HURRAY!

I have finally finished all the stitchery blocks, there were 17 to do in total.

Now onto making the quilt blocks! Now have I enough red fabric for this?!

Few things I have been doing

Last weekend DD wanted to make a pencil case, using, but of course her Mum's fabrics and here is the result.

She needed help with the zip, but the rest was her idea as to which fabrics and how she wanted them to appear.

I finally put the finishing touches to my Hex Purse that appeared here, but changed the stitchiery which I found in Stitch with Love by Mandy Shaw. And the other sewing bag with various pockets inside is a pattern by The Birdhouse.

The Hex purse involved over 80 paper hexagons, anyone that has classes with me knows that I love hand sewing.

I am hoping to this week to sandwich this quilt and get it finished in time for Christmas. It's red, so will go nicely over the sofa.

I haven't this year made anything new in the way of Christmas projects, just haven't had the time. The Nativity scene will have to wait yet another year. Let's see if in 2013 we will finally get it finished. DD in term time really doesn't have much free time, so maybe in the long summer holidays we could finally get down to finish it. Let's wait and see!!





Work in progress

I have finished the "Blessings" quilt and now just waiting for my DH to come home so that I can hang it up in my sewing room. At the moment I don't have anything hanging up in the room.

Do you remember this well I have finally finished all 48 blocks and am piecing them together. So far I have three rows sewn together, just another 5 rows to go.

And as a diversion, I made myself another pincushion, as if I don't have enough to do already, but it was a quick project.

I am hoping to be able to get some more stitchery done on Gail Pans "Busy Little Christmas Elves" but I don't think it will be finished for this Christmas, maybe 2013!
Thats all for now.

Blessings

Yesterday, as I was at home for the first time in ages, and not for happy reasons, I decided to make a small quilt. This was from a quilt along here called "Blessings" and the blocks are 4" x 4" finished. I have only now to quilt it, which won't take too long! And hang it up in my new sewing room!

 
It was very appropriate yesterday to be making this quilt. Those that know me, know that I have been working at Patch-mania, and sadly Ines Touzet, the owner of the shop passed away this week. She will be greatly missed, but I am thankful that she won't have to suffer anymore and that she will be at peace. I wish this horrible illness, Cancer, would someday have a cure.

Ines was an inspiration to Patchwork here in Portugal in opening peoples eyes to what Patchwork is really about. I am sure that Carolina will do her best to continue with the shop and in getting more people to be drawn into the world of Patchwork, we need more people to take an interest in this lovely craft.

Latest

Not much has been happening in my world of patchwork. Time has not allowed me to go down into my sewing room and get any work done. Since I started working and with the current situation at work, by the time I have done my daily chores, I am too tired to get out my work. When I do it is mainly handwork. I have managed to put all the hexagons together and now I just have to make a purse out of it. It is a design by Lynette Anderson, but I think I will change the stitchery in the middle. Sorry Lynette!

There were over 80, 1 inch hexagons in this purse, which I have slowly been stitching by hand. And as some of you know, I love handwork.

And today I had an a couple of hours to myself this afternoon, before picking DD up from ATL. So I decided that I would give myself some sewing time, instead of housework and sewed this drawstring bag, which I had bought from Arco Iris A Metro, because I liked the stamped linen fabric!

It will come in very handy to take my stitcheries from Gail Pan's Design "Busy Little Christmas Elves", when we go on holiday soon. Just another 5 out of  17 left to go and then, when time permits I will make the quilt blocks that go with it!

I hope I don't leaving posting for another 2 months!!

I AM STILL HERE

So long since I have blogged about anything I am doing. I managed to do an hour's work the other weekend on this project. Other than that, nothing as since I started working part-time! my spare time has been taken up with being with my daughter and keeping the housekeeping up to date as much as possible. I am so missing getting any time for patchwork. I may be working in a patchwork shop, but no progress being made on any of my personal projects. I hope it won't be too long before I can get some work in. I am so missing my sewing machine. When a pupil needs help on the sewing machine, I am so pleased. Sounds strange, but I so love patchwork.

A LITTLE SEWING BAG

I am still slowly working my way through "Some Kind of Wonderful". This is the latest finish, one side has the patchwork and stitchery from the book

and on the other side I added a stitchery from the book L'atelier de Lilie.

It came out so sweet, that it will now be my travel bag for my stitchery and cross stitch projects that are on going.
AND I made this door stop, as well!!

I am still working on my Saturday Morning quilt, but took a break to make these small and at times fiddly projects, which involved some hand sewing, which I really love to do. I know that it isn't always a good idea having a couple of projects on the go, but I needed a change.

SATURDAY MORNING!

On my recent visit to the UK, I made some purchases in advance from various quilt shops, as I knew I would not have time to visit at least one shop!
I ordered these threads from Angela, who did you know has recently opened a shop in Cheadle, Staffordshire. The one on the left I use for piecing (Prescencia 60/3) and it does go a long way. Still only half way through the one I bought last time (but you can never have enough in stock!!) and the other is King Tut, which I will use for quilting on a long awaited Pineapple Blossom quilt, with fabrics purchased also from Angela, a while back!!!

And now onto "Saturday Morning", this was a kit I purchased from The Quilt Room, along with the Kaleidoscope Double Strip Ruler.

