A quilt for a cousin :)

I'm very pleased to have finished this lapquilt which I've made for Nick's cousin, Marisa who lives in Harrisburg, PA. Sadly last year, Marisa and Jimmy were amongst the many people who were emergency evacuated as a result of Tropical Storm Lee ... they lost everything :(

My little quilt won't replace their treasures, family photographs or make everything better but I hope this surprise gift will bring a smile to her face. My inspiration for the design and fabric choices come from Marisa's love of English Country Gardens:

I paper pieced the centre square and then made the rest up as I went along! I think it's worked out well - better balanced than I hoped for and whilst pink and orange isn't a typical colour combination, I like how it adds a bit of pizzazz to the overall look. 

I wanted simplicity on the back - I used the pink from the front and some green Moda Marbles to frame it:

and, of course, finshed it off with a label:

I so look forward to that time in quilt making when you're about to start quilting it and I went through my usual little routine so that we (me and my machine) were perfectly ready:

1) Clean my machine ... Ugh, where does all that fluff come from?

2) Change to a new quilting needle

3) Choose my thread and make enough bobbins

4) Prepare the 2 1/4" folded binding

5) Grab DH to help me baste (I LOVE whoever designed 505 spray!)

6) Turn on the radio and start quilting

This little loveliness will be in the post to USA tomorrow - hopefully it will arrive in time for Christmas :)

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday

Finish it up Friday :)

As well as my 6 new FWQ blocks this week, I also finished this lap quilt top for dear hubby's cousin, Marisa.

This will be a surprise gift for Marisa - she lives  in Harrisburg, PA but loves all things English country garden which inspired me to bring these bright fabrics together. 

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This is my own pattern (in that I made it up as I went along!) and the finished quilt will be about 60" x 60". It's been a lot of fun making this - wouldn't usually put pink and orange together - do you think it works?

Just have to piece the back now, oh and baste, quilt, label and bind it ... so very very glad its the weekend :)

Linked up to Crazy Mom Quilts - Finish it up Friday

The best thing about being a Quilter ...

... is that you get to create unique and special gifts that generate smiles :) C'mon - who doesn't break out into a spontaneous grin when the recipient of your latest creation says thank you? Well, I did today when Lisa's fiance texted me to say, Many thanks for my Batman and Spiderman pants bag! It's fab! Just need some Batman & Spiderman pants now! :)

So, that got me thinking to whose face I want to put a smile on next ... and my new project this week is a lapquilt for Nick's cousin in Harrisburg, PA. Dear Marisa (and Jimmy) got flooded out of their home during the Tropical Storm in September last year, lost everything and are slowly rebuilding a home. I did send a cushion last year (I wasn't very good at making quilts then) but, with the anniversary this month, I really want to make her something more substantial and special.

You may remember, I bought all this fabric a little while back:

and then did my usual this week of pouring over countless magazines, blogs and blocks books for inspiration. I drew (and discarded) a few of my own patterns and decided to stop planning and just start sewing with a central block. I paper pieced it to give it sharp lines :

and this has finished at 21" ... but I'm stuck now ... what to do next?? All ideas, gratefully received :)

An Irish-themed lapquilt

It's been a busy week! It wasn't meant to be in that I didn't plan to go into patchwork and quilting overdrive (a lap-quilt, four Pants Bags, a Tote Bag and some ric-rac on a UFO!) but these things can happen ... if you're lucky :) Apologies for the long post and loads of photos but I know I have a crazy week at work ahead ... who knows how much (if any?) blogging and/or sewing I'll get to do in the coming days :(

Starting last weekend, I pieced all of a new lapquilt for friends in Chesapeake Beach, MD. The Caldwells are dear old friends of cousin Lora and we have been lucky enough to have shared some great times and holidays with them over the years. One of the best was a trip to Ireland in 2007. We spent a week touring from Dublin to Doolin, going from one B&B to the next in a big white minibus ... it was a blast.

Some highlights:

1) Drinking Guinness (and a trip to the factory)

2) Visiting castles and gardens

3) The beautiful stained glass windows

4) Boys playing golf, girls shopping

5) The Irish hospitality

Over the past few months, I have tried to source appropriate fabric for an Irish-themed lapquilt and had lots of ideas in my head, which I would jot down as and when but I really wasn't sure what it would look like. I knew I wanted The Caldwells to look at the end result and go, "Yes, this is a great reminder of our fabby holiday" but I didn't want it to be too gimicky, if you know what I mean.

So, I looked at what I had bought, thought of some applique shapes I could throw in and decided on a simple 5x5 grid, sashed with black strips to give it a stained glass window effect. Nick (DH) was a great help, as always, pointing out placement of the blocks and this is a little picture gallery of it's journey:

1) The Guinness Block inspired by our trip to The Guinness Factory, Dublin and many pints downed of the delicious black velvet:

(that's me on the left next to The Caldwells, cousin Lora and her DH, George)



2) Castles, and rocks block:

3) The Irish Flag blocks:

4) Golf:

5) The stained glass windows in Dingle:

6) And you can't have an Irish-themed quilt without a few shamrocks:

Along the way, I learnt a few things. One, you need lots of pins if you're going to keep that sashing straight:

Two, don't turn your back on Nell mid-project, she has NO respect:

Three, don't quilt with black cotton in your bobbin and light green top cotton ... you WILL end up unpicking the block:

Four, you'll need a good pair of tweezers for picking off all the tiny bits of paper off the back of the appliqued blocks:

Put it all together and this is what you get:



The back - anyone who knows Ginger, knows how much she loves dogs so this fabric find was inspired, I thought. It's a bunch of made-up funny newspaper articles about canine capers - she'll love it:

And finally, the label:

It really was a wonderful trip, I love these folks:

Time for bed - I'll try and write a post on the four Pants Bags, the Tote Bag and ric-rac on the UFO tomorrow :)

Finished 'USA #5' ... so happy :) but also a little sad :(

I was on holiday, sitting in cousin Lora's screenporch in Chesapeake Bay last September when she brought her Mom's box of fabric out of her garage where it had sat for 20+ years. I was overwhelmed - not just at the quantity and quality but I had a profound emotional reaction when I touched my great-aunt Jenny's fabric ... it made me cry. I felt a connection to my great aunt and became very excited when Lora said I could have it all! How very kind. This post shows how much I had to fit in a suitcase and bring home ... just as well I have an understanding husband :)

I decided early on that I just had to make a lapquilt for each of my great aunt's female relatives - 1 daughter, 2 grand-daughters and 2 daughters-in-law and that I would only use her fabric - no adding from my stash so no cheating allowed!

I started in January 2012 and finished the last one on Thursday night - 'USA #5' is for cousin June, also a quilter (and a much better one than I - no pressure there then!) and, although I tried to make it perfect, it isn't ... I hope she won't mind:

A close-up:

And the back:

I have really really really enjoyed making these quilts for my cousins and I am a little sad the adventure is now over. I have handled this fabric more than usual as I just counted up:

1) First touch in the screenporch

2) Back in the box

3) Into 'sucky bags'

4) Into the suitcase

5) Out of the suitcase and folded

6) Sorted, selected, handwashed and pegged out to dry

7) Ironed and cut

8) Pieced and quilted

and many times I have thought of my great aunt Jenny and where she might have been and what was going on in her life when she was touching and buying all those different pieces of fabric. I think she had great taste, I am so grateful she had small and larger pieces in her stash - I got close to running out on a couple of occasions - but i did it. Five lapquilts in 8 months ... each one lovingly made for my 5 very special cousins:

'USA #1' - for Lora (daughter):

'USA #2' - for Lauren (grand-daughter):

'USA #3' - for Emily (grand-daughter):

'USA #4' - for Jeanie (daughter-in-law):

'USA #5' - for June (daughter-in-law):

I am a lucky girl - lucky to have my wonderful USA family in my life, lucky to have found this fabulous hobby, lucky to have the time and space to create, lucky to have a husband who supports me (and chooses fabric colours for me sometimes too!) ... I am so lucky and very thankful :)

Done my quilting!!

Well, as suspected, Jury Service was a little slow the first two days ... I didn't even get selected :( but on the plus side it meant I was home by 3.30pm Monday and Tuesday and I was able to complete the quilting of 'USA #5' ... yippeeeee :)

I was very tempted to try and FMQ it with the little flowers I did on the table mats but wise husband advised to 'stick with what you know' ... so I did:

You can definitely see some funny shapes in my meandering ... But, you know what? I think I prefer it better when it isn't perfect. And the binding is all waiting to be attached. I can't wait to finish and get it in the post to cousin June in America :)

Bags and basting!!

