Bridie's Blessings 1 Metre Wonder Quilt tutorial

I have had a few people ask me for the exact measurements and directions for the quilt I make for the local women's shelter that I call my Bridie's Blessings 1 Metre Wonder quilt.

This lovely sized 4x5 block lap quilt measures 40 1/2 inches x 48 1/2 inches when finished. You can change the orientation to 5x4  blocks as seen below. 

This quilt uses just 1 yard of the focus fabric used in the pieced the blocks, borders and also the binding if you have just a little over 1 yard. It can definitely all be cut form 1 metre which measure 39 inches. Apart from the fabric used for the embroidered blocks you need just 9 inches of the contrast fabric used in the pieced blocks

 

How many of us have purchased 1 yard cuts of those "I just have to have a piece of that " fabrics?

You can download the tutorial for this quilt from HERE

Some freebies and BOMs update

Embroidery Library  have three great Christmas blocks just for this weekend only so make sure you pick them up before July 27th.

Fabric.com and Hot Patterns are giving away a great hooded vest pattern. For those of you who sew this a great design with or without the hood.

This lovely new free design by Smart Needle would look great on the sewing room door or wall. They have had a few new freebies lately including the old style sewing machine so while on the freebie page make sure you collect them.

Blocks 40 and 41 have gone out in the Crazy Quilt BOM

Crazy Quilt BOM Block 50

Crazy Quilt BOM Block 50 Detail

Crazy Quilt BOM Block 51

Crazy Quilt BOM Block 51 Detail

Crazy Quilt BOM Block 51 Detail

Crazy Quilt BOM Block 51 Detail

Embellished Dogs Block 9 has gone out as

well as Embellished Cats Block10

Yesterday was overcast, wet and bleak for most of the day. We had the warning with  this beautifully coloured sunrise

Boy am I mad with Janome-where is the RE hoop for the 12000?

I have had the Janome 12000 for over a year now and love it. I bought it just before Janome announced they were going to bring out the 15000. I have two 11000's and when the RE or 5x8 inch hoop came out for those I immediately bought it.

On buying the 12000 I also thought there would be an RE hoop for that not too far away as well but Janome now seemed to have completely overlooked the 12000 owners and gone straight to releasing one for the 15000. I am hopping mad as no doubt other 12000 owners are. I love the bigger 9 inch square hoop on the 12000 but when sewing projects for charity you do not want to waste all of that stabilizer and extra fabric needed for the successful stitch out of a smaller 5x5 or 5x7 design. I know there are ways to make your own RE hoop with stabilizer etc but should we have to?

Polka Dot Giraffes BOM- it is a goer

After much procrastinating I decided to buy the 5x5 Polka Dot giraffe designs from Embroidery Delight and will do a small BOM quilt with them. It will be between a large cot and small twin size so that it is suitable for a small child and their first bed.

I am just using fabric strips etc from my stash and will not be buying any other fabric apart form the borders perhaps. The designs stitch out very well but you must starch your fabric well and use the iron on interfacing as well as tear away. That way you will have your outlines matching etc. The blocks will not be overly large as you can see from the first one below. It measures 10 1/2 inches wide x 12 1/2 inches high. There will be some longer blocks and slightly taller blocks

Please email me if you wish to be a part of this BOM. The instructions for the first block will go out at the weekend.

Polka Dot Giraffe BOM Block 1

Topsy turvey day

We awoke this morning to a glorious sunrise and a thick and very cold frost. I grabbed the camera and went outside to take the pics. Came back in to upload them to my computer and my monitor barely 2 years old had died. We tried a few things but it appears it is destined to join the large pile of electronic waste.

I wanted to transfer some designs to my embroidery machine so a temporary monitor was found and hooked up. I am working on another set of 10 or so charity quilts and each one has 10 embroidered blocks. I like to get them cut out and kitted up so that I can work on them at my leisure (?) without the noise of the embroidery machines doing their thing in the background

Sue has sent in a pic of her gorgeous Sassy cats quilt that she has made for her grand daughter. If her grand daughter is not over the moon about it I am sure that there are plenty of people who would gladly love it to pieces. It is wonderful to see all the great colour palettes that people use.

