Plus and Minus Quilts - Times 3

Hi Peeps!

Sit down put your feet up or grab a cuppa there's 3 quilts so there are alot of photos!!

It's not often, if ever, that I make a quilt using the same pattern more than once, but I've made this quilt three times, and I absolutely don't think that will be it!

Pattern is Plus and Minus quilt by Emily Dennis from Quilty Love.

I have several of her patterns and they are easy to follow with lots of pictures and easy to follow instructions.

This colour combo was from a Fat Quarter Shop stash pack, this particular pack is no longer available but they have some others that are equally great....you get matching Aurifil thread with the coordinating Bella Solids...YAY!

I used Kona Cotton Snow for the background, and crosshatched all over....but my favourite part is the backing!

This Suzy Ultman print was beyond perfection when it came to matching the front colours I just wish I had enough to have them standing upright instead of laying down LOL

So backing is from the stash aaaand the binding.....win win...using it up!

This version uses a Cotton and Steel bundle by Alexia Abegg called Flowershop that when paired with a charcoal shot cotton makes a very funky little boys quilt.... I think

I even used another stash fabric for the backing, Filigree by Anna Maria Horner...still trying not to freak out that it's pretty much all used up........

And this is why I love this pattern so much...I've had this Dashwood fabric pile forrreevaaahh....along comes the Plus Minus magic and boom we have another quilt.....just what we need Mwahahaha

I also got to use a couple of other random fabrics and some recent purchases to round out the overall colour scheme for a decent sized lap quilt.

Excuse me while I high five myself for another hoarded fabric used in the backing....feels so good...but also freaks me out when it's actually goooone.

Love Cypress Paisley by Amy Butler

Binding is stash fabric by Jennifer Paganelli Maritza dot.....no idea how long I've had that??

OK you made it to the end! Well done!.......go get the pattern you'll use it over and over, I promise!

All three are listed in my Etsy Shop......seriously I can't keep them....can I ?

Talk soon Peeps xx

Lady of the Lake - Fat Quarter Shop Pattern Testing

Hi my peeps!!

Wow August was just a blip for me but that doesn't mean I haven't been sewing away in the background.

As you know I love to pattern test which means I get to try things outside my comfort zone or test patterns that I might normally overlook.

Not so with this pattern!

 I've been wanting to cross a Lady of the Lake block from my "to do" list forever and Fat Quarter Shop granted that wish when I was asked to test an upcoming pattern from their "Classic & Vintage Series"

The Anna Maria Horner print has been a hoarded piece of fabric far longer than it should so I used it as the inspiration piece for the fabric pull.

The pattern calls for the use of 3" HST paper which I didn't have so I used Blossom Heart Quilts handy maths sheet to utilise the 8 at a time HST method....brilliant!

Quite often I'm a a bull in a china shop kinda girl but when I'm testing I always make a sample block first just to make sure it's the correct size before I cut up a boat load of fabric...

So this neat tidy pile 

Turns into this...which doesn't look too bad

Until you realise they allllll need trimming!!

Initially I planned to have a quilt with no setting triangles of plain fabric so I cut way too much fabric up but once I realised how little time I actually had to sew before the posting deadline, I followed the pattern.......isn't that a crazy idea!!

So I have plenty of blocks left over for either a pieced backing or another whole quilt....sigh

But despite the uncooperative weather for photo taking I think you still get to see the awesome graphic nature of the blocks when set in a floating background

This pattern would look great in so many different colourways and either a light or dark background.

Imagine a dark navy or black background with pops of saturated Alison Glass fabric!

And of course classic vintage with small ditsy florals or 1930's prints. Also the centre HST triangle blocks are large enough to feature some fussy cut fabrics, the possibilities are really endless.

So folks that's it for my first post for September...definitely not my last as I have a couple of finished quilts to showcase and some others in the pipeline ;)

Week of Quilts - Day 5! I Made It!

Well I made it to Friday ! Woohoo!

 And believe it or not I still have one more finished quilt after this one!

But let's just get to today's Quilt...and just quietly my current fave...don't tell the others!

The pattern is from Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine Issue 33 and is called Stargazer, by Anjeanette Klinder.

