Sew and Tell Friday and Sewn Together Quilt Bee

Not achieved that much this week, I was ill in bed on Sunday and Monday, but feeling much better now.

I started work on my pin wheel blocks for the ORBC Pinwheel Quilt Along.  I have got 18 fabrics by Sandi Hendersonfor Michael Miller, these are the first 6 yielding 12 blocks, I am planning a quilt for our bed which is a UK King size, so another 24 blocks to go.

I also made a start on my son's train quilt, not my favourite fabric but he loves it!

Finally, my fabric arrived today for Month 1 of the Sewn Together Quilt Bee I have joined.  I will be doing two wonky log cabin blocks with them - how exciting!  My month is June and my head is buzzing with ideas.

I am posting this with Sew and Tell Friday, go and check out what everyone else has done.

My potholders arrived!

My potholders arrived all the way from Canada today! I absolutely love them, thankyou so much Michelle!!

The next round of the potholder pass is starting soon, if you want to sign up get over to During Quiet Time.

East Midlands Modern Quilt Guild

I have looked longingly at the Modern Quilt Guild that they have in the States wishing that we had something like it here, then noticed that there were branches in Australia and Canada, I then thought to myself... why don't I start one here!  So I did.

So we now have our own British Modern Quilt Guild, at least an East Midlands Branch.  At the moment there are only two members, me and a friend, but we are on the main site as well so hopefully people will join.  We will be organising talks, workshops, charity work and show and tell evenings and get togethers, it should be great fun.

So please come and join us, the link is above and on my side bar, I have also created a Flickr Group so please join there too.

Snow

On Sunday we woke uo to a load more snow and a gorgeous day, perfect for a play and a family dog walk.  We live in the most gorgeous area surrounded by a National park so we only had to drive a couple of minutes up the road to the High Peak Trail which is beautiful.  We arrived at the car park to find we were the first there with tons of perfect untouched snowman making snow.

Girls went up against boys to create the best snowman, girls of course won!  Ours was far superior and we of course gloated.

Lots of snow balls were thrown...

and Millie the dog caught nearly everyone thrown to her.

 

So we walked,

played in the snow,

looked at the gorgeous countryside,

built another snowman

and a good time was had by all!

Giveaway

It's GIVEAWAY time!!


Audrey on Pickles & Bacon is having an amazing giveaway!

"It's 2 layer cakes, 3 charm packs and 3 jelly rolls. I must say, I *LOVE* this line! I bought what I needed and a little extra to share with one lucky winner, I'm giving away a Plume jelly roll and a charm pack! I'm in love with this new line and plan on making the spiked punch quilt (from a few posts down) for myself in the large size. "

So, here are the details, you can get up to 5 entries! here's how:

for one entry just leave a comment!

for a second entry become a follower

for a third entry tweet this giveaway

for a fourth entry post this giveaway on another website

for a fifth entry blog this post!


International entries are welcome!

Since I'm posting this late in the day you will have until MIDNIGHT CST on 2/21/10 to enter!

Friday Night Sew In

I'm joining in the Friday Night Sew In tonight!

"Joining the Friday Night Sew-in is a way of setting some time aside to work on those projects on your to do list. And remember - it doesn't have to be a sewing project.. maybe you have a knitting project.. or some scrapbooking.. it could be anything."

I'm planning on cutting up the fabric for my son's train quilt and cutting strips for the postage stamp quilt along.

New fabrics, a couple of bits and any ideas?

I bought these rather gorgeous fabrics on Saturday, not sure what I am going to make with them - any ideas?
They are Michael Miller - Gray Citron and Back - yum yum yum!

Been busy with my leftover squares and scraps from Freya's quilt and made a little kitchen set, tea cosy, pot stand and pot holder.  Nearly every scrap is used up now - the quilt was strip machined from a jelly roll so there were lots of strip end etc and two squares,  I can probably squeeze out another potholder but that will be that.

Valentine's day I made this pillow, out of yet more of my silk scraps - not much of those left either!

Finally, these came in the mail - some train fabrics for a quilt for my son, I need to think of a pattern, which maybe tricky because some of the prints are quite large - I shall get on EQ5 and have a play. Once again I am accepting any ideas!

Have a look at what everyone else has completed this week on Sew and Tell Friday, there is some amazing work.

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.