Happy New Year!

Just wanted to say a quick Happy New Year and Thankyou to everyone who has visited this little blog in the last few months. You comments make me smile and I love all the new bloggy pals I've made this year. Thankyou!

I was going to do a mosaic of all the things I've made in 2011 but for some reason I don't want to. I've had a look back through my Flickr photos and I've made a lot more than I thought I had but a lot of things are unfinished so I'll just show you the first quilt I finished in 2011. It's still my favourite.



Now I'm off to put on a pretty dress and see the New Year in with my Man.
Happy New Year to you all!

Fiona x

Secret Santa :)

I am lucky enough to be a member of the Brit Bee on Flickr, and we decided to do a little Secret Santa for each other this Christmas, a sweet little handmade-fabriccy-something-or-other to make each other smile :)

This week my postie delivered a lovely little package for me from one of my lovely Brit Bee ladies. I was so excited I ripped it open right away and didn't take any photos of the pretty wrapping.

In fact I didn't take any photos until the following day, and my pretty gifts look a bit crumpled, BUT there is a good reason for crumples. Look at this beautiful infinity scarf! The reason it's crumpled is that I have hardly taken it off since it arrived. I absolutely LOVE it! Beautiful soft voile makes the lightest, most comfy, cozy scarf ever.

I would have liked to take a photo of me wearing it but I've been a bit under the weather, and to say I don't look my best is an understatement! So you'll just have to imagine me wearing it :)

As well as the gorgeous scarf I also received some pretty threads, a purse frame, and a roll of scraps, all tied with a pretty ribbon. They were all packaged in a cute and fun bag, featuring a funky pompom trim :)

I'm not sure which of my lovely Bees made this for me, but I think I'm guessing either Sarah or Trudi. Am I right?

Thankyou so much Secret Santa!!!! I love everything you sent, but just so you know how much I love my scarf, I whipped one up for a Christmas present for my sister. She's going to love her's too :)

Happy Christmas to you all
Fiona xxxxx

Festive Sewing

I started this week freaking out about the amount of things I had committed to making for Christmas. Every year I over-commit and end up freaking out and stressing. This year is no different!

BUT, I have sewn up a storm in the last couple of days. Look what I've been making.....



Sprocket pillows from one of my favourite tutorials from Cluck Cluck Sew



Dresden cushions for my Mum made following the Old Red Barn Dresden QAL
Embroidery patterns are from the Clover and Violet Embroidery 101



A Colorbrick quilt for my Step Father, who was a builder before he retired and still admires the brickwork in the Colorbrick quilt I made my daughter a year ago. (I don't like my Step Father's one, I rushed it and I'm not keen on the fabric I chose for him, but I think he will love it)



I think it looks quite impressive all piled up :)

I made another 2 cushions and some ornaments, but forgot to take photos before I dashed to the Post Office to get them in the mail on time!

I've just got a bag and a wall-hanging to go!

Sew Fiona, Sew!!!!!

Happy Wednesday (it is Wednesday isn't it?)
Fiona x

We have a winner!

Thankyou so much to everyone that entered my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway! I wish I could stitch up a little hoop for all of you but that would just be a bit bonkers!

Without further ado, the winner of the Embroidered hoop is.........

Comment 301 who is Judi

I know it says comment 101, but that's because the comment was from the second page of comments, if that makes sense.

Congratulations Judi! I'll email you this evening to get your address :)

Now I've just finished a hard day's work and I'm going to put my feet up and have a cuppa!

Have a great weekend!
Fiona x

Thankyou!

First of all, Thankyou for all the lovely comments on my last post - the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway! I am completely overwhelmed by all the comments and I just can't reply to them all. Sorry! But I have enjoyed reading them all :)
The giveaway is still open until the end of Friday, and you can enter here if you're interested

The other day I received an unexpected package and it just made my day! The lovely Helen from Archie the Wonder Dog sent me a Thankyou present for the cushion/pillow cover she won in my last giveaway. A beautiful hoop made using Aneela Hoey's not even released line A Walk in The Woods. Isn't it beautiful? The Wonder Dog himself even popped a wee something in the package for my dog Ava :)

Ava was a bit overcome that a famous, handsome chap like Archie sent her some biscuits, but she still managed to munch them pretty quickly!

Thankyou so much Helen, you really didn't have to send me anything, but I'm very glad you did x

Now I need to get back to some more frantic present making while I wait in for the delivery of a new oven. Our oven packed in about 3 weeks ago and we are finally getting it replaced - Yay! I'll be able to cook a roast for Christmas after all :)

Happy Thursday!
Fiona x

sew mama sew giveaway day

I'll be honest, I'd forgotten about the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day giveaway day, untill a heap of giveaways started appearing on some of the blogs I love.

So after a quick scan of my messy sewing corner I decided it would be nice to do a Giveaway of one of the embroidered hoops I can't stop making at the moment. I just love the Laundry Day pattern by Tasha Horsley that I stitched up recently and have already started another one.

If you would like to win one of these hoops, which I will make especially for you, please leave a comment below.

