My first ever WIP Wednesday!

I'm so excited to be able to link up to WIP Wednesday for the first time! 

My first WIP are these embroidered ABC blocks. I have been following the 'S is for Stitch' ABC BOW at Liz's. I am slightly behind but it has been fun and do-able to work on one block each week. I am really learning to love embroidery. 

I am also working on my quilt for the 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge hosted by Adrianne and Anne. I love the brightness of purples and pinks and have decided to combine these with lots of neutrals. At the moment I don't have a definite plan in my head, I'm just enjoying making blocks!

And I do have a finish to share. I made this cute Ellie Travel Case following Heidi's tutorial. It is a great tutorial and came together really easily. This is heading off in the mail for a friends birthday. 

Thanks for visiting!

Linking up with WIP Wednesday 
and with The Crafty Traveler Series at Ellison Lane

Le Challenge - The Rising Sun

Last year I really enjoyed joining in with Le Challenge. Each month the lovely Lucy and Nat set a topic, and the challenge is to make something inspired by that topic and link up on the 15th of the month. 

I love trying to think out of the box and make something fun, which then usually doubles as a gift for a friend!

This month the topic was The Rising Sun. I have to admit that my immediate thoughts were not of Japan or Japanese fabric. Rather they were of birds chirping, being woken by the neighbours sweeping their driveways, motorbikes roaring past without mufflers, and despite all the noise trying to spend some time at the start of the day in prayer.

In the end I went with a combination of the two. I made a cushion cover using some beautiful Japanese fabric which I had bought from Alyce last year.

Its tenuous link to my thoughts of early morning was this panel.

How I wish the sun would rise at 8am, and not at 5am! And how I wish my Indonesian neighbours wouldn't feel like they needed to wake up and start making noise at 5am! It is something that I still haven't got used to about life here!

I made a concealed zipper for the back, and love this Lecien print. This cushion is a gift for a Librarian friend so I think she will enjoy this!

Linking up with

and with the Pillow Collective at Amy's, where you can find some great tutorials for making pillows/cushions.

I did it!

I have to say, I am so proud of this finish. 

I love the accuracy I achieved in this quilt, and I love the colours.



It is the biggest quilt I have made and it took me a while to get used to quilting it on my little machine, but the Aurifil thread worked a treat and I think the straight lines, about 1 inch apart give a lovely texture.



I tried to stick with using only fabrics from my stash, which meant using my hoarded Ikea fabric for the back as it was the only piece that I had that was large enough!



And I even remembered to include one of my labels!

It will be hard to give it as a gift, but I know my friend will love it!

Linking up with Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts. This is also my February finish for A Lovely Year of Finishes, and is a Q1 Finish for the 2014 Finish A Long.

Slow going!

I have been sewing recently - just slowly.

Life has been full and busy, full of unexpected changes and interruptions, and sewing has had to be put to one side more often than not.

However I have managed to put together a quilt top which, when quilted, will be a gift for a friends new baby.

I pulled some Jay-Cyn Designs for Birch fabrics which I have been hoarding for a while and matched then with some other fabrics from my stash. I love the blue sashing - it is Bella Prussian Blue.



The pattern is by Lynne from Lily's Quilts, and can be found in the superb Love Patchwork and Quilting magazine, issue 3.

Now I just have to decide how to quilt it, and hopefully it will be finished by Thursday next week when I am going to visit my friend in Singapore, and I can gift it to her in person.

Completing this quilt is my February Goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes.  

Linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday.