Glued!

I didn't trust myself not to make a total mess of the gluing of my In the frame purse  so I took some naked shots for you to see. I managed to make the purse look quite tidy by turning through at the top which was a necessity with the middle panel being sewn into the lining. At least if it falls out of the frame it looks quite presentable ;)

 I used a thin iron interfacing to keep the linen in position, well you know how stretchy it can be, and batting to add a little substance when I quilted the diagonal lines.

 I went for the less is more option on embellishment so hopefully my partner will happy with that :)

I wish I'd used a stiffener in the central panel to give it a bit more structure but I didn't so it will have to do as it is. There is a little personal detailing on the other side of the panel but it will be a dead giveaway to my partner so I can't show it! What a tease?! Thankfully gluing went without a hitch. That is to say I got it where it was supposed to be and not all over the fabric. Whether it will hold is another story. I used some purse frame cord on the lining side of the purse in the hope that it will stop things moving too much. 

I have to say I'm pretty chuffed with how it turned :) Now to stitch up a little something extra...Catch you soon x

HipBees and Purse Frames

Hello, I thought I'd do a quick post today to let you know Yvonne is recuperating at home following her angiogram. She's very tired and sore as expected but in good form otherwise. Thanks for all your well wishes :)

While I'm here I'll tell you a few other bits of news :) I was recently invited to join a new UK bee called hipBees. I'm so excited to be joining a great group of ladies for a year of sewing fun! There are lots of familiar names in there along with some that are new to me, so it will be lovely to play along and get to know each other.

Tanya - Second Chance Tan - http://sewasecondchance.blogspot.co.uk/

Rachel Addison - Mamma Fairy Sews - http://mammafairysews.blogspot.co.uk/

Karen  - Lisnaweary Quilts - http://lisnaweary-quilts.blogspot.co.uk/

Fiona - Sew Fi - http://go-sewfi.blogspot.co.uk/

Collette - Poppie and Poochie - http://poppyandpoochie.blogspot.co.uk/

Reene - Nellie's Niceties - http://nelliesniceties.blogspot.co.uk/

Lynz - Domestic Light and Magic - http://domesticlightandmagic.blogspot.co.uk/

Jan - Isisjem - http://isisjem.blogspot.co.uk/

Catherine - Sew Wonderful Life - http://sewonderfulife.blogspot.co.uk/

Sarah - Sew Me - http://sewmeblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Judith - Just Jude Designs - http://judith-justjude.blogspot.co.uk/

Di - Willowbeck Designs - http://willowbeckdesigns.blogspot.co.uk/

I've taken on the first month's Queen bee responsibilities so you'll be hearing a lot more about this bee as I prepare for August :) I don't remember if I mentioned that I'm joining in with the In the frame purse swap over on flickr. I've been procrastinating for the last week over what to do for my partner and today I finally made a start.

 I had to be cocky and choose a frame with a centre panel for my first glue in purse didn't I?! I'm sure it will be fine.....I've loosely based my design on this fabulous purse by Kerry which was in lots of people's inspiration mosaics. I say loosely based because my fussy cutting skills and fabric choices are way off the heights of Kerry's brilliance but I hope that the finished article will be even half as effective as hers.

 I've used a cute bird house print for the lining.

 All ready for the final seam to attach lining to exterior.

Next stop turn inside out and glue!! Here's hoping for a good result with minimum mess :) Catch you soon x

What do you do when........?

Today's post is a glimpse into the goings on in Yvonne's corner of Nellie's Niceties. Not ones to be left behind Mum and Dad put their house on the market when we said we were moving and blow me down if they haven't already sold while we're languishing on the hard to sell pile. This is the current state of their dining room. Not the most calming and stress-free environment to be preparing for a Coronary angiogram on Thursday, is it? After many, many months of waiting, the week of the angiogram has finally arrived. Yvonne is being very stoic about the whole thing and the rest of us are trying our best not to flap too much. Your thoughts and prayers will be very welcome!

Packing boxes in the dining room

During her prolonged period of bed-rest Yvonne has been slowly growing hand-sewing projects. Here are some photos to prove she's still crafting ;) Rose stars:

Rose star flowers in Fresh Cotton Fabric by Fig Tree Quilts kindly given by a very generous person!