I'm happy to send it anywhere, and if you let me know your favourite colours I'll try my best to stitch the quilt of your dreams :)

This is open until the end of the day on Friday 16th December. Good luck!

EDITED!
We have a winner!

Thankyou so much to everyone that entered my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway! I wish I could stitch up a little hoop for all of you but that would just be a bit bonkers!

Without further ado, the winner of the Embroidered hoop is.........

Comment 301 who is Judi

I know it says comment 101, but that's because the comment was from the second page of comments, if that makes sense.

Congratulations Judi! I'll email you this evening to get your address :)

Now I've just finished a hard day's work and I'm going to put my feet up and have a cuppa!

Have a great weekend!
Fiona x

A Scruffy Christmas Quilt

Just over 2 years ago I found a tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop that I just loved. Rachel Griffith's Scruffily Quilt looked like the snuggliest family movie watching quilt ever! I planned to make a Christmas quilt. It didn't get made that year, or last year, but I was determined to make it in time for this Christmas.

In my last blog post I pondered whether my children would help me baste a quilt on their impromtu day off school. Well, they not only helped me baste it, but they also helped me quilt it! We worked on it most of the day and I promised if it was ready we could snuggle under it and watch a movie before bedtime. I realised there was no way I was going to get it bound in time for movie watching that day, so I did a quick zig zag round the edges of the quilt and we snuggled up and watched the Grinch.

It's now bound and washed and I absolutely LOVE it! I probably wouldn't choose this fabric now, but I love the scruffy edges, and the crumpled, cozy feel of it. The quilting is wonky but I love that too. If you let a 5 year old steer your machine it's not going to be perfectly straight lines you get. The kids love it too and the dog is snuggling at every oportunity!!

Pattern is Scruffily by Rachel Griffith
Fabric is 'Glace' and 'Park Avenue' by 3 Sisters for Moda
Backing is an old flannel sheet that belonged to my Mum - so soft and cozy :)

I got some rather exciting post this week too. The lovely Julia at Cross Patch is having a sale and offering 3 pot-luck charm packs for £15! as well as other delights! I ordered 6 pot-luck charm packs and chose Modern. She emailed me to find out if I wanted a selection or some the same and this is what she sent! I was so excited to open the package to find out what ones she'd sent me! Funnily enough it was Julia that I bought the fabric for the Scruffily quilt from 2 years ago. I seem to remember she was snowed in and took a sledge to the Post Office to post out the fabric. What kind of customer service is that?!?!

Hope you are enjoying the weekend!

The weather is playing havoc with my sewing plans!

I was planning on sewing up a storm this week, in the hour and a half childfree time I have each day, but the weather round here has other plans for me!

On Monday my world turned white, and I spent my morning clearing snow and helping out neighbours.

Tuesday and Wednesday brought more snow and ice and I managed to get my Savvy Seasons Swap goodies finished and mailed early, in case we ended up snowed in again like we were last December.

Today has brought a 'Red Alert' weather warning from the Scottish government, and all our local schools are closed because there are apparently severe gales heading to Glasgow!

Now I have to convince my 3 darling children that they do not want to fight/argue/bicker/squabble and drive me crazy all day. Do you think I can convince them to help me baste some quilts???

Hope your weather is nice!
Fiona  :)

Stitching

I've been stitching my little heart out the last few days. I'd been wanting to buy the beautiful Laundry Day pattern from this lovely Etsy shop for ages and last week found the perfect excuse.
I think that liitle girl is just too sweet. I gave this one blonde hair, but I've already started another one and this time she's going to be a brunette like me.

I've also been working on my Savvy Seasons Swap items. My partner seems to like the red, aqua and pink combination so I cracked open a charm pack of Bliss from Moda that I'd been hoarding. She also likes cute and fun so I couldn't resist another little Yeti :)

And just because I love this photo......

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!
Fiona x

Another swap and a finish!

Last week I received the most beautiful Table runner in the Modern Christmas Table Runner Swap, hosted my my lovely Pal Susan. This gorgeous runner was made by Kay Shocking Hocking and sent all the way from Australia! I love it and it's out on permanent display on my bookshelves. Thankyou so much Kay :)

The runner that I made is still on route to my partner and hopefully will be there soon!

This week I've been working on Christmas gifts, but I finally managed to finish my Summer Sampler Quilt. I really struggled with how to finish this quilt. I wanted to put a border on to make it bigger, but couldn't decide what I wanted, and I didn't have a clue how I wanted to quilt it.

My lovely friend who is the new owner of my Across the Sea Quilt asked me if I could make a quilt for her Mum's Christmas. I showed her a few options and she chose my half-finished Summer Sampler. I had to get it finished quickly, so on Sunday I bribed did a deal with my kids amd promised I would take them out cycling if they let me finish the quilt, and got to work at top speed.

I added a thin border in one of my favourite Any Butler prints and a wider white border. I quilted it using diagonal straight lines in the middle and then straight lines round the edges. The quilting is far from perfect, but I think it will look good once it's washed and crinkles up.

I got her to write a little message for her Mum and pieced it into the back.

