Stash Bee Hive #5 March Block - All Work and No Play

Work is really not permitting much in terms of free time lately so very little is happening in terms of quilting and crafting. However work is going really well, I couldn't be happier with it and I hope that soon I'll have time to get some quilting done. We've however had some blackouts coming and going and during those - since I can't work anyway - I've had time to whip up a quick tutorial for a Sami Barrette which I hope to be able to share with you all soon.

Well, I have played a little, and by that I mean little, I literally made my StashBee cat block (such an adorable block! I would have LOVED to make a whole litter!) for March in lightning speed! I'm usually not one to rush through anything but this time I had no choice. I hope Rebeckah will be happy with it anyway =)
And I'm not this late sending it, only posting it here on the blog ^^

And I've also received the blues of February from Stash Stack Club, and believe me when I say that this club has been a huge help for me in being able to make the blocks for StashBee!

The beautiful blues of February

Stash Bee Hive #5 - February Block

So this month we're making a Feather Block for Alyson who just had a baby! Congratulations Alyson! =D

Honestly, all the bias edges in this block had me a little on edge too, I almost feared I'd have to bring out my pins! *gasp of horror* Luckily that wasn't the case and they came together nicely anyway!

It was a really fun block to make so I ended up making two, packing them this weekend and hope to have them on their way to Alyson along with a little gift on Monday =)

This months Stash Stack Club brought lovely Purples, presented to you by Diana who naturally assumed I'd laid them out so nicely on the floor as a bed for her. As you can see in the photo she was shocked when  I informed her that wasn't the case ^^

The perfect purples of January:

Surrounded by Love

A few days ago, I found a tiny little package in my mailbox and when I opened it, along with a sweet note from my lovely mother, this adorable, teeny-tiny little charm pack fell out! <3

And I truly felt so lucky to be so Surrounded by Love as I am. I immediately decided that this little pile had to be turned into a Valentines Day table runner to celebrate love a little more =)

So the past few evenings I've been sitting in my couch, with this little pile of hexies next to me on the armrest growing slowly but steadily. Those of you who know me know that sewing by hand really isn't my strong suit - hence the "slowly" part, but I'm really enjoying it!  

Late last year (so before Christmas) she also sent me a new pair of quilting gloves among other things, how she knew how badly I needed new ones when not even I realized it - I'll never know! Mother's intuition? ^^ I just had a to take a comparison picture and I want to point out that the old ones were washed not that long ago! It didn't go out in the wash, eeew!

I've also received November and December Stash Stack Club bundles of course! The colors that aren't my favorites generally but there where some seriously lovely and beautiful fabrics in there. 

The outstanding oranges of November 

And the balanced browns of December

I've Been Shopping!

Even though I haven't got much time to sew lately, I've done some shopping! Always a nice substitute to prepare for future sewing ^^

I also bought myself a Kona Color Card, better late than never right? Feels weird to pay  $19 for samples, but it's worth it to have an idea of what colors one has to choose from. =)

Diana is definitely a fan, wouldn't leave me alone when I tried to photograph it ^^

I also received my Stash Stack Club from Pink Castle Fabrics for October, lovely, lovely greens! My favorite has to be the swirlies second furthest to the right,  "Flumes in Citron" from Luxe in Bloom by Sarah Watson.

The gorgeous greens of October

I'm alive!! A Stash Stack Club Update =)

I'm alive and while somewhat overworked - I'm very well! I've however, not had anytime for anything but work this summer, which is really quite sad. We've been diving I think maybe a total of 6 dives this summer, which is just plain depressing numbers when you live in the middle of the Mediterranean.

Anyhow, I've luckily still received beautiful bundles from Pink Castle Fabrics which has managed to keep my spirits up so I've at least been patting some fabrics from time to time as I've folded them into my stash. I've actually managed to make a couple of baby quilts this spring which I still can't share yet as they've not yet been gifted =)

The gorgeous grays of June

The pretty pinks of July:

The lovely low volumes of August:

The tantalizing teals of September

Now I just wish I had some time to make something out of them... 

