Little blue framed blocks

This one was put together with three smallish pieces of blues - perhaps a FQ, certainly nothing larger. The centres of the blocks were scrappy log cabins which I'd already had in stash. I've shown these blocks before, as blocks, but not assembled into a top - or the centre of a top at least. It will probably get a border on it before it joins the Project Linus crew...

ATC Friday

Love how this one came out. It came to me as the card below - with quite a large image to it. I added the words and the "raindrops" and then it was finished off with the umbrellas and the decorative trim. Really a nice card!

(starter)

(after round 2)

This one was a bit of a challenge, as the city skyline was so cool I didn't want to mess it up - I only added the little cog sequins. The person finishing it added the stars, and it all shimmers away nicely...

(original starters)

(after my round)

Cross Stitch (Pattern) Giveaway

Having now stitched all of these - and not wanting to stitch them again - I am ready to get rid of the patterns to a good home. Or any kind of home.  I don't need any reimbursement for them, or postage, and most of them are very light - just a few pieces of paper, so I'm happy to send them anywhere in the world (the last one is quite heavy, three small booklets, but it's only one thing, so I'm ok with that going anywhere as well). If you are interested, leave a comment with the name of the pattern(s) you'd like. Will resolve any clashing desires in a democratic way (drawing names or something).  I'll leave it about a week before working out who gets what, but will try to please as many folks as possible.

Flowers. This one is tiny - only 3" square on 14ct Aida  - nice and quick to stitch. (I know it says kit, but I've used the fabric and thread, so it's only a pattern). 

Summer Bird. Another small one, approx 3x5 on 32count. Button not included.

Summer Sampler. 5" square on 28 ct. Button not included.

Singing the Blues. Almost 6" square when stitched on 28ct.  

Snow Love. Approx 3x4 when stitched on 32 ct. Button not included.  TAKEN, sorry - by someone I see in person, so no mailing required!

The Rain Fell. Approx 8x7 on 30 ct fabric.

A Day at the Beach. Approx 12x6 on 28 ct fabric.

Singing in the Spring, Approx 7" square on 28ct fabric.

Starlight Sampler. 114 stitches square. pattern recommends 16ct lambswool Aida, think I stitched it on 32 ct linen. Approx 7 inches square on either of those count fabrics.

Garden of Snow. Approx 10" square on 28ct fabric.

Sheep in the Meadow. approx 12x5 on 28 ct fabric.

Winter Wonderland, approx size on 16/32 count 35cmx15cm. (14.5x6")

This is a set of three books - the main pattern is shown above and comes in three parts, one in each book. This design is approx 15x9 (with all three parts completed). Books also contain a number of other smaller designs including the crow show stitched above in the top picture - I think there are two more in each booklet besides the main one. 

Cross Stitch Update

Good progress this week - and now, nearly finished. I still have the O and P to do, two flowers which are embedded in the alphabets (plus a few dots in the leaf border), and a small bird, which sits on the top branch of the left hand tree, and that's it. 

Scrappy block tops

These are some of the blocks I was in the process of putting together into tops when I showed my collection yesterday - three small tops (12 blocks each), all of which will probably get some sort of border around them to finish them off a bit. There will be another top as well, as I had 17 blocks leftover, I think.  Something like that! All these will eventually go in the Project Linus bag, but not until they've been bordered (or I've decided not to border them).

Block Sets

There are still quite a few sets of blocks in my basket, though it's better than the last time I took an inventory... I've made quite a few sets, or partial sets, into blocks, though of course, I've also added some to the stash.  Here's what I have remaining at the moment:

• 12" circular flying geese - 9 blocks, each in a single colour. These I am saving for myself, probably for a baby quilt of some sort. I had originally intended to make 12, but ran out of drive. Nine is still good, though. 
• 6x9" birds in blue sky background - 42 blocks. I won these in the block lotto a while back and am still considering how I want to make them into a quilt. A straight set seems a little boring for such cool blocks. I might get around to them this year, if I can work out what I want to do! Again, though, they are blocks I am intending to keep - or at least, the quilt made from them wouldn't be a charity donation - I might use it for a gift for a friend, of course.

• 7" black and white "windows" - 22 blocks. These blocks were inspired by a block lotto block, and used up lots of my 2.5" scrap squares. They will probably be used for a baby quilt (or two) for Project Linus.
• 8" black and neutral strip blocks - 16 blocks. These will definitely go into a top for a Project Linus quilt.

• 7" "Big O" blocks - 41 blocks. (Yes, I can't count.) These blocks are each a quarter of a larger block, so I'll use them to make a PL quilt or two, and there will be some for the orphans bag, too. Which is fine. It did help me to destash my browns, a little. Another one based on a Block Lotto block.
• 8" green floating rectangle blocks - 15 blocks. Again, these will go to a PL quilt top.

