Espritpatch

I didn't do much sewing at the week-end. My Mum and cousin were visiting so I had to pack up my sewing from the dining room. I usually do the sewing in the dining room because the room is lighter, but also, I am ashamed to say because the office/sewing room is in a bit of a mess. So on Saturday afternoon, I decided to tidy up the table and got everything out to put things away correctly. I then started to pull things out from under the table and from the side as well and I ended up pulling almost everything out. So my efforts at tidying up ended up with a big mess in the middle of the room! I went back in on Sunday and did manage to tidy and clear up almost everyting so now the floor is a lot tidier. I need to put away the fabric in my stash boxes now but at least that's an easy task! So in a way I am proud that I finally took the courage to sort everything out, something which was long overdue... This last week, I also managed to stitch my block #3 for my Life is Beautiful q

Last week I finished a framed hexie for Jeanette. She asked for pastel colours and I have already swapped a few times with Jeanette so I wasn't sure what to do this time. I got my inspiration when I finished my teacup coasters and decided to make her a teacup too. I hope she likes it. It will be flying to Australia very soon. I also received my lovely coasters on Saturday made with some beautiful oriental fabrics. Look at the bow tie blocks and the lovely quilting. They look lovely on the front and on the back! Celine

The Fall 2011 Bloggers' Quilt Festival  organised by Amy at Creative Side, is officially opening today and this time I have chosen to share with you my own and unique entry to a quilt competition that I called Japanese Crests. You have seen this quilt before of course as I used pictures of it for my banner! I did all the applique and quilting by hand (mainly doing the applique on the train to work). I used some of my Japanese fabric, that I love so much on a black background. Once I had finished the 3 panels, I attached them together with fancy thread and beads. I finished this quilt in September 2006 for an exhibition, and unfortunately to this day, it is still not hanging anywhere in the house. Maybe one day, we'll buy a little wood stick to be able to hang it... The wall-hanging looks like this and here are pictures of each of the panels.  Each of the panel represents ancient family crests from Japan. I used patterns from a book called Circles of the East

I received this lovely flower from Jeanette for our October/November hexie flower swap on the Craft Forum. It is lovely and will go very well with all my other dotty flowers. Celine

After 2 months without any progress, I got my WIP out again and started cutting fabric to make more blocks a little while ago. I had set myself the goal of making 10 more blocks by the end of the month but I am not sure whether I will manage. I have cut more than 10 blocks, just need more time to sit down at the sewing machine and assemble them. Anyway, I did managed to finish 4 last night after my babies went to bed. Block #10 [84] Spool Another block with squares and HST. I cut 2 sizes of squares in 2 different fabrics. I then assembled the block like a 9-patch. I should have squared up my HST unit before I sewn them to my squares but I forgot and the result is not that good so I might have to unpick that block and make it better. I'll see if I get some time/energy to do so. I'll count it as finished for now. Block #11 [81] Snowball Same principle as block [84], I cut 2 sizes of squares in 2 different fabrics for the square and HST units It is finished off as a 9-pa

If you haven't yet started working on a Christmas project and are willing to do so, check Project Town blog tomorrow as Julianna will be the first to share a block for the 12 Days of Christmas' Sampler Quilt Along. I didn't know this blog yet but have spent a lovely time exploring it tonight. Well worth a visit! The Sampler Quilt Along is organised by Sara at Sew Sweetness  and there is also a flicker group to join if you like. This will run from tomorrow until 1 December, one 12.5 square block a week. I might join in, who knows? And if you fancy trying your chance at winning a Accuquilt Go! hop over to Vicki's blog The Pickledish Patch and enter her giveaway... or not as I really want to win it (could be my birthday present!) Celine

We went to London yesterday and I managed to finish stitching my September little birdie with all the leaves falling off the autumn tree. I love how it turned out and my little ones even commented that it was lovely. What do you think? I am still one behind but at least I am not slipping further behind. Maybe I'll even manage to make a start on the October block this month before Pumpkin Day! Watch this space! Celine

This month I have been playing with stripes to make these interesting looking flowers for my partner on the Inchy Hexie Swap. I love the look of them, I hope she likes them too! Celine

I don't know where the time is disappearing this month but I don't seem to manage to get much done. Maybe the cold is making me lethargic, strange when I feel I am rushing around all the time. Anyway, this week I managed to use up some of my tone-on-tone scraps in blue and cream to make 2 blocks for the lotto. I was surprised that I didn't have that many tone-on-tone specially in blue. This month lotto is a sampler so any design of block is allowed. I went for some "free form" blocks made of 4 patches and played around with strips of various width. I ended up with a block inspired from rail fence quilt and one "H" block Celine

After finishing my little cups this week-end, I also finished my (overdue) framed hexie that is now flying over to Geniene. She wanted a boy theme with blue fabric so I decided on a rocket. Hope it goes with the rest of her collection! Celine

It was Baby Girl's turn to be ill this week-end so the nights have been disturbed and short and as a result my energy levels were quite low. But I did manage to finish a few swaps. I signed up for PotHolder Pass #9 organised by Amy but decided to only do the coasters this time. I had an idea early on and then kind of went off it so I browsed Flickr yesterday to find something else. I looked at my partner mosaic and used one of the idea that I modified slightly to make a set of cups for my partner. I hope she likes them, I was happy with the results if I can say so myself! I think I might reuse the idea for gifts as it easy enough to make, use a few scraps and come out quite nice.  I alo worked on my little  hexies and I finished the flower for Gloria that I will be able to send tomorrow and started on my flowers for the Inchy Hexie Swap. Celine

Well, I am still running 2 blocks behind but last week-end I finished stitching the August Little Birdie BOM block in front of the TV (We have bought season 1 of Downton Abbey to catch up). I know the October one has already been published but I am still trying to catch up! Celine

Yesterday I spent the day in very pleasant company, for our Regional Day (Region 7), we had the pleasure to be invited to a workshop with Philippa Naylor . The workshop was to cover feathers and trapunto, all in 6 hours! Philippa is a great presenter and the day was thoroughly enjoyable. She also has a huge wealth of knowledge that she is more than happy to share from threads to needles to techniques etc. I learnt a great deal throughout the day and she was always available to give advices and comments on our work. We covered feathers in the morning and I found that was a very difficult exercise to achieve a far from acceptable result - a lot more is required in my case! We did a little warm up with wonky squares which were not too bad to do and a great filler as well, a bit more original than the usual stippling and then we moved on to feathers. The regular, straight feathers were very difficult to master as you see from my trials below and would require lots of hours of work