2012 Designer Mystery BOM

I finished the binding earlier in the week, and would you believe, I forgot to blog it! Sorry the photos are a tad bright, its quite warm and sunny here in Melbourne despite it still being Winter.

Fabric is Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.

 

All twelve blocks are quilted with a circular feather. Flying geese with stipple, the stripes with an up and down pattern. And the borders with a loopy design. I left the sashing strips unquilted.

Now to decide if (and how) I can hang it on my bedroom wall. I've never hung a quilt so any suggestions are welcome.

Architextures from Robert Kaufman

Last week was a Moda week, this week is a Kaufman week. I am loving the text prints from Architextures; there is a black on white and a white on black.

There are also a couple of new prints from Ann Kelle's Remix range; a spunky red chevron and a multi-coloured heart print.

All Kaufman fabrics can be found here.

DIY Bench Seat

When I rearranged the house and moved my desk out of my room, I lost out on having a seat to sit on, and somewhere to dump bits and pieces (unless you count the floor). I only have a small space and just couldn't find the right piece of furniture to both fit and meet the desired purpose.

So I headed off to Ikea after work (it is far too convenient, my wallet does suffer), and came home with two Expedit cubes and matching baskets. I chose the single cubes as the larger units were too long for the little space I have. Then I picked up a piece of foam elsewhere, and with a bit of Googling, made myself a cover. The fabric is also from Ikea; its a decorator weight cotton that I bought "just in case" on one of my previous visits.

For a bench this size (40cmx88cm), I used only 1 meter of fabric; the WOF is larger than most quilting fabrics. All up this nifty bit of furniture cost me around $120. I think Bella approves!

Chicken and Tomato Risoni

I love an easy mid-week meal, and this one really fits the bill. The original recipe was for a prawn and fennel risoni, but I don't eat prawns so I worked a little magic on it. There were also enough leftovers for lunch.

Ingredients:

One punnet cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Garlic, clove(s) sliced

One chicken breast, sliced

350g risoni (also known as orzo)

1 litre chicken stock

Handful green beans, halved

Handful frozen peas

Fresh parsley or other herbs

Method:

Cook your tomatoes with a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt for three minutes or so. When softened slightly, remove from the pan.

Cook your chicken, until golden and cooked through. Put aside with the tomatoes. 

Add the garlic to the pan with a little extra oil, then add the risoni, stock, beans and peas. Simmer for approximately eight minutes or until risoni is cooked and all stock absorbed. Stir through chicken, tomatoes and your chopped herbs and serve.

Baby Jane for Moda

A sneaky little fabric delivery for the shop yesterday; Baby Jane by Eric and Julie Comstock for Moda.

The colours in this range are just gorgeous, and I've got both Charm Packs and Jelly Rolls available.

Simply Style Jelly Rolls, from V&Co, also made an appearance.

You can find all my pre-cut fabrics here, and don't forget, shipping is free on orders over $250.

Blossoms Everywhere

I love the end of winter when all the blossoms start to appear around my yard; it reminds me that the warmer weather is finally on its way.


I adore the cherry blossoms out the front.

There are daffodils around, and jonquils too.

While I'm hand-stitching the binding on the Vintage Modern quilt, I've finally made a start on the Marmalade quilt, Star Blossoms. Its slow progress; the blocks aren't hard, but they are time consuming due to the size of the pieces. Each one takes about an hour. The lack of pressing instructions is also a bit of a pain (and a pet hate of mine when it comes to patterns).

The block is essentially a star within a star, so if you can handle HSTs and flying geese it's not too difficult.

Sale: Honey Honey by Kate Spain

Kate Spain is definitely one of my favourite Moda designers, and Honey Honey is a gorgeous range. It's a beautiful selection of colours, and I wish I had the time to make a quilt out of it myself.

Honey Honey Jelly Rolls are now on sale for just $35. If you haven't checked out this range, now is the time!

Work in Progress Wednesday

After working full time for the last two months, its been a relief to go back to part time this week. We all know what free time is for: sewing!

My Work in Progress (or WIP) is the 2012 Designer Mystery BOM. I've been sneaking a little time here and there between other commitments, but Wednesday is all mine!

 

I've got just two of the 12 blocks left to quilt, then the sashing and borders. So close to the end I can almost smell it.

Once I'm done I will finally make a start on piecing Star Blossoms, though I don't think I'll get it finished before I go on holidays. All the pieces are cut, and currently stored in a Decor pastry tub (idea courtesy of Badskirt).

 

The tubs are perfect for a layer cake or a quilt that's cut and ready to piece, and only cost around $10 or so. And they stack up nicely so you don't end up with a big mess on your sewing table.

The Sewing Room

So the room, though not complete, is now functional and in use. I'm loving having so much more space!

Last weekend I mounted some shelves above the desk (shelves and brackets from Ikea), and I'm gradually sorting out all my  "stuff" and getting it organised.  I've got lots of magazine holders from Smiggle to keep things neat and tidy. My desk is not so tidy at the moment but I'm working on it!

I've assembled my lovely quilt cabinet and folded all my quilts neatly; I love being able to see them all. The drawers are also nifty for hiding bits and bobs; I have no idea why I own so many pairs of sunglasses, but at least its somewhere to keep them.

I also love having a few quilts hung on the ladder. 

And I've now got a spare bed for when friends need a place to crash; I have my first house guest tomorrow!

I still need to sort a few things on top of the chest of drawers, but for now there are a few Melly & Me softies having a rest. I've also got to hang a few things on the walls to make it more homey.

Last up, I still need to get a cutting bench, but as business has been so quiet this month, it'll need to wait a little longer.

A Good Cause: Phoebe's Sew Along

I was recently  contacted about a Sew Along that is taking place for The Phoebe Foundation and am hoping all of my lovely readers will get involved. The quilt project was initiated a few months ago in an effort to help Phoebe's mother heal from her loss, and to encourage others to creatively contribute for their reasons- some women who have joined have also lost a child, or have a child or grandchild with a heart illness.



The Foundation is looking for quilters to get involved by making a wonky cross block, or to donate any spare fabric or batting they might have. The instructions can be downloaded from here.

Please remember that these blocks will be incorporated into quilts for children under long term hospital care and/or palliative care, so think bright and cheery! Solids, stripes, polka dots are all great and simple choices for your blocks. It’s important to use fabric that does not include any FOOD or DRINK related items, as children in the hospital are often under fluid and dietary restrictions and reminders of these items can be distressing.

Completed blocks can be mailed to:
The Phoebe Foundation/Julia Rolando
Care of Kinglake Post Office
1/14 Whittlesea Kinglake Road
Kinglake, Victoria 3763
Australia

Or contact julia@thephoebefoundation.com.au for more information.

A Little Down Time

With an unexpected day off work I've finally made a start on quilting my 2012 Block of the Month quilt. It was basted a week ago but this is the first bit of spare time I've had to make a start.

I'm working with a feather design in each block using my usual tracing paper method. I love not having to mark the actual quilt.

 Stipple in the flying geese.

And a back and forth design in the stripes. 

I think I might run a couple of straight lines down the sashing but I'm not quite decided yet.

For info on using tracing paper, please see this post, and feel free to ask any questions.

Stash Bundles

If you follow me on Instagram or on Facebook, you'll know about my regular stash bundles. I've been putting together half-metre bundles for the last few months; most have been within a range or designer, but I've also started with mixed bundles.

This week's bundle is a bright mix of Coquette, Reunion and Oh Deer and looks fabulous. 11 half-metre cuts for only $90.

You can find this bundle over here!