Sunday, April 15, 2012

A QAL, a swap and a bee.

Stained QAL blocks 1 and 2

There are the first half of my blocks for the Stained QAL which is being hosted by Sarah from Narcoleptic in the Cupboard. Although keeping all those lines of sashing even remotely straight is beyond me, these blocks are a dream to make, perfect after a long week. I hope to make the rest of the blocks soon, maybe today. These fabrics are Echo by Lotta Jansdotter and Kona Charcoal.

Crocus mug rug for me from Karen, sewgentle

Take a good look at that beautiful mug rug. It arrived this week for me in the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap from my secret partner Karen - sewgentle on flickr. Do you notice the earthworms quilted into the dirt? Can you see the layers on layers of applique? The crocuses are prefect! And the background fabric is all about spring flowers! This is stunning, even the binding is brilliant and I am thrilled to have it.

Crocus mug rug for me from Karen, sewgentle

I wanted to show you the whole package. I mentioned somewhere that I was drawn recently to red and orange colours so she found some fabrics with both for me. And that note paper - it was hand silk screened 45 years ago! I was so spoiled with this package, thank you Karen!

Baby Geese

I cannot resist  again showing you the mug rug I sent to Aylin - Nilya2011 on flickr. She is an awesome quilter and designer, and I am happy to report that she has now received it and loves it.

The coaster

And that little "coaster" above is the extra I sent to Aylin. It felt wrong not to provide a functional mug rug and the tiny geese were not made for a mug to be set upon. This rainbow coaster is happy to hold a mug of drippy coffee or tea any time.

Wonky stars received so far from the Twelve Month Quilting Bee

These are the wonky stars that I have received so far from my bee mates in the Twelve Month Quilting Bee. I am the last person on the roster and then this bee is completed. There are a couple more to arrive, and I am so excited to make these into a quilt. The largest ones are 18" squares and that tiny purple on is 3". I might add a few small ones as I figure out how to arrange these, but it is going to be an awesome quilt. The women in this bee are lovely and it has been a pleasure to be a part of it.

It was a short working week last week but it felt like an eternity - some difficult projects are underway - so there was not a lot of quilting done. I am planning a few days at my cottage next week, so if it is not raining I may be able to send you some spring flower pictures. Here at my house it has been snowing again - all day yesterday and it just stopped late this morning. It will certainly melt in a day or two, but it means my small garden here has to wait, again.

I am off to decide what projects to pack and then to do a little shopping. I leave Tuesday, unless some work gets in the way - cross your fingers for me please. Enjoy your Sunday.

Best,

Leanne

20 comments:

Canadian Abroad said...

Those crocuses are so amazing. Such a unique make - never would refer to it as a mug rug though! I hope you get away, the weather is brilliant and you get some proper down time.

Debbie said...

wow - that flower 'mug rug' IS awesome! So many thoughtful details. And I love your 'stained' blocks - very fun. All around, beautiful projects & blocks throughout your post. GOOD LUCK getting away - yes, post pics for us!

Katy Cameron said...

Heh, my Stained sashing may not have been 100% straight either ;o)

Loving that crocus mug rug, the worms are just fab, and great job on the ones you sent too.

Good luck with your sewing time at the cottage!

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

Your Echo Stains are lovely and so is the mug rug you received.
Hope work allows you plenty of time to get away to sew and potter this week x

Susan said...

Oooh, another pretty Stained quilt top coming together! I contemplated using my stash of Echo for this project....I may still do it now!! The crocus mug rug is stunning! I'd be hanging that one on the wall!

**nicke... said...

i love your echo stain! so so pretty! and i love the mug rug you received! the worms are a perfect touch!

Teje Karjalainen said...

Everything looks so beautiful - I love your steined glass blocks and the mini quilts are amazing! That blue backroung is a great choice for those lovely stars; it will be beautiful quilt! x Teje

Amy's Crafty Shenanigans said...

I'd say that is ART - not a mug rug!!! I love the earthworms and everything about it. I'd hang it on the wall it is so awesome! And everything else is cool too - you are one talented quilter and so are your friends! Did you buy a pattern for the stained glass QAL? It'll be amazing once it is done :)

Sarah said...

Stained Echos is fabulous... and none of mine are straight either by the way... seriously, there's hardly a "square" angle in mine at all...
Your star blocks are really cool too, thats going to be a very striking quilt!

elle said...

You have some really great stuff to show off here.

Judith, Belfast said...

Well done on cracking on with your Stained blocks. They are looking fab! Wishing you a lovely time away at your cottage - wish I could come with you!! Jxo

Anonymous said...

This is a particularly beautiful set of photos. May we all be as lucky in our swaps!

Sheila said...

I think your Stained quilt showcases Echo perfectly - the Crocus mugrug has been so thoughtfully executed I am sure it will never see a mug, just like your beautiful circle of geese.
I hope the weather improves for your break - enjoy.x

Dianne Neale said...

The stained quilt is beautiful in those echo prints. I must get some more! And the crocus is fantastic.
I can't believe it's still snowing! Do you ever see the sun?

Collette said...

love your stained QAL love that fabric range! that crocus is amazing! as is your flying geese all gorgeous stuff! x

Annabella said...

Fingers crossed here Leanne...the `mug rug` is amazing and so detailed and beautiful. I love your stained quilt too - it`s going to be a beauty!

Annabella said...

Fingers crossed here Leanne...the `mug rug` is amazing and so detailed and beautiful. I love your stained quilt too - it`s going to be a beauty!

Catherine said...

your stained is looking great:any ideas what colour sashing you will use? Hope you manage to get away

Marg said...

The stained QAL quilt is gorgeous. Love your choice of fabrics, it really does look like stained glass.
THe crocus mug rug is awesome, what beautiful work, and I love the geese mug rug you sent. It really is way too beautiful to use, it was nice that you also sent that very pretty rainbow coaster too.

Pippa said...

So much beautiful patchwork! The tiny geese are exceptionally beautiful, but I love the simplicity of the "coaster" too.