Hitting the right note ...

Do you ever get that excited feeling? When you start making a new quilt and you just know it's going to be a good one? I have that feeling about my 'Piano Quilt' and I really can't wait to get at it again today.

My boss is retiring after 37 years and I wanted to make him a special quilt. I know he plays the piano and enjoys many a soirée at his home entertaining his guests, so I did a Google search for musical themed fabric. There wasn't a lot (in the UK) so I narrowed the search to 'piano quilt'.

And now I am so happy! It is perfect:

I couldn't find a pattern anywhere so have been working just from the image. I bought some new fabric (as you do!) but also used a lot from my stash: 

12 x 14 is a lot of squares to cut. I never clear up as I go along! Do you?

I made the piano keys first - figuring that once they were made, it would be easier to build around. They were fiddly and time-consuming and my fingers got very close to the iron! But the overall effect is worth it:

Just the rest of it to piece today then! You can check out my progress on Instagram (@glindaquilts) but I will blog about it too :)

Linking up with the lovely Lorna and Lee:

Lots of stuff ... :)

I really am a happy little quilter at present. I'm feeling so creative and productive ... if I didn't have to stop for work, I would quilt the world, I'm sure! 

Last weekend, I finally started quilting my 'soldier's quilt':

And I made another scrappy zipper pouch for my friend at work:

And put borders on my Strip Bee Quilt:

And I'm turning these 4 gorgeous fat quarters gifted ages ago to me by my dear friend Carla @ creatin in the sticks:

into a sewing mat, sewing machine cover and 'enders' bag! There's nothing wrong with the old set I made:

But I'm thrilled to be making fresh stuff for the new sewing room. There's lots of tutorials out there but I just made it up as I went along this time! In essence, you're making a mini quilt with a pocket in it. You can spend as much or as little time on it as you want. 

Here's some photos I took along the way:

I have learnt to leave a good 10" when joining the binding ends in this way:

And check before you cut:

Add your pockets where you want them:

Just need to hand sew the binding down:

Do you have a sewing mat? Would you like one? It's my birthday tomorrow so I think it's only right to do a giveaway post :)

Linking up with the lovely Lorna and Lee:

Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy!

Yes, a happy quilter am I! I had a wonderful weekend of almost uninterrupted sewing which has made me so happy. I'm looking forward to this weekend too when I get home and start basting my 4th quilt in 3 weeks! 

I auditioned some fabrics for bed cushions for our bed:

I also started making cushions for Mum's new patio set. I used a Hera marker to show me where to quilt and a zig-zag stitch which I liked so much, I may use it on my next quilt instead of my favoured stippling. Hello Nell:

The binding is on my Siblings Together Quilt. I'm keeping the trimmed backing fabric for my next scrappy quilt and the excess batting for bag handles:

And a couple of orphan blocks from that quilt turned into a handy zipped pouch for my ID and railcards which always seem to get lost at the bottom of my handbag, followed by a 30 second crazy panic when I try to find them:

And my favourite part? More binding - 270" for my 144 HST quilt:

Will have some finishes to share on Friday! Linking up with Lorna and Lee @ Freshly Pieced.

Instagram? Oh dear ...

I'm now on Instagram (glindaquilts) - something else to take up my 'spare' time because I really haven't got enough things to fill my day! It's great fun because it is so instant and very search-friendly ... yes, I'm in! I have 'met' new quilters already and am enjoying the variety. But ... and there is always a but ... it means I have neglected my blog, which I don't want to because:

1) Not everyone is on IG

2) I really like the linky parties

3) I like writing my posts, thinking about my creations and 'reaching out' to fellow quilters and bloggers

4) I love reading about the extras in everyone's lives and their thoughts on their creations - it feels more personal, somehow.

So, I will not give up blogging - stop with the groaning, now!! You know you love me really :)

Although I have been a lazy blogger, I have been an active sewer. I have also had visitors to my home and sewing room (dear Fran @PatchyRose and her most delightful daughter, Rosie) and have committed to making my charity quilt for 2015 for Siblings Together.

Here's what I've been up to and some quite a lot of photos. As soon as Fran and Rosie arrived, I became 'Auntie Glinda' to one of the loveliest little girls I have met. Look at the gorgeous gift they brought me:

We set to making Rosie a Gym (Pants) Bag; she chose all her own fabrics from my stash - isn't it fun seeing how others put a fabric bundle together?

She designed the bag, I just rotary cut the blocks. She did all the sewing, I just pressed and directed! Within a couple of hours, she had made this - clever girl and she was so happy:

The next day we set to work on my Siblings Together quilt. Please read this post for all the details on this great charity ... I'm so glad to be able to do my little bit. I had already made 24 half log cabin blocks from my scraps (think I started it in 2013) but had lost my mojo but Fran and Rosie spurred me on to finish it and we got the scraps out:

An 'action shot' of me:

And one of Fran, working on her 8 year old Insanity Quilt!

We all made some blocks and chatted away, listened to music .. the time went very quickly. Saturday night, after DH cooked us a fabby dinner, we settled down in front of the fire and watched The Sound of Music - one of my very favourite films. 

On Sunday, I helped Rosie sew down the rest of her binding on her first quilt - she had made this all herself from a kit I gifted her last year:

Oh, we did have fun (come back soon, ladies!) and that was two weekends ago. Last weekend, I finished the rest of the blocks - taking me to 48:

and started to sash them:

It's even brighter in real life!

And made a pencil case for a birthday boy:

As well as my Siblings Together quilt, my other WIP this week is a Dresden plate cushion for my Aunty G (she asked for greens and browns - think I've got a good mix here?):

Oh, if I only had more time ... what else could I do?? Linking up with the lovely Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts and Lee @ Freshly Pieced.

Bag for a boy ...

... and one for me too!

Any sewing is good, hey? Yes. So I'm not going to get any quilt-envy about what I'm not achieving. I made myself another Pants Bag at the weekend. All from scraps - oh my, do I have a lot of scraps?!

Even the lining and casing:

Voila:

My friend Carla @ Creatin in the sticks wrote a lovely post last week about the Pants Bags she made for the special ladies in her life. And the lovely Jasmine really loves the one I made for her last year but is worried her hubby will pinch it so we agreed he needed one of his own!

Dark greens are his favourite colours, so I went stash-busting:

Meh! Wasn't doing it for me so I just HAD to go shopping on Saturday and bought these FQs instead (well, it is his birthday soon!):

Far more suitable, methinks, and a little WIP photo:

Linking up with Lorna and Lee: