A quick fix :)

Yesterday was my first day back sewing since before Christmas. We had the most wonderful time with family in Anglesey and Chester (ate far too many roast potatoes and chocolates!)  but ...  it is good to be home - I can sew! Do you miss your sewing when you're away from home?

So, easing myself back in gently, I looked for some instant gratification. I've been wanting to replace my 4 living room cushions for a while - the ones I've got (sadly) are looking a bit tired and you can't keep making beautiful stuff for everyone else and not for yourself once in a while, hey?

I've never made a 'card trick' block and inspired by the image in this book, DH then helped me choose this fabric from my stash (he is good!):

I worked out the centre square needed to end up around 8" so I made each of the 9 squares at 3". The only trouble I had was by making the squares with the HSTs and QSTs method, I ended up with some squares I couldn't use (the small triangles were on the wrong side???) so, not wanting to 'waste' fabric, I've just made the one cushion for now:

What do you think I should do - do you think I should make 3 more cushions exactly the same or use the same fabric but do different designs?

Happy New Year - wishing you health, happiness and fun times in 2013 :)

It's nearly Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to the wonderfully talented, generous and supportive quilters of the world. 

Best wishes, health and happiness to you and your families in 2013.

Jennifer

xxx

639 little pieces ... It's finished!

I previously blogged about this quilt here and here and here and I can't tell you how happy I am to have it finished before Christmas. My dear SIL is going to have 13 of us around the table on Christmas Day so the very least I could do was finish this quilt for her and I LOVE IT - hope she does too!!

Whilst looking for loose threads and tails to be hidden, I did a little counting ... give or take, there are 639 prices of fabric in this quilt top - 221 alone in the building on the far left as you look at it - I know, what was I thinking?!

Most of the fabric Deb chose herself in Amsterdam, supplemented with a Moda Serenade charm pack, some Makower sky, some Stof brick and extra bits and pieces from my stash along the way.

As I wasn't working to a pattern (not to be advised for the faint hearted!), it was a bit hit and miss at times with fabric choices and building sizes designed and decided upon as ideas popped into my head but I managed to work it all out in the end. Also, my original plan of this being a 60" x 60" lapquilt got a bit 'lost' and this now measures 72" x 62" - oh well, it can cover a couple of laps :D

I was tempted to try a different quilting style - thought about trying straight lines - but the coward in me decided best to stick to what I know so 'stippling' with a lemon cotton - looks lovely. 

Cute yellow and orange gingham pieced for the back:

And the all important label:

I hope she likes the little Amsterdam touches: the tulips, the cobblestones, the bicycles and, of course, the red light in one of the windows :)

I have really really loved making this quilt; big thanks again to Mandy Monroe for her great workshop which taught me some new techniques and I can't wait to see Deb's face when I hand it over :)

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday

4 more little Christmas gifts :)

Anyone else feeling a little bit under pressure this week to get everything done in time? Yeah, me too! But am mightily relieved to have finished my nephews' Pants Bags:

And I made another one for a friend - not sure it will arrive in time for Christmas but am hoping she'll love it when it finally arrives:

Come back and visit me tomorrow: I've finally finished dear SIL's Amsterdam quilt ... YAY :)

Nearly finished :)

I was in the loft til 10 o'clock last night finishing the piecing of this quilt for my dear SIL - it's ended up at 72" x 62" ... so a little bit bigger than the 'lap quilt' I had intended!

DH helped me baste it this morning and now I'm FMQing ... my oh my, am I a happy quilter???

I'll post more photos and details when it's completely finished :)

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday

With MY sausage fingers???

Sharing my WIP ... this is going to be a lapquilt (60" x 60") for dear SIL - a Christmas present, if I can get it finished in time! Which is getting less and less likely with my improvisation at every stage just adding hours to the piecing of the top!

I am designing the quilt based on our trip to Amsterdam and inspired by this image:

And am not following any pattern, just making each house up as I go along ... which led to me cutting and sewing all these 1" squares for windows ... not easy when you have 'sausage' fingers like mine!

And a little preview of the other houses:

I need some more hours in the day ... I wonder if Father Christmas is listening???

Linking up to Lee's WIP Wednesday :)

Some little finishes ...

I'm very happy it's Friday because tomorrow and Sunday I am going to SEW SEW SEW all of the hours I possibly can :)

I have just a few finishes to share with you today. I am making my nephews Pants Bags as Christmas gifts - I have other presents to put in their bags and I am really enjoying making something personal for each of them.

First up, a friend also paid me ( yay - more fabric!) to make 3 Pants Bags for her to give as gifts:

This is the first one for my nephew, Ollie:

And a tote bag for my niece, Libby (she already has a a PB):

I WILL finish piecing the top of dear SIL's Amsterdam quilt tomorrow! Hope you all have a great weekend ... whatever you're up to :)

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts - Finish it up Friday