Espritpatch

The spring/summer has finally decided to arrive. We have had a very nice week-end with lots of sun and very warm temperature. We virtually lived outside for the last few days to enjoy the long-awaited warm weather. We also had friends visiting for the week-end so it was a full house and a very pleasant week-end. But I have had no time at all for sewing, to much catching up to do! It was so nice I felt I had been on holidays for a little while.... The weather is turning cooler again but I hope it will stay nice to give me some energy again. Back to the sewing room, do you remember the 2 leaves I showed you last week? Hubby has found time to put the eyelets in and I have received the metal ware I needed to complete 2 cute key fobs. I have sent this one today on its way to my partner in the RATZ swap .  I hope she likes it as much as Miss Strawberry Shortcake did! It was fun and easy to make and would make a great little gift for a friend, I'll have to remember it wh...

Don't you love it when you get an envelope from a fellow quilter? I received those lovely Maisy blocks back from Ulrike this week. I love the little blocks she has done at the top, it is gorgeous. I now have only 2 more packages to get to have all the blocks back. I have started working on the rows when I receive a package so I am hoping this quilt will be on Miss Strawberry Shortcake's bed in no time! And I have also received the blocks back from Diane for our Halloween See-Saw. I just love what she has done on each block, how clever! This is hers and this is mine And I have been VERY spoiled, Diane has also sent me this gorgeous fabric that she has bought especially for me in Malvern. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, you made my week - with all these bugs in the house! Celine

Kids are still ill and I have caught their bugs as well... so I haven't spent much time at my sewing machine of late but I have managed a little bit of hand sewing. I have finished my 2 flowers hexies for Maggie yesterday evening so they'll be on their way soon. A little while ago, I also received these 2 gorgeous flowers from Shannon. Celine

It is a slow week here, I haven't been able to spend much time sewing with 2 kids ill and not really sleeping at night. And I have most probably caught their bug now... At least the sun has appeared since yesterday and at long last it feels like spring. I have started working on my HST cushion or zig zag cushion in solid chocolate and brown prints that I want to give my Mum for her birthday. I have almost cut all my squares, only 2 colours left. I have also started to piece some hexagons in the same colourway to applique onto another cushion for my Mum. I need more hexagons though but I have pieces of fabric cut out for them. Finally I have finished piecing 2 little leaves that I am going to turn into key rings, I need to add eyelets and a clasp and will send one of them to my partner in the RATZ swap . The topic next month is fabric magnets if you are interested in joining in. Celine

If you are arriving over here from the Blogger's Quilt Festival, welcome. My entry is further down on this page. You can nominate quilts from today until the end of the week. I am a swap addict and can't resist taking part in many (too many?) virtual groups that I find on Flicker or on blogs. Maybe it is because I am not involved in a local bee or something similar. Over the last week or so, I have made quite a few different blocks for the May Bees. Cara sent us fabric to make her a "Rocky Road to Kensas" block for Bee Europa 2012 . The bee started again in May so Cara was our first Bee Queen. I love the fabric she has sent!  have sent her the block back and she has received it already as she doesn't live that far from me. My 2 sets of 2 Basket Weave blocks for the Bee Weave it or not!  another bee started in May are finished. I really like the look of the blocks, which are paper-pieced. Melanie asked for spring colour...

Not much progress to report for me this Monday. My Mum came to stay with us for 2 days over the week-end so I was out of my sewing room while she was here. And the kids have had a bug (again) with quite a lot of temperature and seriously disturbed nights (and it is not over yet unfortunately) so I haven't had much time at the sewing machine. I did very little on my Just Takes 2 again. I finished the very easy block #28 - 20 pieces Total pieces for the finished blocks = 647 and joined blocks #19 and#20 that I finished last week-end to the rest of the blocks I have so far to create this big piece. Well, I can't wait for the kids to be back to good health and good nights really! Celine

Amy at Amy's Creative Side is hosting the Spring Blogger's Quilt Festival again. You can read all the details on her blog and you still even participate if you would like to showcase on of your quilt, you need to post your entry by 21 May. I am late entering as it started yesterday so there are already plenty of quilts on show. Between 22 and 25 May, you can nominate someone for one of the lovely prizes, there are a few categories this year and also random drawings. And no I don't mind if you nominate me of course! ;-)) Voting will be between 26 and 30 May and winners are announced on 1 June. I have participated a couple of times before and it is always the same question, which quilt should I enter this time? Well, I don't know about you, but I always find it harder to find a great meaningful present for a man than for a woman, it always seem to be the boring same old selection. So when my Grand-Dad turned 80 (7 years ago) as he is same age as Queen Elizabet...