• 10" bordered 16 patch (pink and purple borders, only the pink showing) - 16 blocks. These will make a good PL top, it's just a matter of putting them together.
• 10"  "Pieces of Eight" blocks in purple and brown - 30 blocks. I don't know whether I'll make one larger top from these or several small ones; we'll see. Probably won't keep the top(s), though, whatever I do, as they were a destashing exercise.

• 10" scrappy log cabins with blue borders - 12 blocks; four each in three different blues. Definitely a PL top in the making.
• 10" black with stripes blocks - 20 blocks. These I really like - there are a number of different stripes in the blocks - so I might either keep the top made from these or make a couple of smaller ones; we'll see.

• (At the back) 9" log cabin with grey and purple borders - 18 blocks. I might make two small tops with 9 blocks each. Not sure why I have 18 - probably just made however many blocks I had enough of the grey & purple for.  These are destined for PL.
• (middle) 9" log cabin with blue and gold outside logs - 12 blocks. A small quilt top. As with almost all of my very scrappy blocks, these will make a PL top.
• (front)  8" Double four patch with grey & yellow. 30 blocks. Not sure what I'll do with these yet. Guess I'll see how much I like the finished product.

• 8" scrappy strip blocks - 53 blocks. These were a descrapping exercise, and are in the process of being made into some tops for PL. The block stack isn't even in the main photo as it was on the sewing table...
• 6" scrappy strips in two directions (no individual photo but in the centre of the top photo) - 43 blocks. Another exercise in getting rid of strips; these will be made into a PL top or two as well. Or at least, most of them will - not sure I can make 43 blocks work with no leftovers!

Big Brown O's

After making some of these O blocks (in a different colourway) for the December Block Lotto, I knew they'd be a good way of destashing a little bit of my overabundance of brown fabrics, so I pulled out a load of brown fabrics (ok, I confess, 40 or so different ones - told you I had an overabundance) and some suitable backgrounds, and made up some O blocks. Not sure how many I ended up with - I went until I ran out of light brown for the backgrounds...  They'll join the stack of block sets waiting to be made up into quilt tops. But I'm making a mini-resolution: no more new block sets until I get rid of at least three sets from my current stash of sets (I think there are about a dozen). Watch this space.

Red Border no 3

And here's the last of the little tops with red Hawaiian borders. There may be a bit of this fabric in my scrap baskets, but there's certainly not much left now.  Which is, of course, the way I want it!

ATC Friday

Some round robin cards - these are ones on which I was the second player, so I have scans off all three stages of the cards. On these, I added the brown paper with the stamp of a tree and the cat.  They came back with a star stamped, and some detail around the border - perfect. 

These came to me a little plainer than the crow cards above; I added a transparency with part of a sunflower on it (amazing what you have knocking around from previous swaps, which can be put to use). A yellow butterfly and some detail stickers by player 3  to finish!

Red Border no 2

Here's the second instance of the red fabric being used as a border - there are red cornerstones in the interior of this very busy piece, as well as some cat fabric used as sashing. No idea why I had so many miscellaneous bits of cat fabric as it's not something I ever buy, really!  Funny how fabric does that...

Cross Stitch Update

As I am now tired of my Christmas stitching until much later in the year, I went back to pull out this piece, which I stopped working on in early December, I think. Made good progress on it this week, though there are still a few borders to come (and two alphabets at the bottom) - won't be long, though, especially if I get another week where I get as much done as this week...

First of the Red Borders

Using up a piece of red border fabric - It's like a Hawaiian shirt print, with surfboards and palm trees and whatnot. I had enough to border three small quilt tops, so here's the first of the lot, I didn't manage to make it to the Farnham Maltings Quilt Show and Fabric Sale this year, which is where I usually buy a lot of sale priced fabric to use as quilt borders for charity quilts (and backings for my own quilts), so 2015 will be a very good exercise in using up what I've bought previously!

A little taupe top

A good use for this border fabric - I used it in a piece I made for my mother quite a few years ago now, and it's actually kind of hard to use. The neutral blocks within the centre of the quilt were some fabric donated to me by someone who knows I quilt (as so often happens) - not stuff I'd probably use myself, so they seemed a good addition to the charity top stash...

Floral border

Not quite sure about this one, as it's a little wonky (intentionally and unintentionally). But perhaps someone will love it for its very wonkiness!

Black and white block lotto

Only one block made for the blocklotto this month - I had considered doing more, but actually, almost all the black and white prints I have are unsuitable - they either contain a little of some other colour or they are so evenly split between black and white that they don't really look black or white, which makes them hard to use in this situation. And as I am trying to buy very little new fabric in general, I decided that one was actually enough!

ATC Friday

Some more cards which I was given the task of finishing off. True to form, I looked to words to do this - at least partly. For these cards with stamps of explorers (which are great, aren't they?) I added a small piece of map, and the word "explore" - I am running out of small letters though - I had to use three different fonts - really must get some more.

For these cards of a little girl, which were fairly busy already, I added a small colourful cat and added a nice sentiment.

And for these celebratory cards, I just added a word and some more, different silver stars. I think all three came out pretty well.