Happy Hope Valley Baskets

It's still snowing outside, but inside there is Hope Valley Happiness! I have started piecing my baskets and I am just loving how this fabric is coming together. The snow is falling and I have an afternoon of basket handle applique ahead of me whilst Baby Button sleeps before we brave the backpack cold again on the school run. Outside it's like the world has gone to sleep too - but for the Hyacinth determined to remind us that spring will come.....eventually! Keep warm and happy wherever you are!

Lime Pickle

Hummm... have spent all day moving my Lime Dash blocks around and nothing looks right.

This original planned layout is just all too messy

But spread out it's too sparse!

I'm much happier with this, going back to a block structure but throwing in some big patterns and plains to allow the eye to rest a bit!

I think I'm happy with this layout - but my brain is (lime)pickled so will leave it today and come back with new eyes tomorrow.

In true scatter gun approach I just received my long awaited little stash of Denise Schmidt Hope Valley prints. I loved the Hope Valley quilt that Rita at Red Pepper Quilts made and have been combing my old books and magazines for ideas of how I can do the fabric justice. I have really enjoyed going back to piecing a traditional block again. I have done a lot of quick piecing and applique in the last year, but 2010 is leading me back to the traditional quilt patterns. Anyway, I've decided on a 1930's basket block, set in a grey background, I think it will have some sashing too, not sure yet, will make up some blocks and have a play.

Mr Chilly and Mr Chilly-Cake

Well I did manage a wry smile when I re read my last post. Just 2 days on and the kids are back at home, we're snowed up and my house is a trailing wet puddle of waterproofs and Lego again! Its been snowing now for 3 days and there is no school, but contentment comes in many flavours and luckily I like the messy fun version as much as the serene tidy version ( almost!).

The kids have taken up residence on the re-erected den on the landing, and Baby Button has taken the very sensible view that hibernation is the only route for a baby in this weather and is taking fantastically long lunchtime sleeps so I am getting lots of indulgent sewing time!

I finished off my matching sister quilts for my cousins girls. They are really simple and just feel so lovely to the touch. They are made in Tilda cottons and it is just the loveliest thick but soft cotton, it has a kind of old fashioned crispness to it that makes it feel even more vintage - I love it - think I will have to buy some more and make a bigger quilt for the Little Madam

I've also started sewing my Lime Dash blocks which are still bring a dash of (premature) spring to my days. I think it still needs more pattern so off to cut out some more squares and play with the placement.

Contentment

Supper is cooking on the stove, the washing is in the machine, the baby is asleep, the big Smalls are at school, my house is clean, I have a new project all cut out and ready to start piecing......contentment!

p.s just had to mention - look how fabric efficient this churndash pattern cutting is?!

A New Quilter for 2010

I had one of my favourite sorts of e mail yesterday from Alex who told me she had received one of my MD&M Quilt Kits as an Xmas present, and she's made her first quilt already! I think it's a record! Doesn't it look fantastic? Can you believe it's her first quilt? Check out Alex's blog where she tells all ( and check out her great free downloads for envelopes and mailers!). She claims she is converted to quilting, my work here is done! Welcome Alex and thanks for letting me share your fantastic work with everyone.

I've been cutting out my Dash of Lime blocks, and doing some quick hand quilting on a pair of matching quilts (one strips, one squares) I'm making for my cousins little girls, they welcomed a new baby this snowy Xmas Day, isn't that romantic?

Anyway, it's my last day at home with the Little People before School comes a calling again tomorrow so better go and play in the den that has been constructed on the landing!

Dash of Lime

Don't you find that there is a melancholy reflective vibe about New Year, especially when you have young children and the passing of time is so marked? But today the weather kindly lifted us from those feelings and threw me headlong into 'Remember, next up, Spring is a coming' mode. Now I know it's very premature to think about Spring at this stage in the year with the weather man threatening more snow. But as the sun streamed in the window and my hyacinth buds began to push out their flowers, a pile of zingy lime fabrics I have been collecting for a while suddenly called out to be used.

I have had in my head a quilt made up of Churn Dash blocks all different sizes, I think I saw it done once in a magazine, but I can't recall where or when, but it's been nagging me recently. I've spent the afternoon with the sun on my back through the window playing around on graph paper to make a pattern for a ChurnDash Lime quilt - or A Dash of Lime Quilt as I think it will be called. I've got that new project excitement rush, I'm off to start cutting out!

2009: Quite Quilty and Unexpectedly Knitty

2009 was Quite Quilty. Lots of little baby quilts for my kits at my Make Do and Mend Shop.

Much beloved ones for the big Small People

and for the little Small Person
Some just for the joy of the season.............

In July I learnt to knit, there followed the glove obsession!

I learnt to knit a sock! Only one so far.......!The bird obsession! There was the birth of Make Club and the wonderful fun, and support and inspiration that has bought to my craft life!
And of course there was a fair amount of honest to goodness messing about with glue and buttons! Here's to more messing about with wool and fabric and buttons and ribbons in 2010!

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