The Quilt That Nearly Killed Me

it is done....oh no hang on, it isn't! It is back in the wash! I tell you this quilt is cursed! The sun came out about an hour ago so I decided to go out and take some snaps of it, I tripped over the corner of the quilt and got our lovely local red mud on it!

I took the photo's anyway. I hate this quilt, I cannot wait to start using it, I wont mind roughing it up after the hard time it has been giving me!

in the sunlight you can really see the difference in the white solids I used, the problem with taking a year to do something and not buying enough to start with! It seems ok indoors though.

I quilted using a tiny loopy fmq within the white birdie blocks, with a zig zag in the coloured borders and fmq swirls with a couple of little feathers in the white borders

This is my glamorous assistant Ted, he is not showing the scale of the quilt as he is unofficially the worlds largest cat. The quilt measures in at approximately 52"x67" 

Backed using a spotty flat sheet from Asda, spot the rucks and gathers!

Quilt Stats:

'The Quilt that Almost Killed Me'
Little Miss Shabby Birdie Stiches BOM
Blocks made in Santorini by Lila Tueller from Moda
1 layer Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 batting
FMQ and Machine ZigZag
Single fold binding hand sewn down to back

I fmq in the large white outer border ' Some day i'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me where laughter falls like lemon drops away above the chimney tops thats where you'll find me' using my Aurifil 12wt cotton sample from the Fat Quarter Retreat

I had just enough! 

Now I may cause a bit of controversy here but I wasn't impressed with the Auriful. It keep snapping every few stitches which was most infuriating. I changed my needle to the one recommended on the Aurifil website and went very slowly but it was little help. I persevered because I had started and didn't want to unpick what I had done, but it did take 2 sittings over 2 days to do the very small amount of fmq in the outer border because of constantly having to rethread. It may be my pfaff but I'd be interested to know others experience of this thread because I do love the look it gave. I must say that when I used the 40wt to hand sew the binding down I could see what the fuss was about because it was so smooth and didn't snag once, something I usually do a lot!

Finally I just wanted to show you a little area of my garden that made me smile today whilst I was out taking photo's. I love the ferns growing out of the walls and the fushia's up the stone steps to the hayloft, presents from my lovely mother in law.

And I love the way the raindrops pool on the leaves of this ladies mantle, they are like water gems, so glittery!

Finishing on a sprint!

When I wrote this list 3 months ago I really didn't think I would get even more done than I listed. But I have!

I got a replacement foot pedal for my machine on Friday and I haven't stopped quilting since! Birdie Stitches was on my second quarter list to finish the July block, not only did I do that but I finished all the other blocks, made the top and now it is quilted, bound and in the wash!! I am typing this blog now as I have run out of colour catchers but I threw it in the wash anyway, I just want this quilt over and done with! Hopefully I will have some non-runny pictures to show you tomorrow ;-)

I also made my mother-in-laws 70th birthday present as blogged about last week

Made 2 quilts for siblings together

And made some more granny blocks for Trudi's group quilt for Siblings together

I also made my sample swap items for the FQR

And last but not least I made my partners name badge for the FQR too.

So I achieved everything I set out to, yay! I have linked up to Rhondas party and I can't wait for the next quarter. Now I am really looking forward to getting my head into the In the Frame Purse Swap and BQS3, I have made a good start one one, more to do though! And getting back on the machine to do something fun now it is working again and that pesky horrible birdie quilt is done and dusted!

Whoops missed my blogversairy!

Oh dear, whoops! Little bit of an anti-climax was my blogversairy, so busy working on VIP's (very important projects) was I that I completely missed it! Still, sewing had to be the best way to celebrate it!

Hmm, a little disappointed nobody sent cake ;-)

For anyone who is interested it all started a year ago on the 17th June with this post. I am amazed daily by the kindness and support of the online quilting community and so honoured to call some of these wonderful people my friends *grin*. Had you told me a year ago that I would be going to London for a weekend of sewing with these talented bloggers I would never have believed you!

Thanks to each and every single one of you for reading my ramblings, giving kind and encouraging words and telling me off and giving me a kick when I need it, ahem Nicky ;-) I actually love you all, you make me a better, stronger more adventurous person and I wouldn't be where I am now without you (although my husband may have something to say to you about the amount of time I spend in my studio now!!)

