Star Blossoms

I managed to get two quilts finished up before the end of 2013, but I can only show you one for now. 

The lovely Star Blossoms, who took an hour per block to put together. Fabric is Marmalade from Bonnie and Camille.Quilting is a lazy loop-the-loop pattern.

I've already made a start on my first quilt of 2014; sneaky peeks to come soon!

Christmas is Coming

It's the crazy last week leading into Christmas and everything has shifted into overdrive. I've been trying to squeeze in time with as many friends as possible, while also finishing off two quilts and just generally taking in the Christmas spirit.

I had dinner with my oldest friend during the week, and was lucky enough to sample a selection of her amazing Christmas cookies. I do love having a pastry chef for my bestie.

I managed to get binding on both quilts I'm trying to finish. There was a little panic when I realised I hadn't actually bought fabric to bind Star Blossoms (below), but a quick rummage through my stash fixed that with a little Vintage Modern.

I remembered last night that I had other Christmas decorations stashed away, and hung the star light and paper chains. Bella is just checking things out, and waiting for me to leave so she can crash-tackle the tree.
 

A quick little baking session this morning before I head out for today's festivities. I love my shortbread recipe.
 

Just a reminder that the shop will close at noon on the 24th of December, and re-open on January 3.

Wednesday Quilting Session

Life is just a little crazy right now, but I made sure to put "quilting" on my to-do list for today.

Nothing fancy, just some loopy loops but I'm already pretty happy with how it's looking.

Star Blossoms Flimsy

I feel like its taken forever to get here, but I finally have the quilt top together.

Now it just needs to be basted and quilted; I'll get there eventually!

A Winner and a Little Progress

Random.org has given me a helping hand, and the winner of my Scrumptious give-away is PunkinPatc​h; please send you address to kate@bellaspatchwork.com.au and I will get your prize out to you.

I've spent a couple of nights hunched over the sewing machine and have the body of Star Blossoms done. Just three borders then it will be ready to quilt!  

 

I feel like I've been working on this one for ages; I purchased the fabric all the way back in February!

Had my first market today for quite a few months; boy was I busy! It seems everyone is stashing fat quarters at the moment. My next market is November 24 at Caulfield Racecourse; see the listings on the right for info.

I Love Fridays

Yesterday when I was at work, the weather was terrible. Today home is work, and the weather is beautiful! I've made the most of it by getting a bit of gardening done; the weeds really take over when you aren't home to keep an eye on them. The previous owners planted Ivy and it has been a constant battle over many years to get rid of as much as possible. I'm winning slowly but boy does it make me itch.

My lavender bloomed beautifully while I was away, and brings in the bees; great for all the fruit trees. Where would we be without bees?

 

My favourite tree is the cherry blossom; I wait all year for it to bloom, then usually the spring winds blow them all away. They're almost all gone and my front yard looks like its been snowing pink petals.

The puppies are loving the sunshine, but keeping the littlest Miss still for a photo is almost impossible.

Miss Bella is curious about the camera as always.

I did a sneaky trip to Spotlight this morning to check out Sarah Fielke's new range, Millefiori. I had to hunt around a bit but I found the prints I was looking for. Into the stash they go!

 And finally a little more progress on Star Blossoms; only four blocks to go!

 

More Star Blossoms

It's nice to be back at the sewing machine after a month away, but I needed a quick glance at the pattern to refresh my memory. Then I was straight back in!

I've knocked over 11 of the 20 blocks so far; at about an hour each this certainly isn't a quick quilt but I love each and every block as it comes together.

I've also managed to get my hands on a FQB of Kate Spain's Daydream; its such a vibrant range! I have a very important quilt to make and this is the chosen fabric.  I've also picked a pattern from Camille's Simply Retro, but there will be more about that later...

Blossoms Everywhere

I love the end of winter when all the blossoms start to appear around my yard; it reminds me that the warmer weather is finally on its way.


I adore the cherry blossoms out the front.

There are daffodils around, and jonquils too.

While I'm hand-stitching the binding on the Vintage Modern quilt, I've finally made a start on the Marmalade quilt, Star Blossoms. Its slow progress; the blocks aren't hard, but they are time consuming due to the size of the pieces. Each one takes about an hour. The lack of pressing instructions is also a bit of a pain (and a pet hate of mine when it comes to patterns).

The block is essentially a star within a star, so if you can handle HSTs and flying geese it's not too difficult.

Work in Progress Wednesday

After working full time for the last two months, its been a relief to go back to part time this week. We all know what free time is for: sewing!

My Work in Progress (or WIP) is the 2012 Designer Mystery BOM. I've been sneaking a little time here and there between other commitments, but Wednesday is all mine!

 

I've got just two of the 12 blocks left to quilt, then the sashing and borders. So close to the end I can almost smell it.

Once I'm done I will finally make a start on piecing Star Blossoms, though I don't think I'll get it finished before I go on holidays. All the pieces are cut, and currently stored in a Decor pastry tub (idea courtesy of Badskirt).

 

The tubs are perfect for a layer cake or a quilt that's cut and ready to piece, and only cost around $10 or so. And they stack up nicely so you don't end up with a big mess on your sewing table.

Found the Perfect Backing

After umming and ahhing about a backing for I Heart You, I finally found the perfect fit. Cute but not too over-the-top, on sale, and the required 9 yards available.

Sew Stitchy by Aneela Hoey

I probably won't get to make this quilt till later in the year; I still need to quilt my Scrappy Tripalong, and I want to start piecing my Marmalade/Star Blossoms quilt as soon as I can (once I get some market sewing out the way next week). If only there were more hours in the day! At least now that daylight savings is done there's more opportunity to be inside where it's warm.