"POUR L'AMOUR DU FIL" - Nantes Weekend - Part 1!

Well, that "Eyjafjallajokull" volcano did not manage to spoil my plans! I was soooo happy when I got on the plane to Nantes on Saturday, yeepeeeeeee!

I booked my flight and hotel shortly after Christmas and felt really sad at the thought that the volcano was going to stop me from seeing some of my favourite quilts close up...

Sarah Fielke never made it unfortunately (I so hoped to meet her) but her beautiful quilts were there and they so yummy and it was quite something to see them close up. I have spend loads of time looking through the Material Obsession books and I have dreamt that the day will come when I will be able to make something as beautiful as these quilts. So, I went close, I drooled, I took loads of photos and I bored my friend to death by looking like a love-struck teenager at these quilts!!!

Well, enough chat, here are some of the best pics:

The winter tree has little crystal on it, ahhh sooo beautiful!

This quilt is ever so cute but unfortunately I did not manage to get a clear shot of one of the pretty dollies! They had crocheted flowers on their dresses!!!!

I also thought the work of Sue Spargo was equally amazing, full of detail, colour and imagination...ahhhh

I do not know who made the gorgeouness blow BUT this stole my heart and I know that I NEED one of these!!!! (in the same way that I need more fabric, not!!!) but look:

As Rachel from P.S i quilt (one of my most favourite blogs) says: I heart this...a lot...a lot

I can see me sitting on one of these doing my binding or hand-piecing (when I get over my terror of the irregularity of my stitches that is!!!!).

Well, to all the amazing quilters out there (and I have not even started to talk about the Japanese quilts yet), 

'Thank you, Keep Going and please forgive any excessive drooling close to your quilts! (fortunately they were cordoned off!!!!!)

Amelie

Huge moments of happiness!!!

A few things recently have made me feel on top of the world..a lovely long walk with Mr Whirlygiggles through a newly discovered route next to a canal, one of my friends seeing my blog and liking my quilts and my teacher Ferret who thought that my work has improved loads since the beginning and my piecing of quilt tops is looking good!!! yeeeeha!!!
I wish I could reward her by spending more time on the sampler we have been working on together for the last two terms now or by learning how to quilt on my new Husqvarna. But I am sure she knows that in time she will see more improvements and will finally feel rewarded that her efforts have not been wasted.

Well, the time has come to reveal bits of the quilt ( my first Kaffe Fassett) that I will (promised and I have to stand by my word....no turning back no matter how much I would love to....) give to my sister. It was a kit I bought in a fair in France and the lovely Ferret has quilted it for me. The quilting is exquisite, done with different colour threads on every different colour section of the quilt and it is truly gorgeous.
I am trying to finish off the binding soon as we are taking it with us to Italy on the bank holiday weekend:

Isn't it delicious? have a look at this one too:

That is the back of the quilt and believe me, the quilting is soooo gorgeous that it is almost another quilt on the back...how about this one?

As soon as I finish the binding I will take a few pictures for my blog so you can see it in its full glory!!!

Amelie

Uploading the past...

Back to my blog, another weekend is here and we are halfway through it already  :-(
and before I know it it will all be over and I would not have finished anything again!arghhhh

Recording my quilt (hi)story has been pretty slow compared to my huge enthusiasm and the desire with which I have approached patchwork. Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself sitting opposite a machine and handling fabrics and yet here I am!!! and friends are never short of amazement at this new passion and just how much I have made in the short 10 months that I have been at it!
I still remember the first day I walked into Carol's shop "Just Between Friends" and had my first lesson, my first touch of the sewing machine and my first experience of handling fabric. It was Carol's encouragement and warmth that made it all seem so possible. Next step was the purchase of a small Brother machine (my first one ever) just in case I could not get on with patchwork! little did I know then!!!!

Today's visit to Carol has increased my stash by a layer cake and two charm packs from the new French General range called Rural Jardin, YUMMY! I already have a sneaky plan for the cake!

Ok, carrying on the past, on that first visit to Carol's I was so wowed by her Butterfly Garden quilt that I decided to start one myself. That was going to be my 'Amelie' quilt.

Well, the first block was so hard to put together and so difficult to get the little squares to match up that I ended up doing it twice!!!! since then every part of it has become easier. One of the things I adore about this quilt is that has become a brilliant record of my quilting history...I can see how much I have moved on since that first block but  in spite of all its mistakes, every block to me is as beautiful as that first one ...

Here is a preview of the first few blocks...I only have 2 more to go before the quilt is complete!

I have used a combination of fabrics including a few older pieces and that beautifully bright silky red. I hope it will all survive time....

