March ...

 and another bag making day with Jennifer ...

I have taken my medallion quilt to a long arm quilter to have it partly quilted.  When I get the quilt back, I will hand quilt around the appliqué.  Spent a day preparing the quilt - removing all the threads from the back (what a tedious task) and pressing and preparing the backing!  Note to self - in future keep the back of quilts tidy as you go along!

And now I'm working on some free motion quilting!  One of my New Year's Resolutions (of which I had many) is to crack free motion quilting on my machine!  I've had this Moda layer cake called Noteworthy since 2014!  I just love the design with all the little notes written over it! 

Before Christmas I pieced the quilt top using a pattern by Sherri McConnell from her book 'Fresh Family Traditions'.  

It's a simple pattern which was ideal because I wanted to be able to quilt the quilt myself and also I wanted to still be able to read the notes on the fabric!  The first thing I did was to stitch in the ditch all over the quilt to secure it.  This was a tip I got from Steph at Cupcake Cottons!  This took me ages because I kept having to check the back wasn't puckering up!  I need to work on my basting technique!

Once stitched in the ditch, I free motion quilted a doodle design - block by block.  It is the first time I have free motion quilted such a large quilt.  I took my time and did a bit each day and my stitching gradually improved...

It's not perfect by any means but I am pleased with the end result.  And I know that I'll improve, the more I do.  Next month I'm going to make another quilt which I've had planned for years and have all the fabric for!  Again, it's a simple design which will piece really quickly and then I will be able to spend my time free motion quilting it!

And finally, as you know, I go to a class once a month at Cupcake Cottons.  Steph calls our class the Friday Flanges!  This month we made bags as some of the girls hadn't made a sewing bag yet - hard to believe I know!  As I have made several .... I used the same design to make a beach bag ...

I made the buttons myself using a gadget my friend Jennifer told me about ...

It was so easy to use!  I ordered the button maker by Debbie Shore from The Pattern Den and I have to say how impressed I was with the service - I got an individual confirmation email from Diane telling me she thought the button maker was great,which I thought was a lovely touch!

I am totally bagged out now, so it's back to proper quilt making for me!

Vanessa x

ps:  March houses ...