I used my hoarded Amy Butler fabric to inspire the fabric pull, the print blocks are paper pieced but it's a simple block that would be great for a beginner and has such striking results.

And I'm thrilled with the two different quilting motifs used in each block by Sandra. I know that the chenille backings aren't her favourite especially the really thick ones but she's very tolerant and does a fabulous job!

Despite the plush of the chenille and the fact that it looks barely used there was a teeny hole....

So I used this random Dresden block that I found lying around and appliqued it over the hole using a blanket stitch so it could be incorporated into the quilting.

In my never ending and sometimes futile attempt to reduce my scrap bins I went with a scrappy binding using some of the left overs from the blocks

It finishes up reasonably large at 60" x 72" but I think that's the perfect snuggle size, especially with the weight of the chenille backing which makes it extra cuddle worthy!

And so concludes my week of quilts, well at least Monday to Friday and there's one last one tomorrow, but I'm pretty happy with finally getting my ass back into blogging LOL

Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish It Up Friday and Myra for Finished or Not Friday

Sunday Stash

 

This weeks purchasing is brought to you by the lovely angels at Quilthome

 

 

I always check the stock at Quilthome if I'm looking for something that is generally starting to run low everywhere online as chances are they usually still have yardage when other are out.

 

Nest,Noteworthy,Lotus Full Moon Polka Dot,Love Spots

 

However this time it was the word SALE and Amy Butler combined that caught my attention

We have a weird relationship Amy and I, I love a lot of her fabrics but not usually a whole line, that's normal on a lot of fronts, but outside of her dots ,spots and stripes I find her fabrics difficult to mix with other designers colours and styles.....I don't know why?

Lark, Heirloom in Blue Sky

 

I still like to buy these prints and stash them....maybe I'm not listening to their voice properly and trying to make them play with other fabrics they simply don't like?

Love, Cypress Paisley in Lime

 

The colours are just so vibrant that I find it quite hard to resist........I am a weak fabric shopper, sometimes I think it's just that I like to think I'm staunch and go no no I don't need that new line and then when it's almost run out I have to have some....ridiculous!!

 

Linking up with the Divine Molli Sparkles

 

 

 

Sunday Stash.......and teeny blogger

Ok before I begin with my Sunday Stash, if you've been here before you know that I've made no secret of the fact that I am technically challenged...read computer Spaz...and rely heavily on very techno savvy teenage boy...he's on camp....18mnth old Miss C is tall and has managed to fiddle around with my blog while I had the layout open....#$%***!!!

 

This has become humongous?

 

 

 

And this has completely disappeared??? It's probably easy to fix but I dare not screw around with the cyber gods in case everything vanishes....children!!!!

 

Anyway onto fabric loveliness, look what came today

 

 

Blurry photo as I was trying to restrain myself, flat rate box from Hawthorne Threads with 20 yards inside....of which I couldn't remember anything that I had purchased??

 

Xmas again??!

 

 

 

 

Le Crème Basics Swiss Dots on Cream by Riley Blake...divine.... fantastic backgrounds

 

 

Birds Of a Feather by Allison Cole, beautiful saturated colours loving the black/turquoise/hot pink thing at the mo

 

 

Technicolor and a random Hot Pink?

 

Alison Glass Sun Print in Text, I know this range is everywhere in blogland at the moment and after seeing it in the flesh I can see why, such a versatile print colourwise it lends itself to modern, retro and more subtle softer designs, will definitely be needing more of these

 

Gracie Girl by Lori Holt from Bee In My Bonnet...how could I not? pink and orange...enough said

 

But wait there's more in the Aqua colourway and throw in some Riley Blake Chevrons on Cream in Black and Aqua and a little Lime Stripe...get outta town delicious!!

 

 

A little bit of Amy Love and Amy Lark...just because I can

 

 

Alice Kennedy Bright Owls in pink and cream

 

 

 

Tasha Noel Little Red Riding Hood.....I may or may not have a stash of this....

 

The Simple Life.... ' nuff said and 'nuff fabric me thinks!!!???

 

Linking up with the divine Mollie Sparkles for Sunday Stash