And here is a picture of the fabrics that were inside the pretty packaged box.

and a close up of the red fabrics from Rouenerries Deux fabrics by French General

I have cut all the strips and started to cut the wedges using the ruler, which with the help of the video by Pam Linott which is on their website, makes the work of cutting them sooo much easier than the normal method. I am not normally one for buying these rulers (Oh I did by a Tumbler Block ruler recently), but I am so glad that I bought this one.

And here is one block already made

Only another 47 blocks to go, but with this method of cutting and speed piecing, it shouldn't take too long to finish. She says!!

FULL HOUSE

Do you all remember the cushion I made here, well you are now able to purchase some of the Schnibbles patterns online as a pdf file from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co, via this link. It is great news as you can purchase and download straight away and not wait a couple of weeks for them to come from the USA. I really love her patterns and they are easy to follow.

DD project

DD has been busy these Easter holidays, making this small hand applique wall hanging. She admitted that she enjoyed doing the blanket stitch by hand (sorry Ana!) and wants to do some more!! Thanks Ines for the gift and coming up with the idea.

I wonder what will be next. But it will have to wait for a while as DD is back at school and this last term will be very stressful. So sad that in this day and age that a child of 11 has so much school work and tests to prepare for, but a bit of patchwork may come in handy to stop her getting stressed out and worried.

QUILT FOR MUM

I mentioned the other week that I had been making a quilt, but couldn't show it yet, as it was a gift for someone special, my Mum. Well here is a picture of the finished quilt, that I hand delivered to her this last week.

I hope that it keeps her legs warm, as it isn't easy for her to walk a lot these days. My DD helped me choose the fabric. It was a layer cake by Moda called Strawberry Fields, that was out last year and I really loved the collection (still have a jelly roll to use up!!) DD said that it was Grandma's colours. The free motion quilting was of hearts and loops and in this particular quilt, I decided that it didn't need a border, I went straight to binding.
Mum was very pleased to receive the gift.

SITGES 2012

Last week I flew off to Barcelona to visit a Quilt Fair that was located in a seaside town called Sitges. The weather was really lovely with blue skies.

I was only able to take these photos of the inside of the two tents, as most of the stands would not allow you to take photos. The photo below was at the beginning of the show, but within an hour it was so busy, you see you don't pay admission fee to go in, only if you want to entre the quilt exhibition, which unfortunately this time, we didn't have time to go and see. Next time.

I was very impressed with the way they decorated their stands and what there was on offer, to buy. Too many nice things to entice you to spend, spend, spend. But I was good, I think!
And of course when in Spain you have to have tapas.

I am here still!

Just realised that I have not put anything here for a month! I am still in the land of living. This extra time I have free, I am spending in my sewing room, catching up. DD commented the other day, how much tidier my sewing room is!!
I have finished a quilt top called Anita's Arrowhead, it was just a small quilt to get a feel for the technique, which is so neat. I also tried some free motion quilting with hearts.

And did this pillow using houses,

the pattern is called "Full House" Schnibbles by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co, and it will look so nice on our chocolate sofa. It is a by Carrie Nelson, who has published two books that I am aware of and also there is a collection of patterns called Schnibbles, using charm packs. I really love her work.
And also made this pincushion, using fabric I bought from Patchmania. It is very handy when I am sewing in the evenings.

And finally I am working on a surprise quilt which I can't show yet, as it is a gift for someone special and if I show you it now, it will spoil the surprise. I will eventually put it on my blog. All for now, I must get back to my sewing.

Some more thinks I have been working on

I bought Hatched & Patched´s "Some Kind of Wonderful" book last year of which so far I have made the travel document holder, which will come in handy this year!

And also the pincushion and the two stitcheries that you can see. Not sure whether I will apply the stitcheries for what they were intended for in the book, maybe....

we will have to wait and see me thinks!

What I have been doing.....

I know I said I would get down to some of my UFO´s or PhD's (Projects half Done) as Angela likes to call them, but couldn't resist making a small quilt. You see I had put all the christmas decorations away and the Christmas Wreath Quilt went away and the table was bare. So I just had to make this table topper to freshen the place up and it didn't take me that long. Anyway this is my excuse!

But I can now cross off my list, my finished Bargello Quilt that had been waiting for quilting and binding to be added and here it is,

I love this technique so much, I would love to do a Bargello Quilt that requires 20 fabrics, I have the book just plucking up the courage to make one. BUT I still need to do my PhD´s. Maybe in between doing my PhD´s I could sneak in a new project!! What do you think?

PRESENTS

It is nice to have some more time to myself and actually get around to making gifts for my friends, which in the past I have found difficult to do.
Here is one I made for a dear friend of mine,

and also a friend of my through Sara´s school, who has nothing to do with Patchwork, but I know she likes animal skin and this fabric shouted out to me to make the purse for Anabella.

I still have another delayed present to make, so I shall get onto that next week!! I know that I have some UFO's to finish, but first is the outstanding presents and then.......!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Well I can't believe that we are in 2012. Happy New Year to everyone.

I really hope that this year I shall be able to finish some of my UFO's before starting anything new!!! It is no point in making new year resolutions, as I don't think I will be able to keep to them. All I can say is that I will do my best to finish my outstanding projects.
I have decided to reduce some of my teaching for personal reasons and will now only be doing classes at Patchmania.

Also it will be an interesting year as my DH will be changing jobs and going to yet another country.

So all it leave is for me to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR.