Retreat Sewing

To the retreat, I brought two projects that were small to me but would be big accomplishments if I could start (and finish!) either one of them.  Both projects have been sitting in little zip lock baggies on my quilting frame, waiting for me to have the time or interest to pick them up and get sewing.  To be honest, I liked them too much to just throw them out or give them away, but not enough to dedicate precious sewing time.  It was a sad state of affairs for these WIPs.  They were the first things into my suitcase...well before my toiletry bag!

First, my Swoon flying geese scraps.  I collected these little triangular cut offs as I made my Swoon quilt and had decided to create a coordinating cushion.  So, to get used to my featherweight I started chain stitching them together.  After trimming them to 2.5 inch HSTs, I stitched this scrappy star together.  It's quite large at 20 inches square, but I do really like it.  I like that it will compliment the Swoon, but isn't a replicate block.  Now to quilt her, make a back and finish her off!  

The second project was a massive bag of selvages that was taking up space in my sewing cabinet.  I have always liked the look of selvage projects, so I started collecting them.  However, I had not worked with selvages before, so I didn't have a great idea of how many I'd need to collect to make a block or two.  Well, my one zip lock bag made these pretty 10 inch square blocks.  I have about 1/2 of a bag left plus I was lucky enough to inherit another bag from my friend Fiona, so I will easily have near enough to make a quilt top, using this and this as my inspiration.  Making these blocks was so easy and immediately rewarding - a nice trip down memory lane revisiting my favorite prints.  Happy days!

Brit Bee Weekender 2016

What took me so long to tell you about our awesome Brit Bee Weekender?  Who knows.  Life gets in the way.  It has been wonderful re-living it all as I write this post :)  Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start: 

I was incredibly lucky to join the Brit Bee weekend hosted Feb 19-21!   Super Susan was kind enough to pick me up from Birmingham airport and bring me to her home on Thursday night.  On Friday morning as she made cake and lasagne (I drank tea) and then pre-cut her projects and packed her stash (I chattered away).  We popped in the car and arrived at our retreat house by early Friday afternoon.  There would be 8 other lovely ladies joining us that evening for a weekend of sewing, chatter, encouragement, a baby shower, a birthday celebration and delicious food.  I was so lucky to be able to join in.  

The house was lovely with one massive living room with dining room and kitchen.  The dining table fit all 10 sewing machines.  They were total work horses...except for my little featherweight.  She stuck out, but sewed like a champ all weekend long.

Joining me were some of my favorite sewing people - Di and Trudi, who make such a wonderful team....

Hadley, Laura and Fiona who were total pros at organizing everyone's quilt top to be balanced with the colors evenly distributed....

and then many other wonderfully funny, smart ladies like Susan, Ceri, Liz, and Ange.   We quickly settled in, threw fabric over every surface and started cutting/sewing.  Thank goodness there was plenty of kitchen counter space for trimming and three or four ironing boards set up through the living space.  We all had plenty of floor room, too, to set out our blocks before piecing tops together.

The total added bonus for me, but not Hadley, was Murphy.  He was a curious, kind, playful one year old pup who was MASSIVE, fluffy and friendly.  When I was missing my own Molly through the weekend, he was happy to have my attention and scratches.

Stay tuned this week and I will tell you about the pretties I made! 

Tiles Quilt Top Finish

At the Fat Quarterly retreat back in June 2014, I registered for a class with Amy Smart for a quick pieced quilt top.   Although I had the little scrappy blocks pieced in no time, I could not seem to get myself organized to piece the rows on point and to add the little (already cut) triangles to the end of each row.  All it took was a day at home over the Christmas break and this pretty was done!

I absolutely love it.  I wish I used a wider variety of strips for strip piecing to give a more scrappy appearance to the tiles.  That said, I love how the colors sing together and one doesn't dominate.  I choose to use two Denyse Schmidt fabrics on the borders - the aqua one finishing at 2 inches wide and the plaid will finish at 3 inches wide.  They give it a bit of a retro vibe.

Now, I live in Galway.  It's not known for it's glorious weather, but is instead associated with insane wind, sideways rain and cloud cover.  The day of this photo shoot was suitably challenging.  I leave you with the out-takes.  I'm off to sort out a back and get it on the frame for quilting!  Woo hoo!

Fat Quarterly Retreat :: Part 2 :: And a Giveaway!

Ready for part two of the retreat round up?  I promise there is no part three (whew!) and if you make it all the way through this post you'll find a prize at the bottom.  Bonus!  

Let's start with photos from not only one, but TWO classes with Jen Kingwell.  Oh. Yeah.  My first class was hand quilting with Jen (sure, we're BFFs now....) where we were each to bring a 20 inch quilt sandwich to practice our hand stitching.  

It was a pretty super class for three reasons.  First, there were only about 12 of us in the class so it was like having a one on one conversation.  You could ask any question you had and she was very relaxed chatting away.  Second, Jen demonstrated her technique for hand quilting using a clear plastic sheet.  You could see where her needle was going, what angle it was at and what her hand under the "quilt" was doing.  Such a simple idea and it made all the difference.  Finally, she took a good bit of time to discuss notions - what thread you can use, what needles she likes and why, how to use a thimble, etc.  Brilliant.

She discussed stitching while travelling.  As you know, I stitch on every flight I take, on all buses going by and when ever I am in my camper.  Apparently she does too!  Jen made for each and every one of us a little travel pin cushion that is shaped like a ring.  It just slips on your finger and holds all you need without it rolling off your seat.  I'm sure you look less like a psycho using that on a flight vs. leaving pins in the back of the seat in front of you.  Just sayin'.

AND we had a cheeky show and tell.  Jen Kingwell...yes, THE Jen Kingwell, pulls out Green Tea and Sweet Beans and Gypsy Wife from a small suitcase like they were random scraps she stitched together watching TV reruns of Friends the week before the retreat.  You should have seen us - the quilt junkies with our cameras flashing.  Hilarious.  There was no dignity.

She discussed her fabric choices, her quilting style,etc.  What an amazing learning experience. 

After class, she draped her quilts over the table in the hall so we could closely look at each of the blocks.  She let us flip them over, re-arrange them for photos and ooo to our hearts delight.

Gypsy Wife

Gypsy Wife

Gypsy Wife

Green Tea - the flower block in the center is my favorite!

Green Tea

Nicky and Jen, chatting away....

My second class with Jen was Green Tea & Sweet Beans where we were to learn tracing templates, hand piecing and needle turn appliqué.  Now, these techniques were not part of my repertoire going to the retreat and I dare say they will remain absent moving forward.  This is not my happiness.  But I wanted to give hand piecing and appliqué a try...who better to learn from then the master herself?  

Jen gave each of us a copy of her pattern and a quilter's wheel (what a fab invention!), gave us hints and tips on tracing a template, using sand paper to secure our fabric/templates, marking fabric and chatted about the possibility of using her pattern with machine piecing (now that's interesting!).  Jen stitched along with us, giving us plenty of opportunity to ask questions and observe up close.

Together we were to make this block that would require us to trace templates, cut our fabric, use hand piecing and appliqué the stems.  Right. 

After a three hour long class (I think it was three...) I made this:

One flower head.  Now, that said, I learned a tremendous amount and I will continue on with this quilt using my machine and raw edge appliqué.  It will be a long term project.

But what, you want to know, am I giving away?  To share the retreat with those of you who could not attend, I wanted to give away the contents of my retreat goodie bag!  That's right - a fat quarter of apples, solids from both Kona and Riley Blake, two mini charm packs, a pack of Makower Nautical prints, swatch buddies AND a COPY OF GREEN TEA AND SWEET BEANS.  Yes, it's all yours.  

This giveaway is open to anyone who did not attend the retreat.  Just leave a comment below telling me what your favorite thing is about stitching with friends and I will draw one winner on Sunday night (3 Aug) by random number generator.  Please be sure you are not a no-reply commenter - if you are and have not included your email in your comment, I am deleting your entry.

Good luck, everyone!

Fat Quarterly Retreat :: Part 1 ::

I realize nearly everyone else who attended the Fat Quarterly Retreat has already posted about their time at the retreat, but took me a while to get that organized.  Please just play along nicely and let me reminisce.

About 10 days ago I woke up before the sun and made my way down to the airport to grab a flight to London.  I was really looking forward to an hour of quiet time to myself, a coffee, the newspaper and a little happy stitching.  I pulled out my Big Stitch Swap cross stitch and x-ed my way to the land of the Union Jack.

The retreat was just lovely - lots of old friends complimented by several new-to-me faces who were very enthusiastic, happy and chatty.  It was a lovely crew of folks to share a weekend.  I signed up for five classes, each of which was led by a really patient, excited, knowledgeable instructor.  Some classes really inspired me and others just did not suit me, but I am glad I tried them all.  It was a great adventure.  Quickly, let's run through two of them...I will save the others for a second post.

First up is Amy Smart's Fabulously Fast Tiles class where we started making a quilt top from her new book.  This is a very basic, straight forward pattern of strip piecing that will come together quite quickly if I could (or when I will) dedicate a weekend to it.   I am quite happy to have it in my tool belt for a go-to gift.

Amy was chatty, clear, friendly and was wonderful answering our many questions.  She gave us hints and tips as we went about how we could get more fabric variation in our top or which fabrics to choose.

There were also very clear instructions for cutting/squaring and piecing a top on point.  Look at Di there soaking it all in!

I stitched like the mad woman I am and came up with a few tiles and lots of pairings to give me a running start when I pick this project up again in August.  I love the fabrics here and can't wait to dive in again.  It's the perfect project to pick up and stitch in the evening after work.

I also signed up for Karen's screen printing class.  I was SO excited to take Karen's class as I've been a huge fan of her work for quite some time now.  She tempts me with her creations daily on that darned IG feed of hers!  We stared out with an overview of how you screen print with the stencil method and a few dos and don'ts from the master herself.

She looks like she's yelling at us here, but she's really very nice and cute!

And then we dove in, sketching cutting and taping.  To my right was the famous Hadley causing all kinds of trouble and to my right Nicky and Reene.  You know there was a bit of messing in the front row of class.  

