Bluebell Woods - The Final Chapter

I am almost sad to write this post, for it signals the end of the saga, but as we all know, all good things must come to an end, and so today I am ready to tell you The Secret, of Bluebell Woods.

A promise I made you, so tell you I must, but first you must promise, never to reveal it to another living soul.  For you see it was purely by chance it happened, and it should never have been revealed.

There was something in the air you see, and she was so enjoying the day, the sun was shining and the bluebells were out.  She loves bluebells so, they are her most favourite flower in the world, even if they are not the colour of her dress.  Her dress is not red, and not orange, but a mix of the two.  If you imagine the most beautiful sunset of all, rich and magnificent, that is the colour of her dress.  There are no two dresses the same colour, there are reds, blues yellows, greens, every colour imaginable and in every shade, and many more colours you have never seen, and could never imagine.  But hers is the most beautiful of all.

She was in amongst the trees, examining a  magical creature never seen by humans, and it started to rain, twas the rain that caught her out.  Have you ever wondered why you never see fairies?  It is because they can change.  Not like a chameleon, so they just blend in with the background, they become translucent too, and you only see them, if they let you. 

It happens in the blink of an eye, in fact much faster than that, but today she was so happy, and the sun was shining, then the rain started to fall like diamonds from the sky, and she was a millionth of a second too late.

Her dress had not quite faded, and she was not quite translucent and her image was captured forever, in Bluebell Woods.

It is usually only small children who see fairies, they start to leave them when the are five, so by the time they are seven, they think it only a story from a book.   But some children never forget, that is why seven is a magical number.   And that Dear Friends is the real reason I can never part with the quilt, I must forever guard the secret, until there is none left to remember, they saw the fairy, in Bluebell Woods.

Do you remember seeing fairies?

I did think someone would have guessed the secret, for the clue was in Mondays introduction post.  My grateful thanks to Karen, from kaHolly, for it was she who commented and stimulated my long forgotten childhood memory, of when I could see fairies.

But I can't do a post without showing you something new, especially this week.  But I haven't done any sewing for two days now, so, I delved into a UFO box, and see what I found.

Unfinished Christmas coasters!!!  Yes I know it is only June and I haven't had my summer holiday yet either, but I had to show you something.  What else?

More coasters.  Russian dolls, I just reduced the pattern.

Momma Russian dolls, some I have even started binding.

Oh yes,  elephants so cute.  How can anyone have so many unfinished mug rugs and coasters I hear you say.

Ok, this is the last, the black and white mug rugs need some appliqué added but I hadn't decided what.  Maybe I should leave the box out, that one even has the binding clips attached, it just needs hand sewing.  Yes, I always hand sew, I can honestly say I have never machined my binding.  Partly of course because I can't sew straight, but that's beside the point.

Remember, next week is the second week on the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop, so I hope you will support them as you have supported me.  These are the lovely new bloggers from my hive, Miss Bee Hivin'.

Jennifer @ Inquiring Quilter

Abigail @ Cut & Alter

Jen @ Faith and Fabric

Jamie @ Small Town Stitchin

Irene @ Patchwork and Pastry

I hope you have all enjoyed this week as much as I have, but next week I will be back to posting once and sometimes twice a week, before you get totally bored of me.  So what will I do?   Catch up with my email replies for starters, and go visiting, and catch up with all my blogging stuff I haven't had time to do this week. Clean my house, iron the clothes, and clear the lounge ready for the new floor being laid on Tuesday.  I might even tidy and clean my sewing room, no, it's not a studio, you have to be a designer to have one of those, and I'm just Kate, a girl (and I use the term very loosely) who quilts.

With smiles
xx

Bluebell Woods Revealed

Welcome to Day 2 of the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop.
Oh Yes!!!  Today is the day, the first view of Bluebell Woods, in all her glory.

Bluebell was made from Sherri Lynn Wood's book The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters using Score 1, Floating Squares.  She is 50.1/2 by 43.1/2inches, and quilted using the serpentine stitch, Bernina stitch 4 set to length 2, width 2.5.

