Season's Greetings.

Hello, I hope you have had a very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. Well it all came together here , despite my apprehension. Presents were made, the house was cleaned and the tree decorated, Father Christmas came and everyone had a good time.
When I was hanging up my favourite christmas quilt I realised that after I started it way back here I have never shared it with you the completed quilt that I finished in time for the following Christmas.

It is the only time Mario's parents have come during the Christmas Season and my Mil requested one straight away. I have to say I started immediately but then it got shelved for other things. Then last year I finished it's twin finally finished it's twin and forgot to show you that either. They are not exactly the same, the fabrics are different and how I finished them are also slightly different. I really do love them both. Mario calls them my Donkey quilts because he thinks Santa's little helper is too chunky to be a Reindeer. Cheeky!
I have to admit I do have a bit of a passion for Christmas quilts, I have two other hangings on the go. The first Santa's Helpers was from a Quilt Mania patten a couple of years ago. It still needs me to design a tree for it as I didn't like the original as it consisted of white rectangles and red buttons. A little minimalist for my liking.

The other a penguin was a a copy of a quilt that I saw in a magazine a few years back and fell in love with. They are both narrow enough to go on the back of a door. I had a little sew on on Christmas Eve but they are still not finished. I may try and complete the applique over the next week but I doubt they will be finished this year.
What I did finish in time for Christmas was a cute little hat for my Mum. It is pansy by Louisa Harding and it is not supposed to be worn quite like this but the crown was a little short for the brim to be turned but mum seems happy with it the way it is.

I also finished two sets of these snowball buddies.

They were really quick to make and really good fun. definately made by the bows and bells that the designer suggests you add.

here are some close ups
Rabbit

Bird

Mouse

Rudolph


I also got my christmas day cast on of Oriel by Kim Hargreaves but that will have to wait for my next post.

Arianwen xx

Where have you been?

Hello,
Just thought I would pop in a show you one of my latest creations. Made entirely from stash.

A birthday gift for the littlebluetortoise. A ginger tom cat based on one I know and that she loves.

A friend for the owl.

Whip it up quickly!

Helloo how are you all?
Did you miss me? I have been chaotically busy, no time for blogging, though I have been planning posts in my head if I had managed to get near a computer you might of seen some of them:)
In amongst work, visiting lovely friends and all the other bits and bobs that fill up my life, I have been trying to be crafty and I have to confess I have had a good couple of weeks. The creative juices really started to flow with an invitation to a christening.

I am not really that bothered about christenings, weddings, yes those I really like - any excuse to wear a hat. Mario and the rest of the family really like christenings and I must confess I love babies, there is something truly wonderful about those lovely,warm,sweet smelling bundles. They are like a promise for the wonderful human being that they are going to become. So when we were invited to Emilia's christening, the family started to jump and down full of excitment and I started wondering what would be the perfect present.

Hmm from me? It has to be a quilt! Many years ago I made a Chook Shed quilt pattern called Edward and Bess for a christening. I adjusted it slightly so that became more personal. After that I made the quilt a whole lot of times for a whole lot of making other peoples's designs these days so I decided to design my own. So here it is one little bear for one little girl.

It turned out very pink! But as all of the fabric and the wadding came from stash I was pretty pleased as it meant low cost and getting rid of all that wadding was very good for clearing drawer space! Just in time as tomorrow I am off to the Harrogate knitting and stitching show and I am sure to find lots of things that I want to fill drawers with!
Bye for now

