Pink, purple and orange, coming together nicely

Today I have spent a little while sewing together the Pink, purple and orange blocks to make another quilt for Siblings Together.

I decided to use these 12 blocks for the quilt:

 

and to leave the 13th block for making a QAYG block for the Soy Amado Project:

And here's the quilt top I created from those Swap blocks, scraps and stash:

 

I had already added 5 hearts to the block in the centre of the bottom row which I will hand sew on with blanket stitch this evening.

However I think the block which is on the left of the 3rd row looks very pale compered to the other blocks so I am going to add some royal purple shapes to the two wide pale lilac borders.

I am trying to decide whether they should be triangles to reflect the flowered windmill featured in the block or some purple flowers with pink centres to reflect the border fabric which butts up to this block.  Have to think about that one a bit more.

Turning hoarded UFO blocks into quilts is so satisfying!

No more hoarding or procrastinating!

I was so pleased with the Lucky Stars Quilt I created from a set of blocks received in a swap at the beginning of 2012 I decided to delve into my box of UFOs once more.

This time out came a set of 13 blocks which I collected during a Flickr Swap during April and May 2011!

Here are two of them.  I have added hearts to both blocks because they had a lot of solid fabric in them compared to the other blocks I received.

 

 

 

I am using a Kona white for sashing the blocks, with 3" cornerstones found in my 3" squares stash.

 

I have had great fun this afternoon sewing the sashing strips onto the individual blocks and am now halfway through sewing the sashed blocks into rows.

 

Watch this space as another quilt comes together which again I will be donating to

Siblings Together.

 

Lucky Stars Quilt ready for donation

I have had such fun making my Lucky Stars Quilt.

I enjoyed turning a pile of 9 star blocks ( all different in every way which I had collected in a Block Swap over four years ago) into a pretty quilt.

Each block contained lots of white solid fabric which needed softening somehow so I added rows of hand quilting using variegated Perle threads: blue, pink, yellow, purple and green threads.
Again I am pleased with the result.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, a photo of the finished quilt:

 

 

It measures 55" square and I am thrilled with it!  I am sending it off to Siblings Together later today and I hope it makes one little girl very happy, that every time she snuggles under it she will remember her time at Summer Camp.

 

Arrival of more Wee Bees blocks

I do love receiving post and when it contains two more Star blocks from the Wee Bees Group it's even better!

Tanya sent these blocks:

 

Thank you, Tanya!

 

A red and a pink, using a great selection of fabrics. Funnily enough the Chicken fabric Tanya used in the red block is the same fabric as one of the squares in my blue block. I also have this fabric in yellow, which may be used if the third block I make needs to be yellow. That colour choice will depend on which colours the fourth member of the Wee Bees chooses for her blocks.

 

I am so looking forward to putting these blocks together into a quilt for the Siblings Together Project.

Addicted! More QAYG for the Block Drive

I love making QAYG blocks and over the past few years I have many various ones for different charities.

Earlier this week I made 2 blocks for the Siblings Together Block Drive being run by
Nicky ( mrssewandsow.blogspot.co.uk)

I so enjoyed making them I have made another three blocks which I'll post to Nicky today.
Definitely addicted!

Here they are:

 

 

I so enjoyed searching through my stash for suitable fabrics to put together for the blocks.
In some cases I absolutely finished larger scraps of fabric that have been tucked away, ready for a project such as this. 

Don't forget, if you have scraps you could cut 4.5" squares from, you could enjoy making a QAYG block too. Give it a try!

 

 

Block Drive for Siblings Together

A few days ago I read Nicky's blog post requesting QAYG blocks so she could make them into quilts for Siblings Together.  I enjoy making QAYG blocks and her tutorial was very clear and straightforward.  I made two blocks very quickly and enjoyed machine quilting each block.

 

 

 

The blocks are made from 4.5" strips so they come together quickly to make a 20.5" block so only 9 blocks are required for a quilt. I enjoyed looking through my stash to find some co-ordinating fabrics to make the blocks.

