It's time . .

for a little giveaway to celebrate my 2 years of blogging. I love my blog and although I haven't been updating as much as I used to I can see me continuing this for a long time.



I wanted to make something to give away but with my shoulder playing up and with one thing and another that hasn't happened.



So instead I have come up with this.



I am a scrappy quilter - the more fabrics in a quilt the merrier. I love bunging everything in together and seeing it all come together. I love loads of different kinds of fabrics and my stash reflects this. So my prize is a little peep into my stash. I have sort of made my own Jelly Roll for you - 40 x 2.5 inch strips ( width of fabric ) of some of my favourite fabrics. There are no tone-on-tones or plains in here - I have chosen some of my loveliest prints. Works out at a bit under 3 yards I think. Click for a better look. There are actually 37 here - just realised 3 went wandering when the camera came out.




I know this prize will not suit everyone but if you would like a nosey at what I spend my money on feel free to comment. All welcome - regulars and lurkers.



I will choose a number a week from today ( 2nd June ) and would appreciate it if I am able to contact you directly if you win. I have quite a few no-reply comments. If you want to enter but don't have a blog you could email directly with the words Blog Giveaway in the heading.



Oh yes - I did something I thought I might never do this week - cut into one of my precious jelly rolls - nearly didn't do it - lol ! Pictures next post xx

Going backwards !

Still having trouble with the trapped nerve down my left arm so have abandoned the big borders from the last post for now. I am trying to set up some physiotherapy - it is really annoying me . Just won't seem to settle.

Instead I am working on another UFO. This is English paper pieced and I started it a few years ago. Basically I didn't have a plan and it just sort of grew and grew. At one point I just looked at it and thought - no I didn't like it too much. And it sat in a basket and that was that. On Saturday we had a quilters day where we all worked on our own quilts. Most were working on lovely new blocks and things whilst I sat and unpicked.

A few of the ladies were wondering what on earth I was doing but I knew it would forever sit as a UFO if I didn't do something with it. And although it was very fiddly I wanted to save the fabrics as they are pretty and far too nice to just put in the bin.

So it went from this

to this.

I have started sewing these back together with the addition on some more fabrics to zip it up a bit. The plan is now to work on this exclusively for a week and see how far I get. I have loads of hexagons prepped and will take them everywhere I go. If my shoulder keeps playing up though I won't have an awful lot to show for it.

Occasionally we go to car boot sales and I'm always on the lookout for things I can renovate. A while back I bought a tatty old shelf - paint peeling and a bit mouldy. Jason looked on with disbelief as I parted with my 50p. After a little work sanding and painting and a bit of time with my drill I now have this on my bedroom wall.

The lovely mini quilt is from a swap with Carolyn.

Off to cut some scraps I think - ready for when I decide to do something other than a UFO.

Feeling overwhelmed.

It all started on Saturday morning when the post lady knocked the door bright and early. I knew what she had for me as I had been waiting for a little something I had ordered.

Something I had wanted for a long time.

Like all quilting fabric in UK these are very expensive so I have never had one before. Doodling about on the net last week I saw http://www.fatquartershop.com/ had a sale on. When I realised I could get 2 shipped over for about the price I would pay for one over here I just had to do some clicking.

They are gorgeous and after a quick fondle I was on the computer looking for patterns to use them.

Then I got to thinking about all the other quilts I have in progress - many ! I wouldn't know where to start on counting them. Then I thought about all the fabric I have - enough to make a quilt for every person in Wales I should imagine. Then I thought about all the patterns I have and magazines with projects earmarked for " to-do" sometime and I got a little overwhelmed. I love my hobby and that's why like so many others I have so much of everything.

So, ignoring the jelly rolls for now I dug out one of several big plastic crates I have containing some UFO's and picked one that I would like to finish. It is one I started about 4-ish years ago. A very simple design but for some reason I appear to have gone mad when it came to borders. They are much more involved than the main bit of the quilt.

I had attached one side and the rest was all in bits.

So that's how I spent Sunday - trying to work out measurements and stuff. I have another border on now and next step is to make corner blocks.

Not sure about the size of this - wish it was wider. Funny when you come back to something how you wonder quite what you were thinking.

My quilt group has a finish-it-up day on Saturday and I'm hoping to get this ready for basting on the big tables there. If not I'm sure I'll find something else to take along - lots to choose from - lol !

