Let's get cutting! Across the Sea QAL

How excited are you right now? Are you ready to get friendly with your rotary cutter? Can't wait to end up with a nice neat pile of fabric like this?



Well then, head right over to Jennifer's blog where the fabric cutting instructions are up!

Blocks, blocks, blocks!

Sunday is a dream day for sewing in this house. After a day off on Saturday and (ususally) a good nights sleep, the extra energy coupled with daylight always give me a boost. So this morning I tackled my Sew Bee Blissful blocks which I have been avoiding for the last couple of weeks for fear of ruining them.

Jenna wanted a double pinwheel block, and, to be honest, it was very straightforward once I figured out what fabrics I was going to use where. She sent me these bright and colourful fabrics and I added a little white as well.

This is the first time I've used starch, strangely enough and I think I overstarched the fabrics for the first block. It very possibly could stand up all by itself (sorry Jenna!). But I think it turned out ok, here it is:

The second one is my favourite:


Jenna asked us to make 6" blocks for a strip on the back of the quilt with any leftovers. I had quite a few scraps left as I used some white, so I made up 2 blocks for her. One a simple pinwheel to echo the front, the other a crazy pieced block. I hope she likes them, I really love how they turned out.


I also got started on my solids project for the swap. My partner has really responded to some improv blocks in the photo pool so I thought I'd try this for her. I've never done it before, but I quite enjoyed it. The unstructured nature of it appeals to me! (Surprise, surprise!) So I did this block plus some other bits - but I can't show them because they would totally give the game away as to who my partner is! I'm using Kona Coal as the background fabric on this mini quilt. Can't wait to get to the next blocks now. What do you think of this? Does it work, or not... bearing in mind that its supposed to be random and improvised? Let me know. (yes, I know its not a regular shape.....that's part of its, eh, charm!)


On another note, are you exited about the Across the Sea QAL?? I know I am. The Flickr group has jumped into activity with over 60 members so if you're still on the fence, come join us! Fabric cutting instructions will be posted tomorrow so check back then :-)

I'm linking up to:

Amy Butler Giveaway Winner!

Ok, lets end the week on a high, will we? This evening I went to Random.org to pick the winner of my Amy Butler fabric giveaway. This is the number it picked:

and that number belongs to Melinda:


Congratulations Melinda, I've emailed you and hope you like your fabric.

Thanks so much everyone for taking part and for the great suggestions for tutorials and sewing/quilting resources - lots there for me to explore!

Across the Sea QAL Schedule

I'm super excited at the response to our QAL - thanks so much to everyone who has signed up so far. There's still time, if you are thinking about it, we are not starting to cut fabrics till next week.

For those of you who were having problems grabbing my button for your blogs, here's a working version:

<a href="http://fairyfacedesigns.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Across the Sea Quilt-Along" src="http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l623/ellisonlanequilts/QAL%20Across%20the%20Sea/QALAcrosstheSeaSquarebutton.jpg"/></a>

Jennifer and I have also set up static pages on both of our blogs (see the page list at the top under the banner header) where all the information including links to each blog post will be available, in case you come to the QAL a little late.

That done, here's the important stuff - the schedule! We will be posting twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays to cover all the instructions. Tutes and blog posts will alternate between mine and Jennifer's blog, so make sure you are signed up to follow us both! I will link to Jennifer's the days she is doing the tutes, and vice versa to make sure you don't miss anything. We will kick off the action with the fabric cutting instructions next week over on Jennifer's blog. Excited yet? I know I am :-)

Schedule:

Week 2 (starts 22nd August) - Cutting fabric for the front

Week 3 (starts 29th August) - Block Piecing tute & Design Layout

Week 4 (starts 5th September) - Border piecing tute & assembling quilt top

Week 5 (starts 12th September) - Cutting & piecing the back including block tutes

Week 6 (starts 19th September) - Basting and Quilting

Week 7 (starts 26th September) Binding and Finishing your Quilt

Week 8 (starts 3rd October) QAL finish - showcase the quilts & announce giveaway winners!

As you can see, there is plenty of time there for all the steps. The Quitalong officially finishes on Monday 3rd October and your finished quilt needs to be posted in the Flickr group by the end of that day to be eligible for the lovely giveaway prizes. By finished, we mean basted, quilted (whatever way you prefer) and bound.

Don't forget to pop over to our QAL sponsors Sew Fresh Fabrics if you need fabric! Remember to enter FAIRYLANE in the Notes to Seller upon checkout to get your free domestic/ half off International Shipping on orders totaling $35.00 or more. They will refund the shipping via paypal upon shipment.

Any finally, a quick reminder to join the Flickr group where people are already posting up their fabric choices.

Any questions? Let me know!

WIP Wednesday

I haven't done a WIP post in a little while, but this week I'm in the middle of so many - with no completed projects to show off - that I thought it would be nice to catch up. So here we go:

Scrappy Mug Rug Swap: After last week's craft fail, I recut my hexies and am working through the handstitching. Its actually quite pleasant sewing them sitting on the sofa and chatting with Himself, rather than sitting out in the kitchen by myself! Need to get this done and in the post this week so its more sitting on the sofa for me :-) I'm much happier with my hand sewn hexies, they are more even. Still figuring out how to finish this one. I think I'm going to put a cool/warm wonky log cabin block on the back of it to make it double sided, so not sure how best to quilt it to make the most of both sides.....