I adore these blocks so much, here is another pinned on the curtains!!

After I started my 'Amelie' quilt, I bought some Amy Butler fabrics (I simply adore her designs)  and decided to do a quilt for my sister. I can only thank my teacher Ferret for standing by me very patiently in the beginning as I struggled with this quilt enormously. Miraculously my "Moroccan Sorbet" (you will soon see why the name!) was finished and I fell in love with it so much so that I could not part with it. It lies gorgeously in a wooden chest under lock and key (now, I would not want a thief to come into our flat and steal my quilts, would I?!!!!). Ferret did a beautiful job quilting it on her longarm and here it is:

I have made a few kiddie quilts since then in the course of my 10 month quilting journey but they are not all finished so I will not show them just yet!

I am ashamed to say that I have 5-6 UFOs (UnFinished Objects-for the non quilting folk out there!). They live in a lovely box under the promise that they will soon be brought out to be quilted, gifted and loved!

Amelie 

Children's artwork - my new challenge!

As a 'Thank you' to my lovely workplace, I took home a whole load of children's artwork hoping that I will be able to make something worth auctioning.

I went through the whole stack and was very sad to realise that the paint on the calico is not permanent and cannot be fixed permanently either. I guess the way forward is not a quilt but a wallhanging that can be dusted off and not have to be washed...

Here is a preview of the squares I have picked...I have tried to have some sort of colour similarities to make my fabric choice easier. Hopefully this project will not become my one way ticket to madness!!!!!

I was thinking of a 5 piece project like this one that I made from a Homespun recipe which was very modern but I decided to turn Japanese!!! Isn't it cute?????

The children's artwork I chose are below and before you start thinking that I cannot count, I chose 6 as a starting point and will be making a final decision as the project unfolds!

I love the top left square. Have a look at the 2 cool figures in it!:

I love these 2!

ok, I am off to buy more fabric...ehhhh, to sew more fabric! my god, someone please rob me off my credit card so I cannot order any more gorgeous fabric like the recent arrival of more Heather Bailey into this blessed home! My cupboard is creaking at the seams!!!!! I guess part of my problem is that I do not want to cut into it...just to store it, look at it adoringly and stroke it loads...am I a fabric lunatic? fear so....

Amelie

It's the weekend!

and even though it is fast approaching its end we just got back home and am ready to carry on with this blog...
Ok, going backwards again, here are the pictures of the two quilt tops I finished on the bank holiday weekend:

Flower Pinwheels from the Patisserie range (loved it!!!!!!!!!!):

I have decided the needleturn applique is sooooo hard but sooooo rewarding!

and also my MOMO Wonderland Tulips quilt:

 the orchids got in the way of that one!!!

Saturday I managed to finally pin one of my UFOs:

I have not decided how I will quilt this one...I don't think I will be able to do any more than just a bad version of stitch in the ditch...it is not as easy as it seems...or is it just me being purely incompetent?!!!!

In the meantime, I have finished ALL 42 whirlygiggle blocks and they need to be ironed and cut to size! cannot wait to sew them all together, they are soooo yummy!!!

bye
Amelie

Bank Holiday Weekend

Well, I will have to write my quilting journey backwards by the looks of things!

I enjoyed a long weekend of quilting and cinema (lucky me!) and produced quite a bit but my happiest moment was when I saw my first whirlygiggle!!!! I was so scared that it would not work out...When I first got the four pieces together it was a bit longer and a bit shorter in places but then, hey presto! here it is:

Since then I have only managed to make 2 more but tonight I will carry on...

More unfinished objects from the weekend:

My French General table runner from a lovely recipe at Moda Bakeshop:

and two preemie quilts from fabric leftover from another project!!

I also (yes, I did say I am obsessed with quilting!!!!!) FINALLY finished my flower pinwheel quilt that I started at Christmas (arghhh, needleturn applique takes so long when you are as slow as me!) amd my Wonderland quilt which was a lovely recipe called Tulip Wonderland by Kate Henderson (Thank you Kate, what a wonderful quilt).

As there is a distinct luck of a design wall in my cupboard, I will have to wait until Mr Whirlygiggles is back home to hold them up to be photographed.

Until then, coffee is calling my name louder and louder.....

Amelie

First post

At last! I have managed to make time to create this blog.
I am hoping to keep this as a journal of my personal quilting journey, a journey that is still very new (one year to be exact!).
For me quilting has been the most unexpected and joyful discovery.
As every quilt addict knows, I spend almost all my spare time hidden away behind my machine (to the protestations of my nearest and dearest)!
I guess I better get on and photograph my creations to date and start my online journal...
Amelie