Bee blocking

At the moment I am taking part in two bees. These each run a little differently, and one asks for one block to be made, and the other, two blocks. This is very straightforward, but I seem to have trouble remembering that they do not both want two blocks!

So, first, the ' fat Stash Brit Bee' . For this one, you send a FQ's worth of gift fabric, and ask for what you wish, and the bee members create a block, 12.5", using fabrics from stash, with or without using the gifted fabric. Clearly, you want to send fabric which will help tie together all the blocks when they return, so, this month, Celtic Thistle sent fat quarters of cheerful plains, to be made to her pattern, adding in low volume neutrals, to really make the solids pop. I was lucky enough to get red through my letterbox, and quickly got a block made. However, my careful planning just missed...




 Do you see where I went wrong? I transposed two quarters.. Now I need to get that stitch ripper busy. Not having spotted that one, I happily got on with number two..

I had forgotten that only one block is needed...
and happily this one seems to have behaved itself. So, I shall have to sort that first one, but not just yet, as I have had to pack away the sewing machine for a short while. More on that later...











The other bee is the HipBee. With that one, we are sent a sufficient quantity of fabric to create a block, and return any extra with our TWO blocks. Jill waned beach huts, and sent a pretty selection of fabrics for us to do our worst, and create whatever our imaginations may come up with. There were also two pieces, one blue, and the other white, as backgrounds for the blocks.  So, a good bit of thinking, and a little bit of drawing, and these blocks came up.

  I had great fun working out how to introduce the 3 D effect on the parasol

There would be room for a little extra on this one, but, on balance, I am going to leave it now, quite apart from the fact that my machine is in hiding.








Why is the machine hiding away?

because of this! That is a hole in the ceiling




We are to have a plasterer coming in tomorrow, and she will be repairing this hole. So, my usual sewing haunt will be out of commission, and I think, once the ceiling is done, I will probably need to continue and redecorate the rest of the room.. It is a good job the Easter break is coming, and should give me time to do it.. With a bit of help I hope!

Wish me luck getting my sewing back up and running soon!

End of July..

This hosta sneakily came out while we were away, Ready to welcome us home, I suppose, 

 And this bright hemerocallis, a bit rain spattered, but we missed the first bloom. Good strong cheery colour, this one.

Yellow courgettes. These do not waste much energy in sprawling all over before producing those courgettes! Yeas, they are thick in there, and the bees love those bright flowers!

4lb picked from two plants today. Jam anyone? 

 And I made this bag, I had seen some fabric online, in Ikea, which I wanted to use for the bag- but when I got to it, the scale of the print was too big, so I got this instead. These birds feature on Gunilla, and it was so hard to choose which birds to put where on the bag!

The one I had pre chosen, that wouldn't have worked was Evalotta. I loved the colours, but I would not have had a whole bird on it!









A little more on the retreat goodies..

 These from the strip swap...










 goodies from the  goodie bag...

 why do I want the drawing pins?? I am sure it will come to me..

 Purchases from the quilt market- well there was a discount voucher for Oakshott, so how could I not?
And some FQs from Fluffy sheep, and some really cute hedgehogs, given by my dear friend, and equally cute elephants ...

There were a few other bits and bobs, but this is really it..





And I finally managed a couple more triangles for the stash bee. A bit brighter, I think.All packed up and ready for the mail.

 And they have been posted... Phew.

Very green, or perhaps not..

Purple and lime green, that is what my Secret tote partner wanted- sorry, Caroline, I cannot send you this, but it made me think of you! you will have to ignore the slug evidence- I suppose they have to live too.. 

 This little lady is Teasing Georgia, She graces my back garden



while.....














Graham Thomas sells himself in the front!














Philadelphus Belle Etoile smells gorgeous.

And the smallest yellow courgettes in the world are just about big enough to eat now!

 and the first cucumber flowers are out!


and I have eaten my first home grown tomatoes!















A hanging basket tomato!












 Just to complete the picture, a new tree has appeared! This is Tanya's Hipbee request.

It is quite difficult to photograph this one, as it is so pale. I hope Tanya will like it.

And this is what I have managed for the Stash bee. A bit uninspired, but the request was, get all the ugly fabrics out and make these triangles. So, ugly I have very little of, but these feel, well, a bit ... dull?  I think I shall have to make some brighter ones to go with them!







