Octagon Shimmer - a new quilt start

About 10 days ago I was browsing through the blogs I follow when I saw a fabulous baby version of the Octagon Shimmer quilt pattern made by Erica at Kitchen Table Quilting. I really loved it, and I couldn't get it out of my head and a day or two later it was clear to me that I just *had* to make a version myself. I really love that compelling feeling where you just absolutely have to get started on a quilt; to be honest, it has been a long long time since I felt that way about sewing anything.

I immediately got cutting out my pattern pieces and auditioning fabrics. The original pattern has quite a dark colour palette and although initially plum, aqua and grey were floating around in my head as a potential palette, being a favourite combo of mine, when I pulled my fabrics, they just didn't sing to me. I put them aside and started pulling out my pinks and oranges - and then my heart did start to flutter. I added in the aquas I had already pulled and the greys, and I knew it was right.

I started piecing it almost straight away. My sewing time these days is really limited between work, the kids activities and my own swimming - if I get an hour an evening a couple of evenings a week and some time at the weekends I'm doing very well. But, as always when a project catches your imagination, I found myself carving out little windows of time at the machine and this morning found myself with 16 completed half square triangle blocks. I put them down on the floor to have a look and I'm happy with how its coming together. I love that washed out look to it with the contrast between the softness of the low volumes and the saturated prints.

In the pattern, Jennifer Sampou recomends not completing the triangles fully, and auditioning them to figure out what needs to go where, and I can understand why from putting these blocks together. That doesn't suit my style of working terribly well, and ideally I would have a design wall to be able to work off to guide my construction to suit me better but I don't and I think I might need to take her advice for the next few blocks. I don't know how many blocks I'm going to make - I might go to the full size of the pattern but for the moment I'm enjoying making it up as I go along, I will know when I have reached the point that I feel I'm done - hopefully soon (but not too soon!).



In other news, don't forget to pop back tomorrow when signups will be opening for Round 2 of the Big Stitch Swap...

A new swap...coming soon!

It's exciting times around here....Cindy and I are going to host another round of the lovely Big Stitch Swap in the next few weeks!

Loads of lovely friends joined us last time around in making small projects which featured hand stitching as a main focal point of the design. These were some of my favourite projects from that swap!

For this swap, the guideline is again that hand stitching of some variety is a significant contribution to the swapped item.  It can be embroidery, hand quilting, cross stitch...what ever you like. Projects will be along the scale of a iPad cover, Kindle cover, a zippy pouch, a fancy notebook cover or a tote bag.

We'll be posting details early next week so watch out because this will be a small swap with only 50 places...we hope you will join us!

A new make-up bag {Scrappy Box Pouch}

I do love a scrappy project and my scrap bins are overflowing. So I was looking for a project that was suitably scrappy.  Lately, I find I need to bring a little make-up in my handbag with me, something I've never really done before. The joys of hitting 40! So I decided I needed to make myself a little makeup bag to bring with me, something suitably pretty and happy and with a little room in it for more than just a lipstick and a compact.

I've had a look at the Triangle Patchwork Box Pouch in Patchwork Please a few times over the last few years and I kept putting off making it because it looked a little fiddly and complicated. Plus it required photocopying the template which is just another barrier in front of me making things. But when I decided I needed some fun projects to get me back sewing again, I couldn't go past this one, it seemed like it was finally time to tackle it and it was a good size for the pouch I was looking for, perfect for a some brushes and a few necessary touch up products.

I'll be honest, it was a tricky little make. The triangle panels required foundation piecing or cutting out loads of tiny off-set triangles. So I opted to foundation piece which I never really get on with, being completely lacking in spatial sense. I ripped a lot making this. All those angles and piecing it back to front were so challenging for me. Some seams were sewn multiple times. But, in the end, it was worth it for the colourful scrappiness that I ended up with.

