Ritzy Cracker Quilt - From The Cupboard of Shame

Hi Peeps!

I feel bad calling my secondary pile of WIPS the cupboard of shame but it kinda is. I used to sew downstairs in my garage and have all these awesome two door cupboards down there that used to house all sorts of fabric and WIPS and my scrap buckets.

Awesome because you could shut the doors and walk away LOL....now I'm upstairs in a bedroom my half done quilts are ALL around me!

Anywhooooo every now and then I go downstairs and see if there's a quilt top that could be repurposed as a backing for a current project.....and that's where this one came from.

The Ritzy Cracker Quilt is a Moda Bakeshop tutorial and one I started a loooong time ago with a MoMo Wonderland charm Square pack and a bright blue shot cotton.

I shared the half done top on Instagram and said I still felt ho hum about it....but as usual my quilty peeps shared the love and spurred me on to finish it, and of course now I love it!

Sometimes all it takes is a little outside perspective and a break from staring at the same thing, or fabric for too long to get a new love or eye for a project.

The blue background makes a great change from my low volume and white/snow choices and with the turquoise quilting it's now the star.

The close up to show the quilting also highlights some of my fave fabric combos...purple ,cerise, lime and turquoise...gotta be a quilt design somewhere in my stash that will suit that combo??

The Purple Freebird binding had been in my stash for years...literally and was the perfect complimentary binding, very serendipitous!

I added a few more blocks than the pattern required and added a couple of Alison Glass and C&S prints in Cerise and the olive green...seriously those two design talents go with everything!!

One last pic......Once again I think this will end up in the Etsy shop as I have no particular recipient in mind at this stage......but that is why I opened it, to find every quilt a home!

Talk soon Peeps xx

Vintage Nine Patch - Almost Was A WIP

Hi Peeps!

Not sure how this is going to go since I’m posting to blogger from my phone and we all know what a tech spaz I am LOL......get ready for photo overload !!

This started out as a simple pattern test for Fat Quarter Shop as part of their Classic & Vintage Series...details are in this post.

Aaaaand then it morphed into this!!

It has truly been a labour of love, simply because of the hours it's taken to piece and then to quilt!

But the texture is amazing

I'm so pleased that this hasn't ended up in the WIP pile and it's a quilt just for me!

I also got to use up all my red/pink scraps the box is almost empty...yay!! and I also used up a half yard of some Joel Dewberry Herringbone that I'd had for ages....so a real stash buster.

I'm not sorry not sorry for all the pictures but I'm really thrilled I persevered with this when I was actually quite sick of looking at it LOL

Linking up with Amanda and Myra

Candy Floss Drunks - Curving Away

Hi Peeps!

This was not the post I was intending tonight but this quilt has just about driven me mad trying to photograph it and as such I've taken a squillion photos and have to empty my phone.

So look out here they come.....I won't torture you with all of them LOL

I introduce Candy Floss Drunks!

And as you'll soon see it's the most chameleon like quilt when it comes to colour.

In the flesh it's really crisp and gorgeous but do you think I can get one photo that conveys that??

According to Instagram, the date keeper of all WIP's and beginnings, this quilt was born in early November 2016....sheeesh!

Initially it was a few fat quarters of mostly Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mabley and then I just added a few others from my stash and some other designers and whipped out my 6 1/2" drunkards path template....so quick to cut...and voila!!

The photo below is the truest likeness to real life I think....anywhoo the 6 1/2" template is a great beginners size for attempting your first Drunkards Path, plenty of wiggle room and easy to square up.

I sent this out to be quilted by Sandra and although it's difficult to tell she chose a gorgeous Turquoise thread to quilt a floral/swirl panto...it's divine as per usual.

I added this photo so you could at least see the fantastic texture the quilting creates.

The backing was created from a left over block and some left over vintage sheet....no waste here!

One of those quilts where I actually like the back almost as much as the front!

It's not a huge quilt at 42" x 54 I'd call it a cot quilt but I'm really quite fond of it's fun style.

And a candy stripe pink and white binding for the win, I'll be adding this to my Etsy Shop soon as it's not made for anyone in particular and I'm not hoarding all the quilts anymore! 

Last one I promise!

Talk soon Peeps xx

Some Finishes - From The Basted Pile

Hi Peeps

So I don't know about you but I have piles in my sewing room.........

Piles like "the pretty together fabric pile" and the " fabric on top of a pattern pile" which I think will make me get to it quicker LOL and "the new fabric waiting to be housed pile" 

 Then there's the real serious piles....

