Schoolhouse Cushions!

Today was my Schoolhouse Cushion workshop.

Some folks were learning paper (foundation) piecing for the first time, and what a brilliant job they made of this advanced patchwork technique.

These will be gorgeous cushions ladies!  Well done!

And you can find the pattern here in my Etsy shop, if you fancy having a go yourself!  Maybe get a head start on those Christmas makes?

Jude xo

That Time Again!

We had our last fun day out yesterday, before the official 'start back to school' today.

The sun shone on this most beautiful of National Trust sites, Mountstewart, Co.Down.

A lovely way to end a great summer of fun with my 3 brilliant girls!

And so back to business!

September is just around the corner, and Bee Blessed gets up and running again on 6/9.  So here is the block we will be making to kick start the new term:



I think these cute boat blocks will make great children's quilts.  You can find the tutorial for the 12.5" unfinished block here. (You may find it easier to cut 4" squares for the hsts, instead of 3 7/8", and trim them down to size.)

Please keep to solid white for the background and blue for the sea! The rest of the boat can be in any colours you choose!

We hope the break over the summer has allowed you some creative space, and that you are ready and willing to get stuck in again to supporting children and families here in Belfast and beyond through the special gifting of comforting quilts.

And if you live locally, and love quilting, please come and join us once a month!  Get in touch if you'd like more information or check out the Bee Blessed page here. 

Jude xo

Oval Pouch!

It was a bank holiday here today!  And what a freezing cold wash out it was! 

I hope you had better weather where you were today!

Anyway, a good day for sewing. I wanted to make my friend a little something, and have had pinned for ages Aneela's oval pouch tutorial.  Here is my version.

It's not perfect, especially as I made a few changes along the way (patchworking the outside and including sew in Vilene & wadding). 

Because it is so small (which makes it uber cute!) it's a really fiddly project.  But it's the perfect size for filling with crafty goodies!

Tomorrow is back to school stationary shopping, in readiness for the inevitable return on Friday yippee!

Have a great week!

Jude xo

Birds Of A Feather!

Paper (foundation) piecing is one of my favourite patchwork techniques.

And who can't resist cute little birdies? (You may remember seeing another one of these here!)

This is a thank-you gift for a generous and talented lady. I've no idea what her colour preferences are, or even if she likes birds!!!!!

So fingers crossed this will be to her taste!

Hope you've had a lovely weekend.

Jude xo

Celtic Twists

It's been a really busy week, sorry I haven't blogged in a while.

But I'm so excited to finally be able to show you the quilt I made for Mum and Dad's Golden wedding anniversary!

It's a biggy, at nearly 90" x 80".  The fabric line is Seascapes, by Deb Strain.  Mum and dad have a holiday house by the sea, hence the seaside theme.



And just like the sea, this quilt seems to change colour when photographed in different light!

(My original intention was to make a double wedding ring quilt, but the labour intensive technique and a shortage of time put paid to that!)

 I got the quilt professionally quilted, in a beautiful shells/corals/conches repeating pattern.  This shows up even more on the white panel in the back.

And never one to waste the leftovers, they got a matching cushion too!

A fab night was had celebrating the happy couple, with nearly 40 of our family and friends, in the same place where mum and dad had their wedding reception 50 years ago!

Here's to many more happy years together!

Jude xo

Kicked the Bucket!

My ladies were making fabric buckets in class today!

Aren't they so cute!  2 styles were on offer, one of which included piping!

There was great craic in this class, and a huge well done to all the ladies, especially those learning new skills for the first time!

And if you're looking for some stylish storage for yourself, or a gift idea for a friend, you can grab the pattern here.

Jude xo

A UFO has landed!

I've been in hexie mode recently. Big ones and small ones!

I remembered a UFO (unfinished object) I've had knocking about rather embarrassingly since May'13.



Bonnie & Camille 'Marmalade' Charm pack

Medium sized hexies this time, using the 5" Missouri Star Half Hexie ruler.

I already had the table runner basted, but it has been left hanging on the back of a door all this time!

Shocking I know!  Especially as it only took an afternoon to quilt and bind!

I'll be bringing this along to my upcoming Hexie Quilts class.  Places are still available if you are feeling inspired!

Hexie Quilts Class (6 weeks):

Starting Monday 1st September, 7pm-9.30pm

Jude xo

Pluses Aplenty!

A few ladies in my summer class have been having a go at some Plus Quilts:

The cot quilts above are based on this tutorial.



And these large quilts are based on this tutorial.

I think they are so dramatic, and the different fabrics chosen make each plus quilt look unique!

And Shannon made this one as a 'man gift'!

Well done ladies on your beautiful creations!

And how about getting your Christmas presents started early with these cute flex frame pouches?

Pop on over to Fabric Yard where you can find my tutorial and the fabrics these pouches are made in!

Happy sewing!

Jude xo

2 Halves!

Well it was a weekend of 2 halves here!

Saturday: 20 degrees, sunny, Pedalo-ing with my girls in Bangor!

Sunday: 14 degrees, wet, windy, cold, only going out to collect soggy daughter from footie training!

You get the picture!

At least rainy days means sewing time!

Soggy daughter's friend picked out some fabrics for a long overdue pencil case!

There's a sneaky open pocket in the lining for sharpeners and erasers, and a matching key fob just for the fun of it! 

And there's also been a little paper piecing, but I'll save that for another day!

Bye bye Bertha!

Jude xo

Table Runners!

I promised you pics of my Table Runner workshop last Saturday, and I'm not a girl who breaks her promise!

Aren't they fab!!!

It was so lovely seeing some variations and creativity being unleashed too!

Well done ladies!  Enjoy all the compliments you will be getting at your next dinner party!

And if you fancy having a go yourself at one of these runners, you can get the pattern here in my Etsy shop.

Jude xo

A Little Liberty!

So the weather has been in sympathy recently with my pattern writing workload!  Dull!

I've been feeling an itch to do some EPP (English paper piecing) recently, so I finally got scratching!

I used my 1.25" Sizzix die to cut the papers, unearthed my few precious Liberty scraps and spent a relaxing Sunday afternoon doing this!

I'm mixing in some of this denim blue chambray stuff (not exactly sure what it is!!) and will eventually turn this into a cushion. 

I can credit 2 sources of inspiration for this idea!  1. Rita's lovely Liberty and chambray combo and my daughter, who made this gorgeous EPP cushion recently!

At the moment this is a non-work project, something for me to do 'away from the office'!  But you never know, it might make it's way into a class one day!

And I picked up M&D's anniversary quilt from the Long Armer this week!  Oh my!  I went weak at the knees.  As usual I can only give you a glimpse at the moment! 



Can't wait to show you the full quilt!  It's pretty cool!

Jude xo

Take it Easy!

Today I can show you one of the secret projects I was working on this week!

A good friend had a '0' birthday last weekend and tonight we ate, laughed and drank pink champagne to celebrate!

As a 'stitchy lady' herself, she loved her picture and the other handmade goodies and pressies she received.

The text is part of a verse from the Bible: "Be still and know that I am God."

And earlier today was my table runner workshop.  I will have some pics for you next week on the lovelies that were made so watch this space.

Jude xo