Pincushion Swap

Weeks ago, I got my details for my swapee for the pincushion swap organised by The Modern Quilt Guild of Ireland.  She gave plenty of information so it should have been a really easy job to choose what to make but I think I picked apart the hints & tips so much and almost viewed them as instructions and in trying to incorporate everything, I ended up making myself very nervous and indecisive about the whole thing. 

I had a couple of non-starters.  Picked out my fabrics and started and scrapped a couple of ideas.  In the end, with 2 days left before the swap was due to be posted, I picked fabrics out once again and went for it......apparently my swapee isn't afraid of a bit of colour so I was able to use some bold prints!

It's not a small design but I think she's going to be okay with that!  I went for a pincushion armchair caddy.  So it has two pockets to hold scissors, fabric pens, thread and other bits!  It was fun to make, lots of colour with funky patterns and simple, little quilt sandwiches!

 

It came together pretty fast.  I had some left over binding already made from a baby quilt I did a few weeks ago.  The yellow is a bit out there but I liked it against the pink and and colourful pocket fabric! 


I also got to use a decorative stitch on my machine - finally!  I'd forgotten I have so much choice on the machine because they're never used.  It was pointed out to me during the week how many I have, so I thought it was time to make a little use of them! 




This was my first time making pockets - I'm loving these swaps for making me try new things, otherwise I think I'd stick with quilts all the time.  These are fun little projects to get the old brain working and make something that you wouldn't normally give the time to.  In fact, I think this is my first every pincushion too!  I was going to make one for myself now only I'll be getting one in the post from my secret swapper this week....something I had totally forgotten in the whole process!  Love getting pretty things in the post!

The finished product front and back!

Here's hoping my swap buddy likes it!

Friday Finish (almost!)

So, I took the train to Dublin on Wednesday with my sister-in-law.  I had 4 hours of blissful, uninterrupted sewing planned between the journey there and back as I had no children and no husband with me.  Nobody would be asking for a juice bottle, a toilet break, a hug, a clean nappy or a nose wipe...... total peace!  However, it didn't go to plan.  The trip was great, the train was smooth, it was also half empty which helped but I seemed to be having too much fun to take out my sewing.  Who knew my SIL was so unintentionally hilarious!  I haven't laughed as hard in years so it was totally worth it but it did mean that I haven't anything finished today as planned. 

I did make another baby blanket this week and just need to add the little ones name.  So close to being done.  It's another simple charm blanket with a minky back and it's super soft and snuggly.  I used a Riley Blake bundle again this time, I just think it's so full of imagination and whimsy........ just love it!

My 9yr old was helping me lay it out to chose what went where.  He has strong opinions on the layout!  He's pretty good too, he rearranges it over and over until he's happy!

Every night he asks if I'm going sewing, he considers it his "mum & me time" which I love!

I love, love, love these fabrics - they're so....... BOY!

Charm squares are such a joy to sew up, nice and easy! 

Now to add the name, Donnchadh, it's an unusual spelling but I've been reassured that it's correct.  I think I'll add the lettering with a buttonhole stitch and possibly use some solid fabrics so the name stands out good and proper! 

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I've been working away on the handquilting for my mothers lap quilt.  I like how it's turning out.......

     

I may add a few more lines of quilting but as it's basically finished, I started adding the binding...... my favourite part, binding just finally gives it that feeling of being something useful, something cosy - a finished quilt!  I got to use my wonder clips for the first time too.  I had been eyeing these up in the The Quilt Shop, Tuam for ages but didn't think I needed them (needs vs. want, it's a constant battle in my poor brain) but you know what?  They're very handy! 

