Wednesday 12 October 2016

WOW: Mid October..Already?!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays
One of these mornings I'm going to wake up to find out it's Christmas Day, just like that. Well, that's how days feel to me right now. I'm in a complete fog and my feet have barely touched the ground I've been so busy. It's just been one of those years I think.
So, because I don't have anything better to do, I decided to make a tablecloth. Because, why not? Of course I have many other things I should be doing, but we have a tradition of making a new tablecloths every birthday (I don't know how this started) and I was all out of ideas. Then I found this fabric in my stash and it's far too lovely to just be sitting on a shelf. As you can see from the above pic which has flowers on the table, Lily Rose on the wall and these roses spread out for us to enjoy - the women of this house are somewhat flower crazy! 

I stitching two halves together to cover my enormous table and then over locked the hems and voila - a new tablecloth. We all love it. Over the top? Of course!

What's Your WOW?



Tuesday 11 October 2016

Love Entwined, by Bunny

I was over the moon when I found out that Bunny had completed her LE.. but that was nothing compared to how I felt when I actually saw her finished quilt - WOW! Bunny has created a wonderful Love Entwined Quilt - made in harmonious fabric tones that shine. I am head over heels with this beauty and besotted with all the lovely details you'll be able to see for yourself in the close up images. Of course, we all know and love Bunny as the talented quilter that she is whilst also being known to many of us as one of our tireless Moderators over in the BOM Group. How she finds the time to continue creating beautiful quilts in such quick succession I don't know, but I'm sure glad she does!

Head over to the Love Entwined Gallery to see gorgeous images of Bunny's beautiful quilt for yourself. The images are far too large for blogger to handle, so see them in style over in the gallery by clicking here now 

Bunny, I'm in love with your Love Entwined and your progress reminds me to get on with finishing my own masterpiece! Thank you for sharing your incredible work for all of us to enjoy.

Wednesday 5 October 2016

WOW: What A Week!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays
Well, September was quite the whirlwind! As well as the wedding and passing away of the newlywed's beloved dog, my other DD had her birthday on Sunday and I managed to strain a muscle in my back - so with all my good plans and intentions, I've been in bed, taking Voltaren and resting up instead. Hopefully the rest of the year will carry on with a much calmer note for me - I have plans and would like to make a start on them as soon as possible. Hopefully I won't be straining anything else and can get back to 'work'. I feel all out of sorts having been away from my fabric! It's been quite the week and I'm looking forward to getting back to my old self.

We're still waiting on the professional photos from the wedding, but here is a sneaky peak to prove that the dress in question really did make it to the mountain top :) I can't wait to share more with you..

What's Your WOW?


Wednesday 28 September 2016

WOW: Goodbye Loki

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays
I'm so sad and missing this gorgeous doggy face today. You see, my daughter's much loved English Mastiff died yesterday whilst she is still away on her honeymoon. Without warning she suddenly grew weak and became breathless. Despite getting her to a vet and then two animal hospitals, there was nothing they could do to save her. She died whilst they were taking x-rays of her chest. It's come as a shock to learn that she had a heart murmur which wasn't detected despite a lot of care and attention from vets for her other issue which was arthritis in her knee joint. As she was only 4 years old, her death is completely unexpected and of course, the timing couldn't have been worse. So for us, it's been a sad way to end a beautiful month for our family.

I love all animals, but Loki was extra special. Until recently we always had large dogs - Mastiffs, Newfoundland's and Rottweilers. We've loved them all. When our last Mastiff died 18 years ago, we decided that we had passed those prime years of caring for such high maintenance dogs ourselves, but of course we still has a soft sport for them as a breed. When my DD decided on an English Mastiff as her pet, I was looking forward to enjoying that special company again...but with much less work on my end!  Loki was unusual for two reasons - she was often mistaken for a male because of her extra large size and dark muzzle and she also had an unusually gentle nature. Mastiff's are known as being gentle anyway, but she was without a doubt the most sweetly natured and gentle dog I have ever met. She was a real treasure and we already miss her. 

With so much going on, my DD is coming home tomorrow from her honeymoon and it's my other DD's birthday on Sunday, I simply haven't been online at all. If you have emailed me or tried to contact me via Facebook - I apologize, I simply haven't even been online to check. I will be catching up on emails for the rest of the week and hope to get back on track before Monday.

Who's Your Most Missed Pet?



Wednesday 21 September 2016

WOW: Dressed to Impress..Just!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays
What a week it's been! Thank you everyone for all those good thoughts you sent my way last week - it was an eleventh hour dash and I got over the finish line ....just. I know your positivity made all the difference. I got a second gust of energy just when I needed it and stitched my last stitch (the inside hanging ribbons) at the stroke of midnight and then my DD beaded until 2.30am. At 3.30 am we were driving to the airport.

This photo was taken at 11.30pm, it was the final fitting and you can see from our faces that we are tired, elated and relieved - all at once. All I kept thinking was, oh dear, it's close!

I can't wait to share more dress details and return to blogging once my feet return to the ground.

What's Your WOW?



Wednesday 14 September 2016

WOW: Burning the Midnight Oil

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays
I now have 48 hours left to finish my DDs wedding dress. Luckily for me, I don't just believe in miracles, I rely on them. So far, I'm still working on the most complicated bodice of my entire sewing life. Please send plenty of positive thoughts my way, I need all the help I can get.

You'll find me behind my sewing machine...

What's Your WOW?



Wednesday 7 September 2016

WOW: Behind the Seams

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays
The wedding is in 10 days and the dress isn't done. Am I busy today? Yes!

Here I am stitching up English coutil for a fitting whilst my DD tries out her new advanced foil snow jacket (she's getting married in the snow on a mountain top) and needs to stay warm in between dress shots! But first, she'll need a dress to stand in! It's been one thing after another with this dress and we only just purchased the last of the actual dress material on the weekend. So today, it's more work on the bodice which I'm boning. The lace has been been a big hassle with issues regarding the sleeves. I haven't had a moment to blog about it. My DD has been waiting around and kindly launching patterns for me by drawing them up on the computer while she waits, so it hasn't been unproductive but now we've entered the zone, She will be getting on a plane on the 15th of this month, so let's just say - I'm busy! Can't wait to share all the details with you soon...


What's Your WOW?

Tuesday 6 September 2016

Stash Busting Stars - How I Make The Blocks

Once you know how, you'll be putting your stars together in no time at all. I sometimes hand sew them together in front of the TV, I love how easy they are.And of course, they're perfect for EPP too. 

Here's how I make mine
 Create TEMPLATE A and sew in TEMPLATE B
 and then TEMPLATE B REVERSED
 Like so
 open the Y seam nicely
 now insert TEMPLATE C
so you end up with a diamond 'unit'
here are three 'units' waiting to be sewn together
 Next, create 'unit 2' which consists of TEMPLATE C & D
and then, sew the 'units' together, creating your block
As you can see, I like to use fusible for my shapes, it make assembling easier, especially as I usually put my stars together away from my sewing studio - I like to do it outside in the garden or bring it with me when we get away for weekends. It's also perfect for EPP. 
 and it's ideal for fussy cutting and showing off beautiful details

I'm completely in love with this quilt, it's so versatile. From fussy cutting an exquisite top to using up fabrics in a stash busting mission - it just works. And if you ever get bored, you can turn your diamonds inside out for a hexagon centre - I bet you weren't expecting that?!


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