Espritpatch

  It only took 10 years... but it is now finished and ready to be used/enjoyed... I started the Super Mario Quilt during a quilt-along with Angela  in 2012, I made x blocks and cut zillions of little squares and then all was parked for a long long time... Eventually I got all the pieces out again in September 2020 while I was going through my stash, UFOs etc in preparation for the big move, I picked up the pieces again and made the last few blocks I needed to finish the quilt. In April 2021 , I finally finished the top ready for quilting. I quilted this massive top in before we moved and cut the binding too. All that was left since this time was to hand sew the binding and bury the gazillion threads from the quilting. Well it took quite a few evenings (over a few months) but finally it is all done!  This one will no longer be a UFO, one less for 2023! Linking to  Design Wall Monday ,   Midweek Makers ,  Wednesday Wait Loss . Céline

  Nearly 10 years later, I have a quilt top.... I was planning on making 15 blocks originally but after I got them all out to check how many more I needed, I realised that 12 blocks would already make a decent size quilt. After playing with the blocks to pick the sashing, I decided to add a black strip to 2 sides of the blocks.   That's when I realised that I made a mistake in the question mark block that wasn't square (17x18) so I unpicked and rectified it. All the blocks are bordered by a 3'' grey strip. Now the top is pieced, ready to be quilted, let's hope that won't take another 10 years.... Linking to    Brag about your Beauties ,   Off the wall Friday ,  Peacock Party ,    Whoop Whoop  Friday ,   Patchwork and Quilts   Celi ne

I was hoping to post about my quilted bear rug today that I loaded on my quilting frame last night but I ran out of quilting thread.... so I wasn't able to finish it. I wondered whether to keep it on the frame or to load another quilt instead and eventually this afternoon I decided to take it off. So the next quilt will go on and I'm hoping that by the time I finish it off, more thread will have arrived. Anyway while I was finishing my quilt tops and backing this past week, I also finished one more Super Mario block with the turtle shell. Getting there slowly! Linking to   Monday Design Wall Celine

  One more Super Mario block! While I was making Shy Guy, I ran out of black squares so I picked this block, Star, which had only 3 colours: yellow, black and the light yellow background. I figured that if I pieced the blocks leaving out gaps for the black squares, I could easily slot them in when I had cut more. Well, it started quite well but I ended with a big puzzle and I confused myself in the end. I had all these series of squares of various lengths and combinations attached to one another that it took quite some time to solve the jigsaw in the end. Anyway, I finally finished it this week and that's one more block for this long-standing UFO. 4 more and I will have all the pieces to make the top. Linking to   Monday Making Celine

The weather was OK on Sunday, i.e. it didn't rain so we took the opportunity to go on a walk in our local RSPB wood. It is only down the road but I must admit I had only been once! While we were walking, we saw lots of fungi/mushrooms including these beautiful but dangerous ones I remember seeing pictures of those on a poster my mum had from our local chemist warning that it was a dangerous species of mushroom but I had never, until now, seen one in reality. There were so many on our walks and some perfectly picturesque ones. Those cute fly amanita are nonetheless very toxic so we observed them but didn't touch them! It was all the more fitting that I finished my red mushroom for the Super Mario quilt this week. Linking to   Wednesday Wait Loss ,  Midweek Makers Celine

These last few days, I finished 2 more blocks that had been started 8 years ago...  Now I have the question mark box And the Venus fly trap block, this one is self-drafted from a google image I have no more half prepared blocks now. I'll ask my daughter to pick the next one for me since she has claimed the quilt.... when it will be finished. Who knows how long that will be... Linking to  Monday Design Wall ,  Monday Making ,  Wednesday Wait Loss ,  Midweek Makers Celine

  It was probably the easiest block to make since it was already over half done but at least I completed one more block!  Meet Fire Flower: When I picked it up, I thought I was ready to go, only to realise that I didn't have any background or black squares cut out. So that was the first step before sewing. I cut quite a stash hoping they will last me for the most of the other blocks too. The next block will be the question mark which is hardly started. Linking to  Wednesday Wait Loss Celine

With some free time on my hand, I have been trying to sort out some parts of the house. I have attacked different places like the office/sewing room, the living room, the storage room but also the loft! There is so much "stuff" everywhere and so much that we will realistically never use again. I have already filled 2 big recycling bin with some very old paperwork, sold a few things on that we will not reuse and pass some things of for others to love and enjoy. Of course, there is plenty more to go through but at least it is a few steps in the right direction. What has all this to do with this blog post?  Well, while going through a few boxes in the storage room, I got my Super Mario pieces out. They have been patiently waiting since I started the quilt-along with Angela in 2012... I have all the squares cut out (or at least I think so!)  and as I found out this week, I have pieced 5 blocks: Mario, Luigi, Cloud, Goomba and Yoshi (this one was self-drafted) The original patter...

