Tah Dahhhhh!!!!

I have had a couple of good quilting days. It does not feel like I have done a lot but this is why bloggy is here - to remind me (amongst other things) of quilting progress.

So, without further delay, here are my latest blocks:

and I love each one of them even though they are far from perfectly pieced!!! I have to confess to patience not being very profound at this point of my quilting life...I am starting to become more confident in introducing a wider variety of my scrap fabrics in this quilt and when I have put all the blocks i have made so far on the design wall, they look great together...no glaringly scary fabrics out of place yet!

I have also finished two more little people's quilts that I have been working on for a while. You might reall this from previous posts:

I started working on this quilt over a year ago and it is based on a pattern in the first Material Obsession book. I simply adore the owls fabric (Alexander Henry) even though some of them are very moody and a little unfriendly!!!

Here is a zoom in on the owls. I quilted this using a wavy line on the seams and it looks very nice overall.

This is the backing fabric which I came across cmpletely by accident on a day trip miles away from home with Mr Whirlygiggles when I discovered a small fabric shop in Eastbourne!!!  It is cord and it is so soft and beautiful and warm and completely unsuitable for this early summer weather we are having at the moment...so it will get washed and be stored away for future use!!!

and a close up of this fabric! love it!!! it is so bright it it makes me smile every time I look at it!

and finally, I also managed to finish this little experiment of a quilt which came together very unexpectedly (another one of those flights of fabric fancy I get quilte often!) but again, the brightness and the whole combination of the colours make me smile loads!!!
I have to say that everything about this quilt including the final pattern as it has turned out came from my mind with little preparation or drawing...I had a few ideas to start with and a few combinations of the HSTs in it but this is the final product and although (again) far from well pieced, I think it will make some little girl very very happy!

That's all for now!
                                                                      Amelie x

More blocks!

At my current rate of 2 per day, I will not be getting anywhere fast. Truth is I can no longer get anywhere fast anyway!!!
The heat is almost unbearable (feel bad complaining about heat..) and coupled with another bad cold, massively swollen feet and hands and excessive waddling (I am painting such a pretty picture of me!!!) quilting is verrrrrryyyyyy    s     l    o   w.
Last night I managed to finish these two lovelies though..

Loooove them!!!! Off back to bed for brief respite!
                                                                        Amelie x

Blocks Galore!

Despite my increasing waddling and feeling like a tank (looking like one too!!!!) and quilting in 23 degrees heat, I have managed to get down to some serious block making!

I found this QAL via Lily's Quilts and here are my first 2 blocks for it with a great Flickr tute from Badskirt Amy:

Aren't they cute? and what's more: I am using scraps which for me is a really big deal (must start emptying out my overflowing scaps containers!!!!). And altogether now:

I have also been making a quilt for my adorable nephew (finally!!!) using a great pattern from Jaybird Quilts called Unwind. I have been waiting for a long time for a pattern that would suit him...and I LOVE this. I am making him a lap size quilt but got so carried away that I have also cut a baby size quilt from the same fabrics at the same time!!!

Again, the fabrics have all come from my stash minus the solid black and they are mainly Timeless Treasures (the psychedelic owls) with Momo, Moda, Kona etc all thrown in for good measure!!!
Aren't they great????

And as I am doing this post, I am also designing my own block for another quilt that I am planning to enter in a competition!!!

Somewhere amongst all this activity I also have to find time to give birth!!!! ehhhhh, something tells me that the baby will remind me of that date when she has chosen it!!!!! ;-)

                                                                       Amelie x

The Miro' challenge!

Those of you who follow me know that I like a good challenge...I might moan and groan for 10 seconds but in reality my heart leaps for joy and secretly I think "bring it on baby!!!"...
Well, Miriam from my Bee Europa 2011 group asked for a block that would be inspired by the great man Miro' himself. I love Miro' and he always reminds me of 1994 when I did a brief spell of teaching psychoanalytic studies at the University of Sofia and one of the friends I made out there gave me Miro's book as a gift....

Here is what I made:

The process for this block involved the usual:

1. Fear  that I cannot do this.. :-(
2. Drawing about 100 silly drawings (cannot draw to save my life...) :-(
3. Loads of ideas and taking the Miro' book to bed every night....
4. Grandiose thoughts of loads of curved foundation piecing...
5. Proper planning that involve a 'map' like this (not 100% followed to the letter):

This was a large envelope which I split open so I could get the size paper I needed!!! I also ironed some freezer paper to the window part!!!! Necessity is indeed the mother of invention!!!

6. About 6 different models of the most complicated parts
7. Final execution!!! Yippeeeeee

The block measures 12.5 x 12.5 and it contains a number of techniques such as curved piecing, foundation piecing, some poor intepretation of the concave/convex idea of making circles and LOADS of imagination...

The Miro' painting this is (very loosely) based on is called "Personages and Dog before the Sun"...my sun is a deep purple but then again...I have not seen the sun all day today...how is a girl to remember everything?!!!!

Miriam, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

                                                                         Amelie x

and the winners are.......(drum rolllllllllll.....)

 Well, thank you all so much for stopping by to wish my Bloggie Happy Birthday!!!!

Please believe me that fter all the hassle of trying to install the  Mr random number organiser thingy, it was not showing its numbers properly...arghhhh
As I am already tired and my new quilt blocks are not a perfect 6.5" (arghhhh again) here are the winners as proposed by the gadget itself!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kerry congratulations! The panel is yours. I have your address because of the Bee and I will put it in the post for you on Wednesday.


