Espritpatch

Last month, I finished piecing the top for the BQL challenge on the wire at the last minute (and I made it the wrong size) so this month I started to piece early (first week of October I think). I hadn't posted a picture yet because I thought I would have time to quilt it before the end of the month but... Here we are again, the month will end in a couple of days but I won't have chance to quilt my top by then. So here you are a picture of my "fall 3D pinwheels" for the challenge proposed by Kandy at A break, at home... . Very effective block, I like making it and I like the way it looks. OK time to prepare dinner for the family before I go out for my gym class... Celine

Yesterday evening was the AGM of our patchwork group Log Cabin Quilters . I took some hand sewing projects with me but... I didn't get anything out of my bag because we had a visit from Joanna and her partner Steve who opened a new quilting shop The Crafty Quilter in Barton-Le-Clay at the end of August. They came with some yummy fabrics and lovely threads to tempt us. The sales table was very crowded for most of the evening... I haven't visited her shop yet but I should do so when I will get a bit of time... Anyway, she had a very lovely gingerbread panel: How cute is that? Today I managed to finish piecing my quilt for the BQL october challenge. How early! I still need to quilt it and bind it but at least the top is done long before the deadline. I'll post a picture soon. Tomorrow I have a day out at Alexandra Palace for the Knitting & Stitching show. I don't knit but I am sure it will be a great day regardless. Oh yes and last night before I went to the AGM, I ...

This week was also the deadline for the BQL challenge. To get the next password a picture of the finished quilt (at least the top) has to be posted on the BQL website by 30th of the month. So on Monday I started planning how I was going to do this month one, which was a play on dark and light with log cabin blocks. I choose blue and brown colours and decided to do 4 triangles in my square: 2 blue (1 dark, 1 light) and 2 brown (1 dark, 1 light). I frantically sew my blocks Monday and Tuesday night before bed time to meet the deadline. The finished quilt is a 12' square but unfortunately when I calculated the sizes of my logs, I forgot to take into account that there are some on each side of the center square so my quilt has come out about 18' square. I might use it as a cushion I think... Anyway, here is a picture of my quilt top (it is not quilted yet) And I am some glad I made this one on time as this month challenge is awesome. Hopefully I'll be able to get it started soo...

I have finished only the top of the August BQL challenge and won't have time to do more before the end of the month. We were playing with half square triangles this month. I am thinking of using it to make a purse maybe rather than a mini quilt. Watch this space for more later,hopefully. Celine

I got some post! On Saturday, I finally received my blocks from the Disappearing 9 patch swap. I say finally because it took nearly 2 weeks for the package to reach me. We have had some postal strikes over here and I was starting to wonder whether my package has been lost. Anyway here is a picture of my stack of blocks. I hope they won't stay as a pile for too long! I have also started the BQL challenge (due at the end of the month...) and have reach the "block" stage. The theme this month is half square triangle and I have selected some black and red scraps to make it. This is as far as I am for now, much more to do really. Speaking about blocks, I went to the Festival of Quilts on Friday and Saturday in Birmingham (UK) and discovered that I had one block in the exhibition! In the group quilt category, there was a signature quilt which by looking closer I recognised to be from a Dear Jane Siggie Swap (organised every year on the Dear Jane list). I was explaining the c...

This week I have (only) managed to make 5 more blocks for the block lotto . I have until the end of this week to make 3 more. I have one more on the go so we'll see how far I will manage to get to! The blocks are lovely, I would love to be lucky enough to win one set! I have also started to cut my squares for this month BQL challenge. This is also due for the end of the month... I better get going fast really. On Friday and Saturday I went to the Festical of Quilts in Birmingham (UK) with my Mum and Charlotte (Friday only). We had a very good time but I will report on that later with a few pictures of my purchases etc! See you soon! Celine

Today is the last day of the month so it is also the last day to post a picture of the BQL challenge and I haven't quite finished yet but it will have to do for now... This month was a bargello quilt which I had never tried before. I really liked it also I have discovered that it is really easy to have it wonky with such tiny strips and bits. I used some of my scraps, some of them you will recognise from the Disapppearing 9-patch blocks and went for a pink and beige combination. It seems to be my favorite at the moment! Celine

