Red Sprinkles anyone?

If you remember, a week ago I had a lovely day playing with red fabrics

 to make these blocks

Well, just before I show you what I have done with the blocks, just look at my unforced error (sorry, but it is Wimbledon fortnight, which I'm watching as I write this).  Really, wouldn't you think I'd been making quilts for long enough to not make silly mistakes like this?

Anyway, here is what those blocks have become.  I'm thinking the quilting needs to be fairly small circles on this one, unless anyone out there in Blogland has any better ideas?

A lovely day ...

... that's what last Sunday was.

I went to a sit-and-sew day with a relatively new and informal group called the Yorkshire Modern Quilt Guild.  This is only a small group of like-minded people who have been gathered together by my friend QuiltHaze and another friend of hers (called Janet, but I don't know if she has a blog or not.)  Anyway, this was only the 3rd meeting of the group, and at the previous one some people decided it would be fun to make scrappy Trip Around the World quilts and swap strips for it - don't worry, I decided that was a step to far for me, so I worked on something else.  If you would like to see some of the blocks, and other quilts from the show and tell time, then just go to the YMQG blog, here.

I was quite brave, by my standards, and cut some of these

and came home with a pile of these

and hopefully will have a finished top to show you in the next few days.

Oh, and this

shows why they say you should always measure twice and cut once!

It was a fun and friendly day, and I am already looking forward to the next meeting, thanks everyone.

Christmas QAL, post 3

Well it's now Sunday afternoon and I've been auditioning fabrics for my challenge quilt.

It's either going to be this one

  or this one.

Decisions, decisions.

I've also done some shopping (I love the internet), so hopefully I'll be ready in a few days to start creating.

I do hope everyone else is enjoying the challenge - I know it's tricky, but then, that's why it's called a challenge.  Remember, there's plenty of time for anyone to join in, just look at the separate Christmas QAL page that our two hostesses, Jolly Jo and Happy Hazel and I have on our blogs for the challenge details. 

Don't forget, the Christmas QAL is now spread over the whole weekend, so there's still time to hop over to Joanna's and join in the fun.  Yesterday she showed us 2 great blocks and a wonderful, diet-busting recipe, who knows what might be in store for us today? 

Christmas QAL, post 2.

I have a confession to make.  Today we have had wall-to-wall sunshine all day, so I haven't done any sewing at all.  I have done some housework, some washing, some weeding, some cooking, some eating, and lots of thinking.

I think I have come up with an idea for the challenge quilt.  It means I need to order a couple of things so I won't be able to start it this weekend, but I'm sure I'll be back at the party tomorrow to do something a bit more constructive in the way of sewing.

In the meantime, thank you Jolly Jo for having us all over at your place for this weekend. I'll see you all tomorrow.

Woohoo ...

... it's Christmas.

Well no, it's not really, but it's the next best thing cos today sees the start of the 2013 Christmas Quiltalong and Challenge.

Between now and December, the 2nd weekend of each month will be party weekends either at Jolly Jo's or Happy Haze's.  These two wonderful people will be taking it in turns to be our hostesses, and this month we're all invited to Joanna's place, Needle, Thread, Happiness.

We all have a separate page on our blogs called something really original like Christmas Quiltalong and Challenge which explains more about everything, and that is also where you need to go to either join the Linky party or just to see who has joined and go visit them. (Just look at the top of our blogs, below the header to find the pages, and click on the tab you want.)  In fact I've just been over to Joanna's and see that she has decorated the place specially for us so it looks very festive, and I also see that Hazel has beaten me to it, so I'm not going to be the first to arrive!

Now, I devised this challenge so wouldn't you think I'd have some ideas of what I'm going to do?  Nope, not a bit of it, so I'm going to take some books and a stripey coffee out and sit on the deck in the beautiful sunshine, and start planning.

I'll be back in a while.

Full Circle ...

... just about 2 years ago, my friend J started to make her very first quilt. Yesterday, she and F came over for the day, and here is J putting the very last stitch in her quilt.

and here it is, finished

and just so you can see the quilting, which was all done by hand by the way

I called this quilt Full Circle, cos when all the blocks were made, they were first laid out altogether in my conservatory, and that is where the photos were taken yesterday.

I think this is a stunning quilt.  Well done J.

Country Charmer update ...

. oops, I'm late again!  How does that keep happening when I don't go out to work, I don't have kids to look after, yet I am always late?  Well anyway, I'm here now to link up with all the other Charming Girls around the world.  It's really a good job that this quiltalong is so laid back, cos my progress recently has been pretty slow, but I am happy to say that I have now finished all the blocks.

Aren't they pretty?  All (all, she said, ha, ha!) I have to do now is decide on the sashing and 9-patch fabrics, and I'll be well on the way to having a finished top.

This lovely pattern was designed by Lynn from Sew'n Wild Oaks, and the quiltalong is being coordinated by Lesley, the Cuddle quilter.  If you pop over to Lesley's now, you can see some other wonderful Country Charmer quilts. Thanks Lynn and thanks Lesley for getting me to climb out of my little box and work outside my usual comfort zone.

Christmas Quiltalong ...

... is coming back.

I am thrilled to say that the Christmas QAL is starting up again, in a new, bigger and better version.  Your hostesses will be Jolly Jo (aka Joanna) from Needle, Thread, Happiness and Happy Haze (aka Hazel) from Hazel's Quilts.

You may have noticed our new button, on my sidebar, please do copy it and put it on your blog to spread the word.

The first QAL will be next weekend, (8 June), and the format will be different this year, but I'll leave it up to the two of them to tell you more.  All I will say is that it's going to be different, and it's going to be exciting.