memories and miracles

Recently I saw and pinned this bracelet and knew I wanted to make it.  Please take a look at the link, she uses Miracle beads.  I used them too but can't get the colour or shine across in my crappy photos.  They really are amazing beads, you should see them when the light shines on them, they glow.

I used 3 coils of bracelet size memory wire.  Memory wire does what it says on the tin.  It keeps its round shape.  It's made from steel so is VERY hard to cut and to work.  Making the loops on each end was very difficult and they are not neat.

It is strung with 3 colours of small Miracle beads and one large with size 8/0 black seed beads in between.  

Maybe when my lightbox arrives I can try taking another photo.... 

July and FAL q3 goals

Welcome to July...

Needlequest

This month is crockery and tablewear.  Not quite sure what to make of this...

Sew Kitschy paper piecing bom 

This month we have a really funky radio, chances of me getting it done are small, but I hope I do!


Something Old, Something New

"Old" - I don't have much that's really old. I think I'll try to get the Cuzco quilt top finished.

"New" - My new will be the bunny softie below.

Something New for 2014

I hope to join in again this month, let's wait and see. 

A Lovely Year of Finishes

I'm going to make the June bag from the bag of the month club.



Craft Book Sew along

There will definitely be at least one entry this month, I have several books I need to review.


Rainbow Scrap Challenge

This month is red, I'm going to carry on making scrap buckets for each colour.  I need to get the yellow scrap panel made up into a basket too.

Smalls SAL

I've got a travelling bunny that I haven't told you about yet!  All will be revealed soon...


2014 FAL Q3

I'm going ambitious this month.  Throw loads of projects at the sewing machine and maybe one will get finished...

1. Bag of the Month June bag as mentioned above.  I'm going to use this delicious fabric and it's all for me!  

2. I want to make this bunny softie.  I bought the pattern and some suitable white fabric at Harrogate last year.

3. Placemats to match my chair cushions.  Are they started... ?

Well I've shoved all my scraps in a bag!

4. Flower Patch bag using this kit

5. Hessian reindeer, bought many moons ago and now it's time

6. Mackintosh wall hanging, you know, the one that I bought that massive FQ bundle for...

7. Circle of Geese mini.  Remember this top?  I want to make my first mini out of it.

8. Recycling bag for our kitchen as the canvas M&S bag we've been using for years is, quite frankly, disgusting.  The red and white dotty fabric is laminated and didn't cost the earth like most laminates out there.  I spent hours looking for the best deal, this was about £4 a metre.  I then went to The Range on the way home and saw they had the same fabric for £3 a metre.  Don't you hate that?

9. Quilt And Sew On

Yes!  Finally!  After my lesson with the Master (post coming up), I feel ready to tackle this... well I should do by September!

10. Cuzco quilt

I want to finish making the (extra) blocks, quilt it and bind it.  (ha ha ha!!!)  Oh, and also name it, keep the suggestions coming please!

11. Applique cushion.  Remember this?  And no, I didn't iron it before I took the picture.  I'm going to FMQ this and make it into a cushion.

12. Mustn't forget the latch hook rug!  I will get it finished this time.

I think that will do...

Related Posts

June review
June goals
May review
May goals
April review
April goals
March review
March goals
February review 1
February review 2
February review 3
February goals
January review

Tula Tuesday

Hopefully I'm going to link up to something new to me this week, Tula Tuesday over at Diary of a Madfabriholic.  If I remember!

With my rainbow blocks for June done, I needed a new leader and ender project.  I hate wasting all that thread when I don't have one on the go.  Being slightly overambitious at times, I thought the Tula Pink City Sampler quilt would be a good leader and ender project!

I'm not a fan of Tula's fabrics (though I love her patterns), so I'm using fabrics from the scrap bin.  I'm going to try to keep roughly to the colours she's used as I want an overall quilt like the one in her book.  I don't want to spend hours pondering over fabric choices, so the plan is I make a block and move on.  Later on, if I don't like it, I'll remake it.  Above is block one.

This is block 2.  Not liking the pink much already... but I'll wait and see.  This could be a very long-term project, or, at some point, it will take over and I'll use something else as a leader and ender!

