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I made a lot of progress on my Tea Party quilt this week. 

The next round is the 16 feature blocks - I've finished 8 of the blocks already, but ...

 I did it! I started the centre block.

It's quite hard to hand applique on a piece this big, so I'll be pleased when I'm finished this block.  Then I can machine sew on two borders that I've already got ready, and then suddenly I'll be able to see real progress.  

Here's what I'm aiming for.  There's still so much left to do!

No change in the numbers.

I finished the BOM feathered star blocks. Unfortunately, I count fabric out when the quilt is finished.

There were two of them, both 18 inches.

Sewing them was much easier than it looks. I opted to press almost all the seams open to manage the bulk. I’ve recently started pressing open, and I’m sorry I didn’t start doing it years ago. It’s a game changer.

Fabric In: 22.125 yards

Fabric Out: 8.125 yards

Net Fabric In: 14 yards

How did you do this week?

It’s list time again! I finished two projects in October, Waugh Street Christmas and the BOM blocks. Once again I’m without a piecing project. When the list opens up I find it hard to pick what to work on next. Too many choices!

The Short List categories are UFO, garment, original design, hand work, finishing, classes and other. I’ve used this system for 8 years to keep me focused. The categories change as my goals and interests change. Categories with nothing in process will not be listed, only active categories.

Original Design – I need to start sketching ...

I've been quietly working away on my Tea Party quilt in the background.  

I've now finished all 8 of the plainer blocks that will alternate with the tea and coffee cups.  

Next up is the centre block which I might start this week.  Strangely enough, I'm worried that I might stuff it up! I really want this quilt to be beautiful - I guess that's why it's taken me years to start it.  I think I'll just prepare some flowers and leave them on my "design floor" for a few days before I start stitching ...

Last month, the talented pattern and fabric designer Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique, came to visit Fat Quarter Shop!

We haven’t been able to have many guests in the last year, so it was really fun and exciting to host Vanessa! She was a wonderful guest, and we hope to have her back soon.

Vanessa is the author of Rose in Bloom, a Block of the Month book by It’s Sew Emma. The Rose in Bloom Quilt features ten enchanting quilt blocks arranged into a floral-inspired setting! The block of the month includes over 16.5 yards of ...

No change in the numbers.

I’m working on the feathered star blocks for the BOM quilt. You can see last week’s addition in the star point sections at the top right of the picture.

In 20-something years of quilting I have never made a feathered star block. These are also 18 inch blocks. That’s another first for me.

Fabric In: 7.625 yards

Fabric Out: 8.125 yards

Net Fabric Out: .5 yards

How did you do this week?

I took some much needed time off work this week and had a girls’ day out in Shipshewana, Indiana on Friday. My last visit to the Amish community was over ten years ago. It looked different enough that almost nothing seemed familiar.

I did buy a small cut of fabric for the block of the month project. I didn’t have enough of the fabric I wanted to use. I was able to match it pretty close.

I also finished Waugh Street Christmas with usage for the binding. I’ll post a picture of that when the One Monthly Goal ...

I finished two projects in September, the Winter Pines runner and Noel, and had one stitched piece framed. Other projects moved forward, making it a good month

The Short List categories are UFO, garment, original design, hand work, finishing, classes and other. I’ve used this system for 8 years to keep me focused. The categories change as my goals and interests change. Categories with nothing in process will not be listed, only active categories.

Original Design – Open Dialogue may get attention in October. If not, November for sure.

Other – Waugh Street Christmas is almost quilted. This will be my ...

This week I've been working on my Tea Party quilt.  How I wish I had coffee cups like this at my house!

and shiny tea cups like this too.

I think they work well with my tea pot.

I've still got to applique flowers on to all of these blocks, but I'm happy that I've finally decided on my cups and tea pot.  Although I do like the softer colours used in the pattern, I like the darker cups and tea pot even more. 

Have you heard about our Snowmen & Silent Night Sew Along? Make a cute little 35″ snowman quilt with us during this FREE sew along!

Just CLICK HERE to sign up and get all of the free patterns delivered to your email!  You will get a new block pattern each Monday for 4 weeks, then in the fifth and final week you’ll get the border instructions.

