Where to begin?

I have been quite busy since my last post...


I have put together a charity quilt which just needs borders. I used orphans from the 'Heart Blockswap' that I used to do with the Blockbuddy's. These heart blocks were mostly made by Rochelle, Maureen and I. The postage stamp blocks were from Kate and were swapped for fabric. Thanks again Kate.

I have also made some more cosmetic bags... Forgot to take a photo!

I tried to make a camera case for our trip. The first was too big, the second was too small....
I'll keep trying and when I have perfection, I'll show them all LOL.
When I showed DH my various attempts he said: "why don't you just buy one?'
I said: "Because you told me to 'just make one'"
"I was just kidding" he said!!!!!!!!

My "Berry Crush" is ready to go to Chris, the Longarmer on Friday. (It's been ready for a while, but I have only just started driving again.) I decided not to piece a backing as Chris had a particularily lovely backing fabric last time I was there, and I decided if it was still there, it was meant to be for me :-) Also the top is very heavily pieced and therefore very heavy in weight so I decided a pieced backing would just be a bit much (well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! LOL)
And just as I'm ready to close the Orange Crush chapter, Toni sent me a fabulous parcel this week and inside was her Orange Crush UFO!! :-D

Here's what else Toni sent me:

DS1 loved all the Halloween bits and some things have already been feretted away in his room.

And I do love getting US mags, they are so different to ours! Thanks so much Toni. (your return parcel will be on the ship shortly LOL)

I have also finally made all the blocks for my Double Delight and am now ready to assemble them!!! Yippeee!

So it's been a busy few days, but I always get a bit frenetic before I travel, so no change there then LOL

It's a (free) Flower!

The mystery unveiled....


It's a flower to make up a charity quilt that will be raffled in Germany. My very good friend Birgit hosts a Quiltfest every year at her shop in Schoenaich, Germany. It's next Saturday and I am so sad that I won't get to go this year. One year BC (Before Children) I was able to fly over and helped out by cutting fabric. I put the pins back in the fabric the wrong way and for a long while afterwards Birgit would know which fabric bolts I had cut LOL. I have been to Quiltfest the last 2 years running, but this year I just couldn't afford to go. SO I wish Birgit every success and hope that I can make it next year!

Anyway, back to the flower. This is what the finished charity quilt will look like:


And here's the blurb, with a link to download the pattern from Birgit's site as long as you adhere to the copyright conditions...:

"LET THE FLOWERS BLOOM!"

"It’s a tradition that every year Birgit Klein and Ula Lenz offer a pattern for Quiltfest available as a free download. This year it’s a flower. You can find the pattern here (scroll down to arrow).

The finished size is 20x20 cm (8x8 inch). Not neccessarily that easy to sew, but a lot of fun to make.

The flowers will be collected by Patchcom and we will be putting them together to make a quilt for „Aktion Lebenshilfe“ in Böblingen that will be raffled at their Christmas celebration.


Just a note regarding Copyright:
You may download the Flower pattern for private, non-commercial, use to use as often as you like, but you may not offer the pattern on websites or Blogs without express consent of Patchcom-Birgit Klein. It is not permissable to use or distribute this pattern in any form for commercial purposes."



And, I'd love to see them if you make any :-)

Another little tease...

Now what is this?
It's all I could manage this evening and it's for a charity quilt a friend is putting together, BUT that's all I'm telling you tonight LOL.
I have to say that after piecing my rose...

I felt almost paper-pieced out,

but I think I may be getting into it again.

On another note my absolutely darling SIL is in Canada and I had asked her if she was near a quilting shop to pop in for me. If she saw any browns or star fabric she was to feel free to buy me some. She texted today to say she'd been in one, but not seen anything LOL. Just as well, because I really don't 'need' anything do I? :O)

Blooming Marvellous

Phew! I just need to fix a little leaf (or two), but it is done, and boy am I pleased. I have paper-pieced my heart out with this project or as I kept thinking as I was sewing "This is not foundation-piecing for the faint-hearted!" LOL.
It will just get a little border and then some hand quilting and embroidery and then I can shout "Ta Dah".
I have really enjoyed it over the months it's taken even though it's definitely NOT perfect.


I have also finished the hospital quilt tops - the borders along with a lot of the rose piecing were part of last nights efforts - These tops will hopefully go to Vicky this week. She'll get them finished off with the help of some other ladies in my LQG for the premature baby units at 2 of our local hospitals. I also cut loads of strips for more so the strips will be donated too and if anyone in the group has nothing to do , they can make more baby quilts!


And the post brought my winning postcard from Kate's Washer challenge...
very nice, now where to display it?

Big trouble brewing

I'm about to be in big trouble.... Around about this time last year we started building work on an extension to our little cottage. We decided to add a new bedroom downstairs. The cottage has/had an unusual layout with the bedrooms and bathrooms downstairs, and the lounge, kitchen and conservatory upstairs (for the views one presumes!). Anyway 2 bedrooms (and one very small one at that) was not going to be enough with another little might on the way, soooo we decided to extend. I was about 6 months pregnant at this point, but not worried because the builders 'promised' (don't make me laugh!) they'd be done in 6-8 weeks. I'd still have a 6 weeks to prepare and nest and if all else failed they had a months grace and I'd have about 2 weeks to prepare and nest. I can't remember the date of this picture, but I remember we were way over schedule already...

As if that wasn't bad enough with no kitchen wall and exposed to the elements, we then had no roofers. I got extremely 'excited' and made it pretty darn clear to the builders that this was no good. My midwife said I'd probably not have the baby until a roof was on as I was, needless to say, pretty stressed. (Toby was born about a week after the roof was on - he was 4 days late!)

A year later, why are we still building? Well DH has decided to change the entire layout of the house... the bedroom we added became the lounge, the old lounge became the master bedroom (still next to the old kitchen at present!). We will gain 2 bedrooms and a bigger lounge, we'll have access to our garden and we will have access from the house to the laundry/my sewing room. This will all be fabulous as I currently have to go outside to get to my sewing room EXCEPT I will have to move everything out to allow for the wall to be bashed into a doorway. EEK! Firstly, where am I supposed to put everything and secondly, when he sees the sheer proportions of my fabric/UFO/sewing stuff will I still be a happily married woman?

I phoned a friend to see if she'd like some baby fabric for one of our LQG's charities, she said if I made it up into tops, she'd finish them for me. What do you mean for me? I was trying to give the fabric away! Now I have to find the time to make tops and 'distribute' my stash around the rest of the house - not easy when the house is chaos! Being charitable is hard work or as my Step-FIL says "No good deed ever goes unpunished" LOL.
Joking aside least a few FQ's will find a good home, but where am I going to hide the rest!!!


I have been uncertain to post photos of my sewing room, as this is probably the worst it's been for a while, but I see it as a bit of a 'before' photo. Perhaps 'after' will be an improvement. DH was tidying up today and it always makes me nervous. I said to him..."lets just face it we're both messy, and not one is messier than the other". I thought if I sounded tolerant of his mess he might be a bit more understanding of mine... Here's hoping.