Flower fairy bag almost finished

I've had this flower fairy panel for a very long time. I was drawn to it because this first image has some fairies that were on a collectible tin I owned as a tween. 

I really loved flower fairies, so it made sense for me to make the panel into pockets for a special bag, rather than keep the fabric in my stash, in a cupboard where i can't eaven see it. I bought the panel years ago, immediately when I saw it at Sunlit Blooms, as it seems to be one of those Blink-and-you-miss-it fabrics.

A few of us in the Olive Branch Tuesday group decided to make the large standing up bag. The original pattern used strips of fabric, so I thought I would use some leftover pieces from the quilt as you go childrens quilts I made last year.

Made entirely from the stash, it's surprising how well these all went with the panel fabric. Just those last thick seams to go.

I used a special bag wadding I bought at Just Country Crafts which sits up really well, without being overly stiff. They have the best selection of specialist products for particular purposes.

I've also used fabric medium and sparkly glitter paint on the fairies to make it super sparkly.

It feels so magickal. I am glad to be making something for myself.
 

The finishing touch

Miss 10's birthday curtains are up (thanks for making them Maa Maa). We went to buy curtain clips, then hung them on the bed to create the effect of 4 poster swag curtains. I love the colour with her bed quilts.

Believe it or not, she actually has 3 bed quilts. The flower fairy one is the most recent, and my favourite at the moment.

Which is the best angle?

Hmmm... I would've loved a bedroom setting like this. It's so dreamy!

 

Flower Fairy children's quilt

Quilt number three for the year, and number three for the bushfire quilts drive is complete.

 Oh! These blocks were so fast to make! Now I understand why they are so popular for making quilts to be donated! Quilting them at the same time as constructing means less stitching to do.

And they are strong, pretty, and use up your scrappy pieces because the strips are diagonal, so you can always find something the right size, even for a small corner.

This is my 3rd completed quilt for the bushfire recovery quilt drive.

I am particularly making children's quilts, because I feel the trauma of the bushfires will impact their lives significantly, and these quilts may bring comfort for an entire lifetime. I recently heard of a 6 year old boy overly concerned with having the wrong shoes or clothes on when the bushfire returns, and I don't think a child should have to be thinking that constantly.

You can join the Oz Comfort Quits bushfire quilt drive. You can join the facebook group at this page here. 

The rains are here

It's suddenly cooler here in Townsville, and the rash on my body is subsiding! Woohoo!

The centre panel on the flower fairy has been quilted. I placed this tea towel as part of the backing, because I do not know where this quilt will end up within Australia, and I wanted the person to know that up here, we have been thinking of them.

This is where the panel joins sides.

I have finished the entire top, just the binding to go.

As I was saying, the rains have set in, and we spent the morning running around the yard collecting what we don't want to wash away, weighing down items or moving them to higher ground.

Tomorrow school and kindy are supposed to start. If the rain eases up overnight we should make it to both on time in the morning.

Another large quilt finished

Ah, this Dick and Jane quilt is so magical! I have placed the motifs in multi directions so it doesn't matter which way it is placed on a bed or couch, it will be just right.

This is what I got when I asked the beloved to turn it around for a photo of the back. Hahahaha. He cracks me up!

And the label for the quilts has bene provided following Jan's directions.

To join these blocks, you can see a strip on the back also, I used a 2 inch strip folded in half on the front and a 1 inch strip on the back using quarter inch seams to join the blocks.

No reduction in size of the blocks, they are all butted against each other.


And what's this?

Well, it turns out that those strips really are the absolute fastest way to get a quilt together, and i have been doing rounds, and basting all these blocks and centring them. Gah.

The first 2 rows of the flower fairy QAYG are also made, and with a panel in the centre of this one, it shouldn't be too long until its finished.

Oops

Oops! That's the word I use when I go to the quilt shop to buy 2 cans of spray baste for the next Oz Comfort Quilt drive, and I come away with these fabrics. 

Yess... they were a bargain... and oh so pretty! But goodness, really did I have to buy enough for a QAYG quilt and one for us as well? I do love them so much... 2 panels, and what a stunning quilt they will make!

Ssssshhhh.. I will make the rest out of scraps, I promise!