Reflections

Man oh man am I happy to be writing my blog again...don't ask why I have not posted for soooo long. To be honest I lost count myself of all the things that went wrong (computer wiped clean, camera smashed, family all poorly over and over again and on the list goes!), but fundamentally I had to take some time out of this mad race...
 I have been struggling to find time to make my quilts, to bring my dreams to reality but also to get to grips with how quilting has been changing in me over the last year...I am growing up as a quilter I guess and I would like a bit more time to experiment, to curate my own work and to play in my own sewing room with my own fabrics and my own ideas.
Sometimes the world wide web feels too intrusive and too overwhelming. And yes, I am of very very weak disposition and i cannot say no to another Bee, another quilt along, another new book or another new line of fabric...it is all out there simply calling my name, the siren in my ear!!!

Well, this time last year, I started in 6 Bees, I pulled out of one when it was my turn so that I would not let people down (having done 12 rounds or so), and I am active in just one at the moment which also happens to be my most favourite Bee of them all. I would like to say something about my Bee year: it was very very mixed and if I am being honest, it was not all fun. Sometimes the fabrics were challenging, sometimes the blocks were challenging but often the management of the bees was challenging. In 2 of them I did not receive all the pieces back and in one somebody misplaced my fabric pack in their home effectively losing a gorgeous shot cotton fat quarter and a pack of fabrics!!!! What can I say...some blocks came back with truly 'fugly' fabric and some came back in an appaling state having been sewn with black thread and looking very sad and tired. Out of my 6 Bees I will make 1 kiddie quilt and a gorgeous adult one. That's it. Eeekkkk, that is all the disappointing side of bees.
On a positive note, I tried a few new different blocks, got some great ideas and met some great quilters.
All in all, a mixed experience and certainly a great learning lesson in taking on more that I can chew and more than necessary...for 2013 there can only be one bee for me and that is my lot!

Ok, onto exciting things now,

I have been finishing a LOT of quilts which I started back in the day (2009) when i took up quilting. I thought it was about time to move things on a bit and to also use a bit more of the stash which continues to avalance on my head every so often!

So, I finished my Amy Butler Lady of the Lake quilt pattern courtesy of Red Pepper Quilts, and I made a back for it out of leftover fabrics:

I had also poured blood, sweat and tears over this quilt which had more inset seams than i would like to remember and was very very painful indeed.... the back is plan red but the front is sooo cute with this special little red riding hood fabric which i think I picked up at my first ever Birmingham quilt show! the pattern is by Sarah Fielke and it is called Bye Bye Birdie i think!

So, as I said, I managed to mash up my camera and my stepson who has a degree in photography and all technical things came over and took a series of photos including these one!!! I love him dearly but he never told me that the quilt was upside down and me standing on the sofa wasnot doing it any favours at all!!!

and a little quilting detail here:Then I finished my GORGEOUS Hot Air Ballon Quilt and i love love love how this turned out from a simple concept of appliqued squares (a selection of vintage 5" squares i have hoarded for a while) with a circular quilting pattern....it took an eternity to quilt but it is amzingly beautiful in real life, honest!

 Next up is this gorgeous log cabin quilt with a pattern courtesy of Film in the Fridge, front and back...it is beautiful and straightforward to make.

I know I started by moaning about time and the lack of it and here I am showing you all these quilts!!!!! you must remember that some of these have been in the making for a while now and to prove this to you let me proceed with my next beauty which started back in then day when Kaffe Fassett did the workshops at the V&A? God, how long ago was that????
I did a post back then about having bought LOADS of his fabrics before I went off to the V&A to make this snowball quilt in terror that I would not have enough, or that I would not have enough of the 'right' fabrics!!! am such a moron sometimes, even I have to admit it!!!
 well, this baby has grown so large that it had to go off to Ferret to be properly quilted because under no circumstances would i fight with it on my little machine....i have to tell you that it looks stunning, stunning, stunning...cannot wait to get that back.

 I have a lot more to show you but it is well past my bedtime and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow but stay tuned because there will be more photos to come!!!

                                                                       Amelie x