That's it my 9-patch have "disappeared" and they are ready to go across the Atlantic for swapping. This was a fun swap and the blocks were quick to made in the end. I like how versatile they are as well depending on how you arrange them. Here is a picture of my 40 blocks. Not much progress otherwise, I have sewn my strips for the bargello and now need to slice it off to sew them back together. Probably to late to do so tonight unfortunately. Celine

I have completed my 9-patch blocks for the swap today with 2 bright and 2 "shabby chic" I can now start making them "disappear" before I send them across the Atlantic. I feel slightly "scared" to slice off my blocks but this is the fun of this swap! I also managed to cut my strips to make a mini bargello quilt for this month challenge on the BQL list. I now need to get on with the sewing. Hopefully I will post a picture soon! Celine

Today was a catching up day when I finished a few things that I had started this month. First I finished the hem on the skirt I am planning to wear at the wedding on Saturday. I had the black skirt below that I wanted to jazz up a bit. I have removed the black panels in the skirt to replace them with some red ones, using some fabric I had bought in India a while back. From here: to there I then decided to be adventurous and to make a top with the panels I had recovered from the skirt. I have used the same red fabric for the straps. This is the final result which I find slightly too plain or maybe boring. So I have bought some lace, organza and net this week-end and will try to add a few bubbles to the top. Watch this space for more! I've also finished this month BQL challenge, which is due by tomorrow. Just in time. I had completed the top at the beginning of the month and had left it aside for later. It is now done. A fun one to make with the 3-D element. The blue fabric is a lot...

My friend came over from France with her 6-month old son, spending the last 2 days with me. We had fun catching up, chatting and doing not much with 3 children up to 3! Her son is really lovely but so much bigger than my daughter. It is amazing how much difference 2 months can make at his age! Charlotte is actually 4 month today! Before she came, I had managed to finish the top of my little quilt for the June's challenge from the BQL list. Just need quilting and finishing off. Just for you now, here is the picture of this work in progress: This month on the blocklotto , we are choosing our blocks (traditionnal) but they have to be made with 30s fabrics and WOW as a background. I have choosen which blocks I will make now: 3 shoo-flys which were one of the monthly block a couple of months ago, 3 churn dash and 3 friendship stars. Patterns will be adapted from the quilterscache website from Marcia Hohn's free patterns. This is a great resource for quilters with thousands of bloc...

I have finally managed to find some time to play with fabric again! Yeah... While watching TV last night I have managed to finish fusing my hens for my grand-mum's quilt. Ready to be sewn now. I have also managed to start the block for June BQL. The top is nearly done. Need to add the outside borders so a picture should hopefully follow soon-ish. And I have started to reorganise my stash in the boxes I bought in IKEA last week since the shelves are already up on the wall. Thanksfully I have my lovely son's help to unfold and refold the fabrics to put in the boxes. What would I do without him really. Pearls of wisdom from a 3-year old lovely boy: "I am helping you very well with your fabric Mummy! No, don't take that fabric it's mine. No I can't get ready for dinner Daddy I am helping Mummy with her fabric" Celine

Well, maybe to complete my presentation I should give you an insight in my on-going projects as there are a few. I like to keep busy but am not sure I can always keep up though. Lately I finished the little trapunto quilt below for the May challenge on BQL I also took part to two classes from quiltuniversity which offers online classes, great when you are somehow house-bound for a little while. I signed up for Colour Companions by Carol Miller and made 4 blocks (out of 5) so far. The last lesson was on 8 May so I am running a little behind... The first block I made was a monochromatic block with violet as my chosen colour: For the second block, we played with complementarity, so the colours in my block were violet and yellow: The third block was a play on slit complementarity, I used violet, red-violet, blue-violet and yellow in my block: And the last block I have made so far is using an analogous scheme with violet, red-violet and blue-violet fabrics: I still have the last block to...