If you would like to make some blocks then have a look at Nicky's blog post:

Block Drive for Siblings Together

 

Wee Bees blocks received

At the beginning of the year I signed up for a Bee which was going to make four quilts for
The Siblings Together charity. I have sent blocks to Tanya for February and to Jo for March.  It was my turn to be Queen Bee for April.  I chose a White Star block which I had wanted to try for ages - this was my opportunity! I made two blocks  which I loved and now the group is beginning to send theirs to me.
I was really excited today to receive the first two blocks from Jo.  Here they are:

 

There are some lovely fabrics showcased in these blocks, including the Three Bears, foxes, shells etc.

 

I had also asked if Wee Bees could send me some 2.5" squares as I intend to make one of the quilt borders using squares as I hope to get more variety this way. Jo very kindly included some in her parcel. Thank you, Jo!

 

I know Tanya's blocks are finished so it will be interesting to see which colours I get.  The quilt will consist of 9 blocks so once all four sets are with me I will need to make an extra block to "fill in the colour gaps".

 

If you have a look at the Siblings Together blog and click on the " Quilt Link up " tab you will see photos of all the quilts made so far for this year's summer  camp. The quilt that Tanya organised and completed is Number 26. Really pretty log cabin.

 

If you can help with this worthwhile project please do!

 

 

 

 

Stop procrastinating ....... just DO it!

Back in January and February 2012 I participated in a Bee Swap on Flickr. I asked for a variety of star blocks using some designs that I had seen being made at that time by other Flickr members. At the time I received the blocks I was having health problems and going through several months of treatment so the blocks were put away.  Over the intervening years I have found them again in various sorting out sessions I have had in my sewing room and each time they have gone back to join other UFOs.

A few days ago I was looking at the Siblings Together blog ( siblingstogetherquiltgroup.BlogSpot.co.uk )  and the packet of star blocks popped into my head.
It's such a worthy cause, why didn't I just stop procrastinating, get out the blocks and make a quilt?

 

As you can see, they are very varied, lots of white background, in one case it was a creamy coloured white which really stood out like a sore thumb when they were laid out on the carpet.

 

But, I had an idea of sashing with multi-coloured strips and set to.  In two days I had created this quilt top:

 

A lot of the fabrics came from my scrap strings, but I also had to cut into lots of FQs for more variety.  The outside border is Delhi Flowers by Amy Butler, a piece of lovely fabric I had been hoarding for ages.
I am really pleased with the quilt.  This morning I sandwiched it, this afternoon I machine quilted the main part of the quilt but I am going to do some hand stitching round the stars and where there is still a lot of white showing.

One of the interesting things about the top is that the creamy white block is now not noticeable at all - magic!

Have a look at the Siblings Together blog - perhaps you will inspired to finish a UFO and donate a quilt.

I am feeling very enthusiastic about those star blocks now - perhaps it was worth waiting for 4 years for an idea to pop into my head!

 

I love strawberries!

From when I was a little girl I have always loved strawberries. In those days, of course, you could only buy strawberries in season - June and July - which made them seem even more special. Nowadays because fruit and vegetables are flown in from all over the world strawberries are in the supermarkets every month of the year but I don't think they have the taste or the 'specialness' of the strawberries I ate as a child.

Strawberries always meant  Wimbledon, a tournament I have followed very keenly ever since I was 11 years old and began to play the game myself.  My husband and I did go to Wimbledon a few years ago which was a thrilling experience but usually I am glued to the TV set, watching every ball.

So, when I was in Spotlight a few weeks ago looking for a suitable and reasonably priced backing for my In the Pink girl quilt I just had to buy this fabric.

 

I even have a small piece left over so that will find its way into future quilts.

 

I am very pleased with this quilt and I now know who will be receiving it. The baby - now known to be a girl - is due in August - so I am well ahead in making that gift.

 

Because I love the quilt and always admire other blogger's photos of folded quilts, here's two more photos:

 

 

Hope everyone is having a happy day.  We are busy packing up, ready for our long journey on Wednesday back to the UK.