Saturday, May 26, 2012

Retro Flower QAL

Thanks so much for all the blogger's out there that dropped over to see me in Plum and June Lets get acquainted blog hop.  I got a great response and hopefully the little story that I told about my Cup Hugger  (No it's not a pattern for a brassiere!) was helpful to let you make your own.
I haven't responded to all of you yet but will by the end of the week.

I would also like to say a BIG, BIG Thank you to all of you that joined my blog. 
I really appreciate it and hope that you will stay with me and enjoy the adventures.

On Tuesday and Thursday of this week it these ladies turn to whip up a tutorial.
(No pressure ladies!).
Tuesday May 29
Heidi from Fabric Mutt
Amy from Amy's Crafty Shenanigans  (great name!)


Thursday May 31
Jodi from Tickle and Hide
Jennie from Porch Swing Quilts
I really enjoyed meeting Kelsey from Kelsey Sews
and her tutorial on making a dish mat. What a great idea!
So I am super excited to seeing what others will make.

Um so I was meant to keep up with Megan at City Stictches  and Bianca at Sweet Diesel Designs for their QAL, Retro Flowers.

I was really excited about this QAL and I promised myself that I would keep up with it, but alas...I haven't.

Correct me if I am wrong but I think that I have to have it finished by the 1st of June?  Oh .....my
(I could have said something else there)

I have got to this stage though...



I have chosen my fabrics.



 
And bought all the bits and pieces that I need to make the quilt.

Now only
Cutting
Sewing
Quilting
Binding left......
Yea sure I'll get this done!

Have a great weekend.  I am in the middle of making a cake for a special 4 yr old.

Erin

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Hop,hop...ahhh Stop and stay a while and have a coffee...


Hi All and welcome to my little blog. 
My name is Erin and I am an Australian living in Ireland with my husband.
Although I have aways known how to sew, it has only been in the past two years that I have returned to the sewing machine and oh, have I got hooked.
Quilting would be my newest fad but I do like making clothes and other little bits and pieces.
I was encouraged by my sister to start up a blog about a year ago and I haven't looked back since. 
I have met through blog land some fabulous and very talented people and hope to meet many more here each week.
I'm currently finishing my Swoon quilt and Kitchen Window quilt but have my Retro Flowers to start this week.  (See I am a topper Lou!) But really I have so many other projects that I would love to start but I still have to work five days a week too.
(look away now if you have already seen these photos)


When I can remember I link up with Lily's Quilts at the start of each month for Fresh Sewing Day.  This co insides with her Small Blog Meet.  Lynne is fantastic at hosting this.  It really helped me get my blog out there and meet others too that were also starting out.

Beth suggested some questions to answer for you all to get to know how I tick.
- Favorite quilting tip(s) Ah don't have any yet...maybe just take your time and don't get flustered.
- Favorite blogging tip(s)  I'm looking for any of these.
- Favorite fabric Do you have a whole day.  Amy Butler, Aneela Hoey, Anything Japanese or linen.
- Favorite craft book..I'm a sucker for books and you wouldn't believe the amount of books I have. My latest buy is this one...
- Favorite book (or book you are currently reading)  The Time Travellers Wife...( started it again the other week for the third time...I haven't read a book in a year I think.)
- Favorite children's book  Anything by Bill Peet. 
- Favorite quilting tool.  Can it be my un-picker...it does come in handy.
- Favorite music to listen to while quilting. anything on my i Pod.  Put the soundtrack  .....a lot.
- Favorite TV show while hand stitching.  I don't hand stitch.  But I am up to series 5 of Soprano's!
- Binding - by hand or by machine?  Oh Machine ONLY!
Now PLEASE don't get too excited.....I'm not great at tutorials...actually I have never tried to do one.  So this may be a little story rather than a tutorial about how I made my Cup Huggers!

This is what I am attempting to make a tutorial for.

It all started one day a long long time ago when I went to a cafe and got a takeaway coffee.  It's really hit and miss at cafes in Ireland.  If I go to Costa, I defiantly need a second cup as it seems to be steaming hot while when I go to Butlers, I know what kind of coffee I am going to get but it doesn't stay too hot for too long.
Why can't I just make a Cup Hugger for my coffee and then it will not only help but I will be the coolest person walking through Grafton St in Dublin.

