More Scrappy Quilt Progress

In the evenings, I've been loving working on my scrappy Bright Stars quilt.

I've sewn square and HST units.....

Sewn two of these together to make these squares....forming the stars!

And yesterday evening I made 20 blocks...I laid them out and I'm really pleased that the stars stand out and I can see a secondary pattern too.

I need to make about another 20 blocks. I'm thinking of a large lap quilt to snuggle up in or a topper for a double bed maybe.

I'm really enjoying making this quilt. If you want to make it, the pattern may be found here at Michele's Sew Along.

Thanks for popping by,

Maggie xx

So much for the WIPs, I've started a new project!

 A few things to share with you today.

I've been wanting to grow some soft fruit for a while now. When I saw this gooseberry bush in the supermarket, I thought I'd snap it up.  Here it is planted in our old veggie patch. Let's hope it survives...the last one didn't!

I also planted this little shrub that my sister Ros bought me from the Highgrove Shop after our garden tour the other week. 

In the Highgrove gardens, they had it planted everywhere including under some trees so I thought I'd try my luck by planting under our apple tree.

I still have a few roses blooming in the garden....

I have three climbing roses. I've tended to just let them grow up and tie them up a bit haphazardly. I've been reading up on how to train them up the wall correctly and have been doing a bit of remedial work so hopefully next year we may get a better display.

This lovely rudbeckia is still blooming...

The main thing that's been keeping us busy this last week or so is the maintenance of the deck railings. 

We've had to pressure wash them, Chris is now sanding them and I'm painting them with wood preserver/stain. It's a long and laborious task and we haven't even touched the rails on the roadside yet. But hopefully it will be worth it and won't require doing again for a few years!

To counteract the effects of the deck railings task, I started a new project last night!

 I know...I showed you a couple of WIPs last time and I should be doing them! But this is going to be a tablecloth for the cottage kitchen in France. These fabrics have been in my collection for a while and I've sold a few metres of each.  I've been secretly coveting them and not wanting them to sell too fast as I knew I wanted to make something from them! I love the colours and patterns and they will be perfect for the cottage kitchen.

The fabrics are from the Mooshka Collection by Julie Paschkis for In The Beginning fabrics. 

I'm making the tablecloth by simple strip piecing.......

.....that results in 15cm/6" squares.

It's not finished yet. I have some more strips to cut and sew. The tablecloth needs to be quite big. I've estimated about 175cm by 175cm.

I've also had a thought that I might make a similar piece from different fabrics as the backing and then I can turn it over for a different look! What do you think?

Thanks to those of you who have checked out my new blog about France and for all your lovely comments. It's so great to see you over there! 

For those of you who haven't yet, I would love it if you popped over. The blog is called Brambling in Brittany and you can visit it by clicking on this photo:

Thanks, as always, for popping by!

Maggie xx

Harvey J Mug Rug

With all the cold and wet weather we've been experiencing, I always long for the Spring when it's warm enough to take a trip in our motorhome, Harvey J.

There's such freedom and relaxation from travelling around and stopping where we like. We've found there's always something interesting to do or see wherever we go. It's all about making the best of the place we find ourselves in. And if it's raining, we can either put on our waterproofs and take Spencer for a walk in the rain or batten down the hatches, enjoy a good book, do some crafting, Chris might play his guitar or we can have a snooze.....

 Good times.

One of my favourite blogs is Sandy's QuiltinCats. 

Sandy travels around the United States with her husband and their four cats in their motorhome. I love seeing the photos of the places they visit, reading about their adventures and seeing the beautiful hand stitched quilts Sandy makes whilst travelling.

Last year, I saw that Sandy was making these gorgeous mug rugs in the form of little caravans. 

Look at the little cat's face in the window!

Unbelievably cute! 

Of course I had to ask Sandy if she would make me one in the form of our Harvey J! 

I was so thrilled when she agreed :)

Sandy asked me to send a pic of Harvey J...one that she could work from....so I sent this one.....

........with the added bonus that it featured Chris and Spencer!

When my mug rug arrived all the way from Oregon.....I think I remember the parcel was postmarked Seaside which sounded so lovely......I was so pleased with my precious Harvey J mug rug......

I had requested the gorgeous red and aqua colours and Sandy had added so many wonderful details.........

.........the beautiful embroidery.....

.......including Harvey J's name......

Sandy even put two little tea cups and a rose in the window as she knew we were newly weds....

...and the little heart door handle....how sweet is that!

The mug rug is kept in Harvey J during the summer but I don't use it as a mug rug......no, no....it's far too lovely.....I hang it in the window so everyone can see it!