 

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The postman has visited our house numerous times this past two weeks but because I've been so good in my need vs. want argument in my own little brain, none of it has been for me.  Until today that is!  I came across a super sale online from Vibes and Scribes in Cork and y'know, let's just say it saved me money to purchase my books from them!  At least that's what I'm telling myself! I got a gorgeous delivery of some beautiful books with a flat rate shipping cost of €3.95 no matter how much you buy.  They're worth checking out as they dabble in lots of crafts and as the postage costs are so good, I know I'll be back to them!  Thanks Vibes and Scribes!!

Swooooooooooooon!

I've been taking part in a quilt-along on Flickr.  I think there are over 100 of us doing the same project.  It's called Swoon and you can purchase it over at the Fat Quarter Shop by clicking here!  It was Fairyface Designs that originally posted about it and I thought I would try it.  It's the first time I've ever taken part in a quilt-along of any type.  It's quite exciting to see everyones progress as they go.  The Swoon is just such a pretty pattern and can be so individual based on your colour choices.  For once in my life, I didn't have any clue what colours to choose this time so I had a bit of help.  I took it block by block, picked out two at a time and some were chosen by the helpful bunch at my Tuesday sewing class! 

Each block took about 2 hours, the first took a little longer but at a finished size of 24.5inches, they were very fulfilling to make!!  I've never seen a quilt top grow so fast!

   

 

 

I ended up with blue/green tones on the first four and red/pink on the second four so I decided to use some of my scraps to make up a scrappy centre block....... I quite like it!

 

When I had it all pieced together, I put it on my bed to check the size and although it was perfect for a double bed, my bed is a kingsize and I liked the finished product enough to want it for MY BED!!





So, I started a flying geese border using a 3" paper piecing pattern.  It gave me an extra 6 inches on the top and bottom and both sides and once added to the quilt, it made it drape on my bed perfectly!   The border also used up all my scraps from the flying geese triangles.  I added a very small amount from my own stash towards the end but they blend so well, I have trouble spotting them.  I am so happy with the finished product but think I'm a bit obsessed with flying geese now and am constantly googling ideas for another one project I can use them for!




And this is it...... the finished quilt top!  What do you think?  And now I have to decide how to quilt it.  I'm stumped!  

Working on my PHD?

I was searching for the meaning of something the other day, quilting has so many "terms" and although my husband would insist that I speak it fluently, I am sometimes stumped by a term on a blog or pattern.  Anyway, I found what I was looking for but in the meantime I came across these while searching.  It's a fun list of  "Vital" Quilting Acronyms from the The Quilters Club of America .........I  think I need to adopt some of these, they're fun!

BDNQ - Bad Day Not Quilting

CAT - Creating Artistic Treasures

COP - Creative Ongoing Project

DOG - Deciding Ongoing Gem

FART - Fabric Aquisition Road Trip

FIU - Finish It Up

FUN - Fabricating UNlimited

HSY - Haven't Started Yet

PEBCAK - Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard

PEBSMAQ - Problem Exists Between Sewing Machine And Quilter

PHD - Project Half Done (as in, "I'm working on my PHD")

PIGS - Projects in Grocery Sacks

QFH - Quilt from Hell

RUF - Really Ugly Fabric

SABLE - Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy

SEX - Stash Enhancing eXperience

STASH - Special Treasures All Secretly Hidden

SQ - Stupid Quilt

SQUID - Sewing a Quilt Until I Die

UFO - UnFinished Object (unfinished quilt)

TGIF - Thank God It's Finished!

WHIMM - Works Hidden In My Mind

WIP - Work In Progress

WISP - Work In Slow Progress

WIVSP - Work In Very Slow Progress

WIWMI - Wish It Would Make Itself

WOMBAT - Waste of Money, Batting, and Time

UFO's (Un-Finished-Object's)

I've been dying to share something for the past week but I seem to have my finger in a lot of pies and have nothing finished and ready for showing.......

After plenty of procrastination, using materials previously bought for this and losing the quilt top for a few months, I finally got my mums lap quilt basted so I started quilting that this week.  I was going to fly through it on the machine but decided that the flannel material would be nicer with a good, thick hand quilted stitch.  I love how it's working out and I'm about 50% of the way through it.  I'm travelling to dublin in a couple of days, I think I will take the bus or train so that I can work away on it.  I can't wait to have it finished, it's so cosy!

