Hello! This is me

Hi there, my name is Catherine and this is me with my two daughters (this is about the only picture I like of me!)

 

 

I am really looking forward to the retreat.  I went last year but only for the Saturday and it was really overwhelming, in an amazing way.  I met new people and people that I chatted to via the blog. 

 

Since then I have joined two bees, one of which was mooted at the retreat and then became a reality.  These are the two quilts from those two bees: 

 

I can't thank my fellow bees enough for these and I am really looking forward to meeting some of them for the first time at the retreat.

I have joined in with a lot of other quilters and made a Siblings Together quilt, which I will bring with me to hand over.  I made it with a jelly roll that I won in the raffle at the retreat last year: it seemed fitting that I was able to make a ST quilt with my winnnings

 And this is my other quilt that is in progress: my double wedding ring, hand pieced from all my tiny scraps

So, I look forward to meeting you at the retreat and making more new friends and discovering more blogs.

The Early bird

I was up just before 5.30 am this morning - and on a Saturday!  Jenny left to go to Cornwall for a weeks holiday, so I had to be up to say goodbye.  The plus side was the huge amount of additional sewing time that this gave me, which meant I could get this all sewn together

 

This is my Bee a Brit Stingy bee quilt - my month was May and I chose Pineapple Blossom as my block

 This is such a great block for using up scraps, and my Bee friends chose amazing fabrics and sent me two blocks each

 It was so easy to put together: now I just need to get it basted and start quilting

 And look what I received in the post this morning, my fabulous name tag from Catrin (this is here flick feed)

Its perfect, I love it.  And this is where my one went to : It has been received so its safe to share!

Only 3 weeks to go!

Hip (hip horray) bee quilt finished

Just over a year ago, I met Di at the first FQR.  We were having lunch and Di mentioned that she thought she might like to start a bee - "I'd be up for it I said" and not long after, Di got Hipbee's up and running.  My month was November and I asked for Lynnebobsquarepants blocks (I don't think I was overly popular!!!).

Yesterday, I finally finished my quilt - this is also an FAL finish

 
I chose charcoal and different purples, along with some bright fat quarters I had been hoarding

It is hand quilted - I went with a basic flower design, that you can see better from the back

 I made scrappy binding

and I added my siggy blocks (I forgot to add them originally, so had to improvise!)

 
So, I want to say a mahooosive thank you to the lovely ladies who helped me make this quilt

 I would never have done it without your help - I can't tell you how much I love this quilt!!

Also, you may have seen that I have added a feedly follow button.  I love the Feedly blog reader thingy that they have, and the way it imports all your blogs over.  I can highly recommend it.

A very small world

It's Fathers Day - Happy Fathers Day to my dad:
 

 
This photo was taken about 25 years ago, just before we went up in a Hawk (what the red arrows fly).  Can you believe that I put this photo on instagram yesterday and it turns out that Trudi used to work with my dad - how small a world is that!!!
There hasn't been much sewing this week, lots of other stuff going on. 

Yesterday I posted my FQR name tag to my partner - they should receive it this week.  I really hope its ok by them.  Can't believe it's only a month away!

I also got my Bee blessed blocks in the post

In return for doing lots of sending, I also received - happy mail!  My certificate came in the post, along with my rainbow charms from Cindy and a few bits that I ordered from her too.  Cindy has been so patient with me over my order and postage and I can't thank her enough

I have no idea what I am going to do with my charms, but for now, I am content to just keep looking through at all those pretties and wait for inspiration to hit me.

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend

 

Nearly 3 out of 3

I have finished my 2nd FQR sample swap cushion cover - another 16"

 I have also started the 3rd - it just needs quilting now and I can't decide how best to do it

 

here are all three

I am very glad that I have just about got them finished

Finally, I finally took, and passed, my last EVER exam!!  This one was mainly for work and all the accounting side of things mirrored my last AAT exam, but there was new theory to learn, which was boring, but hey, it's done!  For the first time in nearly 4 years I have no exams or revision to do ever again.  What a great feeling.  Now, back to the sewing....

Pre work frenzy

I have had a really productive few days and got a few things ticked off my list.

1st are my FQR sample swaps.  I signed up do to cushions.  This was mainly because I wasn't sure what I would do with three pincushions, 3 bags, 3.... until I had a chat with Susan  - and then the light bulb came on and I realised I had it all wrong!!  Anyway, I am happy to do cushions, I can try out new blocks and I can't really go wrong with a 16" square! I have two so far:

I am really pleased with how these have turned out.  I just need to decide on a third - and maybe find another colour other than blue!

I have also got Lynz's June Hipbee block done.  She sent us some gorgeous solids and requested a 'drunk love' log cabin type block with a bit of our own fabric thrown in

I was really dreading doing this block as it's something I haven't tried before and I am a very symmetrical type of person, but I really enjoyed doing this.

I also had a play around with my Bee a Brit stingy blocks

This is going to look awesome - not all the blocks are in the picture, I couldn't get them all in.  I am just waiting for a couple more, and need to make 2 additional blocks and then I can start on the  sashing between the blocks.

Back to work for me tomorrow.  I really needed this week off, it has been so nice not to feel constantly tired.  And I have managed a whole heap of garden and household jobs so I can go back to work without all that hanging over me!

May Bee June will be better

And there goes another month!!  A month where I was queen bee in Bee a Brit Stingy: the blocks are nearly all in now and I am really excited to get my quilt together.

I feel like I have got quite a few finishes under my belt this month, although, as I said in a previous post, none are FAL finishes!  This is probably due to the miserable weather we have been having!

My biggest finishes were this project that I did for Lynne from Abakhan fabrics

 

and a lemon and lime one that I did, as my prototype.  I am still waiting for the weather to kick in so that these can be used.  It has to get better soon doesn't it?

 

Two cushions finished off.  The string one on the left was done very quickly, whereas the right has taken a long time to finish: that one is for the hospice ladies, with their donated fabric

 

 
 


A quick Union Jack - to hide three massive drill holes in the kitchen wall

 A Liberty pouch for a friends birthday

 And finally,  Sarah's bee block - there were a LOT of HST's in this one!