I have brought it indoors now so we can enjoy it during the cold weather too...Now the Christmas decorations have been put away, I have hung it above the kitchen door......it's a wonderful reminder that in a few months, the weather will be warmer and Harvey J will be taking us on some more cosy adventures....

Thanks again Sandy.

To visit Sandy's blog, QuiltinCats, please click here, and for Sandy's Etsy shop, where she sells her beautiful hand stitched items, please click here.

Here's one of the adorable mug rugs that she has for sale at the moment....

......again such wonderful detail,,,the bunting, bunny, the little door hanger...if you click the photo, it should link direct to the listing on Etsy...

Thank you for visiting....hope you're keeping cosy and warm.

Maggie xx

My Doll's House Quilt at Victoriana Quilt Designs

You may remember my little Doll's House Quilt that I made earlier in the year whilst touring in France.

Well I'm delighted that Benita from Victoriana Quilt Designs has invited me to present a guest post on her wonderful site.

Victoriana Quilt Designs features a section called Handwork While You Wait especially for crafters who like to sew/knit/crochet whilst on the move.

There are some lovely tutorials for crafty projects such as a crocheted dishcloth, knitted socks, a hexie needlecase and now.....my dolls house quilt!......All ideal for travelling, waiting rooms, at the hairdressers......

You can see my guest post here.

Victoriana Quilt Designs has loads of lovely patterns and many are free. They include block of the month, quilt patterns, printable quilt labels and much more.  There are also free quilting tutorials. 

The Quilt Gallery shows some of Benita's quilts that she has made....they are amazing! I particularly like the family tree quilt...

Thanks again Benita!

To visit Victoriana Quilt Designs, please click here, or on any of the above purple links.

I will be back soon with some pics of our little trip away.......can you guess where we went?

Here's a clue.......

Some of you may already know as I gave the game away on Facebook!

See you soon!

Maggie xx

Fractured Pinwheels Quilt Finished!

I am very pleased to show you a completed quilt!

My Fractured Pinwheels Quilt that I started......wait for it....in May 2012!!

I know it's been that long as I mentioned it in this post here on the 26th May 2012.....here's one of the blocks...

I made a bit more progress, sewing the blocks together, earlier this year in March and I blogged about it here.

And now it's all completed, I'm really thrilled with this quilt....

it's so pretty and colourful....

....really cheery in this damp and grey weather...

It's hanging over the banister on our landing at the moment and every time I walk past it.......

........it makes me smile......

Thanks for visiting!

Maggie xx

A Cushion Cover on a Whim!

I've just made a cushion cover ..... on a whim really...

I was searching through my stash for some red and white fabrics for a customer order when I came across this gorgeous seed catalogue fabric from Lakehouse Dry Goods.....

I'd bought it a couple of years ago, as far as I can remember, and loved it then. It seemed such a special fabric that I almost didn't want to use it for anything...just keep it to look at every now and again!!

I love all the old fashioned adverts for roses and sweet peas....

So lovely and summery.....

...and this lovely illustration of a beehive....

Anyway when I found it earlier today, I kept it out of my stash ready to make something. I only had about half a yard of fabric so a cushion cover seemed a good idea. It also meant I could look at it every day!

So I made a very simple cushion cover from the one piece of fabric with an envelope back. It was very easy and quick! Ideal for an impromptu project! 

Here it is!

I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It's making me very smiley!

Maybe I'll do a little tutorial.....

Thanks for popping by!

Maggie xx

Quilted Garden Chair Cushion

So we're having a spot of nice warm weather!

 

I feel we have to make the most of it and spend time in the garden.

 

We have some new garden furniture....4 chairs, a table and a parasol. The chairs are comfortable but a little on the hard side so I decided I would make some quilted chair cushions.

I wanted to use some of the lovely cotton fabrics I have in my stash so I used different fabrics on each side to make it reversible....

I used this gorgeous Amy Butler fabric for one side....

and this beautiful butterfly batik fabric for the other side...

I made the cushion by measuring the chair and making a simple quilt.

 

I found an excellent tutorial for a quilt without binding on Chrissie's lovely New York blog, made by ChrissieD, here.

 

I incorporated ties at the top and sides to secure the cushion to the chair. I used two layers of wadding for extra comfort.

 

So three more chairs to go...there's a couple of things I would do differently.......add a couple of inches to the length as the quilting shortened the cushion.....as you can see in the pics........and add a bit more wadding to the seat area....

 

But apart from that, I'm pretty pleased :)

 

It's certainly brightened up a rather grey chair!

And made it softer and more comfy to sit on!

Thanks for visiting!

 

Maggie xx