Bee Blessed April Block!

Well folks!  It's almost a new month, so that means a new Bee Blessed BOM.

For April, we would love donations of this block:

Starflower

Instead of the usual white background, we would like these blocks done in any solid colour of your choice, as long as it contrasts well with the scrappy star!  Please feel free to make the star in any colours you like!

There are 2 tutorials to choose from.  Ellison Lane Quilts has a great tutorial here for making 2 blocks (there is minimal effort in making 2 with this technique) or you can follow Modify Tradition's tutorial here and make one block.

As always we ask that the blocks are 12.5" finished, using a scant 1/4" seam.

A huge thank you to everyone for the fabulous Funky Wrench blocks for March!  They are awesome and are going to make the most wonderful Siblings Together quilt!

It Is Finished!

Around this time of year, a very long time ago, these words were spoken and revolutionised the Christian world for the next 2000+ years!

My version of 'It Is Finished' is much less significant and much more of a relief!

I am now officially on holiday for Easter - a whole week off!! Yippee!

Here are the finished projects from Thursday night & Friday morning classes:

EPP Starflower Wallhanging

Value Quilt - pattern available here

Well done ladies for sticking with some technical stages in your projects.   Enjoy your beautiful creations!

On the home front, I have several projects on the go and as many patterns to write for next term's classes!  I will try v.hard not to sneak in work stuff during my week off!

Pretty Little Pouches!

My kids are now on their Easter break, which means I won't get much sewing done!

There is still a little snow left, but thankfully the thaw is underway! However, many homes in N.I. are still without electricity (since Friday).  We are counting our many blessings that we aren't one of them!

This week is the end of term for my classes too, and tonight finished up the Pretty Little Pouches class, which has been running for the past 6 weeks.

Take a look at this little lot - talk about productive!

This is a project pouch, the largest of the set we make.

These are mostly pencil case style pouches

A collection of makeup bags, coin purses and other pouches

And I had a few ladies missing from the final evening!  Otherwise we would have had enough stock here for a small shop!

Aren't they fab!  Well done ladies - you have done brilliantly well conquering those zipper fears! Enjoy your well deserved Easter holidays!

Stay safe and warm everyone!

Where the Sun doesn't Shine!

Today was my Adult/Child Journal Covers Workshop.

The kids hard at it!

Despite the snow, a few brave souls dug themselves out and made it to class to make some beautiful notebook covers:



We had adult and child sewers today, having fun in equal measure!

Adds a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Stick it where the sun don't shine!' LOL!

Well done everyone!  And especially to you kids for not placing limits on your creativity and imaginations!  We grown-ups have much to (re)learn!

Sideways Snow!

There's something not quite right about the view outside my window today!

Isn't snow meant to fall vertically, not horizontally?  In fact, it has been snowing sideways now since last night, and is forecast to continue until Sunday!  Groan!

Yesterday I took some pics of my bright and friendly garden daffs.  Just look at them now!

Yesterday                                                                  Today!

 
Well, it might not be a day for being out and about so that means one thing - sewing!!

I got 2 more blocks made to make up the deficit on a Bee Blessed quilt:

And then I turned these donated Farmer's Wife style blocks into a lap size quilt top, also for Bee Blessed.

I love this little quilt!  I could look at all the different blocks for ages! 

But I'm thinking it needs a skinny border, followed by a final narrow white border before I bind it! 

What do you think?

Plus Quilt Finished!

Approx. 60" x 68"

This quilt is for my youngest nephew. The background story & tutorial links are here.

The back

In the end I quilted it in concentric circles, 2.5" apart.  It reminds me a bit of an archer's target board!

I need to practise my free motion writing a bit more!

I'm pleased with how quickly this quilt came together, and I love the colour scheme in it.  I think this special wee man will like it, and it's big enough to grow with him too!



I hope you are having a lovely Thursday!

Oops!

I've been helping a lovely lady get her blocks finished for her Brit Bee Star quilt.

Using some of her luscious fabrics I made up 2 star blocks:



The first one is from this tutorial. The 2nd one is from a template I had been asked to use in a previous bee.  But I completely forgot that when I made these blocks before they finish up less than 12.5", due to sizing differences when downloading the templates.  Darn!  I have a sieve for brains!

Thankfully the blocks are still useable, phew!

I also got these blocks made for Bee Blessed, using this tutorial:



These are such fun to make! Thank you everyone for sending in such lovely blocks this month.

I also got my nephew's Plus quilt quilted today, and am looking forward to an evening in front of the telly sewing on the binding!

Have a great Wednesday!

P.S. The concert last night was brilliant!  The only tears came when my bum went numb after sitting for 3.5hrs! LOL!

For the Love of Purple!

A young member of my family has a birthday coming up, and I needed to make something suitable for posting.

So I thought a Journal Cover & notebook would be ok - girls always have secret things to write, don't they!

Sadly, the rubbish light today is making these pics appear more blue than purple!

Now this young lady's favourite colour is purple - a girl after my own heart! Feel the purple-love!!



