Sew and Tell Friday and exciting news!

Well it is Sew and Tell Friday, so here are my finishes for the week!

A string paper pieced block inspired by Filminthefridge's tutorial, which was so easy and quick to do - fantastic.  I am thinking the next time I do it I will sew straight on to batting rather than paper I need to tear off and quilt it in one go.  Watch this space...

The string blocks are scraps left over from my silk table runner I did a couple of weeks ago, The silk is Designer's Guild.

For the back I used a simple envelope closure with brightly coloured buttons, I also used up some bigger pieces I had left over.  It is really bright and funky just perfect to cheer me up on a miserable winter day!

I also finished off the quilt for my daughter Freya, there is a post from earlier in the week with some more detailed shots.  This was the first quilt I have successfully machine stippled and I am so pleased with the end results.  Freya loves it and has promised not to get felt tip pen on it!

Now for my exciting news, I got home today and in my inbox was an email from the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), they are holding a major quilt exhibition starting in March.  They had seen my blog and have invited me to the Private view and a preview of the fabrics they have produced!  I was going to go anyway, but this is so much more exciting.  In the regular post I also had a prize I had won from Popular Patchwork Magazine, they are going to put a bit about me and a couple of my quilts on their website!  Plus, yes there is more!  My letter to British Patchwork and Quilting was published in the magazine this month - I feel quite important this month!!!!!!

My baby's fourth birthday and finished quilt

Hurray!! I finally finished Freya's quilt last night, and very pretty too, if I don't say so myself!  She was so happy with it and snuggled up straight to sleep with it on her bed.  Not so sure about the white with a six year old after the felt pen incident with her younger sister's quilt, but we shall see!

The pattern is garden trellis and I machine quilted with a stipple all over.

Detail of the stippling

My youngest, Audrey was four over the weekend.  I can't believe how time has flown, she still feels like my little baby!  We had been out the day before to choose a party dress for her and this was the outfit she chose (very pink and frilly - not necessarily what I would have chosen) but she did look so cute.  We held a build a bear party for her and as she went to bed she said she had had the loveliest birthday ever.  What a cutie, I do love her so.

Here she is on her new High School Musical bed sheets (note - missing the quilt that mummy has made! which has had to be put away for while until felt tip pen's can be kept away from it - we had a bit of an incident)

In action - opening pressies

Spot the "deliberate" error

Why oh why did I have to do one block wrong!  Now I have to re-cut and they were fiddly.  That block had given me so much trouble already, I had already unpicked 3 seams to get it right. aaarrrggghhh

Anyway it's only bloomin snowing again, had enough of this cold weather, could do with some warmth and sunshine, not that we ever get much of that in England.

Sew and Tell Friday

I have already posted about these earlier in the week as I completed them so those who have already seem them please ignore my Sew and Tell Friday post.

These blocks are my weekly challenge for Quilted Hen's Raid the Stash Quilt Along.  The pattern is Broken Wheel and was for week 5.

I also finished my potholders for the Potholder Pass.  I got them posted off on Wednesday so hopefully they will get to the States early next week.  The colour choice is my swappe's and I am really pleased with them.

Finally, yesterday I made this table runner, which is my first real success with stippling, see my post below for a detail shot.

Silk Table Runner

Here is my finish for today!  Really pleased with it, my first really successful stippling!!  On my old machine I couldn't machine quilt at all, no walking foot, uneven tension etc. My new machine is fab, so I have been teaching myself to machine quilt, and this is my first piece I feel is even and no overlapping lines.

I was given a sample book of gorgeous Designer's Guild Silks in beautiful colours, just enough for a table runner so I chopped it up and used a disappearing nine block and pieced sahing.

Detail of my stippling

Block detail

Block detail

Just a quick one.

Just  to let you know that Sandy of Sandy's In Stitches is having a 1 year blogaversary! Which includes a really generous giveaway! Go see and wish Sandy a happy blogaversary!

Potholders finished

Well, my potholders are finished for the Potholder Pass and just need to go in the post, I really hope my swapee likes them and her extra gift.

The backs and binding is in reverse on each which I thinl works really well.  I also added hand pockets for extra grip.  Almost seems a shame to use them after all the work that went into them!  I can't wait to receive mine.

I also completed my week five blocks for Quilted Hen"s Raid the Stash Quilt Along, this block is called Broken Wheel.  I wasn't keen on the pattern initially and then I discovered I had run out of my background fabric!!  I have ordered more but it hasn't come yet - typical.  I found some green floral which works very well (the darker inner circle) and I like a bit of a change around of fabrics.  So green floral from now on.  I really like the end result, because of the inner circle which wouldn;t have been there - so alls well that ends well.

Potholder Pass

Feeling pretty miserable, the baby bunny made it through the night but we have not managed to get it to feed again.  It seems to have plenty of energy but no milk is forthcoming from mum.  She really has no maternal skills whatsoever and I am afraid her milk has dried up.  It is breaking my heart, poor little thing.  We will try again later and pray that mum will produce some milk.

Here are my finished tops for the Potholder Pass, I really hope my swapee likes them!  I have used her favourite colours with a bit of blue to contrast with the orange.

Completed this week

Major chaos in our household this week, one of our rabbits who the vet had assured us wasn't pregnant gave birth to eight baby bunnies.  Two died immediately and another five over night, mummy bunny is showing no interest what so ever.  The final one seems to be a fighter and we managed to get it fed by holding mum and putting baby next to a teat - success!!  Still don't know if it will make it, but we are doing our best.

In the midst of the chaos I have managed to get my squares done for The Quilted Hen's Quilt Along.

Tuesday night was our village sewing evening, our first since Christmas, our project for the night was these eggs.

