Blue, but not blue!

I finished quilting and binding the first quilt top I made, a year after making it. The fabrics I found when clearing out some cupboards at church years ago, leftover from a forgotten craft group perhaps, and they sat in a box for 3 years until I decided to follow my sister's lead and try quilting. It turns out that the print is Kaffe Fassett, not too shabby eh?! So I made some nine patches, white sashing, and strips of 2.5" squares and sewed it all together. And then it sat in a bag for a year. But now it's complete. I used an old duvet cover for backing, and ready made bias binding which I bought before I learned that quilters make their own binding. That said, it was so easy to attach, and the corners were perfect first time, so I may go ready made again some time! 

It is going on my son's bed- he likes that he had his own 'blanket' and likes the blues! 

Quilts are fun for making tents out of! 

And in other news, I'm back to school like so many others out there in blog land. I just had time to stitch together a new book bag!

It's made from lovely upholstery fabrics, 3 different chenille/ tapestry scraps I had. Don't look too closely at the lining though, I attached it in a mad rush on the first morning of school!!

Linking up to Kelly's Needle and Thread Thursday- it's nice to have a big finish to share!http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/needle-and-thread-thursday_18.html?m=1

 
 

 

Quilting in Mallorca!

This is a little post, just showing a tiny bit of a WIP- but really it's about the backdrop to the patchwork! Had a great week in beautiful Mallorca, and in between the beach and pool, and fun with friends and family I got a little bit of hand work done. I also put my new sewing kit to good use.

I thread basted hexagons...Photographed them in an orange tree..

 

And managed to finish just one hexagon flower ! 

I think it looks pretty next to the Bouganvillea! 

Final pic of a tired boy, full of holiday sunshine, but glad to be home again!

 I'm going to link up to Needle and Thread Thursday, even though it's a tiny offering compared to all the lovely big quilts out there! http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/needle-and-thread-thursday-and-scraps.html?m=0

 

 

 

 

Holiday Sewing

I have finally managed some sewing in my summer holidays- hooray! First a quilt top for a baby girl. 

 It's a bit bright and crazy, hence the white sashing to calm it down. I ordered a whole lot of kiddy prints and then put them all in- no editing at all! I'm looking forward to quilting it once I have a backing.

Next a present for my sister, and one for me too. I wanted to make a little sewing kit, and found a brilliant tutorial at Lots of Pink Here http://lotsofpinkhere.blogspot.co.uk/p/tutorials.html . I'm sure I've seen other people in quilt blog land making them. Anyway, it is a great clear tute, with great photos- I've learnt some useful sewing techniques along the way.

I like the idea of my sister and I having similar kits, one being used in the U.S., and one in the UK. I'm planning to take mine away with me on my travels- if I get organised with some stuff to make some more hexi flowers.

And finally, I'm nearly finished a third sewing kit for my mum's birthday present, that I need to get in the post before I go away. 

So all in all I'm pleased! I would have got a bit more done if I hadn't had to re-seal the bathtub to stop my kitchen ceiling leaking...but that's another story! 

 

 
 

 

Finished it Friday

Well this is a life finish, not a sewing finish. I said goodbye to my school, my colleagues, the kids - with a tear in my eye and a smile on my face. I'm sad to leave, and excited to move on too. I guess all endings are also beginnings.

One souvenir coming with me is a quilt! We had about 10 of these, made years ago by students, hanging in the school hall. Sadly they are all going to be taken down, so I picked a favourite to rescue. I don't know who made each square, but they are done in fabric crayon, hand quilted by the kids- its really lovely.

 This is a favourite block:

And this was what I found on the back- who knew all these lovely prints were hiding there all these years?!

I

I also gave the retirement quilt to its recipient- she loved it, and it was so admired by another dear friend, I went home that evening and finished up the courthouse steps panel into a mini quilt for her. 

So now it is finally my summer holiday. Can't wait to get a bit of real sewing done in the next few weeks- hooray! 

 
 

 

The End is Nigh

Ah, summer! Here in sunny London it has been really hot, nothing like a traditional British summer at all. I am finally winding down to the end of term at school, and trying to tidy and pack up as I am leaving to go to a new job after the summer holidays. As I had so many scraps left over from the retirement mini quilt I made, I carried on and made a pincushion (pattern inspired by Amanda Jean's mini nine patch tutorial).

This is for my colleague who does needlepoint and worked on the mini quilt with me - I hope she loves it!

Then I made a couple of coasters for some lovely colleagues who always had time for coffee and a chat, no matter how busy we were.

And then I just made a kind of courthouse steps panel with scraps for fun, I might make it into a cushion cover for the staff room!

I really must stop now, I have a lot of junk to clear out here in my classroom! I'm linking to Needle and Thread Thursday at myquiltinfatuation, and Finish it up Friday at crazymomquilts. Finally, thanks to those who gave advice on how to fix the no-reply blogger thing - I think I've sorted it out now!

Two Finishes in One Week

What a week! I have been blitzing the sewing, well, blitzing for me anyway. First finish is the Steps Quilt which I finished quilting and binding this week.

I love the binding, some red hearts I found in Ditto Fabrics in Brighton. So satisfying to make a whole roll of the stuff, but less so when I realised that I was about 4 inches short once I had nearly finished sewing it on - a bit of hasty cutting and finger pressing later and I was good to go!

More gratuitous quilt shots...

And then my other finish was the mini quilt retirement gift. Backed with the Ikea numbers print - appropriate for a school teacher I thought! With a closeup of the fabric from the country dancing skirts. Can't wait to give it to her now!

A Retirement Gift

A dear colleague is retiring at the end of this term of school, so I wanted to make her something special. She has worked at the school for over 25 years, and when I found a whole bunch of scraps in the art room it gave me an idea. The fabrics used to be in a set of country dancing costumes (if you are not British or younger than 30 you won't know what I'm talking about! - kids at English schools used to be taught traditional dances in school a bit like square dances) so she should recognise them.

I asked another colleague who is a cross stitcher to make the centre panel, with her name and dates and the school. And I'm turning it into a mini wall quilt. I have a few more weeks to finish it, but the top is done now.


I have a lot of fabric left over, so now I'm thinking about making a big cushion for another long time colleague who's going, and maybe pin cushions for the short termers going elsewhere!

I'm linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday at  My Quilt Infatuation!