I was recently given a lovely collection of buttons, and thought this cute wee guy worked v.well with the dragonflies in one of the prints.

So that's my make for today!

Tonight I have my youngest's school Spring Spectacular Concert, her first in her new school. She's performing in the band and choir!

I will try not to cry!

I hope you are having a lovely Tuesday!

Better Late Than Never!

At the time of typing, there are still 49 minutes of St. Patrick's Day left! 

Happy St. Pats everyone!

I was hoping to make one of these today (just for fun!) ...

...but alas, time and a trip to Ikea got the better of me!

I did, however, manage to make one of these!



Yep, you guessed it!  Another birthday pressie for another of my daughter's friends!  The remit was 'blue' & 'girlie' - I think I delivered!

I also made a start on some angel bee blocks, and finished off a wee secret thing I'll tell you about some other time!

Hope you've had a relaxing Sunday!  (only 40 minutes left ... eek!)

Breathing New Life Into Old!

Today I hosted my first Upcycling Furniture Workshop!

A good friend of mine was 'teacher' for the day & showed our keen recyclers how to make 'Annie Sloan' style chalky paint - which means no prepping or undercoat on the furniture required.



The ladies had brought a great selection of furniture, and the paint colours being mixed were vintage and retro.  Ros also gave us lots of ideas and inspiration on how to decoupage, distress and wax furniture to get a range of different finishes.



This was a really fun day, and everyone seemed to enjoy the process of transforming something plain or old-fashioned into a new and stylish item.  Well done ladies!  I hope you continue breathing new life into old furniture!

I really must get on with transforming my own tired and uninspiring pieces!

I've Been Tangoed!

There's a bit of an orange theme to my bee blocks this month!

In Hipbees, Rachel sent us some Liberty charms and either Kona Butterscotch or Jade background to make Puss in the Corner 2.  Guess which one I got!



Mmmm, aren't those Liberty prints divine!

Next up, Erin wanted colour themed starflower blocks from this tutorial, for her month in Modern Irish Bee.  We got to choose the colourway so we could add something from our stash, and I chose orange!



I really like the scrappy look of these stars, even though they involved more hsts!!

In Brit Bee this month, we have a reprieve!  But that doesn't mean I can rest on my fabric laurels! I have a few angel (star) blocks to make, and of course some Funky Wrench blocks for Bee Blessed, and then my March commitments are fulfilled!

Oh Boy!

Youngest nephew goes into hospital in a few weeks time, for major surgery on his leg.  He will be in a wheel chair for 6 weeks post op, so I thought a cosy quilt might be just the ticket!

Doesn't that gorgeous blue sky compliment the quilt perfectly!

I've admired quite a few of these Plus quilts around blogland, and thought this would make a great 'boy' quilt pattern.

I recently bought a few turquoise & navy fqs and combined them with other blues and reds from my stash to get this quilt top up to 60" x 70" ( a few shirts may have been harmed in the making of this quilt top!).

And with the leftover squares I made a giant Plus for the back with some lush royal blue linen and solid red.



The original pattern for this quilt is here, although I didn't follow it and have sized mine differently from the original.  It's a really easy pattern, but you do need a large design board or floor space to lay out all the pluses.

The question now is - how to quilt it?

A Little Progress!

Bee Blessed last Saturday was smaller in number, but no less diminished in heart, soul (and cheese & biscuits!).

Here are some progress shots:



And this is what our project table looks like at the moment! 



We've recently developed a 'ticket' system where each project has a 'tick list' pinned to it, showing all the stages of quilt production.  As each stage is completed, e.g. finalise layout, sew blocks together, make backing, etc it gets ticked off the list, so that the next person to work on that project knows exactly what has been done on it so far!

And 2 baby finishes:

The monkey quilt on the right was hand delivered to me in Hastings by this lovely lady!

Thank you to those of you who have sent in Funky Wrench blocks so far this month!  They look amazing, and it's going to make a fabulous quilt for Siblings Together!

Hope you are staying warm!

Mum's The Word!

There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one. -Jill Churchill

Being a mother has been one of the toughest and most rewarding jobs I've ever done.  It has certainly helped me to appreciate all that my own mum has done for me.



I entered motherhood at the tender age of 24, naive and clueless! I didn't have a support network around me, lacked greatly in confidence, and read copious books to 'learn' how to be a good mum.

17 years later, and by the grace of God, I'm a changed person (for the better!) and have 3 happy, healthy and beautiful girls! When I look at my daughters, my heart swells with pride and joy! I love how special and unique they are in their differences.  They constantly make me laugh, surprise me and inspire me.

My daughter's Lemon Curd Cake! YUM!

The great paradox of a mother's job is to love them away, watch them grow into independence & confidence.  Mine are certainly leaving me behind in the height department!  I know I'm going to find it hard when they start to leave home!

Yes it's been jolly hard work, and there is still hard work ahead, but I wouldn't change the last 17 years for anything!

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And for my own mum, I made her a Welcome Wallhanging:



Happy Mother's Day mum!

To all mum's everywhere - Well done, keep going, remember the good times.