 

I've also been working away on and am basically finished my Beside the Seaside Quilt.  It's been months in the making but I'm just about ready to add binding.  I've enjoyed doing this one so much but every so often had to put it aside for a few weeks because there is so much different quilting patterns and I did it by hand in a really tight, tight stitch so it was labour intensive......

I used a lot of templates but on some parts I just free-styled it and did a bit of a stipple...really just to fill space, FAST because I'm so ready for this quilt to be done as my little boys go mental every time they see it.  They are totally in love with this one!

This is one of my little men doing his usual inspection of my work..... at this particular moment he had found a little add on embellishment of an anchor and decide to "drive" the boat with it!












In the meantime, I got my little boy quilt back from the Tuam Quilt Exhibition and wanted to personalise it a little before giving it to my buddy for her little boy!  I used FairyFace Designs Tutorial on how to hand embroider.






The instructions were super, simple and to the point and therefore, very easy to follow!  If I have to repeat instructions out loud so that I can understand them, I just move on and find something easier..... but you never need to do that with tutorials by Fairyface Designs!

This is the almost finished product.....I'll get better pics tomorrow during daylight but I'm digging this new trick so thanks to Sarah @Fairyface Designs! If any of you ever wanted to try quilting, she has some fab tutorials and a list of basic supplies that you'll need!



In the meantime, I did get some niceties in the post!  I won't lie to you, some of them seem very "curtainy" to me but I love the blues and pinks....... so now I'm looking for another project to add to my list that might incorporate some of these vintage & modern mix prints!

..........but maybe I'll try and finish one or two of my ongoing projects first!

Out To Sea

On one of my very quick trips into the Quilt Shop in Tuam last year, I saw this fabulous range (not the tea cups and jugs, though I really love that too) called "Out to Sea".  It's adorable with pirates, pirate ships, portholes and stripes!  I didn't have a clue what to make with them when I picked them up, just knew I had to own them! 

I wanted something easy, something that would give me instant gratification.  I was chatting about this with a friend who popped in today with 2 of her kids for a cuppa, we agreed that with alot of crafts, we love to be able to start something and finish it in a sitting and be able to sit back and enjoy looking at it, using it or gifting it, knowing "I made that" but you don't get that too often with quilting.  You might finish a block, maybe even a simple quilt top but then you have to baste and quilt it which can take just as long so once in a while, it's nice to get that little bit of instant gratification!

I decide to go with a very simple but easy block that we had learned for our Sample Quilt ....... It's typically a corner block but I did it four times and joined it together.  I just knew my son would love it.........

A few friends thought it would be nice as a wall hanging.......but that just wasn't "instant enough" for me so I went with a cushion cover and I was right, he loved it!  He squirreled it away into his bedroom, up onto his highsleeper and the only time I catch a glance of it is when I'm changing his sheets.  It's all wrinkled from use but he loves it and that's what matters (it helps that it's filled with an overstuffed 24" super squishy cushion).

Pics won't turn up the right way for me but you get the idea!

I just thought I'd share this past project with you as I'm still plodding away with the hand-quilting of my seaside quilt.......I'm so close to finishing that I want to keep at it but I don't want to bore you with more pics of it just yet!

Seeing my fabric stash through new eyes!

I really am!  This week, I went and finally got Laser Eye Surgery.  Wow, if I'd have known how painless and fast it was, I would have done it years ago.  To be able to walk in to the room with my glasses on and walk out less than 8 mins later without them and see perfectly.......... UNREAL!

