finally! a Bee quilt!

 Eons ago, I started a bee quilt. Blocks were assembled from this one and that one,  I had decided on a tessellated design, so backgrounds for blocks were in squares, to be finished 12" or 6", or rectangles, to finish 62 x 12". Add a restricted palate of bright cheerful hues, and then have great fun organising and arranging these.





Then, the real fun begins. Several part seams. some slightly under or oversized blocks- you may think, oversized is easy, just chop a bit off, but when a design gets near the edge,, that is not always a wonderful solution...

 Then to quilt it.
I knew I just wanted to do a cosy fleece backing   ( Quilt police , just do not look, please!), and I had some variegated thread to work with. I did simple organic wide quilting to anchor everything, and then, with trepidation, and after several practice efforts, I actually did odd bits of FMQ in a few places.

Go me!

 See that flower by the wee birdie?   yes, that is one of the bits. Or does this count more as embroidery? I am not quite certain, but it was free motion, so, that is a start.

And there you see my DS, home for the weekend, holding up the Bee masterpiece! He and his girlfriend have trotted it off down to London to cheer their wee home up a bit. I am very happy to see it go off to a happy home, to be snuggled under.

I was chuffed to bits to get the effect I wanted with those varied size blocks.

Thank you everyone who contributed.

more secrets..

I have been asked to make something for a special day for someone... no-one in the family, but nevertheless, a make. It is for a prize,

and perhaps this fellow may be involved!










and perhaps there is some of this  also involved...







or even some of this...











But you will have to wait a bit to see!

so I have been busy, even if I cannot show you what is happening yet...

And Breathe

Ok, the bulk of the tutus are with the dance school, and then I got a call... one more please! So, that is prepared, ready for fitting, and should get finished this week, and then I can relax properly.
Meanwhile, I have also done a bee block,
The Fat Stash Brit Bee last month was Square in a square blocks, with pretty geometric blue fabrics, to which we could add, any of our own blues, and one square of RED! Four small blocks, which we could assemble into a strip, or a square, or just leave so. We were sent a paper pieced pattern link, and could just get on with it.

So, that one out of the way, at the last gasp of October, I could turn the brain in other directions...  Ok, I admit it, I fell.... The other odd group I have joined, in good company, I hasten to add, is the Lazy Bums. And an idea was conceived, that we could, as many as wanted to join in, do a relaxed bee. Each of us decide what we wanted to appear, and post notes about it, colour, design, niggles and so on, and make for each other from our own stash, all at the same time. So, no turn taking, but over about a year make for everyone, and receive a block from everyone else. Make sense so far?
Not I must do for Mrs A this month, but rather, some time in the next year I shall do a block for each person, and send.
So, then you must decide what you want. It is a right mixture, some FPP blocks, some 'in house' designed blocks, and some fairly standard. And the group criterion? There MUST be flying geese somewhere in the block!

A list has been made, with everyone's details and what is required... and I made a block, and even- shock horror, did instructions! Weyhey!

I originally designed this for JoJo, about a year or so ago, It looked very different in her colours, 

but it is the same block. So, I thought, why not use it, and see what comes back. 

This time though, all in yellow and grey... 

So, you may see a few more of these popping up over the next few months!

The instructions?  for a 12" block-

Rachels Geese!

No waste method-

use a Goose square ( yellow)     5 1/4

Grey squares       2 7/8

Normal method

Yellow  4 ½” x 2 ½”

Grey 2 ½” squares

Make 12 goose units by whichever method you choose.

Also cut 4 strips 6 ½” x 2 ½” for the edges.

Please make geese in your favourite way!

You will need 12 geese in total. I do not mind if all geese are different, or all geese are the same, or you have a mixture, but, geese should be yellow, with grey skies.

I was playing, and expect to use other geese elsewhere...

So, play with your pieces!

yes, I made 16... I was not sure how I wanted to set them out, so I made spares! ok? 

  and choose your layout...

after checking out the options...

   then sew your centre geese into blocks of two  geese, and

  then sew your centre geese onto blocks of two  geese, and then sew two blocks together,

then sew two blocks together, and sew the central block of 8 geese into a square block. Press carefully!

then sew one geese unit onto each of the 4 strips. make sure it is at the correct end...

The next bit requires a partial seam.

Align the end of your strip with the top right hand edge of the centre block, and sew down to about an inch from the bottom edge of the  central geese block. Press the top half of this strip open,  (sorry for glary picture!).

Rotate the block 90◦ clockwise and the next strip should neatly fit onto the side, and you can sew the whole length. 

Press open, and rotate again. 

 Once strip 4 is attached, go back and finish the seam from the first side. 

Press and Voila! Block done!

 This is the third tote for the swap. Variation on a theme here.




























 It is not necessarily a good colour match here, that is really a very vivid green, and not a turquoise at all!

 The obligatory pockets












Including a zippy pocket.

The three together. I hope these will pass muster on the day.

Now on to the next on my list...

Do you do bloglovin?

Curiously enough, several people are already using bloglovin to follow me! I really am thick about these things, but I suspect, it is a next TO DO thing.

So here goes!



Follow my blog with Bloglovin



While I am posting- Tote number two for FQR has  been finished. Somehow I managed to make the back too big- so I had to make another back. So I now have a spare tote back lurking!
The new one looks like this,

and the tote front? 

so, the two so far...


One more to go!

And I know my tote has arrived at it's destination, and get a small idea that it is appreciated by the recipient! Thank you for making sure I know!

I sent a couple of bits with the tote,

just ribbons and stuff, but with a bit of luck, they will come in useful! Favourite colours were lime green and purple, so it makes a very cheery combination. I love purple too, and fell in love with the combination, I may use it again sometime!

Happy tote!



and, as I know my name tag arrived safely, I can show the name!

making progress

At the cost of housework, other things have been getting some attention round here. Who wants to do housework anyway?

So some weeding and planting, two golden courgette plants are now planning to reduce the weeding just here.





while this Graham Thomas rose has decided to play nicely.













And this yellow flag is giving it's share of joy

 near to this allium. I love those clean stars on the heads.


















and, I promised a photo of this 'multiblue' clematis, yesterday


but, just to demonstrate that there is work aplenty left, here is a fine crop of stinging nettles, which grace my front garden!

That is right- they are in the front... Nuff said.





 And the rest of the  day? Tote number two is taking shape. Slowly!







this is one side - finishing touches still to be sorted..

 The other side

and straps..














I am now sorting linings. will I be done tonight? I hope so, but am not confident.
it looks quite purple to me in the photos, butIpromise you, it is a bright blue!

I  am trying to link up to the lovely Lucy. Anyone who doesn't know Lucy- go see her! She is lovely, and great fun.She has asked that instead of a name,we put in either a favourite font, or a letter. So, I have done that!

 Someone reminded me, it is only 5 weeks until the retreat. And I have swaps to make!

Foolishly or otherwise, I have volunteered myself for totes!
I think a tote will be useful, as there may well be bits and pieces to be taken to and from the venue- they are promising a 'quilt market' in the evening of the Saturday, and if I manage to make any sneaky purchases, a tote would be a help. So, possibly, other folk may also appreciate a tote.

So, totes it is.

I have been making tote number one. Shades of yellow, with some free embroidery leaves and stems on the one side, modelled here by my long suffering son, he is good to his Mum....

and on the other side, double aster from Quilters cache, done in shades of yellow. Now, I made a mistake on this one as I started it. So it is all made in reverse, as it were. This is the laevo version- as opposed to the  dextro version. yes, I am just trying to dress it up nicely... I got it wrong, okay? and didn't want to get out the seam ripper... so that is that!

A couple of pockets, but I forgot the D ring.... I shall maybe have to forget the D ring in the others too...

One down, two to go!

Sorry for the quality of the pictures, but daylight has gone, and they are not the best. Ah well. 

And for the daughters, again, some garden shots. And I will let you look too if you like!

Here is 'Penny Lane', my first rose this summer ( summer? what summer-  Oh that three days of warmth and sunshine? THAT summer!)

When the sun shines, she smells heavenly. When it is cold and damp. she smells of nothing. Come back summer, you didn't spend long enough here!

 This is the first year this clematis has really shown it's mettle, yes we have had a few flowers the past couple of years, but this year- we are showing our stuff! This one is growing up the same trellis as Penny Lane, and may intertwine with her in years to come, I hope.


















 and quietly lurking is this beauty.


A rich purple specimen is just coming out, too but I will have to wait for daylight to take the next photograph.








 These poppies are doing their bit for the garden. I love their frilly edges.

see little one- the cocoa shell mulch is down!

and alliums are self propagating behind the garden geraniums here.

So the garden is progressing!

I just need a little more weeding...

a basket case...

 The basket swap is starting to throw up some very nice baskets. A lot of work is going into some of these, and I had to put on my thinking cap, to decide which I would make. There are lots of tutorials and instructions out there, for various baskets, but from the information available about my partner, I get the feeling she likes things kept quite simple and elegant. I found this lovely fine flame orange linen, only a small scrap of it, and some fabric for a lining, and looked for a simple organic design to work with it. These stems and leaves I have done before, and with a pretty, variegated thread, I thought it would look OK.

 But, just suppose? if she is not a fan of orange. Well, in the abstract, I am not the biggest fan of orange... this orange I love, and soft coral oranges I love, but raw orange? Not for me.

So, I had a very pale yellow. So pale, it almost doesn't look yellow. And the same simple, variegated thread design- A different colour of thread, but same style- and a matching version is born.

 But, perhaps she would like something a little more fun?

I already had these chevrons, which make a fun lining...

Simple strips of red prints turn into a basket




this picture shows it inside out, just for the sake of keeping some confusion!

And, no handles on this one!

So, which of these will I send?


and I have folk who want each of them- so good homes will be found for any left over....


I am thinking hard, what to do!

I will show the whole of the red one soon.Just not yet  as that might tell someone too much...