I warn you now, that this class has taken over the creative side of my brain and I am obsessing about the next time I can screen print something/anything.  Nothing is safe in our house.  You will absolutely see me pulling out the paint and a squeegee as the summer moves on.

I brought with me a little clip art sewing machine that I could easily trace and print.  It worked relatively well, but as the printing went on I slowly lost detail like the needle.  I can just backstitch that in as I go.  I'm not worried.

The screens made by my class mates were just amazing.  There was a wonderful mix of birds, text, fruit, more traditional almost Dutch barn designs and household items.  These were the few that really caught my eye.

Really really liked the idea of printing on another print.  What a cool combo!

I lost my mind a small bit and went from my trial printing on newsprint to my little class supply tote...

And then onto my retreat goodie tote, followed by all of the Kona White scraps that I brought with me.  I don't know what came over me, but I was just delighted with the process and couldn't stop.  I will cut around the machines on the Kona White and use them in pouches, etc.  They're so darned cute!  

In the end, Karen helped me work through a stencil to print the my favorite fluffy sheep.  I just need to stock up on ink and find a sunny weekend and there will be a pile of quilt labels made with my small friend.  

Come on back later in the week and I will tell you all about my two Jen Kingwell classes.  She was AMAZING.  We even saw her famous quilts up close and personal.  There may even be a giveaway included!  Don't miss out.  

Getting My Ducks In A Row

Goodness how time flies!  The Fat Quarterly Retreat is just around the corner and I am scrambling to get ready.  Are you?  

Most importantly I am trying to get fabric from the shop cut and made into bundles, the threads sorted an on pretty racks and scrap packs made for the Saturday evening market.  If you would like for me to hand deliver an order from Fluffy Sheep Quilting to the retreat in London, just hop over to the shop website, pile your cart full of pretties and use the discount code Presale20% at checkout.  That will give you 20% off your purchase and free shipping.  I will bring your order to registration on Friday afternoon.

Between packing up pre orders, I have been gathering together my class supplies.  The list is not short and some of the items are hard to find in Galway, so I had to start gathering pretty early on.

First up is my embroidery class.  This is the first time I have needed a Frixion pen, so I had it on my "in town" shopping list.  Much to my delight, though, someone had accidentally left one on my desk at work and hasn't returned to pick it up!

I then just had to transfer the pattern onto linen/cotton and gather together the floss I would like to use for the class.  I decided to use a white tea towel so that I had a finished, usable outcome from the class.  What I'm most worried about is making the back pretty here as it won't be hidden from view.  Help me, Jo!  Help.

I did use the Frixion pen to transfer the design.  I like that it's a fine line and temporary, but it did not transfer easily, so the lines are quite shaky and often overwritten 2 or three times before there was really a mark.  This may be because the towel is quite textured, so I won't rule out the Frixion pens just yet...

Next up is my Fabulously Fast Tile Quilt.  Here we had to cut strips from 18 of our favourite prints.  Hmm...  I had a good dig through the shop and my stash to find 18 that somewhat coordinated.

And then started cutting.  I am using Kona Snow as a background color so these prints will pop.  I am ridiculously excited to see how this quilt top comes together!  Am I delusional to think it will be finished during class?  We will see how Fabulously Fast this top is, won't we?

Next is hand quilting with Jen Kingwell.  We were asked to bring a 20 inch quilt sandwich and coordinating perle cotton.  Thankfully I had a left over block from Twinkle Twinkle and already have my perle cotton for quilting the rest of the quilt.  I framed the quilt block in two of the prints used in the stars to make it large enough, then used IKEA fabric on the back.  I hope this will be come a cushion cover to coordinate with Twinkle Twinkle so the back won't be seen.  Again, another "finish" from a class.  Brilliant.

I am just delighted that I got into Karen's screen printing class.  I have decided on the image I hope to print and thought I would like to put it on a few tote bags instead of just cotton scraps.  In the end, I would love to be able to print my own quilt labels, but that may be a bit too adventurous right now (with tiny text and all).  I whipped up two reversible totes with Riley Blake fabric on one side and Kona Ash on the other.  The Riley Blake is a bit twee as compared to my usual fabric choice, but I love these prints.  I thought using them as a lining may be perfect as they don't have to coordinate with other fabrics to fit into a quilt.  The Ash is nice and simple, so I'll print on that blank canvas.  If it's any good, the screen printed side will be what's seen.  If it's a disaster, the screen printed Ash will be the lining and no one will ever know.

Finally there's Green Tea and Sweet Beans with Jen Kingwell.  We were to choose a mix of prints and background fabrics, bringing with us F16th cuts.  I pulled out my usual saturated rainbow and a few LV prints to mix in.

Again, this pattern is not my usual style of quilting, but I think a class is a SUPER way to be exposed to new skills/techniques and ideas.  I'll give it my best try.  If appliqué is no for me, I will have a wall hanging or something that will happily live with the other minis in the shop.  Nothing lost and a whole lot gained. 

I am off to cut more fabric like a maniac.  I've never seen so many FQs in the shop.  How will they ever fit in my suitcase!?!?