Can you see the bluebells, in three different shades, for as you know bluebells come in many different colours.   The trees are arching over on the right, and the blue sky is overhead, peeping through at the top left corner.  The gentle rain is falling softly on Bluebell Woods, feeding and nurturing the rich soil.   Although I had originally intended to bind the quilt in green with a scattering of bluebells I didn't have enough left, therefor I extended the sky and the trees into the border and added only random bluebells on three sides.  However I am pleased with the effect this gives.

I didn't plan the size, I just made the blocks and Bluebell just seemed to take on a life of her own.  When it came to putting her together there was very little adjustment to be made.  One block was too small by 3 1/2 inches, so I fudged a bit extra which blended in quite well, in fact although I know which block I have trouble seeing the adjustment.  On another I added a small strip of background at the side.  I did use the rotary cutter on the edges for a very light trim where they were very wavy, and one block was slightly too tall and had just over an inch trimmed off the top.   Let's take a closer look.

Can you see the rain now?  If we turn her over.......

You can see underneath the surface, the rich dark soil which feeds the woods, and look, there are lots of seeds scattered, ready for the summer flowers, (but there again it could be because I bought the fabric on sale :)

At this point I am supposed to evaluate my experience and results.
If I was to make this score again I would take more care in cutting the pieces, I was supposed to cut the squares in a size range, say 3 to 5 inches for one and 4 to 6 inches for another, in my enthusiasm to get on with it I forgot all about that and just cut whatever, as a result some of the squares were the same size so I didn't add as much background fabric between the squares as I would have.  This has resulted in somewhat less of a 'floating' of the squares I think.

Apparently I wasn't supposed to trim the blocks, only odd bits which stuck out and just follow the natural shape of the fabric edges, and I should have added background filler to even up all the blocks instead of trimming the top of one.  Well........ that wouldn't have worked with my wavy edges I think, and what's done is done in the trimming, but all in all I'm happy with my decisions to join the blocks as I did.  There is a discrepancy on the size, it is slightly longer on one side than the other, and wider at the bottom than the top, but that's ok too.

Did I enjoy the experience?  Too right, I loved making it, and I am looking forward to the next score. In fact I wasn't going to keep Bluebell, I was thinking about who I would give her to, but now, I have enjoyed her so much no way can I part with her, so she is mine forever.

But look again, for Bluebell Woods holds a secret known only to a few, do you know what it is?

On Friday The Final Chapter, The Secret of Bluebell Woods will be revealed.

But first, I have news of a giveaway.

As I said yesterday I have no sponsors or affiliates so my giveaway is at my own expense, so, as postage is expensive, and to make it world wide, I am giving away from my own stash.  18, 10inch squares  cut from my solids collection, and including 7 textured read as solids.  It's 18 because that is how many I have big enough to cut a 10 inch square.   Most of these are included in my circles quilt, in fact if you wanted to make it there is enough fabric for all the circles in the quilt, although there wouldn't be enough for the borders.

So, to enter my giveaway, just leave a comment about Bluebell Woods, or the 2016 New Bloggers Blog Hop.  For a second entry, leave a comment saying how you follow me.  The giveaway will remain open until midnight on Saturday.  I will announce the winner next Wednesday.  If you are a no reply blogger remember to check back to see if you have won, then email me your address.  You can find my email address on my About Me page.  I will hold your prize for one week, then re draw if I have not heard from you.
This givaway is now closed.  Thank you for participating.

Tomorrow I am so excited to be giving you news of my circles quilt, so please come back then.

Remember to visit the other new bloggers on the blog hop.  In Mis Bee Hivin' they are:

Emily @ The Darling Dogwood

Kate @ Smiles From Kate  (me)

Miranda @ I Have Purple Hair

Holly @ Lighthouse Lane Designs

I am so looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow,

With smiles from

Kate

Linking up with

Blossom Heart Quilts

Linky Tuesday
Quilt Story
Let's Bee Social

Apologies

I am at a loss how to begin.  I feel like a ship who has done battle in a stormy sea, and eventually thrown onto a beach, spent and exhausted.

It is over.  Like a mother who has battled to deliver her child against all the odds today I have delivered, Bluebell Woods.  Bluebell is magnificent, in the way every mother thinks of her newborn child, perfect, and looks just how I imagined.

I cannot show you a photograph, for that I apologise, but Bluebell will be fully revealed in all her glory next week in the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop.  However, I did promise you a photograph and so I will honour that promise with one of the top of her head.

Next week I will also bring news of my circles quilt.

No it is not finished, this will be more of a progress report, just in case you thought I had forgotten it.

I am linking up with Pink Doxies for the  June Brave Quilter, I have a paper pieced rather large elephant in several pieces as part of a UFO.   It's another one I would like to put to bed.

Until then dear friends I bid you adieu,
parting is such sweet sorrow,
Kate (with giggles)

Linking up with

Bits 'n Bobs

Let's Bee Social
Needle and Thread Thursday

Bluebell Woods 2 and 3

Yesterday I had a spare couple of hours so I headed up to my, still not finished in fact not started but I have got great lighting now, sewing room.  But first confession time.....I DID IT AGAIN!  Remember when I took all the pics to demonstrate the binding tool and had no pics saved on the camera?  Well, history repeated itself :(, so sad, I'm tearing up at the though of it........  Ok, I'm ok, I won't cry again, well, I'll try not to anyhow.  Fortunately I realised half way through when I spotted the words 'No CF Card'.  So there are some pics, only not so many, for block 3.  Then again seen one seen them all and you'd probably be bored anyway.  If you have just joined us and want to see the inspiration behind the quilt and block 1 post, they are here and here.

Block 2, two fabrics,  one same as the last block, one new (from the pull), same background (no this isn't the actual fabric I used it's bits of what I have left),  right through the quilt.  So, I hacked, I mean, precision cut a piece from two fabrics without measuring or guessing, and cut it up into squares, only I forgot I was cutting squares in a size range and just cut it up into pieces, but hey, it's improv so just go with it. The background as before just use as needed for filling.  I had a great time piecing it, the rule I made was go fast, and I did.
Only thing was I forgot about taking pics for this one, so I can only show you the colours, shame.

Today it was different, I remembered the pics, (I know I said it, but I'm not crying)

Block 3, these are the fabrics, one from before, another new one from the pull, same background.

I added some more rules. Go fast, finish in 1 hour 15 minutes and I put a timer on.   So I went for it, as fast as I could.  Sewing machine?  Pedal to the metal, it was hot, the faster I went, the faster I tried to go, and I don't just mean with the machine, I hacked bits off the filler fabric, stitched any together that would fit, then, new rule.  No single pieces allowed, all single pieces have to be stitched to another piece, in five minutes.  Oh yes I was buzzing, stitching and cutting like there was no tomorrow.  Of course I was stopping to take the odd pic, but you know I have nothing to show,

until this one.   I have a tabletop ironing board in my room and I WAS pressing as I went.

But the faster you go, the wonkier the seams get.

Only thing is with all that speed I couldn't keep with all the threads, and the scraps, and it started to get a little messy, ok, a lot messy.  My thread catcher?  Thats the blue splodge at the bottom of the pic, BUT, you can see my lovely spiral quilting if you look hard.

No, before you ask, I missed the deadline, with 2 seams to go, I was miffed, but I've let go of it now, just as I let go of the photos.

So here are the first three blocks, all different sizes and I had to add a big bit of leaf to the edge of Block 2 because the rules say I have to use up all the pieces I cut.

So, watcha think?  Still like it?   I had to add the brown of course because it's a bluebell wood and you can't have a wood without trees.   Of course in Kate's world I can have anything I want........

Yes, I have made another one and no, you can't see it yet.  Well, ok, just a peak

No, that's all you are getting for today, after all, you have to have sky otherwise it would be too dark without light and you couldn't see anything at all.  I did some rules for this one too, 1 hour 15 minutes, stop and sew all fabrics in 2's to more fabrics, that sort of thing, mix it up a bit.  NO, I didn't hit the deadline, again.  I was would you believe 2 seams off finishing?  I don't believe it either!