Now, if you have made it all the way down here, here is a thought,


May, that fabraholic lady, runs a little Flickr club. She calls it Lazy Bums. Well, I would never come up with a name like that, would I?
So, the object of this club is, to take ten UFOs, and put them up on a list to be tackled. There are various ways we are going to be challenged to deal with these awkward clients. Perhaps one month we shall all try to complete UFO number 4, or, another month she will ask us to wipe out the oldest UFO on the list. One way or another, we are to be encouraged to attack these stored in boxes UFOs, and get them finished!

To find out more look at her post here, she explains so much better than I can!

So, why not join in? Just pop in to the Flickr group and ask if she will let you in. After all, if she let me in, I am sure she will be glad to welcome you!

June bees

Ok, we are now well into June. And bee blocks to be made. When do you sew best? and do you have sewing clothes that work better than others?

It seems I sew best in nightwear. Perhaps the relaxed feel is what gets me going? Do not fret, Fat Quarterly Retreat folk- I will get dressed for that!

Anyway, I was up a tad early this morning. For reasons best not discussed here. And I had blocks to do. So I did one. It went really smoothly, and was a dream to put together. About an hour after I got up, I was back to bed, and off to the land of Nod.

This block is for the lovely Lynz , who wanted an improv log cabin style block. She provided a set of solids, and asked us to put in a little bit of our own, that would go with her solids.
To tell the truth, this block slightly frightened me. Yes, I know you do not get much more straightforward than a log cabin, but I find they do not always behave for me. I think this one behaved quite nicely, thank you!

This is now packed up, ready to post, Just hasn't quite made it to the PO yet!








Not quite the same story with the Stash bee block!  We had been asked to do this monster!

Nataki wants blocks which are either colour graded, or same colour blocks. Blue green yellow was one of the preferred options, with Kona black as the background. This one took me about 5 1/2 hours to do. No, it was not difficult, just fiddly and time consuming.
The instructions include a template, to cut the 45 degree  sections. I am afraid I took a shortcut on that. I have a 45/ 90 creative grids rule, and I put the PDF template on my computer screen checked the inch square was an inch ( it wasn't, I had to shrink it a bit) and marked the alignment on my rule with a sharpie.  I was then able to just use my rules and cut to size without the template. It ends up 17 1/2 " square.

It is done now, and if I do not do another one, it will be soon enough!

Effective though, now it is done!


And again, a small garden update, my favourite flower, I think,

This lovely lady opened yesterday, and makes me smile whenever I look out to see her. 

Aprons and all sorts

 I got a parcel!
Ok, let me bore you with the details. Please.

I arrived home from work on Thursday. A card had been poked through the letterbox, from Mr Postie, to the effect that he had a parcel, that was too big to go through the letterbox. So he left the card instead.

On Friday, I had to go to work again, and my DH was away, so no parcel collecting going on that day.

Now, I normally work on a Saturday. However.. I had taken Saturday off. Because I was off for the weekend myself. Off to visit my DD1. A long drive up to St Andrews, so starting at the crack of dawn.

The Post office depot doesn't open until 8.00am, so I was there, not long after that, collecting a HUGE box, which had to go in the boot- or I would have had to open it then and there, and delay my journey even more!

When I got to DD's house, I brought in my box! So excited- though I was not at all sure what might lurk- far too big a box for a mere apron, after all!

No mere apron here! Parcels, beautifully wrapped in lilac tissue paper.

First out- a ziplock bag of home made oatmeal and raisin chewy cookies! Yummy!-

Then a flat little soft packet. Out of which came matryoshkas! A beautiful oven mitt, FMQed all over, so evenly! and home made bias round that curve, aren't they lovely?

and the obverse? Those delicious onion domes!

I really think this is too good to use! It is wonderful!

But more! there is also another parcel in there! My apron has arrived!

That lovely turquoisey blue! and those inverted pleats. Topstitched, a lovely pocket, and a ring detail with a grommet in , Lovely, well thought out and well executed. I love it!
And the recipe?

Well, there were two! Both look great! we shall have to have a go!

Now, didn't I get the luck!  Worth waiting for!

Thank you, partner, Silly Banana.

I hope I will have a few more pictures of this apron- they will go in another post, when I get them!

Home today, a good long drive, but surprisingly easy in the event, and then, I made a new block. I have some exceedingly pretty- sugar pretty, if you know what I mean- fabric, set aside for some time, waiting for the right inspiration- well someone gave me that inspiration today!

