Sunday Stash

I've begun building a stash of fabrics for a Farmers Wife Quilt ... I'm finally planning a quilt for my bed - it's a King - hmm this could get expensive - shhh don't tell the husband!

I was originally going to do my Farmer's Wife quilt in just black and white fabrics - but I was talked out of that ...

These beauties are all from the Lily Ashbury range called High Street and were purchased from my local Quilt Shop Patchwork at Homespun - I love the fabrics they are filling their shop with at the moment - it's such a happy place to visit!

I'm hoping to mix it up with some navy blues ... what's your favourite navy blue fabric at the moment?

Sx

Humidicrib Covers - 100 Quilts for Kids Drive

It all started with a bit of pattern testing for Kristy of Quiet Play ...

 ... not only did I gain an addiction to paper piecing (thanks Kristy!) but I also gained these gorgeous little house blocks - which I loved.

 post over at SwimBikeQuilt and thought it would be a good way to put my new found skills and sweet blocks to good use.

King Edwards Memorial Hospital is one of our local Hospitals that take donations of Humidicrib Covers.

The following specifications must be met: " Humidicrib Covers are to be 16" x 24", any pattern top, pale backing, please no flannelette, no maker names or quilt labels".

I can do that!

I added this paper plane pattern to the top-right of the boy quilt and added some loop-da-loop hand embroidery to depict the paper plane flying out of the window of the house.

For the girl's quilt I added this Heart paper piecing pattern and hand embroidered some string so the little girl in the doorway can fly her heart balloons. 

I backed them both with plain white fabric (as per the hospitals specifications), straight lined quilted them both (because that's my skill level at this stage) and hand bound them (because I like that personal touch to finish a quilt).

I'm happy with how these turned out and can see myself making some more of these in my future.  Not only are they a good way to use up some spare little blocks but they are just big enough to explore a new technique or skill (my next skill to test is some FMQ).

I'll send these off to the hospital now with a little wish ... "May the babies that receive these live a long, happy - and most importantly - a healthy life"

Consider these Sew Given!

Sx
PS sorry about the text variation in this post - something has gone a-skew!

Wren's Nest - A Labour of Love

Remember this little Wren block that I made using Kristy from Quiet Play's Songbird pattern?

Kristy VERY kindly produced a pattern of a nest for her Songbird so that I could depict another aspect of my MIL's life for her story quilt.

Well here she is united with her nest!

My MIL has three children and I had a pain of a fun time using fussy cutting of fabric to depict the first letter of each of her three children's names.

Can you see the "M"," M" and "J"?

Having children is such a labour of love isn't it?  Like most labours this block was born in the wee hours of the evening.  There was pain and suffering ... especially trying to place the letter fabrics within the eggs. 

But as with every birth - the pain and suffering quickly diminishes when everyone finally clears the birthing suite and you are left alone to gaze in wonder at what you just achieved.  I feel a bit like that with this block - no matter the tiny imperfections - as I look down at her, she's perfect to me ...

Sx

Binding - WIP

My Work in Progress is a blister!  I'm currently hand binding these little babies ...

Night shots = Bad, bad, bad photos!

There's only one week to go until they need to be donated for the 100 Quilts for Kids drive.

Oh!  I have managed to paper piece a whole leaf for my little Wren's nest! ... I should have it ready for Friday :)

Think I've done the top-left-hand leaf - winning!

Until then I'll keep working on a new callus - ouch!  That's my WIP for Wednesday ... shameful I know ... what have you been up too?

An (inside) Teddy Bear's Picnic

We were trumped by the weather for our two year old's birthday celebrations this weekend just gone ... not a lovely Spring ray of sunshine to be seen - just gale force winds and lashings of rain.

Still it didn't stop us from picnic-ing, we moved our Teddy Bear's Picnic indoors.  

Cue clearing of furniture, cue blankets on the floor, cue a garden themed picnic basket for each child.

We had hungry little caterpillars sitting on pretzel twigs, Tomato and blueberry lady bugs, LCM's 'ice-creams', Flower shaped sandwiches with a freckle face and a green jelly** leaf  ... all on a backdrop of baby spinach leaves - Mmmm delicious!

**Cue rant ... damn you politically corrected, natural flavoured and coloured jelly.  You're not green enough!  bring back the green! My hollowed out orange filled with jelly, then cut into quarters was supposed to resemble a leaf on the stem of the flower sandwich (obviously) - how can this be so when you're not green! 

Any-who the kiddies seemed to love it - it's the first time I've seen 15 children eat in COMPLETE silence. Perhaps I should make food a little more interesting from now on - thinking cogs turning ...

As per usual, I only realised after I had given away the majority of the much winged blogged about gingham picnic utensil rolls that I hadn't taken any photos of them all finished - BAH!

