Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered my blogiversary giveaway!

(If you didn't receive a reply to your entry comment, it means you are a 'no reply comment' blogger & therefore I had no way of getting in contact with you.)

Somewhere along the line I lost a year!  I've actually been blogging for 5 years and not 4!!!  Talk about feeling old!!

Anyway, onto the winner!

Mr Random Number Generator picked no. 27, who is my amazingly talented bloggy friend Josie!!

Congrats J!  I hope you enjoy your winnings!

So tomorrow I'm doing another round of Couch to 5K training, even though snow is forecast!  Let's hope I don't resemble an out of breath Yeti by the end of it!!

Have a great weekend!

Jude xo

12 Hens-A-Laying!

To enter my giveaway until Friday 29th January, click here.

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Don't worry!  I'm not regressing back to Christmas, or stuck in the wrong season!

It's definitely the end of January, and spring has just about sprung!

It's so nice to still have daylight well after 4pm!

Up on my design board today are these lovely ladies!

Aren't they a happy bunch!

When I was bee mama in Siblings Together Bee 2 last year, I asked everyone to make me a Mama Hen from Lori Holt's book 'Farm Girl Vintage'.

With 12 different makers, scrappy works best, so I kept the scrappy theme going in the Low Volume sashing and cornerstones.

I'm still debating whether or not to add a border, probably more scrappy LV, just to make it a bit bigger.

So nice to see the brood altogether at last!

Cluck! Cluck!

Jude xo

Total Cuteness (and a giveaway)!

Last night I got to hang out with some of my favourite people!

It's always lovely hanging with one of my besties, but it was especially good to catch up with Di and Tina too!

And of course there was this little bundle of cuteness to melt our hearts!

Shame she's not handbag size or she would have been making a trip home with me!!

And talking of handbags, how would you like to win this bundle of goodness to make your own!

It was my 4 year blogiversary back in December, but life (& Christmas) got a bit in the way!

I'm not one to break my promises and thanks to the generosity of Fabric Yard, you can win a half metre each of Kokka Pink Polka Dot and Premier Prints Trail (both in Deco weight cotton) and 2 sets of faux leather handbag handles.

I'm also throwing in a set of fimo row markers (made by my super clever daughter) and some quilting magazines.

Just leave me a comment by Friday 29th January, when I'll draw the winner (sorry to my international friends, but due to the weight of the package this is open to UK & Ireland peeps only).

If you are a 'no reply comment' blogger you will not be entered unless you leave your email address in the comment box.

Best of luck everyone!

Jude xo

Ahead of Schedule!

What with all the secret sewing going on around here, I'll show you what I did at the weekend!

No, not that!  (though I am particularly chuffed that my 'Couch to 5K' training is up to 2.6k after only 3 weeks!).

This is the next block installment in Brit Bee R4.  Designed by Di and made for Ange!

The block isn't due until next month, but I knew AMH feathers can be a bit challenging.  I decided to foundation piece mine, and it worked a treat!

I also got a couple of Churn Dash blocks made for Bee Blessed.  They are collecting these in until 14th February, so still plenty of time if you fancy making one or two!

Happy Thursday!

Jude xo

Signs of Spring!

The sun was shining in Belfast today (while everyone else was getting snow apparently!).

It's so lovely to see a stretch in the day and vulnerable signs of spring pushing up in the garden!

Today I'm showing you my mixed textiles 'Man' quilt!

This quilt was a return to my first love, recycling textiles. Despite it being a 'man' quilt, it was made mostly from women's suit clothing and linens!

Quilt top pic taken on a sunny October day!

I wish I had taken more 'up close' photographs to show you all the lovely textures here!  Perhaps when I get it back from Popular Patchwork I'll take a few more pics.

Making a quilt from recycled textiles can be a very organic process.  If you like reusing cottons, shirts and linens, then why not have a go at making your own quilt!

It's so satisfying seeing how unused clothing and unwanted textiles can be transformed into something snuggly and useful once again!

Linking up with Scraptastic Tuesday!

Keep warm!

Jude xo

February Already?