I had prepared 4 blocks that I was hoping to finish by mid-May but I only have two to show off. The first one I made is D7 Meeting Place, which I finished yesterday with sashing and also attached to D6. This was the BOW on the Dear Jane list a couple of weeks ago. The next block I picked is D8 Dee Dee's Delight. I made this one with reverse applique. I started it yesterday in front of the TV, a rare event for me! and finished it today. I need to add the sashing and sew it to the rest of the blocks in that row. That's 9 blocks in row D and 3 more to go to finish that row. My numbers are now: 119, 7, 0, 2510. Celine

More BOM Rehab on my Just Takes 2 blocks for me this week-end. And I am very happy to report that I have finished block #19 - Feathered Star. I took it very slowly as it was advised on the instruction because it is a difficult block, lots of pieces and some partial seams. Lots of points to meet (mine don't all meet though)... it was indeed a challenging block and I am very happy that it is finished! 117 pieces My second block was easy peasy compare to the other one, I did block #20 - a row of flying geese, once again using the no-waste method. 30 pieces Total pieces for the finished blocks = 627 I started block #28 but this one is not finished yet. I now have 4 blocks left to do to finish the first quarter of the quilt: block #23 which is a big and difficult one I think hand-piecing with curves, block #25 with Y-seams, block #26, paper pieced and block #27 which is all hand applique. The next unit is released tomorrow so I am still behind but slowly catching up thanks to ...

My Mum is turning 60 very soon - don't tell her I made it public - and I had planned (last year) to make her Farmer's Wife quilt since she is a farmer's daughter, a farmer's wife and a farmer's mother. Well it didn't really worked according to plan as I have made less than 20 of the 110 blocks and I don't even like them anymore so I need to start again... With less than a month to go until her big 60 day, there is no way my quilt will be ready so I had to find alternatives. She has moved into her new house a couple of years back and she has just received a new sofa that I think need a few cushions. I have planned to make her 3 for her birthday. The first one I have made is a Chocolate Union Jack. Although she doesn't live in the UK but in France, part of her heart is in the UK, with 3 grand-children living here. Her sofa is cream and light brown so I think a my chocolate cushion should compliment it well. I hope she likes it! One ready to go, 2 mor...

I couldn't resist Makower special line of fabrics I love London, and because I couldn't decide which fabrics I liked best, I treated myself to a lovely FQ bundle, with all 11 designs. With the Jubilee coming soon, I thought our house really NEEDED a lovely Union Jack cushion. I had seen some gorgeous cushions on Flicker so I knew I needed one! Anyway I pieced my cushion on Monday night and when I looked at it, I felt it wasn't quite right. Yes, the white strips around the middle cross were missing. So I unpicked my top yesterday afternoon and added the white strips that I felt were missing. I think it looks much better now, what do you think? For the backing, I used a tea towel I bought last year for the Royal Wedding, a perfect fit for my cushion. Celine

Finally I am posting the winner of my extra sewing kit... I had very few entries... and I am not sure why? Anyway I hope the winner will like my little prize! So the winner is entry #3 (picked by my son!) and this is Kristy who said regarding her swap blocks: "I usually stitch them into a top and then stash it away....I have a couple tops that need quilted" Kristy will received one of these 2 sewing kits once I have received her address.  Celine

I tried to catch up further with my Just Takes 2 blocks this week-end but I haven't been as productive as the previous week-end. I started with block #17 which is paper-pieced. Although I decided to do the flying geese with the no-waste method rather than paper piecing. I am not sure it was a good idea as there were small size geese. After that I assembled my block the wrong way so had to rip off but I ripped off the wrong seam first... Anyway finally here ismy slightly wonky block #17 , started on Friday and finished on Sunday, with its 57 pieces. I then made more geese for block #24 again with the no-waste method, 24 pieces. I also pieced block #18 but haven't applique the melons as yet so this one doesn't count as a finished block yet. I'll add the applique next time we go away. Easy transportable project. Next block is the lovely feathered star #19 which is big and complex so I went at it very slowly, cutting my pieces as I went along. I haven't finish...

Swiss Roll for me are confined to the Christmas season when I make them as Christmas Yule Log, not really a May cake! But I made one today with strawberries and whipped cream. And I added just a little bit of blue sparkles for a lovely Jubilee cake! Getting into the mood early... Celine

This week we are making a pencil case in the Zakka style sew-along. They are very cute and quick to make, once you read the instructions correctly! I thought they'd make nice little presents so I have made a few. The first one I made is a black and white one lined with a Makower fabric with sewing machines  on and Essex linen in sand. I was going to have this one for myself but it will now be a present for my Mum for Mother's Day with the peg bag. Then I made a second one with dark blue linen and some burgundy Wine fabric which was a present for my DH. He liked it very much and has already put it in his work bag, I am flattered! For the third one, which is now mine, I have used sand Essex linen and selvage strips that I have been saving for a while. I used a cute Hello Kitty ribbon for this one too. I choose the selvage carefully and used some that I have used in quilts etc for the kids. I used the same Makower fabric for the lining. I also made one u...