THANK YOU all for your lovely comments on my last blog post when I was winging loads...am such a baby!

anyway, almost back on track with all my Bees and here are the November makes:

Stash Bee Hive 2: bookshelf block, paper pieced in 4 parts.

We Bee Modern Too: if i could vote this would be my most favourite block of this month. It looked absolutely stunning with the dark blue sashing and the contrast of the blue/red fabrics. YUMMY

Modern Minx Beginner Bee: what an excellent choice of block and style. I think this quilt will look absolutely
fantastic when it is all put together.

My Bee Europa block for Barbara: so sorry for the bad photo. Let me reassure you that the block looks lovely in real life!

Last but not least, Fat Stash Bee: loved making this block. Cannot wait to see what the quilt will look like.

That is all for now. Working on a few quilts of my own and hope to post pictures soon.

Amelie x

It is hard, hard, hard....

to work and look after a toddler and be passionate about quilting and to even begin to be a good wife and mother.
Frankly I don't know how some bloggers do it but they seem to do it all very well and very frequently.

This month I continue to feel ashamed to how late i was with the September blocks which I only managed to post this weekend gone. This is the first and hopefully my last time like this...thing is i try to do everything well and I am not always able to.

Anyway, enough grovelling, these are September makes:

And my October makes (one more to go before I am completely done!)

And an unexpected BUT EXTREMELY welcome gift. Tikki is a wonderful fabric shop where I have bought some of my most precious fabrics including Kaffe Fassetts and Westminster fabrics as well as great shot cottons which I harbour and only occasionally bring out to drool al over them and them hide them again. What is it with me and the fact that I cannot bear to cut my favourite fabrics?
Anyhow, the lovely Tiina from Tikki send me this!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I nearly died and went to heaven from happiness.
THANK YOU Tiina, you are a superstar and I am grateful, what a gorgeous bundle. Tiina is giving a bundle away every month by the way (and I am not sponsored by her) so visit her website and sign up, or even better, go to her gorgeous shop and treat yourselves to loads of guilt-free gorgeous fabric!!!

Ahhhhh almost done.

and for the friends and family out there: here is one I made almost 18 months earlier. Still, the best I have ever made! even if it keeps me awake some nights!

Amelie x

The continuation of the shame....

I do not seem to manage more than one post a month at the moment...I also do not seem to manage to finish any quilts either!!! oh dear,

I have finished my bee blocks though and here they are:

Stash Bee - Hive 2: Stephanie asked for this block (inspired by Fresh Lemon Quilts) and she did not want it all sewn together (hence the middle bits looking a bit strange!).

 We Bee Modern Too: Nicole asked for the Stargazing block and send the Christmasy fabric which is lovely and bright and made for a very sweet block.

Fat Stash Bee: Jodi wanted a modern and masculine looking block for her son Eli who chose the leaves on black fabric...to be honest in the beginning i was a bit lost because i was not into the fabric but then I spotted the Echino helicopters in my stash and it all went from there. I hope Eli will love the quilt his mummy will make for him.

Bee Europa 2012-2013: Floh asked for a wordy block about tea to accompany a gorgeous set of teapots and other tea related paraphernalia that another Bee had created for her. I came up with a number of ideas, tried 3, cried over 1 which was pieced with tiny pieces but got the mirror image wrong and ended up with this block. For those of you who like Mr Whirlygiggles don't get it, it is meant to be the word tea on top pf a ladder implying "High Tea" an experience i would recommend to Floh when she is next in the UK!

 Modern Minx Beginner Bee: Twinkle Toes asked for the "Little Square, Big Square" block. I loved making this and I have used some special shot cottons. Close up it is gorgeous (to me!). Hope you like it!

All in all a good month for my Bees with a couple of challenges but nothing less than i would expect!

Roll on September!
                                                                  Amelie x

The 'shame' post!

1 blog entry for July: shame
Bad photography: shame
20 UFOs : shame shame shame

I know it has been more than a month since my last blog and I don't remember ever being so low in blog entries...and I hate to admit it but blogging time equals less time sewing equals less lovely things coming along...
Anyway, been working on a baby quilt for some friends and I hacked into my Far Far Away fabrics yet again...and guess what..I hacked in times 3!!!! I have three different little kiddie quilts on the go..cannot wait to show you.
My bees have kept me busy throughout the whole month and although they are all done now, I have not posted them just yet. I know it sounds like a crazy thing but I like to post them all at the same time because:
1. local post office is not a friendly environment
2. local post office is not meant for toddlers who screech to be let loose to roam free
So, the rule is, go once and make it as quick and pain free as possible!

Here are my bees and the most appalling photos I have taken to date...am ashamed and yes I will invest in a  better camera..

Bee Europa: Amy's block: gorgeous fabrics, loved making this. I am sure it will look fantastic!

Jennie, Hive 2 Stash Bee: a rather challenging block which I have not even had the chance to iron properly when I took the photo...look fab in real life and i have used quite a few selvages as requested.

 Fat Stash Bee: Peggy's block: I know it does not look challenging BUT it was...trying to get it to the specific dimensions...OMG...final block is so cute...

We Bee Modern Too: Karen picked the Pebble block and I have used shots and patterns that reminded me of a beach/waves etc another bad photo job but a lovely looking block

 Modern Minx Beginner Bee, Anna's block: looks fabulous in real life...needs a bit more pressing but it is very cute...damn my stupid camera...

am ashamed about these photos and they do no justice to the heartache and effort I put in my work...and by the time I saw these photos all blocks were packed and sealed off and too late to rip them all open again...

another lesson to be learned here :-(

In the meantime here is my princess in all her glory (and why the post office is a pain): 

ahhhh a toddler covered in yogurt...not a shame at all! I knew it would all turned our right in the end!