The rest of the construction was pretty straightforward although I think if you were not used to making pouches, it might have been a little tricky, as the instructions were sparse on some of the steps. Plus the seam allowances did not match with what was specified - I used a quarter inch seam throughout, rather than the 1/2" specified in the pattern. I left the foundation paper inside and applied my fusible fleece and interfacing over it and it made the sides so lovely and structured, and the quilting works so nicely on it.

 I originally cut the lining wrong, and was freaking out at the start of making it, but a bit (more) unpicking my seams and recutting and it fit nicely. Handsewing it in place was quick and easy.

I used some colourful selvedges at the ends of my zippers as I had no twill tape.

I really love how this turned out and how bright and happy it looks. I used lots of my favourite scraps in it, and every time I look at it I smile.  I'm linking up to Scraptastic Tuesday with this one

Getting started on the New Year resolutions...

Hello again, happy new year! I hope that 2016 has started well for you.

I'm a little late wishing you happy new year, obviously, but we're still officially in January (if only by a few hours) so I hope it's not too cheeky! This January has been a bit of a cold, dark and dreary one for us, with crappy weather conditions since the week after Christmas, a minor surgery for my small boy this week (from which he's almost recovered thankfully) and a very difficult time for some of my best and oldest friends, so I am glad to see the back of it.

One of my new year resolutions was to get back sewing and blogging properly. I have really missed it this last year, and feel like my skills have gotten rusty and I've lost my inspiration. During January I decided that I needed to get moving with a couple of proper new projects and that this might kickstart things for me. Trying to finish out WIPs was just a bit too much for me and not inspiring me at all. The only exception was the Round and Round mini quilt which I finished up last night, and completely love how it turned out. It's been hanging around for a year and a half with no particular plan but I always liked the pattern. The pebble quilting had been in my head to use with the hand quilting but only this week I got around to doing it when I was home with my little man on nursing duty. You get a better idea of the texture here:

I'm going to hang this on the wall, maybe in the stairwell, as it is so cheerful and happy. First finish for 2016, woohoo!

For the new projects plan, I started out by looking for a big, complicated quilt pattern to really get my teeth into. Slightly mad, but you know, I feel sometimes if I'm working on something that's not challenging for me then I just get a bit bored and "meh" about it. So I had a look through my books and decided that the Marcelle Medallion fit the bill.

Yes, one part of me thinks I am gone quite mad taking on such a big pattern when I've done so little sewing lately and my time is so limited, but another part of me is excited and petrified in equal measure, and most importantly, I am feeling like I want to work on it every day which is exactly the point - its a challenge. I love piecing, its my favourite part of sewing, so the fact there is lots and lots of piecing in this will be just perfect for me.

I decided to epp the central star block for accuracy and not being a fan of y seams...so far so good, its not perfect but its getting there. I'm now working on the third quarter so hopefully by the middle of the week my star might be done. It's perfect work for sitting in front of the fire these cold evenings.

I have a broad colour scheme in my head but I haven't it all planned out so its a bit of a "see how it goes" project, which I love. I'm thinking light, bright and airy - pinks, purples, aqua, yellow and maybe some greens along with low volume prints....It may evolve though. I like how the central star is shaping up, I took a bit of a gamble on the colours here as I didn't do a mock up, but it is working I think.

I also started a small project too - the Patchwork Triangle Box pouch from Ayumi's "Patchwork Please" book. I want a pretty little box pouch for my make up essentials for my handbag and this fits the bill. I haven't done any zipper sewing for a good while and the construction is not the most straightforward but that's ok, I will get there.

The first panel was foundation paper pieced with those off-set triangle and honestly, foundation piecing is not my thing and I found it quite difficult. I have very poor spatial sense and the angles and piecing back to front just was a complete headwreck for me but I slogged away till I got it done, while watching the new series of Mr Selfridge on Netflix yesterday. 2 episodes it too me to do this tiny panel!

