Happy Scrappy Blues

I finished the blue scrappy quilt top that I showed the beginnings of in my last post and I thought you might like a wee look.

It was originally meant to be just a little baby quilt, but once I finished piecing those scrappy strips, I really fancied framing it all. So I went back to my pile of blues and those Sherbet Pips puppies begged to go for a romp around the quilt. Then I pulled out a Heather Ross Lightening Bugs stripe print that I have been saving for something special and put on a mitred border.

I love this quilt! In fact I love it so much I don't think I can part with it! While making it I was planning to give it to my sister in law if she has a baby boy, or if she has a girl I was planning to pop it in my Etsy shop. But I don't think I can do it!

I think I used too many of my extra special absolute favourite bits in it, and choosing a border of playing puppies because they look like my own dog when he was a pup was not a wise move when I was not planning to keep it.

I told my husband how much I love it and to my surprise he told me I should keep it! I'll see what I think once I get it quilted, but I think it might be destined to hang on the wall :)

Does anybody have any quilting suggestions? I'd love to hear any ideas....

*Edited* forgot to add that it's about 49" by 57" in case anybody is interested

Happy Wednesday!
Fiona x

One for the boys

My last post was all about girlie stitching, and I mentioned that I was thinking about a blue version of the girlie quilt, well I just couldn't get the idea out of my head!

So here is the start of one for the boys (or girls like my daughter, who love blue)

I don't have a design wall, and usually just throw fabric together and hope for the best but I decided to use some masking take and stick my strips on the wall as I'm sewing. Now I *really* want a design wall!

This is the current state of my kitchen table. I think my rotary cutter is under that pile somewhere, and the picture is missing a cup of tea - I'm off to put the kettle on! :)

Happy Wednesday!

Fiona x

Girlie stitching

I've done it again, and started another new quilt. I mentioned earlier this week that I had the urge to make a baby girl quilt and I just couldn't fight the urge. I'm telling myself that making little baby quilts is a really good idea because I'm getting to use my stash,  try out some ideas that have been brewing, and I can list them in my Etsy shop. If they don't sell that's fine because we have a large extended family and there's always babies - and if they do sell then Yay! I can make some more! :)

I started cutting into the lovely Colour Story bundle that I bought from Pink Castle Fabrics and mixed in some linen and other scraps. I fell in love with this gorgeous quilt that Svetlana made a little while back, and wanted to make something similar in soft girlie colours with some pretty handstitching.

After a bit of stitching I had a little quilt top

I was able to baste it on the kitchen table, and now I'm sitting hand stitching, looking out at the sunshine and wondering where all the snow is because it's not arrived here yet!

I'm thinking that a quilt like this in lovely fresh crisp blues and whites with linen would be gorgeous! What do you think?

Have a great weekend, and stay warm if you have snow :)

Fiona x

PomPom Style!

Image from the Village Haberdashery

The lovely Annie at The Village Haberdashery has been sending me some of her gorgeous fabric to play with again. This time she sent some beautiful soft airy Nani Iro Double Gauze and some sweet pompom trim. 

If you are interested in making a soft, floaty, warm but airy scarf with a bit of pompom style, head over to The Village Haberdashery blog to find out how. I promise it's quick and easy!

Here's one I made a while back that my daughter likes to wrap round her neck about 5 times :)

Thanks for letting me play with your lovely fabric Annie!

Happy Wednesday!

Fiona x

Authentic Baby!

I did it again, and was seized by a sudden urge to make a quilt *Right Now* using some of my most favourite and treasured fabric. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new niece or nephew, and I persuaded myself that it was a brilliant idea to do a trial run of a baby quilt ;)

I looked out a layer cake of Authentic by Sweetwater that I has been tucked away waiting for the perfect project and got stuck in. For a while I've been wanting to try a simple Hourglass quilt and I thought I'd figured out a fast and easy way to cut and piece.

Luckily I checked after cutting and piecing the first two squares and discovered I'd found a fast and easy way to make eight HSTs! Oops!

After a bit more figuring out, and half a layer cake cut and sewn together I had a sweet little baby quilt. I had the perfect Ikea print in my stash for the backing, and found a Rashida Coleman Hale Washi print in charcoal for the binding.

I quilted it with straight lines 1/4" away from each seam, and I love the little star shape you get at each intersection.


I'm really pleased with this little quilt, and as it's turned out so nice I'm going to list it in my Etsy shop, in case anyone is interested. I still have enough of the layer cake to make another, but I might go with a HST pattern this time (since I chanced upon a good way to make them quickly!)

Quilt details are:
Baby Size 34" x 43"
Fabric is Authentic by Sweetwater (with a tiny bit of Make Life by Sweetwater to make up for the HST episode)
Backing is Ikea numbers print
Wadding is Hobbs 100% cotton
Binding is Foulard in Charcoal from Washi by Rashida Coleman Hale

Now I've got the urge to make a girly baby quilt just in case my Sister in Law has a baby girl :)


Happy Monday!
Fiona x

On a Whim...

I've accidentally kind of started a new quilt! You remember the pretty little pile of Floressence that I showed in my last post? Well I just couldn't wait to get chopping into it.

I bought Camille Roskelley's On a Whim pattern a while back, just after I started making my Swoon Quilt, and I've been trying to decide what fabric to use. Well one thing lead to another and before I knew it I was merrily chopping up my pretty pile of Floressence, and some Kaffe Fasset shot cotton that I bought to make a tunic ages ago. Who needs a tunic anyway?!

I also made a Diamond Ripples block for the lovely Hadley in the Brit Bee. This block was lovely to make as she had cut all the fabric on her Sizzex thingy, so no need for trimming - yay! She's going to have a gorgeous quilt once she gets all her blocks back!

I've just finished piecing block seven of the 2012 Designer Mystery Block of the month from the Fat Quarter Shop. I LOVE this BOM. It's the first block-of-the-month I've done and I really, really look forward to the little package arriving each month. I'm so tempted by the 2013 BOM - is anyone else thinking about doing that?

Thanks for all the well wishes from my last post :) I'm still deaf in one ear, but it doesn't hurt so much any more. My text books for my course arrived yesterday - very exciting!

Happy Thursday!
Fiona x

Some Retail Therapy and A New Beginning

There's not been a whole lot of sewing going on around here. 2012 had a wee sting in her tail and I ended up with a burst eardrum on New Years Eve. I've not been doing much since then except lying around saving my energy for feeling better.

I did manage a bit of retail therapy though...

Floressence by Art Gallery Fabrics bought from Sew Fresh Fabrics. I love their sale of the week, just had a peak at this week's offer and it's Chicopee!

A couple of Art Gallery Color Story bundles and some Hope Chest backing fabric, bought from Pink Castle Fabrics

A Fat Quarter bundle of LillyBelle by Bari J for Art Galley fabrics. I found this on sale and was powerless to resist. I've been wanting to play with this line since it first came out :) I bought it from Stash Modern Fabric on Etsy.

The retail therapy didn't bring back my hearing or mend my ear, but it did make me feel better, and it was like Christmas all over again when my postie brought all my parcels on the same day!

The title of this post mentions a new beginning  I've finally decided that I know what I want to be when I grow up, and have started down a new path :)

I'm going back to studying! The qualifications I have are out of date, and I'm starting an Open University course in Health and Social Care next month. I'm excited and very nervous. Life has changed a lot since I last studied and I have my suspicions that at least part of my brain has turned to porridge!

But it feels like the right time to give it a try. Eeeek!


Happy New Year!
Fiona x