Stash Stack Club and more fabric!

It's Fashion Week here in Malta which means a lot of work for me (yay!), it's a really fun week but oh so exhausting on top of normal work! =)

It was my birthday a while back and my lovely mother sent me the most adorable packet with this inside: 

It's Keep Calm from Timeless Treasures, I LOVE IT! I bought a pattern just for it so I hope I'll have time to make something out of it soon ^^ 

I've also received 2 Stash Stack Club packages which I haven't had time to blog about yet, March and April. Let me tell you, it was fantastic to receive the full pack of 12! I loved the amazing range of shades and styles I got now, I'll never be able to stop this club, it's such an amazing addiction! =D

Look at it! Isn't it glorious! <3

My favorites in the yellow are many but the top two has to be the Flora Dots in Saffron from Free Spirit's La Dee Da and Leafy Stripe in Mustard from Moda's Simply Color line. So pretty! Had no idea I was such a mustard loving girl ^^

And I also bought some Noteworthy by Sweetwater, love their lines so much! Got it from Fat Quarter Shop whom I love for their fantastic customer service, always so helpful and kind!

And I've even found time for some quilting! Isn't that amazing! Diana isn't a fan of midnight quilting so she fell asleep, she knows she's not allowed on the project so she snuggled up right next to it for her nap. ^^
I'm remaking an old pattern of mine, will share it with you after Sunday =)

FMQ Feather Border & Stash Stack Club

I have been quilting a little when I haven't been able to sleep from cough. A very special little quilt this, but since it's going to be a gift, I don't want to show the whole thing until it's been gifted. But I'll tell you I'm loving this quilt and it will be really hard to part from it. After some practice I decided to go for FMQ feathers for the borders, all thanks to the help of the December tutorial from the FMQ Challenge, by Patsy Thompson.

It's not perfect but 100% freehand, the only marking I did was a line for the start and end and middle where the feathers meet and I'm super happy with the result of my first FMQ feather border =)

The brilliance of painters tape when quilting borders!
The painters tape was a new thing on my side, I hate quilting the borders because they tend to bunch up, get stuck and just be generally tricky to hold down nice and flat. With the tape I could mark off what would be hidden by the binding and at the same time tape the top to the batting to ensure I could easily quilt it all while it stayed in place. I will always tape the outside edges of my quilts before doing border designs from now on, makes life so much easier! =)

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A little belated but I naturally received my Stash Stack Club for January & February =)

January was purple and all the fabrics where just so yummy! Delish! <3 My favorite is the second one from the bottom, Orchid Citadel - Cuzco by Kate Spain tightly followed by the top print, Leafy Stripe in Eggplant - Simply Color.

For February there was blue on the menu, some where oh so lovely - but I wasn't a fan of the bottom two. They felt like "grandma fabrics" (not judging my grandma here, she has fantastic taste, just your "typical grandma") with the yellowish white contrast and washed out look, not my cup of tea. I have to say, after 8 months I've receivd 2 fabrics that I didn't really fancy - this club is awesome! =D

Stash Stack Club & Sew Solids Crew Stash Club!

Today I got my first stack from Sew Solids Crew Stash Club, it's so pretty and is simply adorably packed! <3

I'm not sure which is which color but my favourite is the top one for sure! It is all beautiful colors but I have to admit I'm just a little disappointed that I didn't receive the ones listed on the blog for this month. According to the blog I was supposed to get Kona Hibiscus, Dk Violet, Amethyst, Cerise, Orchid & Lavender and instead I got Eggplant, Tulip, Lavender, Amethyst, Plum and Petunia. I also would have loved to know which is which color, maybe with some little sticker on each FQ or something? 

This months Stash Stack Club was brown and it's normally really not my color but these where really quite pretty, my favourite is the top one, Tiny Diamonds in Brown - Town and Country (Dear Stella).