So......if you want to see Block 4 you will have to come back next week.

But, before I go I'm giving you fair warning.   As you know I am in the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop,  it starts 13th June, and I am Week 1, how scary is that, and I should be getting prepared and I'm talking to you.  I will be joined by three  lovely quilters from my hive, Miss-Bee Hivin', the button is on my sidebar, lovely isn't it?

They are:

Emily @ The Darling Dogwood

Kate @ Smiles From Kate  (me)

Miranda @ I Have Purple Hair

Holly @ Lighthouse Lane Designs

We will be joined by quilters from the other two hives, The Sewcial Network, and Hive Sewciety but I don't know which ones yet.  I know there will be A LOT of giveaways.    

I do hope you will follow along and visit as many new bloggers as you can, we have all been working very hard for this.

Personally, I am aiming to post every day that week although don't ask me about what, no it's not that it's a secret, although yes it will be, just that I haven't written them yet and only have some vague ideas just now.

 Linking up with

Cooking Up Quilts
Em's Scrapbag

So, see you next week

Smiles from

Kate  x

Bluebell Woods Part 1

Oh yes, I finally started Bluebell Woods and the first part is done!!!

If you missed the first post it is based on Score 1, Floating Squares, in the Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters by Sherri Lynn Wood, I say based, the score is for a quilt using three colours, a limited amount of two and a filler fabric using whatever amount you need.  I am doing one of the adaptations, using the same process but stitching together several blocks of varying fabrics.  My inspiration came initially from the (not to be used as) cake tins I received from my husband for my birthday recently (don't ask, it's in the previous post).

These are the fabrics for the first block, I didn't have a clue how much a 'limited' amount should be so I just cut off a chunk of two 'bluebell' fabrics and started cutting them into squares.  One fabric had a range of 2-4 inches square and the other 3-5 inches, the green 'leaf' fabric I just cut as I needed it.  Forgot to tell you, no rulers, I cut freehand using scissors, remember them?  We used to use them in the days before rotary cutters.  No I didn't use my cutting board for guidance, promise.

This was when the fun began, stitching the squares together, adding filler strips when needed to join large and small squares.  That was when I had my first insight, I can't cut squares for toffee, half of them resembled rectangles.   You may notice that the edges are a bit wonky too, believe me, they got wonkier.

Then I started to put them together, like a jigsaw, not so easy.

I don't mind telling you, it was harder than I thought, and I can't cut straight either.

Nearly there, still adding bits of filler fabric  to get them to fit, and trying to straighten some of the wavy edges like the one on the bottom left (told you it got wonkier, believe me now?).

At last, this is what I ended up with, approximately 19.5 inches wide (depending on where you measure), by about 16 ish inches deep, just squint your eyes and think of a bluebell carpet (well, a very small one then).

I don't know how many blocks I will end up with, maybe 9 or 10, who knows.  Overall I'm thinking of an end result of about 50-60 inches, whatever.

Now I have to evaluate the experience and see what I would do differently next time.  I didn't think too much about it when I was doing it, I just concentrated on trying to get the pieces to fit together, but apparently that's a good thing.  I would make more of a variation is the size of the squares though, and I would definitely try to cut straighter.  By the way, you see on the last pic at the left it looks like I matched my seams?  I didn't, pure coincidence, just in case you were thinking..........In fact now that I get a proper look, it's as if I matched them in a few places, piffle!!!

So, what do you think so far, inspired or dogs dinner?  And will you be coming back to see the next block?

I have also decided to go for it with this quilt and I'm making it my monthly goal to have it pieced, quilted and bound by the end of June and so I'm linking up with Heidi at Red Letter Quilts for One Monthly Goal.

Until then
smiles from
Kate

Also linking up with

Cooking up Quilts
Em's Scrapbag

Freemotion by the River

Blossom Heart Quilts,

Sew Fresh Quilts