Blocks and Swaps

A new year brings new Flickr activities, swaps and Bees  I ran the lottery gaunlet for Doll Quilt Swap 10 and got in and I am very happy.  There is a very cool button designed by Amy, assisted by Smith and her miniature circle of geese.

I am also doing My Favorite Little Quilt Swap which you can join at any time as long as you make your quilt by beginning of February, it is a very flexible swap commitment, click the link to find out more.

I have 2 bee commitments and I am very happy with those.  February is my month in Bee (a Little Bit) Japanese so I have been devising a block and prepping fabrics to send.

Some of my all time favourites, Suzuko Koseki, Sevenberry, Lecien, Kokka, Kitchen rpints, sewing prints, I have an emotional relationship with each.

A pile of strips and a chunk of Kona coal ready to go.

This is the block design- i have called it Floating Bricks

It is designed to showcase the fabrics and is flexible and adaptable.  I did a lot of free cutting which frees up the shapes and creates nice seam lines too.  Here's another...

I will post a tutorial on how to make this but it is pretty easy.  Meanwhile for others I made, non wonky Drunk Love Denyse Schimdt inspired blocks for Tong in the same Bee

And a fun block for Lisa in Ringo Pie- here theme is Mid Century Modern doors- loved doing this and the other blocks have been amazing.  I was inspired by this photo on Flickr

It was a tricky one, quick unpic in use a few times but I was determined to get it how I wanted it.  The wall plate number 5 is the date of Lisa's birthday/  I loved the yellow- Cosmo Cricket Early Bird.  I loved it so much I had to buy a lot more whilst I could still find it.  I am definitely using it again, it makes me smile :)

Lesson

It was of course Ayumi's idea to make a set of coasters for Suzuko Koseki,  18 crafters each making a coaster, from 8 different countries.  It was like this last time you saw it but I completed it over Christmas.

It was backed, quilted and bound when I noticed a tiny mark.  I dampened it, added a tiny rub of Vanish, rinsed it and patted it dry.  When I came back to it the next day I could see a reddish glow in the corner.  

You can see a bit of the bleed, difficult to catch as the flash bleaches the colour but around the red loops and seeping into the binding is a distinct tinge of scarlet and this item is going to a fabric designer for whom I have huge admiration, I can't send her a substandard piece, even if it is her own fabric range at fault.  This, one of my favourite fabrics of all time, is the culprit.   It saddens me because I love it so much. Last night I washed each fabric I had used to make the original coaster and this one bleeds red dye and not just a little.  

Last night I remade the same thing all over again thinking there would be a post today and it would be shut Monday for bank holiday.  Post Office is shut both days as it turns out but still plenty of time to get to Japan.  Remaking was not what I had planned but time is running out for this and of course it cmae out better even if i did struggle to remember all that I did on the first one.  My original idea was a vintage type writer key but as I chose red and white it also echoes the Japanese flag.  The tiny bell is a sort of Suzuko Koseki trademark- Suzuko translates as 'bell'.  All the fabrics are by Suzuko Koseki.

A different back to the first coaster which had a vintage fabric backing but maybe this is better. I like the Made in England reference and there are a lot of button prints on the other coasters so it helps to have a family resemblance.  Check them out, they are going to make the most beautiful gift and each makes me smile at how it reflects creator's style. 

 

 I did work out some helpful hints to sew a really neat single binding for items like this so I'll put a tutorial up soon- great for mini quilts and mug rugs too.

I  am all for learning from my mistakes but it as a monumental pain in the backside.  I hate prewashing but I am going to wash all my unchecked reds with colour catcher sheets.  Lesson learnt.

Pillow Presents

Now all the recipients have their presents I can show you what I made, starting with cushions/pillows.  This one is for my brother.  There are lots of little clues for him in the fabric . Iconic brands- he is a graphic designer, Peanuts Dr fabric- he has had a lot of  trips for allergies this year but is all sorted now

ironic references to coolness- he lives in London

random words and mispelt Japanese London fabric

Food and lego- a fine combination!

Something a bit calmer for my sister, she is a poor sleeper so this is a intended as an aid, a balm to sleepness nights.  The fabrics relate to the forest surrounding sleeping beauty so a bit of Joel Dewberry Herringbone  Modern Meadow , some dandelion clock seeds from V and A, a bit of vintage orange, some Lecien Folklore tucked away in the meadow and Suzuko Koseki at the very edge.

I stamped the linen and heat set it with an iron- the hush label came from a scarf.

 Sweet dreams...

And the tiniest was a little mini log cabin lavender bag for my swap with Ingrid, I thought she would like the little bird and its fruity garden.

Much better

Looking for the GIVEAWAY click here 

Thank you for emails of support- my op went well and I am just waiting for the anaesthetic to get out of my system- still feel a little bit dreamy.  I did a tiny bit of sewing last night so definitely getting back on track.   I found a brilliant way to inset circles by machine and will do a detailed post on that soon.

 I have had some lovely things going on whilst I've been lying on the sofa over the last few days.  I have had help from Ayumi of the lovely Pink Penguin blog which if you have never visited ( surely you must have done!) I insist you visit now!  I have been wanting to buy some Suzuko Koseki fabric for so long and she finally helped me achieve this with a lot of emails and translation assistance that went way and beyond anything I expected.  I cannot reveal them as they are for my birthday in September and hidden away, I just know they are in the house somewhere!  This has lead to sharing a fabric order and swapping some stash bits- I feel incredibly lucky.  I have made her a pressie to thank her for all her help- can't show yet, it is in transit and she has sent me...

A lovely pouch!  I recognised the poodle straightaway and many of my other favourite prints

I love the personalised squares as well

Beautiful foodie lining fabric inside!

The fabrics below are from a Japanese shop called Cotton Crayon

Two colour ways- great advert images

This is lovely heavy Yuwa linen, I think this will go into my bee month

Love this, design and the colour palette

So cute- bonus of French text- tres jolie!

I can barely speak- these bits are all so lovely!  Thank you Ayumi, you are a *star*