Whilst working out measurements for this I rolled up my rug and stuck it on a chair. Wasn't too long before this happened.

Could not get him out for ages - silly Tizer.

See you soon xx

Midweek post . .

I know, I know after me saying I can only seem to post on Saturdays I find myself here on a Wednesday writing a post. I have to go out later but have a couple of hours free so here goes.

This is what I made today...

NOT really - lol ! It's a cheater fabric I just bought and as soon as I saw it I wanted it for the back of a quilt I'm planning on basting soon. I don't often buy fabrics specifically for backing - I just use what I have. Pieced together usually. I have been to Abakhan Fabrics and had a lovely time. As I've said before it's a bit hit or miss there. Last time I went I came home with a yard of interfacing :-( But today was a hit. Bought 15 metres for about £24. Good quality stuff.

The one on the right is Vera Bradley and completely unlike anything I normally buy. It just spoke to me and told me it wanted to be a bag. I've seen a pattern somewhere for a weekender bag - will have a search soon.

Here are my crappy stars with sashing. I think that name has stuck - lol..

I added the little four-patch cornerstones for a bit of oomph. The turquoise is really bright and looks fine - I did have my doubts but then I always do. I love the sashing fabric. From my stash and just what I wanted.

And I have added another round onto my log cabin sampler. Cute stitchery flowers.

The right side piece I've added is ready for some applique triangles. Will sort through my scrap bag later for some odd bits.

Just off to wash my new fabric. I always wash it straightaway. I know lots of you don't prewash but I like the feel of the fabric better when it's softer. Do you wash or not ?

Have fun xx

Edit - No I don't really think my stars are crappy - in fact I love them. This is the name that my DD Jess ( who doesn't understand my obsession with quilting ) gave them when I told her they were called scrappy stars. Hmm she said crappy stars more like - lol !

Saturday again...

Seems like as much as I try I can't seem to update more than once a week - usually on a Saturday. So here I go again. What I've been up to....

I've been cutting up loads of scraps into 2.5 inch squares which came in handy later on as you will see. My huge bag was overflowing and basically I was sick of lugging it about from one place to another as it doesn't have a proper home.

Then I saw Amanda-Jean is doing a quiltalong. Read about it here. Make a nine patch a day for as long as it takes to make a lovely quilt. Sounds like a plan - so here are my first few.

Of course a new project needs a new storage box and I just happened to have the very thing. I bought this a couple of weeks ago.

I love boxes and tins and am always buying them much to my families - oh God-not another box attitude...... But as this proves I always find a use for them -ha !

About a year ago I attempted some scrappy stars - you know the sort you layer the fabrics up and cut through the lot. Jiggle wiggle - re-sew and you have some lovely blocks. Well the ones I tried were awful - looked worse than the cats breakfast and all went in the bin. I had been wanting to do some more for a while and I recently bought a magazine with some in - instructions courtesy of Buggy Barn Quilts. Took me an age to decide on colours and in the end I went with blue and brown - 2 of my favouritest colours. Here are my pieces re-jigged and ready to sew.

At this point I was nervous - lol ! Would this lot end up in the bin too ? I told Jason I was doing some hard-quilting and to leave me in peace - ha ! Anyway because I had something this time that I hadn't the previous one - namely proper instructions - it all went rather well. Here are some all done and trimmed to size.

Once I knew what I was doing I really enjoyed it. In the instructions there was a comment about chain-piecing when you got more confident with the method. No way thought I. But later on I did a bit and was doing great until I wwas halfway through the last section and realised things had gone a bit pear-shaped and I had gone wrong somewhere. Armed with my ripper I attempted to see where I had gone astray. It was a bit like sudoku ( which I hate ) as I tried to make sure every block had 9 different fabrics. Eventually I was back on track.

I have gotten further than this but haven't took photos yet. I can see myself doing more of these scrappy stars ( or crappy stars as Jess has christened them - thanks Jess xx )

With some of the scraps I've been playing with I've been making these. I need 145 of these for what I have in mind. They are 2 inches finished and use up some very little scraps nicely.

I have been very lax lately in replying to comments - just don't seem to have the time like I used to since Jason has started this business but please know that I value everyones time visiting my blog whether you leave a comment or not xx