Arianwen xx

It has been done a while

I have to confess Inigo's quilt has been done for quite some time. In fact I am not quite sure when it was finished certainly before the summer holidays.
I pretty much fall in love with all of my quilts as I finish them but, this one I just love, love, Love! I am not sure if it is the combinations of batiks and plaids which work so much better that I could ever have hoped for or that although it was made for my lovable boy it is sophisticated enough for him to still enjoy it when he is a grown man. I think the biggest love has to be Inigo's enthusiasm for it. Every time the fabric was laid out, cut, sewn or rearranged Inigo was there admiring it and asking questions. He was adamant from the very start that he wanted cats on his quilt. Four cats in representation of the four that live in this house!
This was my biggest worry of the quilt four cats that didn't automatically make the quilt for a small child (I really want him to still love this when he is big).
I figured silhouettes would be the best option but not in black. I spent ages looking for the perfect fabric
it eventually turned up in the LittleBlueTortoise's stash (it is great having friends with the same hobbies) at one point I thought that I had mucked up one of the cats and broke the news that it might just have three.
"Don't worry" replies Inigo "there will always be a fourth asleep in the middle of the bed".

I originally wanted to quilt it even more heavily but, I weighed up the time it would take to add the extra quilting against the immediate happiness that Ingio would have if he could have the quilt that night and his smile won out.

Another little Owl

Well I told you that there was going to be another Owl in my future. This one I nick named Lucy as she has stars in her eyes. The little blue tortoise laid huge hints on me about the owl quilt she really liked the idea and as I really wanted to make another it seemed like it would be the perfect solution to her birthday present. She has just had her hall way decorated a lovely shade of blue.

A rummage through my scrap bag and I had found all of the blues , just enough. I think will have to start sewing with a vengence inorder to get collecting scraps again. Although this one really doesn't fit anywhere it my house I love the colours. It hung on my wall on the day of completion just so I could admire it. The little piece of Alice Butler on the wings really makes it. Will I make another owl sometime? Maybe...

64 Paddy Paws!

Way back in July 1996 when Elenya was a tiny baby. I was walking through Brugge when I stumbbled upon my first patchwork shop, Pineapple.

It was a funny shop in one of the back streets by the gates of the old town. After I had struggled through two doors with a pram and the shop assistant had watched me I realised that they really didn't sell much! A few fat quarters in baskets dotted around the vast white interior and a pile of old Quilters newsletter. Now I would probaly walk straight back out but, I wandered around collected a few fat quarters which were a wonderful 1930's chintz and then I spied the April 1996 Quilters newsletter.
The beautiful quilt on the front "Chaco's Paw" captured my heart and the story of how the designer had named it after her kitten who had helped make it captured my imagination. Though as I had never made anything remotely patchwork before I definately didn't have the skills to make one of my own.
The fat quarters were made up into a feedsack quilt ( my first quilt) when Elenya was three and the magazine was stored for safe keeping.
Then last year when I asked Inigo what sort of quilt he wanted he was definate that he wanted a cat one. Now as an eight year old boy I can see the attraction but, I hope that as a grown man he might still like the quilt that his mama makes for him and I felt that a seriously cat one might not make the grade.
Then I remembered "chaco's Paw" I was happy and so was Inigo though he still wants it to have at least one cat. It was a bit optimistic to think I would have the whole thing complete by last week however I have broken the back of it now with a little quilting help from Molly!

My Giveaway Quilt

I keep seeing Owls every where in the craft world.Little fabric sculptures. logos, fabric and knitting patterns though unlike the 1970's no macrame yet!
I think it is rapidly becoming synonimous with anything crafty which is why I decided on a wise old owl for my little quilt. It has been ages since I designed something completely from scratch but I felt as I was giving it away it had to be all my own work. An hour later and the whole thing was mapped out on brown paper( brown paper that somebody in this house has tidied up). I also wanted the fabrics to be cheerful, spring, Eastery type colours which took some serious scrabbling through the scrap bag.
I am pretty pleased how he turned out. I almost whipped up something else as he looked gorgeous on my wall! I think I might make him again as soon as I find the brown paper!