I have had this 'pinned' for some time, with every intention of having a go at some of them. Today I made the pinwheel block. Really quite simple, except- I had to size it up. I wanted 12.5" unfinished and these call in at 11". That 3D pinwheel really sang to me- there will be a few more blocks from this set appearing soon!

 I know we are still in April- just- but the new block for May has been posted on the Stash bee, and as it looked fairly straightforward, I thought I should give it a go.

We have been asked to make asterisk blocks, with a predominantly Red, white and blue theme, using Kona white as our asterisk. Red White and blue for USA. Also, of course, for the UK, and for France, and - just saying! It occurs to me it might be fun to do one with white as the triangles, and a colour for the asterisk, but, not what was requested, so...




They were going together reasonably well- no not perfect, but not far off, when, splurt!

The iron decided, for no very good reason, that it would spit dirty water onto this one! It will probably wash out- but, what would you do. Make a new one? Wash it and see? Or send it just like this, on the grounds that they said to make as many or few as you wish, and she can throw it out if she wants to?





Thoughts are welcomed!

Wonky February starts

The stash bee queen for February has called for her blocks. She wanted wonky blocks, one each of a log cabin and a star. I think I am not alone in fnding wonky difficult at times. Apart from anything else, the frugal bit of me hates to cut off that seam at an angle, and screams 'you can't waste that bit! Make it straight, it is so much more economical' .

But, as you can see, I have managed a wonky star, and most of my log cabin is wonky. Ish. Sort of. It will have to do.

 Joining in the wonky theme. An amaryllis. Yes, I know, they are not called that any more. There was a name change. But that is what it was when I was little, so I shall still call it that. But an amaryllis with a wonk!

Why is it wonky?

Normally you would suppose I had it with that bud toward the window.

But just look at the other side.

 You can just about see, the bud the other side, is trying to grow wonky the other way....


I think I got a wonky amaryllis!












 Signs of spring are starting. First primroses, and the very first snowdrops are making their presence felt in the garden.





We were out for an hour today, pruning and chopping- maybe a little early, but the day was clement, and no guarantee of another such day in the next week or so, so we filled the 'green' bin, and then some. And called a halt once that was done.











And this is for my daughters. She only wants some more food! Poor half starved little Genny cat!

Stash bee, January block

The stash block for this month is to be made up of four smaller blocks. Rebeckah wants to arrange them to suit herself, and has asked for the four six inch squares to be sent. 

 These are simpler to put together than I had first thought, and I really enjoyed them!

That is not to say that it was all straight forward, I did have to get the stitch ripper out the once!  Spot that little error of judgement....









But quickly amended, and then plain sailing.

They went together really quickly and will look great when the whole thing gets assembled, with everyone else's blocks. 

the four mini blocks

with a bit of luck these will go in the post soon.

And tonight, DD1 is making another skirt. I am allowed to help, a little bit. I think it will be a good one. Want to see the one she made a week or so ago?

The new one will be the same pattern, but a different colour.

Early December,

Our Stash Bee runs through December, so someone, very sensibly, suggested that the Queen for December might like to post her requirements early. This is the sort of thinking that I like. Okay, I am a bit of a procrastinater, but still, to be able to think ahead suits me quite well. 

Scrappy blocks she asked for, Arkansas Crossroads. The scrappier the better. Each little beauty takes twelve 3.5" squares, and two 6.5" white. But they turn out really fun. 

And Jackie wanted two blocks, so that is what I made. It would be easy to do a whole quilt with these, as they can be turned and arranged in different ways. 

Then, having had fun with totes, for the mouthy stitches lot, my thoughts turn to Christmas- only one calendar month to Christmas Eve! and what I could do with making, and for whom? An owl popped into my head, for someone, No, not YOU! Someone else!

I did a little internet research, and came up with an owl. Now, do not ask me which owl,I do not know, but an owl of some description!

So I drew out my owl, and modified it, Bondaweb comes out once more, and the scraps get searched, and hey! Is it an owl? 

 I am really quite pleased with him (her? it? whatever)




















  Raw edge applique for the most part, some satin stitch around the eyes, and a little bit of machine embroidered feather stitch in different colours...

light quilting on the back..

 My son, come home for the weekend as a surprise, acts as model,

 and of course some other owls in the lining..



Hope they like it!

Now, as a small added extra, the Sewing Directory are doing a cloud craft giveaway, with snowflake trim. I do not know about you, but I can think of a number of uses for that! So do feel free to pop across and take a look!