Market Research!

On Saturday I went out and did a bit of market research in Naas Co Kildare. 
Really there is only two places where I can get coffee Leonidas and Costa coffee.  It was hard work finishing off a Mocha and a hot chocolate but, alas someone had to do it!
(the second Costa coffee cup was because my hot chocolate was boiling)
 Sometimes you get a little cardboard carrier to keep your fingers cool but no one had them....ah my plan would have been so much easier but no.....I had to make up a pattern myself for my Cup Hugger. After a bit of measuring and a lot messing I came up with a pattern piece. 

My fabric that I chose was Ruby Star Rising by Melody Miller for the first round with Sage Kona for the lining
My second try was some fabric from Jane Foster (she prints her own designs) with Amy Butler Belle 
 for the lining.


I cut out from my pattern:
1 piece for front
1 piece for lining. 
(When cutting this if you are using fabric that has a design on it, you will have to turn the fabric over so the design on the fabric is looking away from you.)
1 piece of wadding/batting.
( you might see a tongue on the pattern, I folded this over when cutting the batting as I didn't want too much bulk around the Velcro.)
I used a strip of 2" length of Velcro as well.

I used my spray (I find it great for these little projects) to sandwich the front fabric and batting together. I sewed around some of the designs on the fabric.  I did this for my first Cup Hugger but didn't bother for my second try.



The Velcro was then pinned on the tongue on the front piece.
The second Velcro was pinned at the opposite end of the lining.


It was then sandwiched all together. 
Lining,  (Velcro facing the design of the front piece) front then batting.


I then sewed around the edge of the Cup Hugger (1/4" seam )  leaving the side of the tongue open.

I then cut the batting down.  It just meant less bulk when I was turning it inside out.
 I also cut the two two corners and sniped curves. 

I turned out and push corners out and pressed well and sewed around all edges again.


If your Cup Hugger looks like an elephant, then my tutorial/story was a waste of time.....although I would love to see your elephants on the Let's get Acquainted flickr group, they would be most entertaining.



No elephants in this photo?
 I know technically no company wants their name covered but hey they aren't really pretty cups to start with. I think they have been dressed up quite well.

Many thanks for popping over.  (I hope you are still with me.)  And I hope that you have liked my little crafty but very handy project.
Feel free to stay a little while longer and look through a few other projects that I have finished.

Don't forget to check out Kelsey from Kelsey Sews  She is having a tutorial today as well  
(a lot better than mine)
Thursdays blog hoppers are:
Nik from Bold Goods
Alyssa from Pile O Fabric
They are the next on the list and I am looking forward to dropping over and seeing what they are making!

Beth.  Thanks so much for organising this too....I don't think I could do it.  And I hope I haven't disappointed.

Erin.




Thursday, May 17, 2012

Nice to meet you.

Hop, Hop, Hop...

 
 
I have joined a blog hop hosted by Beth at PlumandJune It is happening on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the months of May to August. 
Novelty prints are the theme for all projects so it was lucky that I bought up big on some linen the other day!



Although I am excited, I am also nervous as look on the list below...  I'm first on the list. I've never done a tutorial and oh what to make? 
Better get the thinking cap on over the weekend.

Here is the list of other blogger that we will be hopping over to.  Lots of lovely blogs to get to know and many that I like to visit already on a regular basis.

May

May 22
Kelsey from Kelsey Sews
Erin from Billy Button Designs
May 24
Nik from Bold Goods
Alyssa from Pile O Fabric
May 29
Heidi from Fabric Mutt