Sew Bee Blissful August Block: This is my very first month participating in a Bee and I'll be honest, I'm petrified of messing up!! See this lovely fabric Jenna sent me?

I never worry about messing up my own stuff, but the thought of cutting someone else's fabric and it turning out terrible is proving more nerve wracking than I imagined... Need to get off the fence and actually do it - again, by early next week.

Yay! I'm hosting my first quiltalong and am very excited about it. Its kicking off this week, so if you haven't checked it out, follow the button to find out more! This is a joint project run by myself and Jennifer, and we would just love if you wanted to join the fun. I'm doing the baby size quilt and have done my first fabric pull - this lovely bunch of Just Wing It FQs.

I'm considering taking away some and adding in a few complimentary FQs from other fabric ranges...need to make a decision as we'll start cutting soon!

For the Love of Solids swap: I have my fabric for this fab solids swap and I'm pretty clear on my idea now. I'm lucky to have a great partner who is commenting lots in the group and its such a help. I can't wait to get sewing with this project, it will put me out of my comfort zone but in a good way. This is the stack of solids I'm using - aren't they pretty? I have to say that I am loving this swap group - its so active, so imaginative and I'm learning lots. Definitely exactly what I think swaps are all about.



The Skittles quilt top is sitting in my basket waiting to be basted and quilted....hmm, I think it will be September before I get to it.



Lastly - don't forget to pop over and enter my blogiversary giveaway for this lovely Amy Butler fabric. You'll find it here!


So, that's my update. Want to see some other fab projects in progress? Head over to Freshly Pieced and have a browse through some of those talented ladies' blogs!

Blogiversary Thoughts and Giveaway!

I still can't quite believe that I have a year's blogging under my belt. Back last August when I started, I had NO idea of where it would take me, or how much fun it would be. I didn't even tell anyone about my blog for a couple of months and then spent quite a few weeks with just 4 followers - two good friends H and L, my sister and her good friend. Not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that in a year's time I would have close to 2000 followers!

It's been a huge learning process - there have been great times and stressful times. Blogging is fun, but very time consuming - all the more so because I love following blogs myself and all that reading takes time :-)

In the year that I've been blogging, my blog has changed quite a bit. I feel now I have found my niche as I've become more and more obsessed with quilting - and I love the little community of quilters that I've become a small part of, and the great friends I've made - even if I've only met 1 of them in real life :-) Its been so, SO much fun, and I hope it continues to be as much fun next year.

But now to the important stuff! I want to say a huge thank you to every one of you who reads, checks in, and comments on my blog - I really do appreciate your support and I hope that you continue to read and enjoy. So I have a little giveaway! Something nice for your stash :-) Amy Butler was the first fabric designer whose fabric I used to swoon over back when I started out sewing, so its appropriate that I'm giving away some of her "Love" fabric line.


I have 6 pieces of fabric from this range to give away. Each piece measures approx 12" x 20" - a little bit smaller than FQ size.

A nice little addition for your stash - you wouldn't have to add too much to it to make a baby size quilt (like my Across the Sea QAL quilt!), or they would be perfect for a pouch/purse or bag.

I'm keeping this one simple. Enter by leaving a comment if you are a follower - tell me your favourite quilting/bee block/sewing tutorial or resource.

If you want an extra entry blog/Facebook/Tweet this giveaway and come back and let me know in a separate comment.

I'll leave this open until 1pm on Friday (Irish time) and will draw the winner over the weekend. International entries welcome as always. Please make sure your have an email address associated with your profile (or leave your email in your comment if you're not sure). If there is no email address for me to contact you on, I will redraw immediately. Entry by blog comments only.

Enjoy!

Come join our Quiltalong!!!

Hip hip hooray! It's my one year blogging anniversary today. I can't quite believe it - a whole year has flown by and blogging has become such a big part of my life! I'll share my "blogiversary" thoughts more with you tomorrow (along with a Love-ly giveaway!) but I think it's totally appropriate that I am celebrating today by kicking off a great new Quilt Along which I am hosting jointly with my good friend Jennifer of Ellison Lane Quilts.

I “met” Jennifer a few months ago through commenting on each others blogs and we quickly developed a great friendship, chatting frequently over email, despite never having met, or spoken to each other! We began to generate ideas for a joint project - and here it is!! Jennifer and I have lots in common despite the fact that she is living in Charlotte, North Carolina and I am in Cork, Ireland - both with young families, both relatively new to quilting and both drawn to colour and clean, modern design. I love Jennifer’s quilting style - check out her beautiful quilts and how she uses colour and beautiful modern fabrics. I am a bit of a fabric addict myself and only wish I had the funds to match my taste :-) I also love working with fab modern fabrics and love simple, elegant designs. If you want to have a look at some of my quilts, you'll find them here.

