (anything but my two favourites which I have ear marked for a workshop in March) and he chose yellow. I quilted it in blue because there is only so much yellow I can take......

Spooky block

Was chatting to Judith (via email). She described a block a friend had shown her that she had to rush home and try. On Tuesday I was making a new block to me described by Lynda on her blog. Asked Judith for a picture of her block and not only had we been making the same one, we had used the same fabric, albeit in different colours......

Resigned

Rocheberie was on Saturday and I resigned from the committee. I just wasn't looking forward to going anymore. I feel as if a weight has been lifted and perhaps now I will be able to go back to looking forward to the Rocheberie days. I had been on the committee since January 2007 so I stuck at it for a reasonable while..... not as long as most of the long-serving others but I am happy that I have done my bit for now.

First finish of the year

Another finish! 2009 BQL challenge - last year was bags (and I am proud of myself that I made all 12). This year is a calender with a small "quiltlet" for each month. Not sure if a calendar really works for me as it will be at least half way through the month before I have it finished and have it ready to hang on the wall..... But, I have finished January's.