Espritpatch

My count of blocks for April has been so low that I am of course behind on some of my bee blocks. So I have been working on those mainly this week to try and catch up so I can also work on other projects.  First block I finished this month was the Tic Tac Toe for Kerstin for Bee Hive Europe then I made Pippa's block for Bee Europa. This was a quick and easy block to make! I love the dramatic effect of the black and white. And I made a little hexie flower to go with my mini basket for Natalie my April #2015IGsecretpals partner I have also managed to get started on the new Farm Girl Vintage quilt-along on the same week it started! I am planning to use the blocks to make a quilt for my childminder who has sadly decided to retire at the end of the year. I made a 12' block for the quilt  and a 6' block to make a pincushion for my #2015IGsecretpals partner I have also picked up my #bookbee blocks while I started working on my cousin's quilt ...

Another month, another list...and I doubt this will be a short one. Let's hope I can cross a few big items this month... Hoping for Finishes! 1.  Lighthouse quilt for my cousin's 30th birthday  - this will have to be my choice  A lovely year of finishes  as her birthday party is in May....wish me luck 2.  Star Plus  3.  Skirt Sew Along  4.  IG Secret Pal swap  Bee Blocks  1.  I love Lucy international  block (May) 2.  Flower hexies for the Inchy Hexie Swap (April and May)   3.    Bee Europa (May) 4.  Book Bee (May) 5.    Flying geese Bee 6.  Block Lotto blocks WIP 1.  You've got Mail wall hanging - need 4 more envelopes  2. Finish my work bag - my  Lazy Bums  challenge for November 3.  M r Snowmen cushion  4. Continue working on my Once Upon a Tim...

So April is over already, it has gone by very quickly once again... We had lovely spring weather which has pushed me to go outside more (not something I do easily) and we have started to really try to reserve some quality family time at week-ends when we do something all together like going for a bike ride or a long walk. Of course, that has eaten even more into "free" time but it is so worth it as the kids absolutely love it and we get to spend some stress free time together when we don't have to rush anyway. We also started the month on holidays and then I spent a few days in Paris for work. A busy month where I didn't get to spend as much time with my sewing machine as I should/would have liked to. Anyway let's have a look at THE list.... Hoping for Finishes! 1.  UK mini swap  this will be my choice for  A lovely Year of Finishes  - all done and sent on time! 2.  Quilt for M - no progress 3.  Star Plus -  no progress ...

I6 years ago (yes 6 ... hanging my head in shame), I started a bag for my cousin's 30th birthday and I got as far as making the bag, the flap, the zip closure, the pocket and the lining. You can check here . Then I needed to make the handle, seriously how difficult is that? Well it's not but for some reason that was a road block for me. I am not quite sure why, apart from not being able to decide on what to use to make it. Anyway, I didn't make the handle then and the birthday came and went and the bag stayed as a UFO (and has been since then, yes I am ashamed). I have been challenged to finish a few times over the last few months by my fellow Lazy Bums partners. Of course, I couldn't remember how much there was to do so I didn't even got it out to check. But miracle, I finally did last Sunday. And first thing I decided I didn't like the lining I had used: boring plain muslin and decided that needed jazzing up a bit. So I was brave, really brave and cut...

I have signed up for a few more swaps (of course!) and one of them is the one-hour basket that is currently so popular in IG. I thought it would be good to have a practice and it would also make a good present for my friend's birthday. And my one-hour basket (which has actually taken about a week because I was so slow) was actually easy and fun to make. The instructions are great and it should really take an hour if you keep at it. I used a deco-weight fabric with Scottie dogs and some Art Gallery jungle for the lining. I really love how it turned out, I hope she does too. And today I have been trying a mini version to send to my IG swap partner. Someone (and I can't remember who to credit, sorry) posted dimensions on IG so I decided to try it out. The construction is the same as the big basket but starting with pieces 8 x 4.75' and cutting a 1' square of the bottom. I can see more of these in my future. And that's 3 more OPAMs for April. Linking ...

So I had lost my sewjo recently and hardly did any sewing, but at the week-end I managed to make the Bee Europa block for Tsoniki, all made of selvages she had sent us And I also picked up my Sew Euro Bee an blocks from 2013 (I know that was 2 years ago...) Anyway, I decided to put them together to see what I needed to finish that quilt and realised that I was only needed 2 more blocks. I thought I was missing more so that was a nice surprise. I remember when we did the bee, some people dropped out and not all the blocks were sent back sadly. Anyway, seeing this top nearly completed had really made me want it finished so I have been working on making the scrappy strips at the week-end, hoping I can soon have the 2 missing pieces to my puzzle. Wish me luck, I hope it won't take another 2 years... And I finish one of my 2 flowers for April - another on the go project Linking to Building Blocks Tuesday , WIP Wednesday . Celine

I didn't realised I hadn't blogged for so long but at least I have something to blog about! The UK mini swap is over which means I have sent mine to my partner and I have also received one back! I made a rainbow hexies for my partner. I made the hexies when we were on holidays so all was left was to applique them on the background fabric.  I quilted with a very simple straight line quilting to secure the hexagons.  I really like how it turned out and could have easily kept it. I also made a tiny scissor fob for my partner I have collected a few goodies to send her too. I received this fantastic mini from Heidee, I love everything about it: the design, the fabric, the colours, the quilting. and the extras too! Heidee made me some lovely pouches and send lots of extra goodies (including eatable ones, yummy!) Thanks Heidee, that was a fantastic swap. Linking to  A lovely Year of Finishes  and this is also my first finish for the Q2 Fini...