Lexie has completed the latest block in the Embellished Dogs BOM.

Tomorrow morning we have to wrangle the cats into their carriers to take them for their annual vaccination and checks so tonight we have to spell the word VET as all cat  owners know they are born knowing what that word means.

Check out these adorable designs

I have just been looking at these very very very cute new designs from Embroidery Delight called Polka Dot Giraffes. They would make a lovely BOM and I have been looking very carefully at them but I would like to use both size sets and on special they would still be $50 and that is a bit too expensive I think for most of us. I could just use the 5x7 set and would more than likely come up with a good plan.

What do you think?

Plenty to share

This week has been a week of BOM updates.

Block 8 has gone out in the Embellished Dog BOM

 Block 9 has gone out in the Embellished Cat BOM

 Block 3 has gone out in the Stack'Em BOM

 

I have also finished the Embellished Cats BOM quilt top and batled some nasty weather to try and take a pic on the wet deck out the back. At one stage we had a hail storm yesterday

 This is Elizabeth's Block 7 in the Embellished Dog BOM

 This is Lexie's Block 7 in the Embellished Dog BOM

I have also had a very persistent helper this week. Whenever I put something on the cutting table Misty was there, in fact on one occasion she nearly got her whiskers sliced off with the rotary cutter!

HIA Stackems BOM progress

It has been very cold here today and just perfect for sewing up a storm. I have spent yesterday and today getting the HIA Stackems BOM to the stage where half the quilt top is done. I told myself I would only send one block of this quilt out a month but think I may have to make more frequent updates! I wont be able to help myself.

I have sent out Block 2 instructions to all of those who are particpating in this BOM

and the first half of the quilt top I have designed and stitched can be seen below

HIA Stackems BOM

I am also working on the free BOM put out by Project House 360  along with some other members of our embroidery group and I have done the two blocks for this month. I am a little behind everyone else. Many have also done the pieced blocks that go between the blocks so that is a job I will have to catch up on.

Project House 360 BOM

Rainy Day and My Hoopsisters 2014 Mystery top

We started off with a beautiful sunrise today but soon the murky grey clouds moved in and it turned to a rain sodden day. The old saying came true. I think there are many versions of it. the one that I grew up with is

Red sky at night shepherd's delight

Red sky in the morning shepherd's warning.

I have finished stitching and sewing together my Hoopsister's 2014 Mystery quilt. It is titled a Modern Baltimore but as you can see I did not use the suggested colours or indeed Baltimore  colours but rather  the red/ black and white that I love. I also had to change the layout of the grey from what was intended as I was 30cm of fabric too short and I was just using my stash.The last two blocks the flower pot in the centre came out this morning so what better to get through a dreary wet and rainy day than to finish the blocks.

It is not a great pic as I have taken it inside in the dark. Will try and get a better one when I have the quilt finished  with its binding in a couple of days.

Hoopsister's 2014 Mystery quilt

Not much blogging but I have been beavering away on BOM's

I have not done much blog posting during the past couple of weeks but I have been working on  BOMs and my charity sewing.


There have also been some magnificent sunrises seen from my sewing room windows during the past week..

Block 7 has been sent out in the Embellished Dogs BOM 

Embellished Dogs Block 7

I have picked up my Crazy Quilt  Blocks again and  Block 49 instructions have gone out his afternoon

Crazy Quilt Block 49

Block 8 has been sent out in the Embellished Cats BOM 

Embellished Cats Block 9

One of my blog readers is working on the this orange version of the Sassy Cats BOM. It is bright, vibrant and very trendy.

 

Next up it is working on the next block in the HIA Stack Ems BOM. Don't forget that Hatched in Africa are having their 30% off sale this month. BFC Creations are also having a sale with 55% of their designs until July 15th. If you have been wanting to do one of my BOM's and not had the designs now maybe the time to buy them and start the BOM.