The quilt is now on it's way over to Ireland and I really hope her Mum likes it! I really enjoyed speding the money my friend paid me for the quilts - on more fabric! Can't wait for my postie to bring me some packages!

Hope you're having a good week!
Fiona x

Swapity Swap

So yesterday I was giving.... today is all about receiving!

I love swapping on Flickr. They are some fantastic groups full of fun, creative and very generous people.

Last week I received this gorgeous Pillow/cushion from Amanda in the Pillow Talk Swap. Isn't it just gorgeous! And she sent me about a ton of scraps that I can't wait to get playing with :) Thankyou so much Amanda!
Below is the pillow/cushion that I made for my partner, and it is now living at it's new home :)

Yesterday I received another exciting parcel in the mail. I started jumping up and down before I even opened it because I knew the name on the envelope.

The fantastic Michelle, swap Mama in the Pretty Little Pouch Swap, sent me this amazing package. The most fabulous pouch and a lovely stack of fabric :) I am in Love! Thankyou so much Michelle! I am also in love with a beautiful quilt and Pillow that Michelle has made, and have hatched a cunning plan to make one for myself ;)

Below is the pouch that I made for my partner, which is also in it's new home :)

Today, I'm working on things for another couple of swaps. The Savvy Seasons Swap is in full swing, and it's mailing day tomorrow in the Modern Christmas Table Runner Swap. These festive swaps are just so much fun!!!

I'm working on some houses, right now...

Happy Tuesday!

Fiona x

Giveaway Winner!

Thankyou all for your lovely comments on my last post!

Due to a technical fault (I can't get the prtScn button on my keyboard to work!) I can't show you an image of the Random Number generator, so I went for the Blue Peter approach instead........

Comment number 30 is the winner of one of the cushion covers ..............Archie The Wonder Dog  - Yay!

who said

"Congratulations on being in FQly - both cushions are stunning! I'd love to give a good home to one of them - thank you for such a fabulous giveaway!"

I'll send you an email just now :)

I really enjoyed doing a giveaway and might do another one soon!

Hope you have a good week and thanks for visiting!
Fiona x

Fat Quarterly and a Giveaway!

Today I'm VERY excited because I took part in the Designer Challenge for the latest issue of Fat Quarterly and it's out today!!!

They sent 2 swatches of fabric and we were to create a block that focused on colour. The fabric sent was Too Muchery by Helen Dardik shown below.

I created 2 cushions/pillows and the tutorial for the Dresden one is in Issue 7 of Fat Quarterly - Designer Challenge.

***** Giveaway now closed **********************

To celebrate my excitement I'm going to do a little giveaway. Now I've never done a giveaway, and have no idea how to work the Random Generator thingy, but I'll figure it out, or draw it out of a hat!

If you'd like to be the new owner of one of the above cushions, please leave a comment on this post, making sure I can contact you. You don't have to be a blog follower to enter, but if you'd like to follow me, please do! :) I'm happy to send it Internationally if you're not in the UK.

You can buy the latest Issue of Fat Quarterly, and all previous issues Here

I'll draw a winner next week when I figure out how

Good Luck!

Fiona x

A find and a finish

I've finally finished my Across The Sea quilt!

The other day when my friend came round to pick up the wall hanging and pillow I made her, I showed her some of the things I was working on. When I showed her this quilt, which was full of basting pins, she fell in love and begged me to make a quilt for her. I said she could have this one, and it was just the motivation I needed to finish it up.

I really love the backing pattern that Sarah designed for the quilt along but I just couldn't face making it. I know that lots of people just love grey in quilts but I've discovered I really don't like cutting and sewing grey fabric. It makes me feel grey and gloomy. Especially when it's raining outside and the sky is grey. A few times I got the fabric out to make the backing but always put it away again. On a whim I pulled out one of my favourite prints, the Dandelion Print by Patty Young in Raspberry. I grabbed the leftovers from the Fat Quarters I'd used in the front and just sewed them all together.
I am so pleased with the way it turned out and I think I prefer the back of the quilt to the front!

I quilted it with random wavy lines using variegated thread and I love how on the back it looks like wind blowing the dandelion seeds :)

Fabric used is Heirloom by Joel Dewberry, Klona grey, and Patty Young's Dandelion in Raspberry.
Pattern is Across The Sea by Jennifer and Sarah

I'll be quite sad to hand this over to my friend!

Happy Thursday!

Bunnies in Jammies

Ta Da! (I love saying that it sounds so dramatic!)

I've finished the Bunny Wall Hanging for my friend's new baby nephew. I adapted a pattern in Tone Finnanger's book Crafting Springtime Gifts and gave the bunnies some pyjamas and embroidered the baby's name and date of birth.

I really enjoyed making this. It's almost all hand sewn and it was so nice to curl up on the sofa and stitch a cute baby project :)

I make a Sprocket pillow to co-ordinate and I love it too. I really hope my friend likes them. I get quite nervous when somebody asks me to make something, especially when they are paying me to make it, but she loved the wall hanging I made her daughter, so hopefully she'll love this too :)

Happy Wednesday!
Fiona x