My Granny Naps Quilt!

I know for a fact that I'm not the only blogger who likes a wee granny nap during the day, when I can get one!

In fact, my 2nd favourite hobby is sleeping!

Well I've finally finished the 3rd vintage sheets quilt (started last year!) and as this one is for me, I've decided it will be my Granny Naps Quilt!



I find the colours and fabrics in this quilt so soothing and peaceful, perfect for nap time!



There are some precious fabrics in there too.  A Liberty hankie from my sister, my childhood pillowcase and I fussy cut some embroidery from my Nanny Martha's tray cloths!



Even the backing (thank you M!) reminds me of my 1970's purple bedroom as a child!



So lots of lovely memories and thoughts to bring me comfort and joy as I snuggle down for a dreamy kip!

And I might just have road tested it today too! Wink! Wink!

Something out of Nothing!

Anyone who knows me knows I love using scraps and keep even the smallest pieces!

I've even influenced some of my students in this vein, some of whom are now known as the class 'bin-hoakers!' (they take the fabric scraps out of the bin at the end of class!).

My friend's 'pink-loving' daughter has a birthday next week, so I made her journal cover out of lots of pink scraps!



If you haven't tried improv piecing, give it a whirl!  It's quick, easy and so satisfying as you see random scraps of fabric morph into a cohesive piece of quilting.



The lovely thing about using scraps is they bring back memories from past projects, or remind me of someone who donated their unwanted scraps to me.

So there we have it - something out of nothing!

I hope you've had a productive weekend! 

Blocked!

I got the foundation piecing finished I was working on yesterday:



The quarter block is by Carol Doak from her book Easy Machine Paper Piecing.  I've put 4 of the blocks together and am calling it Spring Bloom!

This will eventually be turned into one of the samples for a Foundation Piecing class I'm teaching next term.

This week, as part of my 'Design Your Own Quilt' course we'll be making this block:



This block is called 'Celtic Twist' and is one of my favs.  I love the way the rings all interlock when lots of blocks are sewn together:

A Pic Monkey mock-up!

But it looks even more fun done in multi-colours!  I'm thinking of doing this one as a quilt for a family member. If I'm brave enough I might even do each ring a different colour!


I hope you are 'enjoying' the snow.  None here yet, but it is forecast for the weekend! Oh joy!

Tolerance!

Thank you friends for your emails and thoughts of concern for me!

Belfast is an amazing and thriving city, but sadly a small group of people are making it an unpleasant place to live at the moment.

I live about 1 mile from where the trouble has been happening, but thankfully we haven't been directly affected by it, more inconvenienced by the road blocks and traffic delays.  What you are seeing on the news is not widespread nor representative of a predominately peaceful country.

It makes me sad that my local community is at war again!  I have lived through worse, but I was hoping my kids would experience a different reality here in Northern Ireland. I live in hope that one day this divided yet beautiful land will know deep and long lasting peace.

I did manage some sewing and cutting over the weekend, but not much to show for it just yet!

Here's a wee pic of some foundation piecing I'm working on, just so this isn't a photo free post!



And for those of you surrounded by the white stuff, be safe!

Wee Brother's House!

Remember Hector's House?

Well here is the 2nd one:



I had separated out the mini charms I got from my friend into brights (used in Hector's House) and low volume, which I've used here.

I teamed them with this lovely yellow linen, which was a dream to work with (which makes me think there is cotton or poly in it!).



And look!

I didn't cower away from another elasticated pocket!  Gold star for me!



I lined this one with some black and white checked brushed cotton. Nice and cosy!



Now it turns out that Wee Brother (so called because the make of the machine is Brother!) is slightly taller than Hector, which I didn't anticipate! Nevermind! It will still fulfil its function very well.

I think that's my run on sewing machine covers finished for a while.  The other machines in class have hard covers, so they will have to be the ugly sisters for a while!

Hope you have a wonderful end to your week!

Tell Me a Yarn!

I managed some ritual Christmas & New Year crocheting again this year (seems like the only time of year when I sit still long enough to do any!).

First up is an afghan:



I started making the centre granny squares for no particular purpose (that I can remember!) an embarrassingly long time ago.  I decided to be decisive about them, sew them together, and just keep hooking border rows around them until someone found me old and buried underneath it!

It now takes me an hour to hook a row! It is satisfyingly addictive and not mentally taxing, so I think there will be a few more rows before I have to decide how to finish it! Crocheted lace trim? Bobble edging?  Suggestions on a postcard ...

Next is another WIP! 



I started making these circles last Christmas (2011) and fell out of love with them when the pattern said to square them with white.

But with my decisive head on this year (it doesn't get put on that often!) I stuck with the pattern, made the centre (which turned out to be teeny - 9.5" square - this is supposed to be a cushion!), and then did my own thing by adding a few border rounds.

I thought I'd crochet the back differently, and made 2 3 4 attempts at a chevrons.  But alas, I couldn't get the width right, and had to concentrate too much, so I've given up!

I guess you'll be seeing this WIP again this time next year!!

Fabric Yard

I have wonderful news for UK fabric addicts!

If you only want to spend £1 flat rate postage on modern, designer fabrics, then you'll be wanting to shop here:

The lovely Alice is a local superwoman who runs this modern online, shop!

You'll find all your favourite designers here: Heather Ross, Melody Millar, Lecien, Echino and many more!



Check out these yummies just in by Alexander Henry:



You can buy fabric by the metre at this site, or go to Alice's Ebay shop for a great choice of Fat Quarters.

And with handbag handles, self cover buttons and custom bundles, there's plenty to tempt you!

So hop on over and check out Fabric Yard!