So, I really am looking at my stash with new eyes, no more pushing the specs up my nose, no more rubbing the side of my nose where the glasses were digging in, no more toddlers jumping at me and smashing them into my face!!!  Hooray, it's a whole new world out there for me! No eye make-up for a week though.......... tough, tough times!!  :)

Between travelling to Dublin for the surgery & staying overnight for the check-up, I didn't get much sewing done this week but I did manage to finish my little baby quilt.  My friend had her baby (a boy, yahoo) the day that I attached the binding and then my sewing teacher, Roisin, called about the Ready, Thready, Sew Quilt Exhibition in Tuam asking for both this blanket and my Sample Quilt from last year.  I dropped them off before heading to Dublin and can't wait to see them hung!

This is my sample quilt laid out before I attached the sashing.

Over the next few days, I plan on getting some more of my WIP's done.  I need to add more sashing & borders to my Swoon Quilt and then try and do more of my hand-quilting on my Seaside Quilt....... I've been putting it off and it's time to knuckle down! 

Beside the Seaside - a Lesley Brankin Pattern

So if any of you see me on facebook, instagram, twitter or out in public and I don't have a needle & thread attached to me.......... you have my permission to kick my butt!!!  (really)

Feelin' the love.....

I got a delicious delivery from America yesterday.  My lovely buddy Cyndie sent over 74 fat quarters, YES, 74!!!  I had great fun opening the package which came via Cyndies nieces to Belfast, then repackaged by their mum, my other buddy Eve, collected by courier and finally brought to my door!  A real joint effort and I'm totally feeling the love!

I love these purples, they've got an old-fashioned feel to them!

There are some funky prints here.......ooh so many plans!!

Each pack was just more and more delicious!

Then the half-yard bundles........

Seriously, how cute is this set........ girls in wellies, thunder & lightening and rain drops!!!

Vintage corner........ LOVE them!

and finally, some fillers!

I don't think there is much else to say after such a feast of fabric, I'm off to sit and ponder over what to make first!  Any suggestions?

It's the quiet ones you have to watch......... how true!

We were at a meeting last night.  It's a major feat to keep my twins quiet for five minutes so 1.5 hours is a huge undertaking.  We brought the usual - books, colours, paper etc and finally 45 mins in, I thought of the sticker books!  MEGA!  Out they came and calmness ensued for the next few minutes.  Twin 2, as the hospital christened him, likes to talk his way through everything so he's mumbling "I'm gonna take this sticker, I want this one now, I'm gonna put it here, mammy get the sticker, I like the sticker" and so on, and on and on and on.  He's never quiet but sometimes he's a little less loud.  It can be helpful though, we always know what he's thinking about and what he's planning before he does it.  Twin 1 however, he's a whole 24mins older and should have 24 mins more sense, right?  He's the quiet one, the one that has the innocent face and would never give us a moments trouble......... but he's the one that is lately getting himself into mischief.  I blink and he's climbed 7 foot up into the treehouse and last night at our meeting......... we obviously both blinked and he had stuck stickers up his nose!  He caught my husbands attention and proudly showed him the fruits of his efforts.  Two nostrils blocked with sticky-side-out mushed up stickers and a great big smile! 

My better half took him out to another room to try and extract them and managed to get one nostril cleared but then someone came to tell me I was needed.  I pop out and there's my poor son, my poor husband and two very helpful friends with a needlenose pliers and some kind of red long plastic pokey object and some other set of huge pliers......... they had gone out to their workvans and rummaged around to see if they could find something to help with the extraction.  They were being helpful or trying to be but my poor baby would need a nose the side of a orange for those things to fit up there...... if there was ever a notion of me allowing them to attempt it!! 

We had to head to A&E then as we couldn't see the other sticker it had gone too far up!  A lovely E.N.T doctor with the help of myself, my husband and an equally lovely Paeds nurse used a camera up his nose to find his wayward sticker and eventually we were on our way home with three very tired children and emotionally traumatized parents.  Call me freaky but I couldn't resist a quick picture of the super-long, wiggly-worm camera......... gotta show the child when he's bigger, he'll be impressed then!