May 31
Jodi from Tickle and Hide
Jennie from Porch Swing Quilts

June
June 5
Cinzia from Deux Petites Souris
Kristy from Quiet Play


June 7
Taryn from From Pixels to Patchwork


June 12
Kelly from Jeliquilts
Yzo from Chez Roo
June 14
Debbie from A Quilter's Table
Sarah from Silly Banana Sewing
June 19
Jennifer from Sewlandia
Nicole from Mama Love Quilts
June 21
Suzanne from SuzClaas
Mina from Kindaquilty
June 26
Svetlana from Sotak Handmade
Beth from Plum and June
June 28
Julie from Jolie Maxtin
Lori from Adventures in Fabric
July
July 3
Diane from Willowbeck Designs
Libby from Miss Beau Jangles
Jennifer from Knotted Thread 
July 5
Sarah from Sarah Lou
Catherine from Knotted Cotton
July 10
Jenelle from Echinops and Aster
Julie from Bedsheet in the Kitchen
July 12
Rebecca from Sew Festive Handmade
Marti from 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks
July 17
Katie from Kati's Quilting
Claire from Sewing over Pins
Caroline from Quilting in the Cold
July 19
Jamie from Sweet Baby Jamie
Janine from Rainbow Hare Quilts
July 24
Colby from Sew Quilt Explore
Fiona from Celtic Thistle
July 26
Mary from Spoolhardy Girl
Fiona from Finding Fifth
July 31
Audrey from Hot Pink Quilts
Michelle Renee from Quilt Matters
August
Aug 2
Jennifer from GH Quilting
Aug 7
Liz from What I Did on My Summer Vacation
Susan from Canadian Abroad
Aug 9
Kirsten from Gemini Stitches
Stephanie from Sewing by Stephanie
Aug 14
Sarah from Sarah Sews Quilting Blog
January from Sew Sew Go
Aug 16
Alison from Little Bunny Quilts
Cathy from Blueberry Patch
Aug 21
Marta from From Marta with Love
Marion from My Quilt Diet
Aug 23
Sunni from Love Affair With My Brother
Ginny from Fish Creek Studio

Anyone that wants to join the flickr group it is here
It will be great to see the projects that you make from the tutorials in the hop.








 




Sunday, May 13, 2012

A day of Sewing.

It was one of those days on Saturday.
Did I think about the washing that has piled up over the week?....No.
Did I think about the house being cleaned?  .... Um...No.
Did I think that I really should have an Erin day and do what I wanted to do?....You bet!

Usually on a Saturday, I get up, turn the lap top on, make a cup of tea and sit down and read some  many blogs and then by late lunch time I may switch on my sewing machine.

But this Saturday was different.  I got up quite early, (well early for me on a Saturday) and started on my Kitchen Window Quilt top and by lunch time this was the only thing hanging from pegs.....



A little bit more sewing and by early afternoon the quilt top was put on some hangers for a photo.



Now you may notice that not all blocks are in order.  I didn't want all the landscape blocks to orderly so some are and upside down and turned around  and again with the vertical blocks.  
I like a bit of disorder in my life. (not too much, just a little.) 
I was also going to use a lighter shade of grey for the sashing but am very happy with the white.  
You just can't go wrong with white can you!

A cup of tea was in need after these photos were taken but before long my itching to do some more stitching took over and by the evening, my last Swoon block was finished off.



Oh dear, now to make the decision on which block goes where?

Nothing else to show for this weekend.
By Sunday I could no longer ignore that the house needed to be cleaned and my uniform to be washed for Monday morning.

Mmm, Back to reality!

Erin




Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Snails pace.....


Not much to show here this week. 

Before the weekend I got a few photos of these little blocks that are finished.  I am using the  Kitchen Window block from The Pratical Guide to Patchwork.


Fabric used is Soul Blossom by Amy Butler. (of course)
And the solids are Kona Coal.  (which I can't get enough of at the moment.)


Two blocks down and ten to go....


So linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced for WIP WEDNESDAY.

Hope to step it up a gear next week.........

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Fresh Swooning Sewing Day.


Lily's Quilts



I haven't linked up to Lynne at Lily's Quilts for a long time.
Not that I don't want to,  but my excuses are....

1) I'm usually have nothing to show.
2) I am never organised enough to get my mosaic ready to link up to Lily's Quilts.

But I do drop over each month and do like looking through the small blogs.


This is what I have been up to for the past month.


Really all I have been doing is Swooning and a bit of cutting for my next quilt top, but will show you that another day.


And yes there is one missing..
I would have to admit, I needed a break from the Swoon blocks for a day or two. 
I hope to get it finished some time this week.

(Lynne I don't know what I do, but the button isn't working for me.)

Erin