Nearly 3 months ago ...

I can't believe it was nearly 3 months ago I was cleaning my house, changing the beds, planning menus, getting rid of DH (just for the weekend!), getting all excited etc and so looking forward to the Strip Bee ladies coming to stay for the weekend! And then the day before they were due to arrive, I went shopping, tripped up some dodgy bit of paving, fell on my right arm, dislocated my shoulder, broke 3 bits of bone off the humerus and sadly had to cancel the weekend :(

So with the groceries being delivered tomorrow, just one more bed to make and getting Glinda to wave her magic wand, the ladies will arrive and we can finally meet, have the grand reveal and hand over our strip bee quilts :)

I can't wait to finally meet them all:

Amy @ Cloud CouCou Crafts

Fran @ Patchy Rose

Julie @ Mack and Mabel

Maria @ sew love to sew

Sarah @ Quilt Candy

This was my last post (where you can see all our first strips) and this post was the beginning of it all for me - almost 12 months to the day! Here's my strip, which has been passed from quilter to quilter for her to add a strip of her choice and design and now she's coming home. What will they have done to it?!

I love my hobby and blogging ... I have had so much fun getting to know the ladies over the last year and am so lucky we're actually getting to do this. Hurry up Friday!

And just a little bit of new sewing to share with you this week - my friend asked if I could do something for her grandson's Scout blanket - put his name on it somewhere ... so here's my little WIP:

That's a mini quilt with appliquéd letters onto some football fabric and I'm just going to sew it onto his blanket. Hope that's what she wanted! 

Linking up with Lee and Lorna :)

Gotta love all these bags!

There is something extremely satisfying about finishing stuff ... even if it is just small projects. Here are my finishes this week:

1) Friendship Star Pants Bag for Amy @ A Quilting Sheep. One of my earliest blogging friends to whom I just wanted to say, 'thanks' - she let me choose the colours - hope you like it when it arrives, Amy:

2) Missouri Star Quilt Company charm bag from this tutorial. This is for my dear cousin in Maryland who'll be having her 60th birthday in a few weeks. The bag is made from her Mom's vintage fabrics which Lora gifted me in 2011:

I used the same fabric for the base, lining and handles :

3) Grocery bag dispenser from this Moda Bakeshop tutorial for a friend at work:

And small stuff is really all I can do. There's still no way I could FMQ a quilt - stippling this little 18" x 18" grocery bag dispenser just about exhausted my poorly arm tonight :(

But 3 little finishes in a week? Getting to play with lots of different fabrics?   Testing out the arm? Yeah, I'll take all of that! Linking up with Amanda and Sarah.

Little tote bag WIP ...

The last time we visited family in America, my cousin produced all of this loveliness from her garage:

This belonged to my Great Aunt and we calculated some of the fabric was over 25 years old! I made 5 lapquilts out of it for my USA cousins in 2012 and there was still lots left. 

In February this year, I shared this Missouri Star Quilt Company tutorial for making a charm square tote bag. I never showed the finished bag (unlike me) so here it is:

My cousin is 60 in a few weeks time so I thought she might like a bag made out of her Mom's fabric so I've made a start:

I know it gets said a lot about MSQ's tutorials but this really is a great one and even if you've never made a bag before, give this one a go - you can do it!

Going to finish it up later and pop it in the post tomorrow - fingers crossed she gets in time! Linking up with Lee and Lorna:

bags ... bags ... bags!

I promise to stop banging on about my recovering from a broken arm eventually soon but what I love about this hobby is if you can't make big quilts or don't have the time or energy for making them, you can make little things. And I don't know about you but I get just as much pleasure (and more quickly!) from finishing these.

It was DH's birthday this week. Let me tell you - he is not a big spender ('just as well married to you,' I hear you shout!) and never asks for anything. I struggle most years to get him anything 'special enough' as he's completely happy with a book, a CD or a shirt.

Because he was sooooooo wonderful looking after the injured patient that I was, I treated him to an iPad. So I just had to make him a little bag to go with it:

Also this week, my friend, the golfer, who took me out shopping when I was off sick, collected her Pants Bag and an iPad case (well, there were scraps left over that I wouldn't have used for anyone else):

I've made a  few of these iPad cases now (could also be used as make-up bags?) from this tutorial. I can't wait until my Quilt Bee ladies come and visit at the end of the month to show me how to do a fancy zip. At the moment, I just sew mine - same size - onto the fabric - works perfectly well but looks a bit ''unfinished':

And I finished a carrier bag holder for my niece from this tutorial in the Moda Bake Shop:

They all loved their gifts. And they each took just an hour (or two in the case of the Pants Bag) to make. I am so happy! What quilty stuff has put a smile on your face this week?

Linking up with Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts and Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Table runner WIP ...

I am slowly getting back into being uber-productive! Within obvious limitations. Remember the Cath Kidston bundle I bought a few weeks back?

 

I started cutting it up at the weekend: 

 

And then made the table runner and  place mats:

 

Nothing fancy - just 10 1/2" squares bordered by the 2" red polka dot. But what to back it with? DH's suggestion was, 'big green spots'!

OK! Ordered some linen-type fabric online, it arrived today and is perfect:

Thanks hubby  - fancy some basting??

I've also made drinks' coasters from the leftovers:

 

 

I have a few little finishes which I'll save until Friday but here is a sneak preview of a carrier bag holder in progress for dear niece made out of leftover fabrics from her mats and table runner:

Linking up - this week's WIP Wednesday is being hosted by Lucy @ Charm About You:

and with the ever-lovely Lorna:

Beyond generous! Thanks Carla :)

The wonderful Carla over at Creatin' in the Sticks is one of my oldest (and most special) blogging friends. Living in Kansas, we have an obvious affinity.  We began by leaving occasional comments - as you do - then became loyal followers - and have even exchanged a couple of gifts in the last two years. She really is lovely and very talented. I have seen both her blog and sewing skills grow and am so proud of her.

Just over a week ago, she posted this about making a Tammy Project Bag:

Perfect for keeping scissors, thread, and needles close by.

I made one with a friend in mind, Tea for Two.

Oh how I wish we could sit down and share a cup of tea.

It is now stuffed with goodies and on it's way

for a belated birthday...

I did not know she'd made it for meeeeee! It turned up today and I LOVE IT!!

But, if that wasn't gorgeous enough, look what was hidden inside:

I cannot wait to use these 4 Wizard of Oz fat quarters - you can't get the like of them in the UK. To think, I may have gone my whole life without knowing they even existed!

Belated or not ... these are such fabby gifts. From an even fabbier lady. Thank you, dear Carla. And one day, my friend, we shall sit down over a cup of tea, of that I'm sure :)

Showing off sharing your work: 

A few bits and pieces :)

No I didn't really need it.

 

No it's not earmarked for any particular project.

 

Yes I could have lived without it.

 

But I'm glad it's mine ... ALL MINE!

 

I'm very international this week! In Ypres on Monday, there wasn't a lot of choice (then again, we didn't go there for the shopping!) but  I found these little items of loveliness:

 

And in France on Tuesday, I bought a knitted poppy brooch at one of the memorial sites (this is going to find itself adorning a bag at some time in the future!):

 

And look what came all the way especially for me from the USA:
 

 

1) 5 yards of Kona azure

2) Riley Blake Fat Quarter Bundle (cotton dots small)

3) Andover Pearl Bracelets fat Quarter Bundle

C'mon, stop teasing - let's have some close-ups:

Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm - I love it!

 

Linking up with the fabulous Ms Sparkles: