dreams do come true...

 this week was a week where some of the secrets i have been hoarding have been spilling out...

the week started with my tumbling tinsel piece being featured in the fat quarterly scraps issue.

i really enjoyed devising this little quilt, using up precious scraps from previous projects.

i just wish i had had time to make a bigger version, but i guess we shall just put it on the ever growing to do list.

on friday my pixelated quilt, that i had been working on at the end of last year, achieved star status as this month's issue of love patchwork and quilting.

i obviously knew it was coming out, but to see my quilt and my name on the front cover of this fab mag was such a thrill! i am still recovering from seeing it!

and lp&q have done such a beautiful job on it. in fact they have done a stunning job on the whole magazine...the best edition yet i think. seriously if you haven't bought or subscribed to this new magazine yet, you really should.

i am very very proud of this quilt. 

i am very proud that it is on the front cover of a mag. and i am very proud of it being the first double size quilt i have made.

here's to many more of both!

this is definitely the year of hard work paying off and dreams coming true...

...and here's to seeing the big one coming true very very soon! 

 Having had these fabrics on my desk all last week for my Siblings Together quilt, I have slowly been sneaking in a little playing time each day.

Earlier in the week I I had set my heart on having a go at the Castle Walls Block from the Shape  Workshop for Quilters Book by the lovely peeps at Fat Quarterly.

 Those that know my work will realise this is quite a departure of styles for me. Normally I can be seen quilting in relative simplistic styles, but this has completely converted me. 

I was hooked when i first started quilting and this is pulling me in even further.

It could be the fantastic fabrics that are pulling me in, but I am pretty sure you will start to see some more intricate piecing around these parts.

I am such a beginner at piecing blocks that I didn't even realise that the pattern was mirroring itself and when I pieced together the adjacent blocks I had a real "oh my g-d" moment at seeing the central castle emerging! I am slightly embarrassed at mentioning that, but I know you will gain delight from hearing it.

I had a slight technical hitch when I ran out of FMF, but to be quite honest I had done more than I should have done today so a natural pause has taken place, while I wait for reinforcements from the quilt's sponsor.

I am still undecided with how I am going to finish off the quilt (I'm thinking of piecing a border of some sort) and what to use for the binding. 

Any thoughts?

I've had a humungous pain in the neck today and been resting motionless on my bed for most of it, but thankfully I had something to keep my mind off it...

I have to say this book is rather spectacular...not that you would expect anything less from the Fat Quarterly team.

It has to be said that I have my fair share of quilting books and this is way up there with the best of them.

For starters it is split into 6 chapters, each with it's own shape, making it very simple to navigate around and find tutorials for exactly what you are after. 

On the face of it that seems what you would expect, but unlike my other quilting books this is definitely more of a resource for all those blocks you see around and have no idea how to make. 

But it doesn't stop there. Not only are there fantastic step by step tutorials for all those blocks you think you know about and want to learn how to do, but there are fantastic Fat Quarterly interpretations and tons of new ideas too.

 Only what you'd expect huh?

I think this is going to be one of those Must Have Most Valuable Resource books that every sewer, quilter will have on their shelves in years to come.

And there is more...beautiful made up projects putting some of the ideas into practice.

Again...only what we have come to expect from these guys.

I can't quite decide which of these 2 projects I'm going to try out first. I love the random appliqued circles over the simple patchwork and the wonky triangles incorporating valuable scraps is to die for.

If you haven't ordered your copy yet you need to head over to your nearest stockist pronto...here or here is a good place to start...


and a big thank you to the lovely Katy Jones for sending me a copy and stopping me being a big pain in the neck!

Me and my big mouth...who'd have thought I'd be able to keep it shut all this time?

Way, way back in August I was asked by the lovely peeps at Fat Quarterly to take part in a design challenge.

Obviously, I had to be the sole of discretion and not spill the beans ahead of time what I was up to. I was absolutely thrilled to be asked to be in fat Quarterly and having been given the go ahead today and had a quick sneak at Issue 7, I have to say, it is FAB!

Not only am I really really pleased with how beautifully they have presented my contribution, but it really is a beautiful issue, aptly titled "Colour".

I won't spoil it by telling you too much about it, but you can see the whole article in issue 7.

If you are a subscriber you may already have had a flick and seen my little piece, as well as all the other gorgeous contributions, but in case you aren't a subscriber, I can highly recommend you go straight here and get yourself a copy.

Although you will have to have an ounce of patience as it isn't available until tomorrow. But hey, if I can show patience all these months, you can for one more day!