The Family Anthem

Does your family have a favourite song? One that when hummed by one, is sung loudly by all? Mine does.
I wouldn't say that I have ever been a Bob Marley fan, it isn't that I would have switched stations, groaning loudly, when he started to sing but,I wouldn't have turned him up either! Something more pop or rock were my tunes of choice.
When Oriana and Inigo started school, their first teacher loved Bob Marley and the two of them loved Mr Moss! So much so they invited him to their 5th birthday party -and he came!
At tidy up time the first few bars of three little birds would have the class rushing to tidy the room. After a few weeks Oriana had learnt the words and she could be heard lisping them all around the house "This is my message to youhoo". Her siblings soon joined her and three little voices from different rooms could be heard singing "every little thing gonna be alright". .

At the end of the year the school put on a play I don't remember anything about it except at the end every child in the school started singing. Three little birds sung by over a hundred little people was probably one of the most moving things I have ever heard.There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Last year when we decided it was time for Oriana to have a room separate from her brother I knew that I wanted to make them each the perfect quilt.
I found a small wall quilt in Quiltmania that Oriana liked. It just wasn't big enough I decided to expand on it but with what? ...then I heard Oriana singing and I knew she just had to have Three little birds singing sweet songs.
If your family has an anthem, drop me a comment I would love to know

Quilty,Quilty,Bang Bang!!

If you see a woman,with steam coming from her ears, do come over and say hello. The last few weeks have been totally manic,as per usual I have left everything to the last minute. I have been loving knitting the the SOTS11 it is so pretty I decided against beading it in the end mainly because of time. It is also simple enough that it can be done in front of the TV. Just shows everything doesn't have to be complicated . Because I want to take it to Belgium I have been tackling several clues a week. I start clue 8 this evening and then I just have clue 9 wish me luck on that one.
Three baby quilts were needed for the new Belgian arrivals. If you are interested in the time frame of these.
The Star quilt top (for Aaron) was completed except for the applique the thursday before last. Most of the fabrics were from my stash. I love the Crayola print.I was like the frogs going to be children's clothes but they grew faster than I could sew.
The Flower top (for Floor, yes that is the right spelling)was started and finished except for applique last Saturday. The fabric for this was going to be a bluse for me it is lovely but not really for my colouring. Floor's mummy has beautiful red hair so hopefully Floor will have the same colouring and this will be perfect for her.They were both appliqued and then tacked together on Thursday. Friday most of the Frog quilt (for jayden) was put together and then assembled on yesterday.

This wasn't my original take on the frog quilt but I think my original calculations were wrong and I just couldn't get it to fit together. I have plans for a rencarntion for the original blocks.They were all quilted yesterday and then the binding put on today. I am feeling a little tired now but very glad that I am finished.

Wishing you all a very merry christmas!

Time seems to have got away from me and I have only just finished writing my christmas cards which although technically under the wire is very very late.
The reason for my tardiness is my Reindeer quilt which I finished last night. The pattern suggested using only the hands of children under 10 but, I decided to have one copy both Mario and my hands and make it into a proper family quilt. Rudolph's antlers are made from a copy of each of the childrens hands.
In october I imagined that I would have loads of gifts made but the reality is that I only managed two ( well the kids got slippers but, they have been wearing them for a while now!)
The Hemlock Ring for BlueGreenWorld it is in Cascade 220 which I bought from a very nice lady on Ebay.
I really like the design and had thought that I might make one for casually throwing over my sofa but, I shall put that idea on hold for a while as it was definately one that needed concentration. the dark colour was a nightmare in the evenings so it was one that had to be played with during the day. It blocked really well but subsequently bumped up in the middle after being wrapped. It has been opened and was a hit with both its recipeint and her very aloof cat Jack who actually let me stroke him once he had given it a good sniff.
The other present was for J it is the swallowtail shawl from the interweaves magazine. Totally breathtaking when it has been blocked. It also has the advantage of using less than one skein of the Jaggerspun. This is definately one I will make again though with beads rather than nubbs as they really slowed me down.

I hope that you all have a wonderful,peaceful christmas and that the New year brings you everything you need.