I’m so excited to be jointly hosting my first Quiltalong with Jennifer! And we would just be totally thrilled if you would join us.

Why Join In?

This is really a great quiltalong for beginners or peeps who are quite new to quilting, with a simple but striking block design which is a great introduction to patchwork and quilting. If you've never participated in a quiltalong before and have been nervous about getting involved - well then, this is definitely the one for you! Both Jennifer and I remember feeling that feeling really well - and we have done our best to make this a fun and achievable quiltalong, with step by step tutorials and links to other resources. We are happy to answer lots of questions and help out if we can.

But, if you're a more experienced quilter, we think you will really enjoy it - it will be a fun, low stress pattern allowing you to focus on the fabrics, colours and design layout - and most importantly the fun!! Plus, you'll end up with a gorgeous quilt.

I’m looking forward to double the fun, with a quilt designed by two friends and made with friends Across the Sea! So please, come join us for the next 8 weeks while we have some fun and make something beautiful....

Let's get down to the detail, will we?

Quilt Size and Design:

This quiltalong is inspired by the Greek cross block and we'll be posting instructions for two sizes - a lap quilt and a baby quilt size. The front is designed by Jennifer and will look like this, with a scrappy border framing the cross blocks:

And I have designed a pieced back incorporating "floating" cross blocks to make it extra special. It will look pretty much like this, although there may be some variations. Some of the cross blocks will have scrappy borders echoing the border on the front:

We will be posting instructions in 2 generous sizes:

• Lap Size -58" x 70" approx (as layouts above) which Jennifer will be making.
• Baby Size - 46" x 54" approx which I will be making.
  
  

The baby size layouts will look like this:



TimeLine:

This is an 8 week quiltalong - we're aiming to finish up on 3rd October. We'll be posting the full schedule on Thursday, but will kick off cutting fabric next week.

Fabric Requirements:

Lap Size -

Cross Fabric - 1 layer cake OR 26 FQs (for no repeats ) / 13 FQs (incl 1 repeat) OR scraps (should be at least 10x10")

Breakdown:-

• Front - 22 layer cake squares/20FQs (no repeats)/10FQs (1 repeat)/scraps
• Scrappy Border - will come from leftovers of all layer cake squares
• Back - 8 squares of layer cake/6 FQs (no repeats)/3 FQs (1 repeat)/scraps
  
  

Background Fabric -

Breakdown:-

• 4 yards for the front (Blocks & Borders)
• 4.5 yds for back (generous sizing to allow for seam alignment)
  
  

Batting - 64 x 76

Binding - 0.5 yards

Baby Size -

Cross Fabric- 1 layer cake OR 16 FQs (for no repeat) 8 FQs (incl 1 repeat) OR scraps (should be at least 10x10")

Breakdown:-

• Front - 12 layer cake squares/12FQs (no repeats)/6 FQs (1 repeat)/scraps

• Scrappy Border - will come from leftovers of all layer cake squares
• Back - 6 squares of layer cake/4 FQs (no repeats)/2 FQs (1 repeat)/scraps

Background Fabric -

Breakdown:-

• 1.5 yards for the front (Blocks & Borders)
• 3.25 yds for back (generous sizing to allow for seam alignment)
  

Batting - 52" x 60"
Binding - 0.5 yards

Fabric Shopping!

Need fabric inspiration? Get yourself over to our QAL sponsors Sew Fresh Fabrics and pick out something lovely for your quilt. They have FQ bundles, layer cakes, solids - you name it! - all sorts of beautiful fabric for your quilt. They have super quick delivery too, my orders from them usually arrive in less than a week here in Ireland. Even better, Peg and Becca have kindly agreed to discount the shipping costs - with free domestic/ half off International Shipping on orders totaling $35.00 or more. Just enter the code FAIRYLANE in Notes to Seller upon checkout and they will refund the shipping via paypal upon shipment.

Alternatively, get shopping in your stash - you could even make this from scraps!

This is what I am using - my FQ bundle of Just Wing It by Moda. I'll be making the baby size quilt for my brand new, 3 day old niece R.

Flickr Group:

We have set up a Flickr group for everyone participating in the QAL - we hope that you'll join us over there to post up your fabric choices, layout decisions, piecing and quilting progress and eventually your finished quilts. Flickr groups are where a huge amount of QAL fun takes place so please make sure you get involved! Its a great source of info and help too.

Giveaway Incentive:

Finally - if you still need an incentive - our QAL sponsors Sew Fresh Fabrics are offering two prizes of $20 gift certificates to be drawn from peeps who finish up their quilts and post them in the Flickr group by the end of the day Monday 3rd October. A great way to increase your stash :-)

Ok, so have you got all that? If you have questions please email Jennifer or I or just leave a comment and we'll do our best to answer! I have a button for your blog too!!

<a href="http://fairyfacedesigns.blogspot.com/p/across-sea-qal.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Across the Sea Quilt-Along" src="http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l623/ellisonlanequilts/QAL%20Across%20the%20Sea/QALAcrosstheSeaSquarebutton.jpg"/></a>

Well, are you in??