Well, another week of sewing in different directions, progressing various projects! I have finally made a start on my panel for the Holiday Lane Christmas Pillow blog hop starting soon over at Sew we Quilt  but... I will only show you a very small peak and keep the surprise for my stop on the hop in 2 weeks time. Sorry just teasing with this one!

Angela at Cut to Pieces is organising a linky party for the Super Mario quilt-along now that she has released all her 12 patterns. Check her blog or the Flicker pool for some great blocks and quilts. Of course, I am behind making the blocks but I have finished a few that I have shown in the past. If you are new to my blog, I will present them again now and tell you how I did mine!

Teddy is now nice and comfy with two cosy cushions holding him up in Miss Strawberry Shortcake's room.

These last few nights, I have been busy quilting my Halloween See-Saw top that I showed you on Monday as I would really like to have it finished before the end of the month so it doesn't go and join my long list of UFOs. And I am a lucky girl because my DH bought me the free-motion quilting bible from Leah Day. If you read my blog regularly, you will now that I am in admiration with Leah's work and use her blog a lot lately to find inspiration for my quilting. Well I now have her book to marvel at all the design patterns.

Today I finished assembling my own Modern Minx Beginner Bee block. I was the Queen Bee in September and choose the Diamond Ripple block. I had cut out all the squares and assembled all the HSTs but I hadn't put the block together yet. So yesterday evening I tried a game of sudoku with my HSTs, which wasn't as easy as I thought, to avoid having 2 of the same HSTs in a line or column and after a few attempts, I think I succeeded! I also worked on Johanna's block for Bee Europa 2012 . She has asked us to make some paper-pieced letters, I had "a" and "o". My blocks are done and ready to go to her for her quilt for a little brother. And I also worked on my Happy Cloud for the Super Marion quilt-along but this one is still a WIP. I will be linking this post to Sinta's BOM Rehab tomorrow. Celine

Another week with lots of project in various stages of advancement as I have fluttered from one to the other this past week again. Yesterday evening, I quilted my 2 panels for the Mouthy Stitches bag I am making. The front and the back I now need to finish assembling the bag to have my first OPAM this month! I still have the log cabin panel I quilted at the week-end to finish into a cushion A couple of days ago I cut some pieces to make a ballet bag for Miss Strawberry Shortcake using this tutorial  from Tiffany. I have also progressed a little on my piranha block for the Super Mario quilt-along. I need to cut more fabric for these blocks. I have Fire Flower and the question mark blocks both started but I have ran out of yellow squares now. I have more on-going projects of course but they haven't progressed this week so I'll keep them for later! I am linking this post to Lee at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wendnesday . Celine

As usual I have quite a few projects cooking at the same time. This week I have a fat cloud that I need to shrink. I also have a fire flower, a piranha and a question mark started but I need to cut a few more colours to continue on those blocks for the Super Mario quilt-along I also have most of my fabric cut for my [3x6] bee blocks . I am making the star I showed yesterday. I have some cream/beige and orange fabric cut for the Mouthy Stitches swap . And I have some triangles ready to be put together to make a pillow for the X-factor pillow swap . And I need to finish my own Modern Minx Bee Block A range of projects on the go... I am linking this to  Lee's WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced . Celine

One more block for my Super Mario quilt! I have finished my jumping Mario last night. Cloud and the flower have not progressed much lately as I was paper-piecing-mad for the Basket Weave blocks but I should now be able to squeeze a row or two while working on my Bee blocks this week. Watch this space! In the meantime, I'll link this post to Jen's Building Blocks Tuesday . Celine

I have lots of on-going projects this week. I seem to be adding in lots of directions... Maybe because I am a swap addict! Anyway, I am trying hard to finish my September Bee Weave It or Not blocks -chain paper piecing small strips in a range of colours for Natalie - a selection of blue and red, I now need to make a red and blue block and for Pam - a sizzling block in orange and aqua/teal Mario is half-way through his jump, nearly there! And these are some squares that I have cut out with my new Sizzix die and that I am planning to use to make a block for the bag panel we are all making for the Mouthy Stitches swap. I am linking to Lee at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday where Debbie is guest blogger today. Celine

This week, I have mainly been "playing". I finished piecing Yoshi last night I have a fat jumping Mario that needs to go on a diet and half a fat cloud I have also just started on the flower but have ran out of black squares so it will be cutting time very soon. I am linking this to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced . And while showing Yoshi to my son tonight, he asked when/whether I was making Sonic. Well that wasn't in the original plan so maybe my quilt will be bigger than initially intended... Watch this space... And you still have time to enter my giveaway here if you like! Celine