So that is my update. Suddenly I am sewing again - with a couple of projects on the go - it feels good! (Now, if I could only motivate myself to go to the pool to do my training session for my other big resolution - the Swim a Mile challenge in April - then I would feel even better.)

Hello..from the other side {breaking the silence}

It's been a year! Can you believe that? A whole year since I have blogged. I'm not sure anyone is even reading any more. And it certainly doesn't seem like a year. Time has flown by in the blink of an eye.

 
So, what have I been doing? Well, most of it is pretty much what you'd expect - working, looking after my 3 (not-so) smallies, trying to keep on top of exercising regularly, cleaning the house, cooking dinners - all the usual mum stuff.  There's been lots and lots of homework and music practice (them)......and a little bit of reading (me)...

Seriously, I don't know why I had the deluded notion that as the kids got older, I would get more time back to myself. The exact opposite is true. The older they get, the more homework they get, the more activities they are involved in, the more money they need and the more time commitment is required.  Time and money....quilting is an expensive hobby in both of these terms and sadly, I never appear to have enough of either to spare on quilting these days.

It's been a really busy year though - there's been lots of redecorating and essential upgrading in our house after 10 years of living here, a First Comunion and a couple of 40th birthdays (sob sob).

 

Lots of my friends turned 40 too - there were handmade gifts.

 

 I had my first quilt exhibition with the Modern Irish Quilters...which was really unbelievably fabulous and quite emotional.

 

I finally finished some long over due projects....some Christmas carol singers....

 

And decorating Miss R's room with long planned hoops....

 

And Miss E's cheerio quilt (yes, I did back it and quilt it - with dimple minky - but I forgot to take a photo).

 

I also finally made up this pattern I wrote which had been turning over and over in my head for about 18 months. (just need to finish quilting it)

 

I made some tablet covers...one for an iPad....

 

 and one for a Lumia tablet

 

 
Finally, I became an auntie to twins about 6 weeks ago. Such an exciting time for my brother and his wife.

Of course, it was the best excuse ever to make some cute baby gifts. Scrappy diamonds for my nephew, little baby C....

And scrappy circles for my niece, little baby A.....

 

I still haven't met my nephew and niece - they arrived quite early, and we have had to cancel 2 visits due to my kids and myself being sick but I have everything crossed for next week. The extra time allowed for some more crafting...little handknit cardis.

Anyway...its been nice catching up....hopefully as nice for you as for me. I'll try not to leave it as long next time!

Rainbow crosses {Instagram mini quilt swap}

I've been working away on the little blocks for this mini quilt for the last few weeks. I had the idea for different scaled crosses a while back and I just started making them without planning out the layout too much. Originally I planned the 3" and 6" blocks, and then after making a few I realised I needed a bigger one too for the impact. I had fun piecing these, and they were a little bit addictive to make, even if they did involve a lot of teeny tiny piecing.

Now I need to figure out what I am going to do quilting wise. There are a lot of seams so I feel it needs some machine quilting even though my first reaction was to hand quilt it echoing the crosses. Ideas anyone?

A Fairy for my little Fairy

Last year I asked Kate to do me a custom embroidery design for my baby girl. I wanted a fairy chilling out under a toadstool. Naturally, she came through for me and I got a lovely pattern from her. But I ran into some problems with my eyes which impacted on my ability to do detailed work and had to put the stitching on hold for a few months.

But I finally was able to get moving on it in the last few weeks and I really love her. In the pattern she is reading a book and this is so appropriate for my littlest lady who adores her books; she sits on my knee every evening after dinner and we read all her books together. Then she moves over to sit on her daddy's knee and reads them all again! Even better,  Rachel is obsessed with her little fairy figures inherited from her big sister and her toadstool fairy house, she plays with them every day -they're the first thing she goes to when she comes downstairs every morning. I really love how this embroidery reflects her in so many ways, without it having set out to do so because it was done long before we knew these were things she would come to love. I can't wait to put it up on her wall.