Bloggers Quilt Festival ~Autumn 2011

I came home just in time for Blogger's Quilt Festival yay! If you clicked through from Amy's blog, welcome I hope you will enjoy my blog.

I have no new quilt to share today, so instead my entry is the plus and x blocks quilt I finished last June. In many ways this is my most loved quilt ever.

Plus & X blocks Quilt

 

Piecing the plus and x blocks was a very slow process - as in the blocks
take f o r e v e r to piece - but I enjoyed it very much because I got to play with all the pretty bits of fabric I had collected.
I didn't have much of a plan for this quilt, I just loved the block and wanted to get started straight away.

I found that whenever I added fabrics I loved most to the mix they would somehow work. And whenever I started doubting my choices and tried to add fabrics because I thought I needed to balance out the colours, or make it more 'modern' {what a silly thought!} the blocks didn't turn out so great.
In short I learned to trust my instinct more, which apparently is something I need reminding of over and over again!

My quilt top ended up being a little puckered in some places where the bias cut pieces weren't laying flat. I love when accidents turn into a blessing because the puckers pushed me to go one step further and add applique to the top.
I started to cover up the few puckers first and then added more numbers, that I roughly cut out of left over backing fabric.  I think it has added much more interest to the overall design.

Want to read more about this quilt? you can find my previous posts here
If you have a few hours to spare go have a look through all the other entries in the Blogger's Quilt Festival here.

x Leila

Nani Iro skirt

I am used to having to shop far and wide to get my precious Japanese designer fabrics. So I was delighted to find a Dutch webshop that carries a nice selection of some of my favourites; Mondaysmilk

I made this same skirt with a Nani Iro double gauze knit before and I wear it all the time, so it was about time for a new one. Is it just me or do you worry about wearing out your favourite clothes too?

Decapitated me as usual because I couldn't be asked to put on some make-up ;-)

The pattern is from 'one piece & skirt' and it's the only thing I have dared to make from this book. I have little faith in my dressmaking skills, and the fact that it's all in Japanese doesn't help either, but simple skirts I can handle.

I could live in this outfit especially since the skirt has nice deep pockets,  love me some pockets!



So I may just need to make one more...it's the right thing to do really, since I already have the fabric ;-)

Ok- I'm on my way to enjoy the Cornish coast for a few days, and I'm turning the computer off {she said bravely} - wish me luck wit the withdrawal that will set in any minute now!


x Leila

mad pillow making woman

I've been on a mad cushion making spree over the last couple of days!
Besides the ones I showed you here already,

patchwork squares...

log cabin..

I made another log cabin...

and more patchwork squares!

All four of these have flown out of the shop faster then I could whip them up, I am most pleased!
I will be busy making some more, but I probably will not list them until I get back from my little break next week :-)

 I also found time to sew myself a little cushion to keep.

This is a wee 14" cushion, the house block is a pattern from Kumiko Fujita's patchwork 318.

I'm thinking my month in this bee will have 'Home sweet home' as a theme. There are some really cute house blocks in this book. But there are also lots of applique blocks, a combination of both would be lovely don't you think?
I am not sure if this is a worldwide thing, but I think it is.. We get these decorative wall tiles, you know the ones I'm talking about right? They usually have a decorative motif stenciled or painted on them with a corny saying like ' home is were the heart is or 'seize the day' (I mean no offense by calling them corny- if you have a whole collection of them you rock!)
I was thinking of mixing up house blocks with these flowery applique blocks and corny sayings about love and home and family to turn into a large cushion or wall hanging or something.
I still have time to change my mind,  what do you think?
 

x Leila

Oh and one more thing, you may have noticed (Anna!) I'm wearing a new Nani Iro skirt in the last two pictures. I will show it off properly soon!

October Bee Blocks

Thanks to all your wonderful tips I finished this months cocorico bee block .
I tried most of the suggestions for the antennae, before settling on these .The bias tape applique looked too whimsical, which is not what I was after with this block. After a few stitches of embroidery I thought it didn't show enough contrast.. I can not for the life of me master free motion so I just 'stitched and turned'

Annabel's Orchard

 I'm pleased with how this block came out and I do think it rather looks more like a moth/butterfly than a half dresden now. Annabel asked for 12" x 16" blocks to make placemats for her dinner guests. Although I do think she has changed her mind on letting food touch her blocks now ;-)

Next up is the block I made for Kerry for our Patchwork 318 bee.
Kerry chose 'afternoon tea' as her theme, which I love. I drink it by the bucket so this was definitely a theme I could work with ;-)

I actually think Kerry's afternoon tea is a lot more refined than mine. No buckets there but a fine collection of vintage cups and saucers she picked up on one of her trips to the car boot sale.
This block measures 6 1/2" unfinished.

Next month we'll hit the slopes with Krista, she and her family enjoy skiing something I know nothing about! The bar has been set amazingly high already have a look at Amy's block!!
And I get to choose a theme for the 318 bee, I have not settled on a final idea yet but I will keep you all posted.

x Leila

Friday Favourites

This week flew buy without much of anything happening here.  Just the everyday little things.

Our early morning bicycle rides to school have gotten less pleasant by the constant autumn rain. There's the piles of laundry that finally got the better of me and demanded my immediate attention. Wiping noses, supermarket trips, cooking dinner, picking up dirty socks around the house, stepping on those pesky bits of Lego - they are everywhere!

Inbetween these pleasures of motherhood, I did manage to sew up some new pouches for the shop. Including my new labels from gutentags Cassie was very fun to work with and I love the look of my new smaller tags. I have a long blog and shop name and it's been difficult for me to find labels the right size, these will do me just fine!

Here are some of my favourites from Flickr to inspire those weekend sewing projects.

1. Double Wedding Ring Basket, 2. Tiny coin purse side 2, 3. for Tasha, 4. Patchwork Pinwheel pillow, 5. Little House Ornaments, 6. the twins..., 7. From Quilter's Studio, 8. autumn collection part 1, 9. clutches3

Have a happy weekend!

x Leila