Jennie's Threads

Well, this has possibly been my most productive quarter ever! But before we get into the nitty-gritty of the original list , here's a final finish: The mermaid embroidery panel is by @aimee_littledear and I've bought it twice now. The first one I have lost. It is somewhere in the house, all prepared for embroidery. One day I will find it... for now, this one is the replacement! Aimee's designs are beautiful ( all available in her Etsy shop ), and the instructions are so clear. Postage is a bit pricey to the UK, but if you happen to have a friend who would bring you a little something back in their suitcase, then the panel itself is very reasonable! This is the second I've embroidered. The first and third will get a mention below. And I might have ordered a few more panels.... thanks @moomimomma for holidaying in the US! So on to the rest of the quarter and the 10 finishes! Five of those were lap quilts! Here they are: Hidden Agenda - a rainbowfied Tula...

March seems to have been a really long month! But in a good way! I've got loads of sewing done, Josh has grown loads - he's ten weeks old now - and we've been away together for a weekend to the Lake District. Here's what I've been working on: I've had some finishes: Awesome Ocean And Ice Cream soda And a cushion for Jess . There's also been a couple of other finishes that just aren't quite ready to share yet... I received my Tula Pink Pinkerville fabrics and cut them all up to start my Meadowland quilt. I've been taking part in the Trinket SAL I've made some progress on my Down the Rabbit Hole quilt - I've put together the bits I'd already completed and spent quite a few hours preparing the hand applique on the next border. I made ten blocks into four items in a little self-imposed challenge. I kept up to date with the Shark's Dinner BOM and the Coming Home BOM and started the Geo Diamonds BO...

The Manatee is my husband's spirit animal. He declared this while watching a documentary in which they featured - the shots showed the animals gently floating without a care in the world. A minute after he declared this, the narrator, Prof. Brian Fox, continued with "The manatee is the most spherical animal on Earth". You can imagine my delight and the hysterics that followed! All this by way of introduction to my latest finish: the Awesome Ocean Quilt, pattern by Elizabeth Hartman. Featuring the Manatee! And seahorses, octopuses (Octopi?), fish, turtles and whales. I love this quilt so much. The background fabric is Moda Grunge in a light bright blue, and it just makes this quilt glow! I'm also pretty pleased with the colour layout, which I planned with crayons, but then once I'd decided that a specific block needed to be peach and the next pink etc, I didn't actually lay out the fabrics I was using until the blocks were all mostly made. So some luc...

I went away on retreat a few weeks ago. It was my first retreat and I wasn't sure about signing up to start with, but I am so glad I took the plunge! The retreat took place at Eaton Manor in Shropshire - literally in the middle of nowhere! It was run by the very lovely @tuppencehapennyquilts - she was a force to be reckoned with and the organisation and planning that went into the retreat were phenomenal. Her partner, Patrick, did all the cooking for us for the weekend - the only guy on site! But the food was amazing! The homemade flat bread with chicken and dips and veg and salad was fabulous, and I have never had such good sausage and mash! My room-mate for the weekend was Andrea @frustrated_crafter. I didn't know Andrea at all when the room mates were first announced, but it turns out she lives very near where we go on holiday every year, so we were able to meet for coffee over the summer and get to know each other, which was either a huge coincidence, or some very clever ...

This year I've been sewing along with Angie @gnomeangel in the #elizabethhartmanalltheanimalssewalong with varying degrees of success. The first project was Fancy Forest - a project from my list. I made the foxes, the bunnies and a few hedgehogs and then I fell behind. The next planned project was The Kittens, which I decided to pass on. Then up was Awesome Ocean, another project from the list, and one which I had already bought the background for. February rushed past in a blur and I didn't make any blocks. March started, and looked like heading in a similar direction! And then @gnomeangel launched a challenge. The Kittens and Awesome Ocean during March. One of each block  to a tight schedule. Well, I love a challenge. So I bought the pattern for the Kittens Quilt, because Jessica will love (not sure why I discounted it in the first place...). I even had fabric already in my stash for the backing (and wait until you see the backing fabric!). There are five kitten pat...