Secret project BQL challenge, a Koi Quilt

I have been busy but unable to blog about this not so little quilt. I found the center panel and some co-ordinating fabrics at my local quilt shop and had to have it as it features koi and Mr Chaos is a serious Koi keeper, but they didn't have the border fabric but after quite a lot of phoning round I eventually got hold of some.

I made it as a gift for my hisband and to display at the East Midlands Koi Club Winter Show. Yes they really do bag up enormous fish and transport them in containers to an event and place them in a vat for judging and display for the weekend. We came home with 5 rosettes and 3 trophies, as I said he is pretty serious.

The BQL challenge for February was to make a quilt to exhibit but it didn't stipulate it had to be a quilt show, so I made and showed in the same month.

I hadn't told Mr Chaos that I had made it and managed to get it on display in the conference center without him knowing, much to the amusement of his friends. It was Saturday morning when I was passing and he was stood near it talking to a friend.



Mr Chaos "Hey Liz have you seen this?"

Me " Yes Dear."

Mr Chaos Long pause for thought and then a big grin.

"Is it Yours?"

Me "No Dear it is yours!" I got a big hug and a kiss. It was great fun but I doubt I could decieve him in the same way again.

He was the last to know but thank goodness he likes it.
Soon there will be a completed Linus quilt to show Till next time Liz X

A cot quilt finished

When I took this really really poor photo I had not yet done the binding but I promise it is done and the quilt has now gone to a new home. I wish I could take better pictures with my camera the colours are not at all like that and it is really disapointing. For quilting I have done a meandering stitch all over which I am quite pleased with and will use again, possibly on a Quilt for a Hero I have offered to quilt for a friend who has pieced a top but doesn't want to tackle the quilting, Hello Mo if you are reading.

I have also been asked to quilt another friends quilt for her as she has wrinkle on the back problems, although if I was smarter I would help her achieve a better finish for herself, so I shall have to ponder on that one for a while.

BQL challenge this month is a quilt to exhibit which I shall not be doing again so I shall quilt for other people instead.

I heard we are now half way through winter so I am looking forward to better weather soon. Till next time Liz X

A quilt for a Hero

This is my BQL January challenge completed. What ever the rights and wrongs of the political situation a fact remains that there are men and women being wounded every day and their lives will never be the same again. I can do very little about that, but I can quilt.

This is a quilt made from old shirt fabric donated by members of Rugby Model Engineering Society. Easy piecing from 3 x 6 1/2 inch strips just like last months quilt for Katy, I did however, when it came to trimming this quilt have a vague recollection of having starched the strips before I started the other one and it certainly would have helped stabalise these recycled fabrics. A donated backing and wadding meant I was unable to complete it in a conventional way but overall I am quite happy with it, I hope it will be enjoyed by whoever it is given to.

I have also been working on a couple of Christmas projects which has confused a couple of ladies at my quilt group, am I well organised and well ahead of the game or very much too late! Only I know the answer :-) Pictures when they are done but no promises as to when that will be!

Till next time Liz

Christmas has passed, back to normal? not quite!

Before I put the christmas things away I thought I will share them with you. The long wall hanging was made after a workshop at Lutterworth piecemakers, the christmas tree of triangles I made last year, the little christmas tree of yo yo's was made for me by my friend Holly and the cushion was from my BQL secret santa swap.

I am planning to make a quilt for hero's this month, it is the challenge from BQL. I had a pattern in mind yesterday but the shirt I wanted to use for background did not yeald quite enough fabric so I have changed my plan to do a stacked coin quilt instead. All I will need to buy will be backing, sashing and batting as the gentlemen from the model engineering club I belong to have been generous with old shirts.

I thought I would invite any of my friends to come and do a bit of sewing with me and this design is ideal as it will not show any differences in seam allowance.

The snow has bought some disruption to my plans for this week as school has sent the children home at lunch time today so who knows when they will be back, and after minor surgery to his sholder Mr Chaos will also be at home this week.

Say safe till next time, Liz

A Quilt for Ossian, a quilt for Katy and the last BQL challenge

My friend Laura now lives in Wales and last week had a baby boy they have called Ossian. They wanted something in green for their baby as they did not know the sex of the baby. I found this lovely fabric at Kisco which has some lovely sayings on it that I thought they would apreciate. My son did a good job of holding it for photographing but the camera has made it look more blue than in realityI quilted eash block with an outline of the character a frog, a snail, a flower, with connecting hearts and swirls. It is more of a floor qiult for a drooling babe than a cot quilt but I am glad to hear they like it.

I have some fabric left over and will make a Linus quilt and donate with a tribute to Laura, Stan and Ossian on the back

A quilt for Katy.

This is a quilt I made for my step daughter Katy for christmas who having unwrapped it put it to one side and didn't even open it up and look at it. My husband was a bit bothered that she failed to apreciate the gift, but I was not offended, it was not given with any expectation. That was not the spirit it was given in. I was pleased with the quilt, it went together well and I was happy to have made quite a good job of it. I liked the colour and quilted it very simply and would make another in a heartbeat. I used leftovers to make this little quilt the last challenge from BQL this year.

I am hoping to complete a quilt soon it is another that has been waiting for quilting for a long time I will start 2010 with no major project to complete!

Hope you all had a good christmas and have a happy new year Liz

Not quilty but a cause for celebration

I promise you will never have to see my feet again but I needed proof that I have done it.
When I got on the scales and I weighed 13st 13 3/4lbs I was a bit horrified and decided I did not want to be 14 st and had to do something about it.
I did do something (mostly not eat fattening foods between meals and use a small plate at tea time) and today here is the proof I have lost 3 stone. Yay When I started I could not have seen 3 st as an achievable weight loss goal (and I am usually really poor at sticking to diets) but first half a stone then stone by stone it goes. I am still only just inside "normal" weight for my height so I think 10st 10lbs will be the next goal by christmas.
On the fabric side of life I have made myself a dress this week from some fabric I bought on e-bay. I like t-shirt dresses at the moment, with plenty of stretch, I have given away almost all my clothes because they are too big and I dont have a lot of money to replace them so t-shirt dresses are a good solution. I would love to find a good dressmaker locally who could help me with fitting I would like to make some flattering trousers but I can't see the back and Hubby really won't do!
I am off to the model engineering exhibition today so I will have a good day, hope you do to Liz

Piecemakers show and a happy man

This is what I have been working on for the last few weeks. It is a birthday gift for my son who happened to come home for the weekend. He asked if I had finally finnished his quilt (as he often does) and was very supprised when I said I had, but not so pleased when he asked if he could see it and was told it was hanging in a quilt exhibition. He had to wait till the following day to see it. Thankfully he thought it was worth the wait.

I can't tell you how over the moon I was that some people had chosen it as their favorite quilt in the show. It is now living in Nottingham.

I was also pleased (and a little relieved) that the bag I had made for the raffle had some tickets in by the time I left on Saturday lunchtime. I wonder who liked it enough to buy a ticket and who has won it. I will be looking out for it. I might have to make another one.

I had made some fabric flower pins for the sales table, someone who bought one said thay had to undo it to see how it was made. How silly, I would have shown them first if they had asked and have since taken a worksheet to them. I was asked and might offer to do a demonstration at the AGM next meeting. Till next time Liz