I would have preferred to show you a picture of my girls sitting in the spring sun having a lovely picnic on the grass with their new picnic utensil rolls but instead you get these bleakly lit, indoor, stagnate shots.  Trust me, these are so, so, so gorgeous and if you're in the southern hemisphere and coming into picnic season you really must make yourself a set!  I'll pop some more tempting photos up when the sun decides to pop into Perth and say "hello".

Until then, I'll leave you with some ice-cream cake ... enjoy!

Sx

And Then She Was Two ...

My little bear turned two today ... 

I still remember making this quilt for her (pre-blogging).  

It was an exercise in very rudimentary hand quilting for me.  

It was the best thing ever to have this quilt lay over my belly and quietly stitch away ...

Well enough reminiscing - there's a Teddy Bear's Picnic birthday party to plan!

The picnic roll party favours are nearly finished ... I swear I'm dreaming in gingham these days!

I've got quite the production line happening and, well, the trimmed gingham does make a pretty scrap pile :)

When all the birthday party craziness is over I shall turn my attention back to my MIL's quilt.

Kristy from Quiet Play was very kind to draw up a nest for her Songbird pattern - the one I used to make the Wren block - my MIL has three children...

... so the little wren needed three eggs in her nest ... more of that next week.

Until then I shall keep sewing up this bah humbug! gingham!

Joining in at WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Sx

Sunday Stash - Spoonflower

A lovely little package arrived from Spoonflower this week - containing some 'cheat' fabrics for my MIL's quilt.

She's a ballroom dancer (at almost 85 years old no less!!!) and I've been racking my brain of how to adequately depict this lovely talent - appliqué silhouette, paper piecing??  

Then a light bulb moment!  I wonder if Spoonflower has ballroom dancing fabric?

Silly question ... of course it does!

Find this fabric at: http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/310955

Next, her birthday happens to be on Remembrance Day - so a quick search in Spoonflower (whilst I was there) came up with an abundance of beautiful Poppy prints ... I chose this one

Find this fabric at: http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/1752826

I'll fussy cut both fabrics and use these templates to frame them - easy peasy lemon squeezy!

So a bit of paper piecing involved - but nothing too major ...

That will be two more blocks of her story quilt complete - phew!

Have you bought anything from Spoonflower lately?

Sx

A History Lesson

When I was researching stories about my Mother-in-law's life (for her story quilt) I was excited to learn a bit of history through her involvement with the Wrens or WRNS (Women's Royal Naval Service) in WWII.

WRNS was revived in 1939 (it was originally formed in WWI) and this time ladies were able to perform an expanded list of duties on the home front - including flying transport planes - instead of just clerical work.  Check out this picture of a Wren, an armorer, at a Scottish Royal Air Force Base - my goodness!

Picture courtesy of http://www.amusingplanet.com/2009/11/women-in-world-war-2.html

The main role of a Wren was to free British Sailors from home front duties so that they could perform combat duties.  The most common slogan on recruiting posters was "Join the Wrens - free a man for the fleet!"

Wrens’s poster c/o http://www.annefrankguide.net/en-gb/bronnenbank.asp?aid=15737

At the height of WII in 1944 the WRNS were 75,000 strong ... with 100 deaths by the end of the war.

So to honour my MIL's WRNS service in her story quilt I decided to use Quiet Play's Songbird pattern to depict a Wren.  First I had to Google what an English female wren looks like for fabric selection ...

A wren perched on a frosted bramble bush. Photograph: David Norton/Alamy

Aww isn't she 'tweet'? (sorry) ... and here's my Wren block ...

Her wing needs a little more definition ... but overall I'm happy with the result.

AND if you happen to hear some swearing later - don't worry - it's just me attempting a french knot for her eye ...

Hope you learnt a little along with me today :)

Sx

WIP - Getting There!

Last week I had a few jobs to tick off the list:

1. Teddy Bears Picnic Party Favours
2. Little Red Riding Hood Cape
3. Give the poor Songbird a Body

Let's see how I did ...

1. First mock up of Picnic Place Mat Roll complete!

I've sussed out the sizes ...

and have settled on a design ... Just 14 more to make ... think I'll set myself up a little production line - that will hopefully churn them out faster. Have you ever sewn with gingham before?  It's making my eyes go a little strange!

2. Little Red Riding Hood Cape complete!

I'm quite chuffed about how this little beauty turned out ... you can read more about it here

3. I'm pleased to announce that the song bird now has a body ... if somewhat dismembered ...

I'll stitch her up for Friday's post ... promise!

All-in-all considering the week I've had (head cold disclaimer) I think I'm chugging along just fine!

Hope your sewing cogs are turning too!  See you at

Sx