Shabby Chic

Ladies and gentlemen, drum-roll please... we have.... a finish!

It's been a long time coming, but finally, she is complete, in all her glowy goodness.

Here you can see the quilting lines - diagonal, but not every line; it creates a frame around the centre diamond.

Another quilt to add to the One Day This Will Be A Quilt Store pile - yay!

Linking up...

It's All About Process (Right?)

I started working with my Summersville. It is gorgeous fabric, and fun to work with.

First I cut out the centre of what might one day be a medallion quilt.

Then I made a bunch of HST's to circle it.
THEN I realised the centre needed a frame.

I fussy-bordered the centre, so I would get complete alphabets. (Hello? Anyone else loving these alphabets?)

My HST's were now all the wrong size. Whoops.
But guess what I did? I IMPROVISED!
Check out the black paint-brush fabric... I just ADDED it. To let the triangles fit. It's like, Wow.

I love it.

And I followed it up by making some adorable little houses to go around the outside.

And they aren't working At All.

I apparently cut the pieces using fictitious measurements and I am having to waste trim a lot; and when I finished the first house, I discovered a remarkable lack of seam allowance. Ack.

I keep telling myself: it's evolving. It's a work in progress. Let it breathe.
So it's breathing.

I'll get back to you when the next step announces itself to me.
(Announcements in the form of suggestions are very welcome here :)

Linking up here to Freshly Pieced!

Great Little Project

I love hand-sewing, and hand-finishing the binding on a quilt is deliciously soothing, especially after a long stretch at the machine. I'm enjoying the quiet.

But it does go on a bit.

So I was glad to take a break to make this quick project - a therapeutic rice bag.

My friend has a special day coming up: her Birthing Day (her daughter will be two years old - squeal!!) She deserves a little something to calm her aching back after a full day in the office, and an energetic, chatty little girl to greet her at the end of the day.

I don't have a pattern. I kind of wing it. Which resulted in my winning the Most Raw Rice On The Floor competition (what? you don't have that competition in your house?)

Linking up with Live a Colorful Life!

     

Be. Still. My. Heart.

This fabric caught my eye at first because it's from a line called "Center City".
I have parents in Center City, Philadelphia, so I'm already sold!

And then I saw this.

It has so much potential! It has lime! It has grey! It has aqua! It almost has orange!
Frame it in charcoal and it's done!
For something special, I might do some improv piecing in matching solids - OMG! I'm so excited!

Embarrassing point I feel obligated to make: the last two fabrics I went this crazy over were some Daiwabo tiny grey elephants, purchased in 2011, and Laura Gunn's painterly trees, bought in 2009. And they are still in my stash, awaiting their turn. This is ridiculous.

Note to self: must sew more.

PS. For those about to ask, it's called "Miami in Midtown" and I found it at pinkcastlefabrics.com, where it was in that magical state of being in stock and not yet sold out. Call it destiny.

Here's One I Made Earlier

In my stash I had a couple of dusty rose pink prints - not my usual fare, not sure what I was thinking that day - and then, one of my lovely friends in the US sent me some fabric just for fun (now that's what we call a friend,) which included some gorgeous cream and beige prints. After many many months, I finally realised that all those muted tones looked perfect together. I decided to make a shabby chic quilt.

Here's what I discovered: shabby doesn't mean chic. Unplanned doesn't make it cozy.
It was just a disappointing muddy mess.

I spent an embarrassing number of hours shifting the blocks...

...and shifting the blocks...

  ... until I found something pleasing.

Then there was the inevitable un-stitching and re-stitching, the tense assessment of yardage left (not much) and the determination to Make Do.

And I finished the top! (Hurray!) I even sandwiched and quilted her! (Hurray! Hurray!)

However,  this was way back in May 2011. (Hurroo.)

Today's the day. It is binding day. Watch this space.

Lily's Small Blog Meet

I'm so excited! Someone cares about me! (Lynne: this is you I'm talking about.)

I used to think blogging was for the professionals out there who have something to teach us. I figured I'd just keep reading. And what a trip it is! There's literally something new every day: more ideas, more colour, more creativity, more inspiration!

Then I discovered that blogging was about creating community. And I wanted in.

It took me a while.
But here I am.

This summer, I was wowed by the art and design in London...

 

made some zippy pot-holders...

created a basket doll...

finished Mandy's iphone cover...

contributed towards a healing quilt...

and started a blog...

Thank you, Lynne, for giving us newbies the chance to meet each other!