No, no, not really!!

But the February issue of Popular Patchwork is out now, and I have 2 projects in this issue.

This is my Cathedral Windows cushion, made in Essex linen and Heather Ross. Mustard and purple might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really love this colour combo!

If you've attempted Cathedral Windows before, you will know about the 'fiddle factor'!  Fiddly ironing, fiddly folding and fiddly sewing!!  But I'm pleased to say the Essex linen behaved beautifully!

This is one of those patchwork techniques where the results definitely make the process so worth while!  My advice? Don't rush it!

My 2nd PP project will be a separate post and link up.

Keep sewing!

Jude xo

Tova The Younger!

My 'uni girl' returned to Uni today!

It's been so lovely having her home again over Christmas.

You might remember a few months back I made my first Tova Tunic.  Well my daughter liked it so much she asked for one for Christmas!

Thankfully we are the same size (ish) and have similar tastes in prints. So no adjustments were needed!

I miss that cute smile already!

Jude xo

Apache Tote Bag Tutorial

Do you find that some fabrics really lend themselves to particular projects?

When I first saw Fabric Yard's Arrow Apache deco weight fabric (in orange) I immediately knew what to make with it!

And just look at the perfect lining to go with it (Fletching Chant):

This is a really simple tote tutorial, which you can get here on the Fabric Yard blog.
 

And check out their gorgeous range of faux leather handles, the perfect finish to any bag, and in cool, funky colours too!

A super easy make to kick off the new year!

Happy Sewing!

Jude xo

Keep it Tidy!

I love storage! (sad, I know!)

I've made a few fabric storage buckets, and was pleased when Pretty Patches magazine commissioned this one!

I made it with Lecien fabrics from Sarah's lovely shop, Pretty Fabrics & Trims.

I haven't managed to pick up a copy of the magazine yet, but it is in the current issue (19) on sale at the moment.

At the weekend I managed to get the next round of Siblings Together Bee2 blocks made.

These are wonky cross blocks, made for Sue.  This is going to be a fabulous 'boy quilt'.

I've been doing lots of sewing this week, and it's frustrating not being able to show you yet! But there are many projects afoot, which will be revealed eventually, promise!

Happy Wednesday,

Jude xo

A Year in Quilts!

I always do a wee roundup each month of my productivity and what I can show you for that month!

Here is what December looked like:

And at the end of each year, I like to see what quilts (& table runners) I've managed to make:

2015 has been a great year for productivity, working with 6 magazines and teaching 5 weekly classes.

I have some new business ideas I want to explore this year, as well as continuing to teach and develop new patterns (if there are any well behaved minions out there looking for work, send them my direction!).

So watch this space!!

Jude xo

H.O.P.E.

I love New Years, perhaps even more than Christmas!

Not everyone shares this sentiment, but for me, it's a blank page, a new start, fresh hope!

My word for 2015 was 'Restoration' - after burning out in 2014, I needed time out, time to reflect, time to restore and to just be!

As I look back, it certainly wasn't the year I had envisaged this time last year! But there were many positives and blessings.  And for those I am thankful and grateful.

For some reason, it's perceived as a bad thing to fail! Whether that's in business, relationally, spiritually, creatively!  I've learnt that sometimes failure is good, because you learn stuff!  You learn so much more about yourself and those around you, and if you are open minded enough to absorb that learning, look forwards and not backwards, you might just take a step forward, develop vision and start believing in better once again.

From all the highs and lows in my 2015 I have done some restoring, but mostly I have done a lot of refining! I have refined my dreams, my capabilities, my boundaries, my self-confidence.

And as I go into 2016, my word for the year is HOPE.  I know there will be some down days, a failure or two, lows as well as highs, but that's ok, because that is glorious, wonderful life.  And this life is worth living from a place of hopefulness and expectation.

I pray that as you go into 2016, you will be unburdened by your past, you will choose to live this year differently from the last many years, that no matter your age, you will grow wings and fly on the thermals of hope and expectancy that this year will be different and better.

I'm waiting for an awesome 2016! How about you!

Jude xo