Vintage Modern fat eighth bundle treasured since Mother's Day and opened to hold her concentration, which goes walkabout every few minutes, resulting in...

Vintage Modern bundle

...3/4" hexy Grandmother's flower garden flowers for a special 'birthday' mini quilt... you might want to check back around July 23rd for more on that ;)

So now you know that Yvonne is still sewing albeit on a much smaller scale than she is happy with. She was very worried that you'd all think she'd fallen off the face of the planet. The truth is she's still lurking around reading blogs and looking at flickr pics when she feels up to it, it's just too much like hard work to comment on things at the moment.
If it's quieter than normal around here for the next week or so you'll know why. I'll probably update twitter more regularly than the blog so if you want up-to-date news on Yvonne's progress you'll probably find it here from Thursday onwards. Catch you soon x

ET calling

Every once in a while a block comes along that screams "make me now". Lynne's new ET phone home block is one of those! I've spent the afternoon playing with Oakshotts and this lovely print from Basic Grey. Coincidentally the film, ET, was on the tv this afternoon.....(do-de-do-do twilight zone). The photo doesn't really do this justice but those of you who know what Oakshotts are like will know that the colours are way more gorgeous in real life. I cracked open my Colourbox for the first time in honour of this block ;)

I think I'll sash this block and turn it into a cushion or something similar. This is a really addictive block so I foresee more of these in my future!
Just before I go I'll point out that the Brit Quilt Swap has started sign-ups for the next round. We're back to making mini quilts this round :) It's good to see lots of familiar names in there!

Hope you're all having a good weekend so far. Catch you soon x

Summer Sewing Contest

As I have a summery finish to show you I thought I'd link up with Jennifer at Ellison Lane Quilts' Summer Sewing Contest. There are some lovely makes over there!
                                                                

I'm entering this Central Park Triple Squared Tablecloth in the Home Decor category. I had originally intended this to be a quilt but regular readers will know that I'm not big on patience.As much as I love the pattern and the fabric I just couldn't face making another 28 blocks so I stopped at 36 blocks which gives a lovely sewing machine table cover size!

The finished flimsy was around 36" square. I've backed it with a print from Dolce by Tanya Whelan which works perfectly with the Central Park by Kate Spain. I was really lazy and just sewed the front and back right sides together, then turned it through the right way and topstitched around the edges. Nothing fancy here but I think it makes a beautiful addition to my sewing room when the machine isn't in use.

Here's a photo of the whole thing when it's not draped over the table. I love this fabric line it's so summery!

It's funny how projects evolve. I think my impatience did me a favour this time round ;) Don't forget to go and check out the other lovely projects. Catch you soon x

Hand sewn

So far this week I have mostly been (in best Fast Show voice) hand sewing. I've attached the Siblings Together labels to 6 quilts so I can now ship them off to Delma at Siblings Together!

Labels ready to go

I've grouped all the quilt photos together because I felt like it :) That's Pips, It's a Hoot Half Time x2, Grey, Cape Ann and Dr Seuss ready to roll tomorrow.

6 Quilts

This next photo is a little peek at a hand sewing project I attempted with minimal success using Flock by Thomas Knauer. The full project is revealed in the Fat Quarterly Community Retreat Special Issue. I was delighted to discover that my Designer challenge project would be featured in this issue and I feel a bit better about not having been there in person now.

After my less than spectacular first attempt I am determined to complete a Spring Carnival cushion so I'm having another go with some of my all-time favourite Amy Butler Love fabric. I think I might have got the hang of it enough this time to complete the job, whoop!  

Hand sewing is definitely growing on me :) Catch you soon x

Not at Fat Quarterly Retreat

Well there have been a multitude of blog posts from the lucky attendees of the Fat Quarterly Retreat and as I was not one of them (I'm not bitter, much) you might want to look away now. Hopefully you won't be deterred and will stay here to see my finished Mama Said Sew flowers quilt. The weather finally cooled sufficiently for me to finish the hand quilting. 

 I love how it finished up. My rather large scale hand quilting adds just the right amount of definition to the shapes. Unfortunately the thread I used doesn't show up very well against the Amy Butler backing fabric so it's difficult to show you the effect, it looks great in real life though :)

 I've also managed to crank out some more blocks for my Central Park triple squared quilt :) This is going to be a super cheerful quilt.

Catch you all soon x