Birthday Blooms: Ta Dah

Last year a decision was made to start using up some scraps - ask any quilter and they will have bags of scraps left over from making quilts.  I decided to combine my love of English Patchwork with these said scraps.

As my friend A had a 'big' birthday coming up I decided a cushion was needed to decorate her living room.  Purple was her favourite colour so therefore the purple tub came out to play!



Now this is where I made it up to before we (the QQ) hijacked our friends C's idea to make hand quilted wholecloth cushions ... Each of us in our little group making one cushion.  Birthday Cushions

But, having started the cushion, I decided to dig out the front and finish for this years birthday - after all, the hard work had been done!

Embellishment on the front.... stalks for the flowers..... buttons for the flower centres....

Back, zip and a final bow.....

Ta Dah.....Birthday Blooms

Everything but the cleaning......

Really need to get sort my priorities out..... I have completed soooooo much crafting of late - I can't actually remember the last time I gave the house a good clean.  Thank heavens the QQ meeting is at mine this weekend - it will force me to get the duster out!!

Washing fabric for a new batik quilt (yes, yes I know....I have one hundred and one projects to finish but you know its great to get new fabric out and start cutting!!).

Cutting new fabric - I have over one thousand pieces to cut - just to start this project!!  These are my end pieces ..... I must be able to do something with these bit surely....

A train journey up to Suffolk allowed me to hook my foundation row for my ripple blanket.  Been wanting to start this since last November when I got the wool for my birthday!

A few hours catching up and a little bit of TV, another train journey back and look - onto my third colour already.   Happy, happy, happy.....

Both boarders, middle and backing are completed on the little boy's quilt I'm doing for April and hand quilting well under way!!

I cut out another hundred or so pieces last night for the new batik project I'm starting - another hundred tonight or should I get the hoover out.....

Well I think we all know the answer to that one!

Now where did I put that rotary cutter..... :)

70th Birthday Celebrations......

Well, the weekend just gone saw D and I travelling up to Suffolk to visit my family.  The occasion was my Mum's 70th Birthday.  Starting with fun and games on the Friday...with Mum getting a personal best on the Wii bowling ... and then a lovely Chinese in the evening.

The main event was on Saturday, with a trip on the Lady Florence. A car journey to Orford kept Mum guessing as to the activity planned for her day.  Now, just to set the scene.... everyone else (other than Mum) had been informed that a boat trip had been planned but really not much else.  We had been advised (wisely) to wear warm clothing and sensible shoes!!  I have been debating in my head as to what kind of boat it would be..........

Well it was a proper boat!!! 

The cabin was laid already for our meal.  An hour on deck enjoying the view while they prepared our lunch and then the boat turned around when we sat down ..... therefore missing nothing up on deck.

A warm cosy fire....just what we needed to warm up a little before the second half of the trip!



The trip was along the River Ore. The trip was about 3 1/2 hours long - with about an hour in the cabin for lunch.

Wild life was a plenty..... a special sighting of a seal .... right hand side in the picture......no.... right hand side not the orange marker on the left!!!

 

Birds.....

Some of us even steered the boat....



A great trip.... everyone enjoyed and we were so lucky with the weather.  A little cold towards the end but dry and no snow!

Everyone finished the day back at Mum and Dad's, A beautiful cake was made by my sister-in-law (aka Cakie Lady). 

Happy Birthday Mum - Hope you enjoyed your day!

Wedding Dress: Ta Dah (Part Two)

For the smaller parts of the dress, the arms and scraps from the body where I have cut the pillow squares (see Wedding Dress - Part One) I decided I needed to produce something smaller - waste not one scrap of the dress!! 

Remember last year the lavender hearts I made for my friends birthdays.... just the thing...

Unfortunately some heart did not make it to the final stage.....just too much fraying....so frustrating!

A good press helped them look a little more heart shaped....

Buttons.....I got to play with the buttons and ribbon....Loooove that bit!

And of course I had to use this little beauty!

Burgundy and Gold Lavender Hearts for Mum's wardrobe... Ta Dah....

And a Lilac Lavender Heart for the spare bedroom... Ta Dah....

I still have a section of the dress to use.... so watch out for the final part in the special trilogy!!

Wedding Dress: Ta Dah (Part One)

I had been given Mum's Wedding Dress at the end of last year.  Mum is trying to 'get her house in order'.  The dress has, of course, been stored for a number of years.  I was asked to produce her a pillow, and then my instructions were to produced 'something' with the rest of the fabric!!!

 

 

I started by deciding on a rough pattern - ended up drawing to scale as I didn't want to waste any of the dress fabric in case I cut it wrong.

Cutting the gold and burgundy fabric for the pillow - I made the decision it was really time to get rid of some of my smaller scraps - I have actually made several quilts from this set of fabric so actually have scraps coming our of my ears.  

The small 1 1/2" squares made very good use of some of the small scraps....I laid out the pattern on top of the dress to ensure the gold and burgundy would look OK on the wedding fabric.  Very happy with it all, the cutting proceeded.

Chain piecing....

Laying my seams flat.....



The wedding fabric proved very difficult in deed.  The fabric was stretchy, and it frayed like I've never had fabric fray before......

I managed to get the top something like.... I did find, the more I handled the fabric the more it frayed so I tried to move very quickly.

Layered and quilted, it did become a bit more stable but stilled frayed.... by this stage I had lost most of my 1/4" seam around the edge!  I am actually very happy with the result....just don't look inside!!!

Ta Dah.....



Editors Note: Cushion presented to Mum on her 70th Birthday yesterday. And she loved it!

Loving my Creative Time....

Just loving the amount of time I'm spending creating at the moment. The house is looking a little dusty and a little untidy, the paperwork is piling up, and D has had to cook his own tea a couple of times this last week!  But I have been soooo productive.

More wedding dress work completed!

Creative embellishment ... just loooove this flower button - picked up in a bag of assorted button from the local charity shop for £1.



Remember these, way back in January 2012 ..... put to one side and now finished .... a simple Ta Dah to come at the end of this month.

The third quilt, in a series of three, being worked on for my friends children....deadline April.... and actually thinking I may make this one without much problem!!! (Remind me at the end of March time that I did actually write that statement down!)

And Saturday night ...making home made curry.....Rogan Josh.  I have tried to make curry's before ... not with much success - however this one I would definitely make again .... it was delish!!

Now Saturday morning I started to hunt fabric for a quilt I have been asked to make for next year - you know.... starting early instead of the month before!  On pulling out a few FQ I decided, rather hastily in hindsight, to pull out all my fabric and have a tidy up.  It was needed, and it was on my 'list to do' however five hours later.... I decided that I really should not have started that task!!

Now I have put my foot down this week,   I really must dust a little, sort some paperwork and restock the freezer with some homemade food!  So really how productive can I be this week?