Miriam, the jelly roll is yours to enjoy. Please email me at ameliec2009@googlemail.com with your address so I can put it in the post for you!

And last but not least, Jeepgirl19700, the 3 charm packs are yours. Please email me your address so I can send them off to you.

I wish I could send something to each one of the lovely people who took the time to comment/follow...maybe when the baby arrives I will do another giveaway to celebrate, so keep visiting, you never know!!!!

I would love to see what you make with your gifts!!!

                                                                   Amelie x

Quilting by Trimester!

Tah Dah!!!!!!

Remember my "It's a Hoot" pinwheel quilt? here it is finally finished and quilted on the ditch with a variegated pink, yellow and green thread.

  and the back is soooo cute and full of owls!!!:

Anyway, back to Quilting by Trimester:

last week I met with a very close friend who had her second baby 10 weeks ago. In the chatting-breastfeeding-chatting cycle, I said to her that in the first trimester I felt awful, sick and dying! I could not bear to look or touch fabric and that made me feel even worse and worried...even Mr Whirlygiggles was concerned and was constantly trying to encourage me back in the sewing cupboard!!!! In the second trimester I felt a massive boost of energy and quilted quilted quilted...I started to buy fabric again and even went to a few quilt fairs!!! In this third trimester (in my ninth month really) I feel like a headless chicken...I want to run but I cannot because am too heavy and tired and cannot see which direction to run!!!
My friend's reply was: "you wait until the fourth trimister my friend...that is the one when you feel and look exhumed!!!!!" OMG!!! what is going to happen to my quilting? any quilters with small babies out there please drop me a comment and tell me that you still can quilt!!!
New guilt: I know a few parents that played loads of Mozart to their unborn babies...I play loads of Husqvarna sewing machine sounds instead!!!! arghhhhhh quilty as charged!!!

and here are the latest creations, all small...all baby's!

This quilt is at the basting stage..I have decided that the pink (Lecien) and the red dot (Moda) fabrics are my ALL time favourites (for now!!! am a fickle fabric lover!!!):

and finally a bit made for the back of the diamond quilt out of leftover scaps...love it!

and this is (a preview!!!) the central detail of the new little quilt all made by fabric from the stash!!! Mr Whirlygiggles thinks she looks like a nun...it took me ages to convince him it is Little Red Riding Hood!!!!

Off to do some more quilty pleasures stuff!!!

Amelie x

Happy Birthday Bloggy!!!!!

Today my blog is 1 years old!!!

It all started very tentatively as a way for me to record my quilting journey and learn and grow as a quilter...
Making new friends amongst the quiltaholic community came along the way and it is now a very enjoyable part of my quilting and learning.

As a way of celebrating my birthday and also destashing a bit (i cannot seem to make enough of a dent in my collection of fabrics!!!), I have 3 little giveaways that I am happy to post anywhere around the world...


Number 1:  panel piece from Building Blocks by American Jane. Absolutely gorgeous images

Number 2: Jelly Roll- Hushabye Baby from Tula Pink. A gorgeous cmbination of pinks, greens and browns...

Number 3: three charm packs from Westminster fabrics. One is Jennifer Paganelli "Dance with me" and the other two are Dana Fishbein "Monaco". They are VERY bright and funky but please note that unlike Moda charm packs these only contain 22 5' squares each.

The closing date for the giveaways is Sunday 10th April (shall we say GMT midnightish?) and the winners names will get picked randomly (unless of course I only get 3 comments/replies...let's hope this will not become an exercise in "nobody loves me, nobody cares, I will go to the bottom of the garden and eat worms"!!!! ).

To enter, please tell me:

what you find most challenging about quilting - one entry!
if you follow- put an extra entry in telling me that you follow-two entries!
if you don't yet follow but now you do, please let me know and that will count as your 3rd entry!!!!!


Email me your name and email address so I can communicate with you if you are the winner. My email address is amelie2009@googlemail.com

Good luck :-)
                                                                        Amelie x

A different kind of diamond!

and thank god these are NOT forever or I would be losing the last few bits of sanity I have left!

Here is the finished product (minus basting, quilting and binding):

I bought a kit of beautiful blues and greens (Kaffe Fassett of course) from Tikki as they were utterly irresistible (I would say that though, wouldn't i????)...I brought them home, stroked them loads and thought about them loads too...then I found a pattern in a magazine and thought I found the perfect match for the beautiful fabrics...and I had never attempted diamonds before so here was my challenge and my chance to learn something new...I know I continue to do the "fools rush in where angels fear to tread...":

Now, nobody/no pattern tells you HOW to piece these diamonds together especially the very tricky diamond 9-patch pieces...I tried so many ways and failed time and again...until the last row...isn't that funny? I finally got the hang of them but I cannot begin to tell you how tough this learning curve was!!! and here is one of my good 9-patch diamonds!!!

and a few of my favourite large diamonds...I just love these fabrics...they make me almost drool with joy when I see them...  

 :-)

and of course I have leftovers...quite a few of them...so I played on the design wall and here are a couple of ideas i liked best:

but the future holds more baby quilts, so I am in no hurry to finish this off just yet....

                                                               Off to ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz now

                                                                           Amelie x