I have FINALLY basted 'USA #5' this morning (thanks Nick x) and will be quilting it within the hour ... YAY!!!! I have made the label, cleaned my machine, changed the needle, auditioned the cottons and prepared 5 bobbins:

I have also made some more bags this week too ... I am a monster out of control with this bag making lately but it's wonderful to a) make lovely things for the lovely ladies in my life b) think up, create and finish a bag in a few hours and c) use up my fabulous stash :)

Just to be clear, these are gifts and usually I am not even asked to make them ... I just kind of get carried away once I start ...

For Ajoke's daughter (friend at work):

For Mum:

For Mandy's daughter (friend at work):

For sis (in-law) Deborah:

Deborah doesn't know I've made her this so it will be a nice surprise when her and Mum arrrive for their mini-break next week. She'll be able to use it when she (inevitably) goes shopping!!

I start jury service tomorrow (how exciting!!) so I do not know how much time I'll have to sew at the end of each day ... best I MYBA - move yer bloomin' **** - up to the loft and get quilting :)

Extra ... extra ... read all about it!!

I love having visitors ... Aunty G is no exception and Mutter is here as well :) but it usually curtails my quilting. Usually! So, Aunty G was up in the loft Friday looking at 'USA #5' (cousin Junes' WIP lapquilt) and all the fabric I still have left over from Great Aunt Jenny's stash and asked if she could have a new Pants Bag (a smaller one than last year's as she doesn't 'have many big pants' - her words not mine!). She really liked the fabrics in June's quilt and there was plenty left over so I put this together for her:

When I gave it to her this morning (I didn't want to ...  I love it!), she told me the story that Aunty Jenny was actually with my Nen when Aunty G was born and it was Aunty Jenny who came up with her name. My Dad and Aunty Sally had been named from the Evans side of the family and Aunty Jenny thought Nen should name the new baby after the Williams side of the family and that's how she came to be named Gweneth. What a lovely story - and one I might never have known about unless she had asked me for a new bag :)

In addition, as we are visiting Aunty G's old school friend, Stella, later today she asked if I'd make a little table mat, maybe in the school colours. I googled 'Rickmansworth Masonic School for Girls' and saw a gold star and blues. Added to the meaning of Stella's name, the fabric choice and design was quite easy and I made this little mat in a couple of hours yesterday:

Not to be left out, Mutter has asked for a new Pants Bag! Oh, and one each for her 6 female relatives in Germany!! She's not going there until September so I have a few weeks!!!

All these extra requests means my 'things to do' list now looks like this:

1) Baste, quilt and bind 'USA #5'

2) Finish River's playmat
3) Start Ginger's lapquilt

4) Start Marisa's lapquilt

5) Tote bags for workmates

6) Pants Bags x 7 for Mutter and the Germans!

7) Knitting bag for Aunty Monika

Just as well we are having all this awful wet weather because I'm not going to see much of this Summer!!!

If in doubt ... pick both!!

Oh, I really could not make my mind up so in the end I chose both my favourites for the setting and corner triangles (good advice, Hannah!) and I've now finished the top of 'USA #5':

Just got to trim it, piece the back, baste, quilt, label and bind it then send to Annapolis ... oh, I wish there were more hours in the non-working part of my day :)

Great weekend and more new projects!

We travelled to Yorkshire at the weekend to stay with dear friends - it was Penny who introduced me to patchwork & quilting in 2010. I am so thankful to her :)

In the absence of good weather (well it is only June!), Penny and I drove about an hour from hers to this great, and I mean GREAT, quilting shop in Cheadle Hulme - http://www.patchfinders.co.uk/

Two floors of gorgeousness and some great 1/2 price fabric too! I bought a lot (we were there for 90 minutes!) and I could have bought SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo much more :) here's a few new items for my stash:

Back at Penny's, she showed me how to make a quilted knitting bag and a simple tote bag. The totes will be great for the Church raffles and quick little gifts for girlies (I'll post a little tutorial soon). I made this while I was there:

and this for Mutter when I got home (from some scraps from her Xmas Quilt):

with lots of pockets for all her knitting paraphernalia:

Then, dear niece Hannah comes to visit and this afternoon chooses fabric for the 4 cushions she'd like me to make for her new sofa ... yes, F O U R!!!

So, my updated list of UFOs, WIPs and newbies includes:

1) Completing 'USA #5
2) Completing River's playmat
3) Making 4 cushions for Hannah
4) Making Tote Bags for lots of mates
5) Making a knitting bag for Aunty Monika
6) Making a lapquilt for cousin Marisa
7) Making a lapquilt for USA friend, Ginger

Just a few things to keep me busy :)