Fabri-Quilt Block blog hop

Hi,

it's my turn on the Fabri-Quilt Blog Hop - a little late due to a delay in my computer getting fixed and some software issues when it returned!  Anyway, here's my block

Simple Scrappy Block

I wanted to make a block that would tessellate, and be as suitable with lots and lots of colours as with just 6!  Put this together with some more blocks, and it will form pinwheels, and also some little Broken Dish units to give structure to all the scrappy mayhem!

Firstly, pick out two colours for the half square triangles - I chose the darkest (dark blue) and lightest (white).  From these fabrics cut 2 x 3”7/8 squares. On the light fabric, draw a diagonal line on the back of each square.

 Offset the ruler slightly so that when you draw your line, it will go exactly from corner to corner!

Put this right sides together with your dark fabric and sew a quarter of an inch away from the line:

on each side of the drawn line:

See how I have something sewn just before feeding this in?  This will stop the machine from munching on the corner that you are feeding in.

When sewn, cut on the drawn line:

 set your seam (so press it as is)

 then press open.

 Setting the seam means it will then open (or indeed press to either side) without having to pull at it.
Trim off the dog ears:

 And that's the corners made! 

Now, the block requires 36 2" squares.  As I have 4 other fabrics, I can cut 9 of each.  If you are doing a scrappy block, they could be all different!  In addition to the 2" squares, you will also need 6 x 2”3/8 squares, as well as 3 x 2" 3/8 squares of both the white and the dark blue fabrics. Make 12 half square triangle units.

Now it's time to arrange them!  Take care with the orientation of the small half square triangles on the edge - you want these to combine with other blocks to make a Broken Dish - that's the same as what's in the very centre.

Starting with the short rows between the corner units, sew into rows.

 Press the seams on one row towards the left, and the other row towards the right.  Sew the rows together, nesting the seams.  This is what I mean:

 making sure the squares meet in the middle.  You can use your fingers to gently push them together until they butt up against each other.  Pin (I always pin on the side that feeds into the machine last; this helps to keep them meeting.  On a bulky seam, I pin both sides) and sew.

Press this seam open to reduce bulk, and sew a corner unit to each end.  Repeat for the other end of the block.  Sew all remaining rows together, and press open.  Hey presto, a really easy block!

I hope you like this little block and this Blog Hop!  Thank you so much to Fabri-Quilt, our sponsors, and the lovely lovely ladies at the 2015 New Bloggers who have arranged this and spent so much time and effort on it.  I'm off now to catch up on all the other blocks that have been posted!

A quick little post

Between the laptop acting up, and insomnia and other things, I've not been posting and now feel like I have a mountain of stuff to post!  So I'm going to break it up into some smaller posts...

Firstly, here's the results of my little giveaway!

 Giveaway 1: Sarah@123quilt

Giveaway 2: thebiasedge.  I'll be in contact soon for addresses!  Thanks to everyone who entered, I really appreciate it.

Here's my recent FGV blocks:

Pumpkin (I'm not American, we don't do pumpkins, I hope this looks more like an apple)

 Furrows

 Milking Day

 From my Window (I think that's the right name from memory)

 Mama Hen

 Old Red Barn

 Out to Pasture

 Haystack

 Kettle's On

Grandma's Quilt Block.  I think this is my favourite of this lot!

I've also made two of these:

one for my dad,  one for me!

This:

And finally this:

for my Aunt's birthday.  None are finished as yet though...

So, I'll be back with a monstrous Sunday Stash post tomorrow!

A flyby post...

I aten't dead!

I've been having problems - either food poisoning and insomnia making me computer-incompatible, or me fine and computer throwing hissy fits.  I haven't even been able to reply to comments, sorry!  I've been a bit busy, but tomorrow (in 6 hours time, yeah...) I'm off to the Festival of Quilts for a few days!  So I'll update you then, possibly with an epic Sunday Stash!  What have I missed?  I've been totally out of the loop!

ETA: Giveaway sorted, will include that in next post.

Giveaway!

As promised, here's my little giveaway to celebrate the end of this week on the New Bloggers!  As I said earlier, I discovered I had duplicates of these magazines, so thought why not!

The first giveaway is for these two magazines!  Both Love Patchwork and Quilting, issues 12 and 22.  Both free gifts are included, everything is in good condition.

 Here are some of the things in these magazines I particularly like:

 I'm making this soon!

 Love this rabbit, have made it a couple of times!

 The second giveaway is for issue 12 of Love Patchwork and Quilting and for this book:

 The first book by the Quilt Room featuring pre-cuts, there's loads of good patterns in this.

 This is the jelly roll pattern I've been working at recently.

I made this a few years ago and loved it!

So there we go.  This will be open for a week, finishing next Sunday 26th.  Please comment whether you would like giveaway 1 or 2 (or both, why not!).  If you are following me on blogger or bloglovin, you get another entry, just mention that in your comment.  No need to comment again!  I may be including a little extra surprise too!  Entries are available world-wide.

Sunday Stash

I had the chance to visit Karen at Fiddlesticks Fabrics this week, and picked up these goodies:

Top left for a teddy, other top row for a cushion, and what's over for stash.  Bottom left 3 fabrics for a bag, others to join my PamKitty stash that I've been using for my Farm Girl Vintage.

Linking up with Mollisparkles!

If you visit my blog, the next post is a giveaway for some magazines!

Dresden plate pincushion

This is going to be the last of the patterns I'll be posting this week - unfortunately some things have come up and I won't be able to do the Christmas cushion I promised this week, but soon!

As with previous tutes this week, I'll be talking through how to draft this yourself.

Firstly, draw an approx. 5 1/2" circle on paper.  Cut it out, and fold carefully in half, half again and half again - so into 8.  Cut out one of these segments, and trim off the curved end:

 and a bit off the other end (I actually trimmed a bit more of this).

 Cut out 8 from your fabrics - I have 8 different fabrics, but just two or four would be really cute too!

 Fold in half along the top edge

 sew and clip off the little corner.

 Fingerpress open

 and turn right sides out.

 Arrange

 and sew together.  Your plate will be approx. 3 1/2" wide.

 Applique onto your background fabric, making sure you'll have enough for a 1/4" seam allowance.

 Look at this lovely ladder stitch!

 Note:  I chose to stuff my plate, which I did near the end.  If you don't want to do this, applique a circle over the middle at this stage.
Draw a circle around your plate - I used a small embroidery hoop approx. 4" wide.

 Cut out, and another circle the same size.

Prepare a length to go around it - circumference is a little more than 3x than the diametre, so we'll say 12 1/2", plus at least 1/2" more.  Press under 1/2" at one end, wrong sides facing.

 Starting with this end, pin all around one of your circles (I used the one with the applique on it)

 Ensure you have at least 1/2" overlap, and trim off excess.

 Sew the other end on.  Stuff firmly:

 and sew up the hole in the side.  (Disclosure, I went back, ripped out the stitches and stuffed more in...  so much stuffing!)

 I chose to stuff my little plate, this is optional.  If you do, be very careful not to pull out stitches.

 Prepare a circle for the centre of the plate.  I used a Perfect Circles template, but you could draw round a spool and use that.  I used starch to control the seam allowance.

 Applique over the centre, and that's it!  All done!