Handbag for September Holiday

I decided to make a new handbag for my holiday in September, using the Sazzy Shoes range of fabric I bought a while ago and my own design.





I fitted short handles and a shoulder strap, a zip pocket on the front for my mobile (hidden in the red stripe in the fabric), a larger zip pocket on the back, and a small zip pocket and pen pocket inside.  When I was finished I added some crystals to some of the shoes.

I also made a matching coin purse and makeup bag.  I may make a Diva FrameWallet to match sometime in the future....

Quilting Weekend

This weekend I went to Sørmarka Hotel for a quilt together retreat.  This was the second time I'd attended, but last time I just went for the day.  This time I stayed one night, and had 2 days of sewing and socialising. There were 25 people attending, and I got a very warm welcome when I arrived on Saturday. We sewed, talked, shared ideas, ate some great food, and went to bed late.   I even won 2 prizes in the raffle.

Sunday was a day for more sewing, and show and tell of what we had made.  I haven't finished my Jelly and Jam Quilt from Fig Tree & Co yet, but I made quite good progress.  I came home with 2 new projects I want to try, and a bit more fabric for my stash.

The weather was brilliant, and I went for 3 walks with my friend because we needed a break from sewing and ironing.

I'm looking forward to the next retreat early in 2014.

Diva Frame Wallet

A while ago I ordered the Diva Frame Wallet pattern (Sew Many Creations) and a metal wallet frame from The City Quilter.
2 weeks ago I bought some pellon at the Edinburgh quilt Fair, so I decided to make a wallet.
I started cutting out the pieces yesterday, and stitched it together today.



I used mostly Kaffe Fasset fabrics this time, but may make another using New York themed fabrics I also bought from The City Quilter.  It was easy to make, and I think it will be a useful wallet.

Mobile Phone Holder

On Saturday, the quilting club went to Bærums Verk, near Oslo, to visit Lappe Makeriet.  We saw some lovely finished quilts in the shop, and several of us bought iron on interfacing to make mobile phone holders. The design is from Quiltsmart, and it was quick and easy to sew.



This is the first one I have sewn (there are 3 patterns on each panel), and I just need to make a strap for it.

Twister Table Runner

I was given a small Twister ruler by a friend, and decided to use a charm pack to make a table runner as my first project.  The charm pack I used is called "Warmth", by Howard Marcus, for Moda.

Following the instructions, I laid out the charm pack squares in a pleasing design and sewed them together with a border round the outside.

The next step was to cut out the Twister blocks, and sew them together again.  

I added an outer border where I used some of the offcuts to make tiny Twister blocks in each corner.

The table runner still needs to be quilted,  but I have no idea what pattern to use, so will wait till inspiration strikes.  I don't know what would suit the block pattern best.
The Twister ruler was easy to use, and I really like the effect it gives from simple squares.

20 Minute Dress

I found  an interesting pattern online for a dress you can make quickly:
http://designfixation.blogspot.no/2012/03/faiths-twenty-minute-dress.html

I liked the sound of a dress you can make in 20 minutes, and decided to try making one myself.  A friend, who has an overlocker, also wanted to try, so we bought some fabric, and had a sewing evening.  I used a cotton jersey, which drapes well but is quite easy to work with.  It took me 2 evenings to sew my dress.  I discovered that my Bernina sewing machine has a nice overlock stitch, which finished off the neckline nicely once I'd practiced on some scraps of material.

I adjusted the arm holes a bit, as I thought they were too wide, and made my dress about knee length, which was the longest I could with the fabric I bought.  Other possibilities are a maxi length, and a tunic length, and I've bought some more fabric already to try a different variation.

It was fun to make, and I've used the dress several times this summer.

Lucy boston

I've started sewing the border pieces on some of the blocks, and I think I'm going to like the result, though it's going to take a long time.  These are just laid out together.  I'll work out the layout when I have more blocks that are complete.

Helen Stubbings Talk.

Last Thursday, the 22nd of August, I went to Oslo for the day.  The weather was great, and I came across a really good craft fair in the town centre with lots of pottery, jewellery, wool items and more.  I had a lovely time just wandering around the stalls for an hour or so.

At 4pm I met my friend Åsa, and we headed off by underground & bus to a quilting talk arranged by Katherines Quilte Stue.  They had quite a lot of items from their shop for sale and 150 people turned up to the event.  Helen Stubbings was there to show us lots of her wonderful quilts and other items.

We had a show and tell of some of her projects made by people that attended, and it was great to see the variety of colours that people had chosen to use.





























Helen told us about the techniques she uses in her quilts, as well as showing us lots of examples.  She gave a really interesting talk which everyone enjoyed.



This quilt had several hundred hexagons in it and some lovely stitchery, and was really beautiful.

Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses

Block 6, which I finished sewing together at quilting club yesterday evening.  I think it's looking a bit too brown/beige so far, but I do have some blue blocks ready to sew together.

Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses

Here's block 5.



I've found some fabrics in my stash, and am seeing if I like them for the background.  I doubt I'll find the same patterns, but it gives me a good idea of what I think looks nice.

Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses

I didn't have any time to sew at the weekend, but finished block 4 today.

I think I'll choose my background fabric soon, so I can make the borders as I go.  If I don't, making only white patches at the end will probably get a bit boring!

Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses Block 3.

I finished sewing together the third block this morning.  The fabric in the middle is from Fig Tree Quilts again.

Lucy Boston Patchwork of The Crosses

Here's my second finished block.  I found some lovely fabric by Fig Tree Quilts when I was on holiday in Oban (the flowery yellow in the middle).   The rest is from my stash.

Competition on Elin's blog.

Elin Torvik Grov has a lovely giveaway for quilters on her blog, which is very kind of her.  Check it out here:  http://lappetausa.blogspot.no/
Good luck to everyone who takes part.

Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses Blocks

I first saw some Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses Blocks on Red Brolly's website, and I fell in love with the clever use of pattern and fussy cutting.
I bought some fabric, found more in my stash & have started making some blocks.

This is the first one:



This is addictive, and I have quite a few elongated hexagons ready to sew together once I find a combination I like.