Finally last night I made this little pin cushion as an extra gift for my swap partner for the Pot Holder Pass.

Check out Sew and Tell on Amylouwho's site

Results of Friday Night Sew-in

Here are the results from my Friday Night Sew-in,  I decided instead of my appliqué to complete my crazy scrap lap quilt.  It is oh so soft and snuggly with it's Minky backing!  I will spend this evening snuggled up with it and maybe I will do my appliqué then.

On another note, my fitness regime and diet start today!  I had ordered a Wii Fit Plus for Christmas but they were out of stock and I finally got my delivery today.  I need to lose 1 st 5 lbs to be my ideal weight, we shall see how it goes, but I have certainly had fun playing with the kids on it today.  We have been skiing, hula hooping etc..

OOOPS!

Fell over again, this time not in the snow but in the hall where Millie the soggy Labrador had shaken herself after being out in the rain.  I went flying and smashed my hip and elbow which are now feeling very sore and bruised and I am feeling very sorry for myself.

My Minky fabric turned up yesterday so I made a start machine quilting my scrappy lappy quilt, unfortunately I then ran out of thread.  It is proving quite tricky to quilt due to the heaviness of the different fabrics, if it weren't for my walking foot I think it would be a disaster.  As it is it's not perfect but will have to do.  I have managed to get hold of some matching thread in our local Market Town which surprised me - so I can continue.

It is the Friday night sew-in tonight for which I have decided to do some appliqué and get away from the machine for a bit.  I will post the results later.  This is what I am planning on doing, I am aiming for four to add to my Raid the stash Quilt Along.

Friday Night Sew-In

Have you heard about the Friday Night Sew-In? I think this is a really fun idea. Go over here and check it out.

Cushion finished

The snow is finally starting to melt a bit and the kids have gone to school, pre-school is still closed so I still have Audrey at home, she is watching Camp Rock again and again so I grabbed half an hour and finished my cushion off. Maybe she will let me do a bit more sewing later and the postman will bring me some fabric?!?

Lap Quilt

Another day of being snowed in, the kids had another day off after going back to school yesterday, but somehow I got loads done today.

We made cakes, had fun decorating them, played in the snow and somehow managed to piece together this lap quilt!  It is made entirely from sample fabrics from a friend and works beautifully with the colours in the living room.  The fabrics are all very heavy velvets and brocades and I have ordered some Minky fleece to put on the back, I will be so snuggly!  The design is from the 'Quilt Yourself gorgeous' book by Mandy Shaw, really simple and very very quick to put together.  I love it!

There was a square left over to make a cushion with so that is nearly done too!  What a brilliant day.

Table runners tomorrow I think.....

Mini Tote Bags

Today's offering  - a couple of mini tote bags.  The pattern is from P.S. I Quilt - Friendship Bag Tutorial.  The tutorial is easy to follow and these bags were very quick to put together using up some of my scraps.

I ordered some fabric for my quilt but unfortunately it is from the States so will take a while to come, maybe I will be able to get out tomorrow!

Yet another snowy day...

Well, the kids are off school yet again and I am snowed in yet again, starting to go a bit stir crazy now.

Seriously staring to run out of fabrics now, other than scraps and sample fabrics my interior designer friend has given me.  I had a small jelly roll which I made up yesterday into a garden trellis pattern but I have no  fabric for the borders or binding and I so wanted to get today to get some and some fabric for another project.  I try not to buy fabric unless it is for a specific project and I have finished all my UFOs so am a bit stuck!  This is when it is a problem living out in the middle of nowhere!

The kids are being brilliant, they are playing together really nicely and not fighting - I wonder how long this will last!

Well I shall get on with a couple of small things and pray for warmer weather!  Maybe the postman will get through and bring me some of the fabric I have ordered.

Jamie's Movie

My son and husband made this little movie yesterday in the snow - such fun!

Churn Dash

It has been snowing again today, we haven't had this much snow for years and this is the time for us to be left without the Discovery.  My car just about got out to take Audrey to ballet this morning but is now stuck again, so we are going nowhere.  Lewis's computer has gone pop, don't know if it is fatal yet, the fan is going like mad so maybe once it has cooled down we will be able to turn it on. - fingers crossed.

All in all there was very little to do other than clean, tidy, play with the kids and do a bit of sewing.  Quilted Hen had updated the week three pattern so I got down to that, now I have nothing to do for the rest of the week!  I am thinking about doing the Paintbox Quilt Along on Flickr, which looks gorgeous.  I have ordered some fabric but it won't come for a while as it is coming from the States.  I have a couple of gifts to make so I guess I shall just get on with them.

Bed time for the children now, then dinner and a sit down.

Second Week of the Quilt Along completed

I have managed to complete my next four blocks for Quilted Hen's Raid the Stash Quilt Along.  I was getting twitchy knowing I was a week behind!!  How sad am I!  Pretty pleased with this one, lovely neat points and very pretty..

Have to put my sewing stuff away now, the kids are back from school and we have gained an extra one so there are four running around screaming.  Big excitement for the girls as the Jonas Brother are having a special on the Disney Channel and Camp Rock is on tonight.  My three year old is their biggest fan, she is growing up way too quickly!

Quilted Hen's Stash Raid Quilt Along

All quiet here today, the kids are back at school and I have the house to myself, time for a sneaky bit of sewing!  I always feel guilty, sewing during the day like this, I feel I ought to be doing housework or something equally tedious.  So here are my quilty pleasures for today, the first four squares for Quilted Hen's Raid the Stash Quilt Along.  The idea is to complete four 6" squares of each block and in 3 months we will have 60 for a gorgeous single bed sampler.  Mine will be for my daughter, I think or maybe I'll make it bigger and have it for our bed.  We shall see.