"flimsy finished waiting for backing pile"

"quilt sandwich waiting to be basted pile"

"basted quilt waiting to be quilted pile"

This post is brought to you from the last pile and in the scheme of things pretty recent since it's only been basted for about 2 months ....sheeesh

This quilt actually came about because I was trying to tidy up a "pile" of Denyse Schmidt Shelburne Falls and I couldn't find space to fit them all....so I made a quilt top

Now I know this is totally normal behavior for a quilter......am I right? But I also happened to be tidying some printed patterns and this pile and the Trellis Quilt pattern by Aneela Hoey just seemed perfect for each otherf

I added a couple of other fabrics from Cotton & Steel and Alison Glass....designers that just seem to go with everything!!

And I'm absolutely thrilled with the crinkly goodness post washer and dryer spa treatment

Such a great pattern to showcase your favourite prints and easily adaptable for fat quarters.

I popped a vintage floral sheet on the back and although I now think a purpley fabric would have been better for the strip instead of pink I'm still pleased that I'm continuing to use up long hoarded stash fabrics that I just don't love anymore.

I used the same DS floral for the binding that I used on my Ripples Quilt and now that's dwindling a bit I'm resisting the urge to freak out and hoard it....what is up with that response we have when you get to the last bit??

That's it for today but I have several other finishes to show you this week, get ready for the invasion of your inbox MWAHAHAHA

Talk soon xx

Pickledish - Can't Believe I Haven't Shared This

Hi Peeps!

...was sorting through photo files today and found these delicious pics and realised I never showed you the finished quilt??

Brace yourself for a Pickledish Quilt picture overload LOL

Pattern is by Rita from Red Pepper Quilts fame and can be found here

Rita also has fantastic tutorials on how to piece this block which include her tips and tricks.

I highly recommend this pattern and although it's been on my quilty "freak me out " bucket list I really, really enjoyed the process and became obsessed with it so much I completed the quilt in about 10 days...sewing every night.

 Once you start doing something over and over again you get so much quicker and better at it that you feel like a piecing superstar.

I really tried to use this as an exercise in contrast.....I really struggle with this concept when making a scrap quilt, but I'm happy with my first attempt. It's not as crisp as Rita's but I think you can see the Pickledish block reasonably clearly?

There were some happy accidental fussy cuts of fave fabrics....perfect block for you if fussy cutting is your jam 

The backing was a very old WIP that I'd fallen out of love with but when I found some long lost Heath stash I had enough to float it and make it the perfect backing....happy dance :)

Quilted all over in a swirly panto and finished with a spotty black and white binding she's done and a definite staying with me quilt

Talk soon my peeps xx

Linky linky with Amanda Jean and Myra

Half Rec Quilt - Not A Glamorous Name!

I know I promised my final finish last week but I think a week of blogging almost wrecked me as much as the points on this baby!!

This is NOTHING to do with the pattern by Nicole from  Snips Snippets which was in one of the Love Patchwork & Quilting Mags.....but Half Rectangle Triangles and I are not friends!!

Only and I mean only from now on, unless they are foundation pieced I will not sew a freestyle HRT ever again!!

Oh my Lordy Lordy and a few other choice non child friendly words do you think I could get my blocks to match the measurements from the pattern??!!

 I even made a template up out of plastic and everything for trimming.... but those little bastards were always a little off....even with a scanty scant 1/4" seam!

So there was some very creative seam matching to not lose any points, because we all know that a little off here and a teensy bit off there equates to a whole hot mess of where in the beejjeezeers did my points go LOLOL

Luckily my longarmer extraordinaire saved this wee baby with her wonderful custom quilting, which I hope you can appreciate despite the gloomy day these pics were taken.

Isn't this lovely and it always amazes me how a simple quilt can be transformed into something completely eye catching just by the choice of quilting....sigh...wishing I was better at it!

I chose to highlight the pink /red of one of the prints (Riley Blake Domestic Joy??) with a gorgeous dot from Lakehouse Dry Goods

And the reason it was sent out, a fluffy chenille backing ( I swear Sandra I'm getting nearer to the end of these!!)

And when I've finished my Bee commitments I'm hoping to have this one below finished to show you...I've been spending every spare minute on it....lots of piecing but such a fun project!!

Til next time my peeps xxx

Linking up for a Friday finish with Amanda Jean  of Crazy Mom Quilts and Myra from Busy Hands Quilts