These stash clubs are sooo much fun! =D

Other then that I've actually been stealing a little time to quilt which has been so much fun! I hope to have my Chameleon Quilt quilted and bound soon! =)

Stash Stack Club August & November

Like I told you my August Stash Stack got lost in the mail, I've had contact with the lovely people at Pink Castle Fabrics and this month we realized we had to consider it lost, so they immediately cut me a new stack and sent it! Pink Castle Fabrics customer service is simply great and I couldn't be happier, topping it with the super fast shipping and it's just an awesome store (and no, I'm not getting paid by them *lol*).

It arrived today and it's LOVELY! My favourite is the Pencil Check in Navy by Michael Miller Fabrics on the top tightly followed by the Metro Living Circles in Navy underneath, so cool!

And I got my November Stack to course, just didn't have time to blog about it until now. This month was all about orange, a color I have a very strange relationship with. I used to really, really dislike it until an apartment we rented a year or so back (you rent fully furnished here in Malta) had a bathroom all white tiles but with bright orange accessories in it like towels, carpets etc. And I was in love, that little room made me so happy whenever I'd walk into it! Now we have an orange bathroom again by my choosing and orange on the balcony so I think we have to conclude I'm a big orange fan now. =)

I was super excited to get my first Lizzy House Print, but my favourite this time around was the one at the bottom, Haystack in Tangerine - Madrona Road by Violet Craft.

Stash Stack Club - October

I got some lovely greens and yellows for October. My favourite this month is (surprisingly enough to myself, didn't think I'd like the color at all!)  Honeycomb in Sunglow - Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry. The second farthest to the right in my photo. I think it will look lovely mixed with some greys and blacks.

And since Christmas is just around the corner I thought I'd show you a couple of the lovely Fancy Folded Stars I've had sent to me during my "downtime".

A lovely solid version by Simple Living and Giving. Have to make one in solids myself one day, love the look!

A fresh and flowery version by Jane, who only has been quilting for 3 months! Amazing job!

And another beautiful blue by Aceroni:

Stash Stack Club - September

I just received my September Stash Stack from Pink Castle Fabrics! Like with the July one, I couldn't possibly be more pleased with the fabrics or the fast shipping! Sadly my August stack has gotten lost in transit somewhere... But I haven't given up hope yet! =)

The fabrics are lovely, the variations of the color is really wide and the fabrics are so modern and fresh feeling! My favorite this time around is the Kiss Dot in Aqua (Michael Miller Fabrics) for sure tightly followed by the Clown Stripe in Aqua (Michael Miller Fabrics), but all are truly gorgeous! =)

The stash stack club is so much fun, it's like Christmas once a month and since the kind people over at Pink Castle packs mine so flat, I can pick it up directly in my mailbox with no hassle from customs! <3

Sunday Stash = Stash Stack Club!

Today my first shipment of Stash builders arrived from Pink Castle Fabrics and I couldn't be happier! Such lovely fabrics and such a wide range! My favourites are the one at the top and the criss cross one second from the right, so pretty!

I'm a huge fan of Jeni from In Color Order,  I love her work and her amazingly inspiring blog. I've been following her Art of Choosing series rigorously and I've really been trying to learn how to stash smartly as nearly all the fabric in my teeny tiny stash are impossible to use - as I had no clue what I was doing back when I bought them. =)

 

So when she announced the Stash Stack Club which she and Pink Castle Fabrics where organizing I immediately knew I wanted to take part, oh so badly! However, the issue was Malta and their darn customs, it's a whole issue that can takes days and numerous visits to the post parcel office (which is located in a desolate spot on the island so I have to take a taxi there making it very costly too) to get the things one has ordered and paid for. Luckily the awesome people at Pink Castle allowed me to do a test month which went splendidly as they'd packed the shipment flat enough to go directly in my mailbox and I didn't have to go to the customs office at all! Thanks a lot and I can't wait for the next months shipment! =)