Anyway, what have I been so busy on? Well killing two birds with one stone (there is a pun there, honest, you'll get it in a while!) I have been working on the last two outstanding items on my FAL list. My mother in laws birthday is this weekend and I wanted to make her something VERY special because she is special. Without her help I wouldn't have been able to come to London and I love her so much. BUT I can't show you for fear she will see it, you will have to wait until next week!

So the other item on the list was to do  my Birdie Stitches block for July. You may have read before now that I have a love/hate relationship with these birdies (read as hate!) So I decided I was going to do something about these annoying little blighter's, see the pun now??!!

Yep that's right I decided to get rid of these winged creatures of torture by finishing the quilt top! I still hate it AND with over a years build up to the quilting I.AM.DREADING.IT! Not least because I managed to make the quilt grow in size a good several inches by adding what is becoming my signature scrappy and white boarders. I also have a very sneaking suspicion that in my haste to get it done and over the top is now less than flat and is going to be a b***er to baste and quilt without getting puckers. Oh listen to me, what a whiner! 

I think deep down I do love it really, this was the first big project/qal I joined in with when I started blogging, I was also the third ever quilt I started making (it is all Cindy's fault btw, I saw her sewing along and had to join in!)

In other news, seeing as the big day is passed I can show you what I made my Dad for fathers day. I used up a remnant from Juliette's old blackout blind, an odd shoelace and a toggle (hehe for presents from rubbish!) to make him a shoe bag for his running shoes. 

I printed off a line drawing of some running shoes, transferred it onto the material and free machine embroidered it. I am still having trouble with the heat transfer pencil, it did work a little here, but I couldn't hold the iron on any longer or the fabric would have melted! And due to the waterproof/blackout coating I couldn't put it upto a light source and trace it. Still, I think they do look like running shoes. Dad was pleased with it at least, he sent me a comment on facebook hahaha ;-)

As for my husband, I didn't make him anything, not because I am mean but because we have enough handmade stuff around the house and I didn't think he'd like a zippy pouch or cushion lol! So I made him a very special lunch instead. A day out on Dartmoor with banger sandwiches cooked al fresco, we had a wonderful day indeed :-)

Happy post

Apologies for my tardiness in blogging this lovely post that came to me, the gods honest truth is that I started using it the moment I unwrapped it and it blended into my life so well it was like I always had it, then I kinda forgot I hadn't blogged it!

I was very fortunate in the recent Mouthy Stitches swap to have Susan as my swap mamma. She heard that my  'real' partner had been suffering really bad flooding and may not be able to sew me up a pouch. Not wanting me to miss out she so sweetly whizzed one up and sent it my way.

Then a few weeks ago a mystery parcel arrived from Australia. I am such a geek when it comes to international mail. Despite having some friends over I still got all excited, what could it be? I wasn't expecting anything. So I ripped her open and found this lovely inside

I love this little covered button and flower.

Fab label and details!

And all these lovely fabrics too! Look at those funky bunnies.

The pouch was made up by Keera who blogs over at Live-Love-Sew. You should go and pay her a visit. I am very pleased she was my partner!

Not much sewing here the last day or so, I scheduled a little housework and hoovering in yesterday and found myself ripping up the disgusting old brown carpet in the bathroom and painting the floor boards and walls white! Whoops! I did manage to finish this block off though

Now onto painting the hallway  stitching up September's birdie block and basting the Siblings Together quilt!

second finish of the quarter!

Wow, if I keep this up I will be done by the end of the month. That is very unlikely however...i'll explain why in a minute.

First of all thanks to the kindness of friends (sewing and quilting folk are SO generous and lovely!) I had the floss I needed to finish this off:

(Boo for drizzly English weather and dark photos!)

So that is my second tick on the finish along list, I have even moved onto the 8th block for August, I am determined to finish this Birdie Stitches quilt this year lol!

Yesterday I managed to find enough odds of thread and finish off the wonky stripes quilt top for Siblings Together. Then I popped out to the local discount store to buy the horrible very reasonable poly wadding to get on and quilt it. They only had 1 roll of 2oz wadding and it was all hard and lumpy, as if it had been over heated and started melting in the bonding process. I told the staff I thought it was faulty but being a discount store they are not bothered and won't be ordering any more in until it runs out. As I cannot afford to buy my usual Hobbs wadding I am a bit stuck now.

My lovely friend Mary is going to 'host' a Siblings Together sewing day on Monday (read as - I am going to Mary's house on Monday to talk a lot, eat some cake and try and get some sewing done!) If we can't source the wadding by then we will spend the day whizzing up blocks with her fabric donated by Celtic Fusion Fabrics.

I cannot wait!