Amelie x

No news is good news!

I have been quiet but not idle! Between work and the Bella Isabella I have spend my evenings shut away in my sewing room working on this!

I am sure i don't need to tell you just HOW MUCH work goes into foundation piecing this sort of block..BUT i did it, it is not perfect BUT I LOVE IT!!!! it is bright and cheerful  and perfect for what I have in mind for it...ahhh forgot to say that it is one of twins, so there is another almost exactly the same!!!! now you know how I spend my evenings! sad but true ;-)

For a bit of light relief I decided to cut into this line of fabrics the other night (no, I have not finished the other 15 projects waiting to be completed! but I needed a change and this did the trick!) All 20 blocks are now ready and I will show you what it looks like in my next blog when I have sewn everything together. It is funny and yummy!

And this month's Bee blocks finally all completed!:

Fat Stash Bee: I loved making this block and learning how to do two stars in the same 12.5" block. All the fabrics were sent to me except for the points of the small star...great block.

Bee Europa 2012/13: a wonderful block beautifully matched by the retro fabrics..loved making it and cannot wait to see it completed.

Modern Minx Beginner Bee: The Three Wishes Block by Jamie Moilanen. A gorgeous block and the request was for a light soft block. I thought Anna Maria Horner's fabrics fitted the description! It looks wonderful.

We Bee Modern Too: Day and Night block from the Modern Blocks book, by Kimberly Walus - fabrics were received. Great looking block.

Stash Bee, Hive 2: ahhh, this month's great challenge! The instructions were to make crystals with fabric and to try to make them a little magical!..not sure I did a great job here especially as I tried to avoid Y seams (my nemesis)...but I used lovely shot cottons and they look gorgeous on the black fabric. this is a 15.5" block and I hope you like it Laurel!

Phew!!!! am off out now to enjoy a little bit of sunshine just for today I am being told...back to rain tomorrow... :-(

oh well...

Amelie x

All go...

I have been meaning to write this post for sometime now...and it is not that we have had a honeymoon yet because we have not (I am still trying to convince Mr Whirlygiggles that the best honeymoon would be in Texas during the Houston Quilt Festival...how can he possibly not see that?????) or that work has been quiet because it has not (trust me!!!)...but it has all been go go go as it is in everyone's life i am sure...

Before I start with my May Bee Blocks I would like to show you a couple of blocks i made to enter teh London Modern Quilt Guild competition where the winners would be exhibited at John Lewis on the 06th June. I know that those of you who know me will know that from the moment I decided to 'play' I sweated blood and tears about this and I thought of very little else when it came to quilting but this...
Despite the fact that the wedding took up a lot of my spare time I finally decided to go with two ideas:

This block is my final choice and I called it: "Covering up my tracks"... They are meant to be little trains running through the same station carrying 'foxy' people..inspired of course by my many train travels since returning to work last month...I love the little fox in the middle...so cute..The little train wheels are stamped on and the whole block was made using caveman quilting techniques (Ricky Tims) and I have quilted it in a little tracks way that makes the train pop up a bit more...It is modern, original and MINE!!!!!

This block is called 'Love letters straight from the heart' and was my close second..a traditional block made with modern fabrics...I love it but when it came to having to make a choice, I preferred the trains...

And this: was my original idea..a vintage girl who is made modern every time fashion changes and retro comes round again....she also reminds me of my mother when she was young and I just loved how all the colours came together...I have kept this block and will turn it into a cushion I think!!!

Anyway, there are some great blocks in the competition that will be exhibited at John Lewis and you can find out more here: http://londonmqg.wordpress.com/

If you go, please let me know what you make of the blocks!

Bee Blocks:

This first one is what Cara asked for in my Bee Europa 2012 bee I loved making this even though this is my second time round for this block. It is easy, lovely and her choice of fabrics was excellent! Thsi will make a fabulous quilt.

Helen asked for the wonky block for the Stash Bee - Hive 2 and wanted it bright and bright this is!!! I fussy cut the butterfly to make sure Helen get enough 'girly' value for her block!!!

This is also Helen's block for the Modern Minx Beginner Bee...she wanted it really sugary and girly and I would have thrown up if I did not pick a cheeky little flower to go in the middle of it...Helen I hope you like the cheeky flower...sorry about the photography... the blocks are lovely in real life I promise!!! I could not bring myself to do birds and butterflies...!

This is a block for the We Bee Modern Too bee: now this is a block I loved making...it is so beautiful and the colours were so exhilarating..I loved watching it come together...

and last but not least: my Fat Stash Bee: all fabrics were received and I just added the outer purple with the leaves...I would have loved making this Granny Squares block more if it was not for the challenge of the bias cut corner triangles...It is slightly shorter than 12.5 but I hope that another good press will suffice..

For those of you that want to carry on reading this blog, here is the star of the wedding day. Isabella was one year and 1 day old on our wedding day and we celebrated her birthday on the same day...

and mummy being told that the entire wedding gift list money can be spend on fabric (DREAM ON)

and Isabella's birthday cake!!!

Phew!!! only one day without patchwork!!!! and it was a beautiful day...and we are very lucky and blessed to spend it with those who love us and we those we love too!

                                                                     Amelie x