Filling in time ....

I can't go anywhere without taking some quilting, just in case I have some time to fill!  Are you like that?  Well, I'm here in Bath waiting for Poppy to arrive and so I've put a border around my mother hen and two chicks and I'm thinking about how to quilt them.  Think I'm going to use my favourite blanket stitch around the border and two little hearts on the chicks ...

Also thought I had better finish my intermediate quilt I made at Cupcake Cottons last year, as Steph is beginning to ask for items for her exhibition!  I need to finish the hand quilting and bind it then it will be ready to go ...

find hand quilting difficult at home because my cocker spaniel, Archie, loves to come along and sit on whatever I'm sewing !  I don't want my exhibition piece to be covered with dog hairs !!!

So good to be back in class!

It was SO good to go back to Cupcake Cottons this morning!  I really missed not going last week!  Spent a lovely morning with Steph and Sarah sewing and chatting :)

Started my next project which is for a very dear friend of mine ......

I'm going to ask her to name it !

Need to sew!

I needed to sew today!  So to get back into the swing I made a couple of chicks to go with the chicken I pieced a couple of weeks ago and here they are ......

The chicken, if you remember, was a trial piece for a quilt I'm going to make.  The chicks I designed myself and although they are not perfect I am pleased with them.  I don't like to waste anything that I sew so I'm going to turn them into a cushion cover!

Lampshade .....

I can't believe I'm so excited over a lampshade

but I think it's made from the fabulous American Jane Tape Measure fabric by Moda!  I haven't been able to get any of the fabric but I have the lampshade!!!

Exciting ...

it's so exciting to receive fabric in the post!  Thank you Avery Home Store up in Edinburgh for sending me this beautiful fabric ...

and with a free gift too!  Thank you!

Blog Manual?

I'm slowly trying to get to grips with blogging!  I've received a post from Freshly Pieced about linking and grabbing things?  How do I do this?  Anyway, Lee at Freshly Pieced, I love your blog and I haven't got any WIP (work in progress) to show at the moment but I will soon !  Have I linked with you now?

Think I need a good blogging manual !!!

Great British Sewing Bee!

I absolutely love Tuesday nights and the Great British Sewing Bee!  So much so that I've had to buy the book ...

Fantastic show - well done the BBC !

Scrap quilt details ...

I just wanted to mention that the pattern for my scrap quilt came from Popular Patchwork magazine!  The pattern is called "Sew a sampler" and it's designed by Davina Thomas.  It's been running over several months with a new row of blocks being released each month.  It's a great way to use up your scrap fabric!

While my daughter sleeps .....

Whilst Poppy is sleeping, I've been listening to some beautiful piano music by Ludovico Einaudi and finishing the final block for my scrap quilt!  I've stitched the final rows together and here it is ...

I'm really pleased with the end result - it's SO fussy which I love!  I realised as I was making it, that all the different scraps I used, I love.  So that is the answer I think .... always buy fabric that you LOVE and whatever you do with it, you'll end up loving! :)

Actually, this quilt has taught me a lot.  It's given me revision on all the piecing techniques I've learnt over the last couple of years and it's taken the pressure off choosing the right fabric as I've realised there is no right or wrong fabric!

Favourite blocks are ...

adore paper piecing and

love log cabin and absolute favourite flying geese !  In fact, as the quilt seems to me to be long and narrow, I might add a row of flying geese along each side to fatten it up....  I'll let you know !

Bath!

Spending a bit of time in Bath .... naturally had to bring some sewing stuff ... I'm lucky to have a wonderfully understanding husband !

it's a lovely light space for sewing ...  perhaps I should offer it for "sewing weekends"?

two more blocks made for my scrap quilt!  I haven't bought a thing for this quilt and I can't wait to show you the end results!  Just one more block to make and then I'll be putting it together ... very excited ... watch this space to see more!  Think I'm going to make a scrap backing for this quilt too and I'm going to call it My Free Quilt as I've spent nothing on it - it's free!!! :)

I really do love chickens!  This is the fab painting my friend Theresa painted for me for my birthday ...

isn't she clever?  Thank you so much Tree!

Found this lovely chicken fabric in a sewing shop at Royal Wootton Bassett this morning and couldn't resist purchasing a small long quarter!!!!

Lots happening  ...

Velma, Poppy, Tom, my lovely Dad at Aunty Pauline's birthday party ...

Aunty Pauline, Velma and Poppy ...

the beautiful birthday cake made by my lovely sis-in-law Jo Jo!

my three mad friends - Maggie, Theresa and Sue - making me laugh on my birthday !

Strawberry and cream cupcakes made by my wonderful daughter Poppy for my birthday !

Had a great Easter break but it was lovely to go back to my quilting class this morning at Cupcake Cottons!  Started back gently with a few blocks for my scrap quilt I'm making from the monthly blocks in Popular Patchwork magazine ...

Whilst there I just HAD to buy a couple of fat quarters .......

and this cricket fabric arrived all the way from the USA!  Think it's really funny that I'm ordering cricket fabric from the States!!!  But thank you Spoonflower for sending it over!!!