So, after a late night for all of us, we're having an easy day.   Naptime came round though and I escaped to do a bit of sewing, accompanied by my 9 year old helper.  I did some straight-line quilting on the little boy blanket.  I had started doing some free-motion quilting on Monday and managed to mess it up completely so I spent the afternoon unpicking it bit by bit, even bringing it to a friends bbq to take the tedium out of it!

Thanks to all my good buddies who took the time to read my blog in the past few days, I really appreciate the feedback.  Don't forget, if you fancy following along with me, you can hit the Subscribe or "Follow By Email" button up on the right and you'll get all the updates!  

In the meantime, if you're online and looking for some easy-browsing, have a peek in at The Blackbirds Nest on Facebook.  Heather is a lovely lady who has many talents including card-making, art, and most recently has transformed some driftwood into something really cute (I won't spoil it if you're gonna stop by).  She's pretty amazing with a crochet needle too and recently hosted a bit of an International Crochet Party where friends, family & kind strangers from across the globe donated their granny squares for a blanket for Heathers daughter who was undergoing some pretty aggressive treatment at the time.  I can't resist sharing one little snippet of it but you'll have to go & see the rest for yourselves!

Stuffing it all in! Too much fabric? Pah!!

How many of us try sewing around our children, try to do a few stitches here and there while counting pins for fear you leave them on the floor and the babies find it with their metal detector big toes?  In my house, it's well known that I will ALWAYS leave behind some pins.  I even borrowed my 9yr olds big magnet to scour the floor when I'm finished and while it helps....... there is always a stray pin when I sew! I got a lovely picture message from my husband when I was at the hair dressers one day.  I wondered why he was sending me a picture of the floor, though I was happy enough that the kids didn't wreck it completely while I was out.......maybe that's what he was trying to show me?  So I zoomed in so that I could, y'know, really appreciate how clean it was............. but then I saw it, the stray pin!  Why is it that it's always my husband that finds them??  I promise, I do try to keep track!

Well, at the end of it all, it did help with my argument that I needed a "proper" spot for sewing so finally, last week, my dearest, darling superman of a husband (I call him that when I get my own way) dismantled the bed in the spare room so that I could put my desk up there.   I've yet to get to Ikea to kit it out properly but in the meantime, I've managed to claim a few items from around the house for storage.

 

This piece of kit was in my husbands office. 
I call it my Roly-Poly-Oly-Follow-Me-Anywhere-Holds-Everything Sewing Box!

Don't tell the kids because I don't think they missed it yet but this is so handy for my scraps
& fq's at the moment - though right now it's bursting at the seams...

 Now I'm wondering if they have anything else I might find useful?  Although, I really should find somewhere for the toys that came out of these boxes first!!!

I managed to nip in to The Quilt Shop in Tuam yesterday to get some more batting for my mums lap quilt.  I had bought it previously but got over eager with another project one day and used it up!  Was an exciting day in the Quilt Shop as Róisin had a massive new delivery in.  If she wasn't so busy, I think I'd have abandoned my family for the day and sat and just gazed at the fabric. 

My plan was to baste Mums quilt last night but I carried on and basted the baby quilt that I had done the day before.  The more I look at it, the more I love the bright, basic colours.  My two boys keep looking for it since the day they checked it over........ the airplanes are their favourites!  Just gotta find my machingers now so I can quilt it! 



I used more of the Ikea pillowcases to back it, I think it works well against the brightness of the front.  I used scraps from the front to piece the cases together and help tie it in.

Well, I'm off to a big BBQ at some friends.  They've promised a Slip & Slide if the weather holds so gotta go pack some towels and clothes changes....... should be fun!

Aren't Mums just amazing!!

I was wondering how I'd fit in some sewing today.  I had very cranky 2yr old twins and ALOT of housework to catch up on!  Mum to the rescue however - she messaged to say she'd come and spend the afternoon with the kids so I could take off and do whatever I wanted.  I said," I'm heading to my little attic nook to do some sewing duuuuuuuuuuude"!  She kept the boys happily amused, they kissed me and literally pushed me out the kitchen door to go to "work".........she even did the ironing while entertaining them!  Now who could ask for more?

So, I have a pile of pregnant friends.......... not only those who are getting large in the frontal area but those who have told me on the quiet that they're pregnant.  I have alot of secrets to keep these days!  However, it conveniently gives me plenty of time to plan some handmade gifts!  But in the meantime, I have a friend who is due any day now.  I still don't know whether she's having a boy or girl so I made the quilt up above a few weeks ago!

It's so fresh - loads of girly colours but not all of them pink!  I've never been a big fan of too much pink but I do like it mixed with lots of other pastel shades!  (or with deep purples)

How about this binding.......... it's a real candy stripe.  I think it gives the quilt a delicious injection of life!  I have to say, I love it!

So today, I started working on a very simple boy design.  I would love to do something personalised but without a name or anything, that's hard!  No really, it is!!  So, it's just a simple one, the top made in just over an hour.   I used Riley Blakes Scoot fabric and had my boys check it out after.  They like to get the feel of any project I'm working on, they test it to make sure there are no weak spots and make sure I know which fabric is their favourite!

See those deep navy spot squares?  They were from my bargain basement dive in Ikea a couple of weeks ago.  It was a new find for me.  They had a big bin full of bits of bed linen - duvet covers, pillowcases, cushion covers, seat covers etc........and you could fill a plastic bag to bursting for just €10.  So, I thought I'd give it a bash and pumped my bag full of 100% cotton pillowcases!  I got some great stuff and they're proving very useful.......... this is the second pillow case I've cut up this week and have about 30 more to go, in all different colours and designs!!  Two full drawers of Ikea's wonderfulness!

Okay, so before I go, I've one more thing to share with you!  If you haven't already come across it......now is the time to check out Nellies Niceties.  It's a super blog and they're currently running a brilliant giveaway for a gorgeous, very drool-some quilt kit!  I have my fingers and toes crossed.........well, I will once I stop typing!  Wanna see the quilt?  Oooooooooh, OK then, you twisted my arm........  There it is ------------------>
It's called Sneaky Stars, how cute is that?  If you have been wanting to try your arm at something different.......head on over and enter the comp!!

The weather in Galway is............... a little wet today!  We have had Tornado warnings and the first one was seen off the coast in Salthill this morning........ found this picture on facebook and had to share!  Wish I was there.......
 

I love crazy weather but when you live in Ireland..........you either have to embrace it or you're gonna be one very sad individual!  I love that our climate gives us cause to wear our raincoats in July and our sunglasses in January!!!

So, while I might not be on the Promenade in Salthill today.......... this is the view I'm privileged to have and on a slow day like today, it's just perfect.

Listening to the rain belting down on the skylights and looking out at it from my cosy couch.  Thankful that i don't have to be out in it today like those at the Galway Races.  FB is flooded with pictures of the ladies dressed to impressed, hair all styled and hats to rival My Fair Lady, let's just say, I'm happier here!


I'm having a bit of a lazy day today, trying to decide what sewing today.  I've a few works in progress that I can get on with.......

I'm making a little lap quilt for my mother from a kit that a lovely lady sent me in the post.  This one is on the go a looooooooooooong time since it promptly went missing about 8 months ago after I got this far and only turned up last week! 

I'm also working on my #swoon2013 quilt.  So close to finishing but I'm in need of a change of pace so think I'll shelve that for a few days anyway.....

I should also do some work on my hand-quilting of my Seaside Quilt.......... 
Of course, I could just start something new.  Would love to make a quilted bag and a table runner, or some placemats....... Oh decisions, decisions.  Maybe I'll go make some lunch and decide on a full belly!