Jubilation!

Hello All, I can't begin to tell you all just how excited I am right now! I've bored the crowd on Instagram over the last few weeks with pictures of my Not-so-Lonestar quilt and today that will cease (for the time being anyway) because I've finished it!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it but it's true :)

I completely love it! I feel a bit like Bruce Forsyth today when I say that this is my favourite quilt to date.

 It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, there are plenty of duff points and bias issues but the fabric is so gorgeous and busy that those things don't really matter. I actually feel a bit bereft that it's finished. Well, not quite finished because it still has to be quilted but I'm not doing that myself...no chance, this beaut will be heading over to Trudi to work her long-arm magic :)

It's really tricky to capture the scale of this quilt so I took a pic of it with Jess by the side as a guide, she's about 5'5" :)

 When I took this project back out of the WIP box at Christmas I was really anxious that I wouldn't have enough fabric left to complete it as I'd started it in 2011 and wasn't sure how easy it would be to get hold of Innocent Crush and Soul Blossoms now. Thankfully the angst was unnecessary as I have this lovely pile of fabric left!

I'm so pleased I'll be able to use these fabrics in other projects in the years to come :) I think you'll be pleased that I've got all this left too because it means that I'm feeling generous with the scraps from the making of the quilt! There's 290g of scraps of pretty much all the prints I used in the quilt. They're all really useable sizes so I'm sure they'll be very handy for scrappy projects.

As a thank you for all the encouragement I'm giving this lovely scrap pile away! You get up to 3 chances to win:
1. To be in with a chance to win just leave a comment here.
2. If you're a follower, new or regular, leave another comment.
3. Share the giveaway news and leave another comment here letting me know you've shared.

Please make sure I can contact you if you happen to win, (no-reply bloggers I mean you!) I'll draw a winner with Random Number Generator on Friday 24th January 2014 around 8pm (GMT).

Thanks for cheering me on from the sidelines :) Catch you soon x

Edited to add: Giveaway is now closed. The winner was Mrs FlyingBlind - Hadley.

FAL 2014 Q1 - Yvonne's list

..... sigh....  I know a 'nudge' when I see one and this post of Correne's, about Katy's  FAL for 2014, was more of a 'shove' than a 'nudge' !! 

Having said that I have watched other bloggers joining in with the Finish alongs that have been hosted over the last few years and found them inspiring.  It is such a good idea to share with like minded people your plans to finish projects and then look back to see what you have all, hopefully, achieved.  Or at least the steps toward finishing that you have taken.

So, after giving myself a good talking to..... and an agitated encouraging chat with Correne on the phone .... I've decided to join in too.  Please imagine a very scared face here.  It's not that I'm competitive.... much .... it's just that .... I ... prefer to waffle on in my own sweet (?) way.  So no one else can see when I don't achieve my objective!!!  All nonsense I know!!  But hey, what am I making a fuss about?  You're all lovely people and will only encourage me, so it's all good isn't it? :-)  Besides which, I've got a lot of very noisy UFO's and WIP's as this post  told you and they have become even more noisy since the move!!   

Without further ado, here's my list:

1. This is destined to be a cushion.  I've been plodding on with it in the evenings whilst watching tv and it's so close to being done. I told you about it in a previous post, masses of tiny hexies swapped with Helen for scraps of Liberty fabric. The really good thing is that it will be Helen's  finish too as she made all the tiny hexies in the first place!! I hope she's reading this and is impressed. :-)

2. I'm ashamed to say this was started in 2011 as my part of the Fresh Modern Bee 2 on Flickr. In my defence, I did become really ill before the end of the Bee's year and spent eighteen months or so on almost complete bed rest.  I still struggle and am generally very slow making anything but I would LOVE it to be a finished quilt by the end of 2014.

3. Honestly, this should be a quick finish, even for me, if I can just decide what I want to do with it!!!  Some of my favourite fabric ever I think, Lecien's Petit Fleur.

And that's it folks!  I know I know only three!!!!  And one is a long term one too.  But I'm hoping that I will get more confident each quarter...... perhaps?


Now then, I'm off to ask Correne how to do the linky thing with Katy's blog.  No doubt she'll get tired of explaining and do it for me..... At least I'm hoping she will!!!!

Thanks for dropping in.  Take good care of yourselves.

Happy Sewing Xxx

Diamonds, kites and stars

I'm totally in love with my newest cushion! I've been told "it's a bit stiff but it'll soon get bashed into shape", hmm, teenagers! It didn't take long to transform from Saturday's sewing project into the finished object.

I went a bit mad with grey Aurifil thread for the quilting. I enjoyed the texture created by the random lines that I'd used on my last EPP project so reprised it for this one.

For the back of this one I decided to be a grown up and used a concealed zip for the closure! I probably should have pattern matched the fabric but I was so stressed about getting the zip in that I didn't think about it ;)

I brought it downstairs with me to show the hubby yesterday when I finished it and sat it on the sofa...it put some of the other cushions to shame so I may have to make several more EPP cushions soon ;)
Thankfully it lives on my bed at the moment so it's not showing the others up permanently.

When looking at this photo I realised just how much of a crazy-patchwork-lady I have become! That's not a bad thing, right?! Catch you soon x

FAL 2014 Q1- Reene's list

So, after receiving a gentle nudge from Katy I've decided to bite the bullet and join in on the Finish Along 2014. Having said I've got a ton of things to finish I need to be more specific for purposes of the FAL. I'm going to try and be realistic in setting my targets!
1. The Not-so-Lonestar quilt - as you know I started this one in 2011, it has since been unpicked and started again so it's almost as though I only it started in 2013 ;) I am utterly determined to finish it this year!

2. Diamonds, kites and stars EPP - I started this one in September when I was recovering from my op. I feel a bit of cheat adding this one to the list as I've just finished it but as I'd already mentioned it as a WIP here I'm kidding myself that I can get away with it ;)

 3. Quilt and Stitch Village competition quilts - I think I'm safe adding this as I have the ideas firmly in my stitching journal and have just sent off the entry forms. Last year Susan and I dared each other to have a go this year, so we have both filled out the forms with trepidation and sent them on their way. In my infinite wisdom I've decided to enter 2 quilts that haven't yet been made. One low volume improv quilt and one bright and fun medallion. These must be done this quarter without fail!

4. Crochet blanket - I couldn't find any pictures of this on my computer but there are quite a few over on instagram. I started this when the cold weather set in and would really like to get it finished before Spring other wise it will be relegated to the back of cupboard somewhere :) So far I have 9 rows completed of a total of 16.

I think that's enough to be going on with for now. I'm looking forward to having more encouragement to keep to the task so thank you very much Katy for organising :) Catch you soon x

Saturday stitching

Just a quick post today to show my progress on another WIP. I've finally applique'd all the EPP shapes to the solids and tomorrow I will be quilting this puppy and turning it into a cushion :)  

Happy sewing to you all. Catch you soon x

Cracking the whip

I've declared 2014 the year that I empty my WIP box. I know I'm not alone in that so I'll be hoping that you hold me to it in the same way I'm going to be nagging/ encouraging those of you that are on the same path. It's a big box and I've already taken out my second largest WIP to date so it doesn't look as bad as it did a week or so ago. In the spirit of honesty I also have 3 or 4 WIPs lying around the sewing room ;)

I've been plugging away at my biggest challenge to date the Not-so Lonestar Quilt! I started this quilt in 2011 when I was very definitely a novice patch-worker. I soon got fed up of it so dumped it in the WIP box and revisited it again in 2012. Obviously I got fed up of the diamonds again so back into the WIP box it went. This time round I've dug it out with the express intention of finishing it. This was firmly reinforced when I discovered that the quarter that I made this time round was considerably smaller than the original. I have since set about unpicking the original quarter and restitching it in line with the one I've just completed. If you follow me on Instagram you'll have seen lots of photos of my progress so I'm not going to overload the blog with all of them. This is one of the giant diamonds that I've made this time round.

Now that I've got the technique for piecing the rows sussed (more-or-less) I'm chain piecing the remaining 36 rows. This photo gives a much better idea of the beautiful colours in the fabrics I'm using :)

I'd love to think that I'll finish this top by the end of January...watch this space!
Today I took another long term WIP out of the box and turned it into a snuggly blanket following Hadley's lead. One WIP plus an Ikea fleece blanket and I no longer have a WIP :)

I'll be sending this little blanket off in response to Alison's appeal.

So there you have it. The start to what I hope will be many WIPs leaving the box as finished articles :) Catch you soon x

Moving....in it's many forms.....

Actually, now I think about it... I'm not talking about 'moving' in all it's forms as some are really best left unsaid!  Don't you think?  :-)

Hello folks, as you've no doubt guessed it's me.... Yvonne.  And the New year is barely unwrapped and not a word written in this post and I'd already blotted my copy book!!  As I hadn't told anyone I could have breezed on with you all oblivious but as I'm an honest soul I'll confess.  I thought I'd try not to procrastinate and faff so much this year.  I know stupid idea, I can hear you all laughing from here. 

Anyway, as I was almost saying when I started this post...  we've moved house again.  Nightmare!!  Moving twice in 14 months.  Totally knac  exhausting.  It takes me ages to do things so for probably three months I either had my head in a cupboard or a box or I was on the end of a frustrating phone call cancelling or reconnecting something or other. Twice!!  Hopefully, we won't be doing it ever again. 

Of course it would have been easy if the house and contents were only this big, I had this lot packed away in about three hours!


Instead, it was this big

 
and took considerably longer.  :-) Our new house was built in 1920 and we are only the third family to own it. We were really happy to find it and make it ours and have lots of plans to make our mark on it. I'll show you our progress if you're interested.

Most exciting of all I have my own sewing room... all to myself.  With lots of shelves and cupboards to put my 'stuff' in...  I have put photos on Instagram but I'll share more here when I've got it all moved out of boxes and plastic crates and onto shelves. Okay... I can't wait ........just a couple for now

 

Don't they look pretty tied up with lace and ribbon?

 

                                                                      Some of my Moda stash.

So as you can imagine, not a lot of sewing going on.  A pair of curtains for the sewing room....  makes me smile every time I say it! :-) And a couple of presents for Christmas that were half finished project from last year and the year before ...I think.  One for Correne and one for Jade...

 

 

Aneela's Spoonflower Fabric

 

                                        Backed with Aneela's  Cherry Christmas Fabric for Moda. 

 

                                        A Thimbleblossoms  Swoon block in Sevenberry fabrics

                                        Backed in this long hoarded Quilt Gate fabric.

And a final photo of my Boxing Day present from Correne and Jess.  You may remember this post and will understand why they thought we might miss the sign so replicated it in fabric.  Flower Sugar fabric no less.... Amazing.... that's what they are.  :-))

 

Isn't it brilliant?  Ralph was indignant that he was portrayed with a stick when it should be me!  But apart from that it is pretty much how we walk about ... me hanging on and him thinking I'll go quicker if he does!!!!  Never works I might add.. :-)

 

 

So that's it, the reasons why I've been quiet the last few months.  Thank you for stopping by and indulging me. Hopefully, now that we are moved I will be more consistent with my posts.  At least, I hope so....you, however, maybe not be so keen?

 

Take good care of yourselves and happy sewing. Xxx