June Review

June hasn't been too successful in terms of my craft goals.  Actually, June hasn't been too successful overall.  I've suffered a lot this month with my illness and can't seem to get on an even keel.  It doesn't help that my meds mean I've got a head full of cotton wool where there used to be a brain.  BUT, I don't care if I don't achieve my goal, there's no self-beating here!  

Needlequest

This month was a design topic - Line.  I said I'd skip this month and just work on my blackwork, but the host, Elizabeth, pointed out that blackwork is a form of line!  I haven't completed the piece - I've just finished block 2 out of about 3,654,891 (perhaps not quite that many), but it's a long-termer.

1/1

Sew Kitschy paper piecing bom 

This month we had a jug and glasses.  I can assure you that it's beautifully printed out and sitting on my cutting table... does that count?

0/1

2014 FAL 

A quick reminder of what's on the Follow Along List:

1. Chair cushions for dining room - done in April

2. Finish the latch hook - so close!  I ran out of red wool in June.  I ordered some more and it does, sort of match.  Unfortunately it was 6-ply, rather than the 3-ply I'd been using, and about an inch longer, so it got a haircut.  It doesn't quite match, but it's not that noticeable!

Sad to say, I didn't get round to binding it this month, I just couldn't face it.  This is going on my Q3 list.

3. Silhouettes x stitch - done in May

4. Jacob's quilt - done in May

5. Mosaic tray - finito!

4/5, pretty good going! 

It's around here that I come grinding to a halt...



Something Old, Something New

"Old" - the latch hook. So no, failed.

"New" - I said I'd make a start on my stained glass quilt, and I did!  I got all the blocks done, and was about to sash it when I thought I might make it bigger and make some more blocks...



1/2

Something New for 2014

I failed to learn any new skills this month.

0/1

A Lovely Year of Finishes

I planned on making a bag from a kit.  I failed.  Didn't even get started.

0/1

Craft Book Sew along

I did manage to make something from the book Shrink! Shrank! Shrunk! which I reviewed here.



1/1

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

June was yellow, I made the blocks and put them together, but didn't get the scrap bucket made.  Let's call that a half a point!

0.5/1

Smalls SAL

Nope.

0/1

Overall that gives me a success rate of 7.5/14.




Related Posts

June goals
May review
May goals
April review
April goals
March review
March goals
February review 1
February review 2
February review 3
February goals
January review

Watch out Gaudi, here I come!

Oh yes, the mosaic is finished!  Tiled, grouted, painted.  Done.

This is my fourth completed goal for the 2014 FAL quarter 2.  You can see my goal-setting post here.

I can't believe it took me so long to get this done as it actually did take much time, working-on-it-time I mean.

It was from a kit, bought for me last Christmas, or maybe the Christmas before... I really enjoyed making this and see more mosaics in my future.

I'm thinking a large, sinuous mosaic covering our garden wall and flowing down to the ground à la Gaudi.  I might start with something smaller though, like a vase, or a flower pot.

Stained Glass Cuzco

Still searching for a name - Windows of Peru?  Peruvian Leaded Lights?  I am CRAP at this quilt naming thing.

The quilt is from the Stained Glass QAL of 2010, the fabric is Kate Spain's Cuzco.  Any ideas?

And yes, I did finish piecing all the blocks... sashing next!

giveaway wins

I've been on a winning streak!

I've won two quilt patterns recently.

In the SMS giveaway I won this quilt pattern



from Pieced With Love.  Isn't it gorgeous?

I then found out I'd won this quilt pattern:



It was from Marcia's crafty Sewing.  She had said she would have two winners, but only remembered recently and I was the lucky second winner!  This is the first time I've won anything in the SMS Giveaways!

I then discovered I'd won 500 Quilt Blocks from live.create as part of the Craft Book Sew Along. 



Seriously ladies, you have to join in this challenge each month!



Then to top it all off, I was a winner in The Village Haberdashery's CAB survey!  I won a £10 voucher.  Jealous Kerry? 

Thank you to all the lovely peeps who run giveaways, long may my luck continue!