Here’s the first block which we’ve just released:

There are  TWO different version of these designs, so you can choose your favorite! Choose from the “Snow Friends” version or the “Silent Night ...

No change in the numbers. Maybe next week.

I finished the November blocks for Stars In The Night. I have five of the twelve months done now.

I pressed the seams open to help the blocks lay flat. There are seven seams coming together at the center. Open seemed like the way to go

I plan to work on the January blocks next.

Fabric In: 7.125 yards

Fabric Out: 4.125 yards

Net Fabric In: 3 yards

How did you do this week?

I finished two items in August, the circle challenge and the November BOM blocks. I just realized the BOM wasn’t on last month’s list. Sneaky how it cut to the front of the line.

The Short List categories are UFO, garment, original design, hand work, finishing, classes and other. I’ve used this system for 7 years to keep me focused. The categories change as my goals and interests change. Categories with nothing in process will not be listed, only active categories.

Original Design – I think about Open Dialogue often, but it probably won’t see the light ...

Shirley from Zipzog blog in the Netherlands got in touch after my post last week, and told me that she had made the Tea Party quilt with some friends.  Here's Shirley's finished quilt.  It's gorgeous!

by Shirley of Zipzop blog

You've inspired me to keep going Shirley!

I've finally chosen my fabric for the tea pot.  I feel that the tea pot sets the tone for the rest of the quilt, so it needed to be right.  I've chosen the flowery fabric at the bottom in the photo below. 

There are 16 large blocks ...

No change in the numbers. It should really go without saying.

I sewed and trimmed all the HSTs this week for the Stars In The Night blocks.

I need to pick another name for this quilt. The original had a dark background, mine not so much. You definitely won’t be thinking night when you look at my quilt.

Maybe this week I can sew the blocks. Anything more complicated than sewing squares together seems to take me forever.

Fabric In: 7.125 yards

Fabric Out: 4.125 yards

Net Fabric In: 3 yards

How did you do this week ...

 If you've been following my blog for a while, you might remember this one.  It's appeared on my annual To Do list a number of times, but somehow I've never got round to starting it.  

This is a Wendy Williams Block of the Month from 2016.  I didn't enroll in the programme, but I came across someone else who had, but then decided she would never make the quilt.  So I purchased her unopened packs, and I have had them in my quilt stash for five years.  

I initially thought that I might substitute out some ...

No change in the numbers.

After much debating, I decided to resume piecing the Stars In The Night BOM. I wanted something I could work on 20 minutes at a time on week nights. With no such project I spend my nights stitching. That’s done wonders for my stitching wish list, but it doesn’t use fabric or reduce the long list of quilts either in process or planned.

Having ignored it for years, I spent a good while figuring out where I left off and how I wanted to approach it going forward. If I hadn’t scaled ...

The Rose in Bloom Block of the Month Quilt will sprout eternal spring in your sewing room! Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique has created ten enchanting quilt blocks arranged into a floral-inspired setting. This quilt is a veritable garden party.

The block of the month includes over 16.5 yards of Love Note fabrics by Lella Boutique for the 84.5″ x 84.5″ quilt top and binding!

Love Note by Lella Boutique is a lovely collection reminiscent of turning pages in a flourishing garden. The fabric collection is laced with hearts, stripes, flowers, and an intricate star pattern that ...

We’ve got BIG news here this week! We are kicking off our Snowman & Silent Night free sew along! We’ll be starting this on September 20, and it will run for just 5 weeks!

If you would like the free patterns for this sew along, please just sign up here! You will receive the patterns by email as they are released. Even if you are on my “main email list” you must sign up for the SNOWMAN list separately (we only send patterns to those who’ve told us that they are interested.)

For the snowman designs, you can ...

Color is king when Kaffe Fassett comes to town! In 2019, we were thrilled to host the world-renowned color guru himself at a workshop and a lecture highlighting his latest projects. It was a feast for the eyes to see the Kaffe Fassett Collective’s designs up close and personal and our fabulous social media manager took a moment to sit down with Kaffe and Brandon Mably to chat about the sources of their inspiration and how they are able to collaborate so seamlessly together. These ...