Last Charm Compeleted

Last year I signed up with the Quilted Crow Girls to receive a foundation pieced block pattern, fabric and a charm to match. They arrived every two months and I was keeping up to date until the end of the year when the last one arrived. It was so busy at the end of last year that I had to put it aside.

They always came so beautifully packaged and they were super generous with the fabric. They seemed to give enough fabric to make 5 of every block. The blocks are only 6" square and the fabrics are very traditional and unlike anything I have at home. So it has been interesting to use fabrics that are so different for me and the piecing keeps me up to date because I usually do applique and crazy patchwork.
I remembered it over the weekend and it didn't take long to make it up. The block is called Square in a Square and I have always liked that pattern.

Here is a picture of the last charm, the amazing thing is that the charm block is actually fabric! How do they make them so small!

Now I have completed all the blocks, I just have to add the sashing and make them up into a little quilt. It will be very small, maybe a table-runner! I'll have to look into that.

Apparently the shop is already running another charm bracelet mail-out and the blocks are different so people that did the first one could get more charms and more blocks. Unfortunately I missed that newsletter, probably when I was so busy and I deleted it without reading it. I might have signed up again. Oh well, too late now.

Bye for now,
Linda

Final Charm

The final charm package arrived the other day. I started getting them 12 months ago and they have been arriving every two months since then. They have been sent by the Quilted Crow Girls and I have really enjoyed getting them.

The last block to be done is a square in a square, so that shouldn't be very hard to do. The one before had been more time consuming and I was thinking that they might be getting more difficult as they went along.

It was a larger package than usual because it also contained the pattern and fabric to make the blocks into a small quilt to match the bracelet.

I usually make up the blocks soon after I get them but I am very time starved at the moment. My oldest daughter is getting married next month and our life is consumed by dress fittings, guest lists, bridal showers and high teas. It's hectic and busy but really enjoyable as well.

This block will have to wait until I get some spare time, possibly not until the New Year!

Here is the final charm.

Bye for now,
Linda

New Charm Block

I received another charm block in the post and also enclosed was another little charm for the bracelet.

I get the pattern, fabric and charm sent from the Quilted Crow Girls every two months. I signed up on a whim last year and it has been a bit of fun. The fabrics are very traditional, maybe a civil war style and I don't have fabrics like that in my stash. The blocks are traditional patterns and I haven't done traditional piecing for years and it is nice to revisit the techniques.

They send a foundation pattern in the kit and this makes it so easy to open it up and start sewing! This time it was the pineapple block and it took a lot longer than all the other blocks so far. I hope that they aren't getting more difficult each time!

Even when foundation piecing you have to be very accurate when sewing the block because just a slight deviation from the line and your points are off.

Charmed-Pineapple Block

The pineapple block has always been one of my favourites and years ago I had been planning on making an entire quilt with the block. I really like the striped fabric on the outside, it gives a lot of interest to the block.
The block is 6" finished.

I must show you the little charm that came with it. It's hard to believe that the little charm block is made of fabric as well. I am glad that I didn't have to make that block!

Pineapple Charm

Bye for now,
Linda

Charmed-Lotus Flower

A package arrived last week and I was mystified because I couldn't remember ordering anything. Inside was the next instalment of Charmed. The block and charm that I have been receiving from the Quilted Crow Girls every two months.

Don't they package them beautifully?

This month the block is called the Lotus Flower and it didn't take long to put it together with the foundation piecing method. The block finishes at 6" square.

Lotus Flower block

They always supply a lot more fabric than is needed for the block but there is quite a lot of background fabric in this block and I must have been very generous with my cutting in the beginning because I only just had enough of the fabric.


Here is the little charm that came in the package to add to the charm bracelet.

Lotus Flower Charm

I can't remember how many charms there are in the set. I suppose they'll keep coming until they are finished.

Bye for now,
Linda

Charmed-Heart Block

Every two months I receive a little charm for my charm bracelet and a matching block pattern and fabric from the ladies at Quilted Crow.

The latest charm was a little heart. It's hard to believe that the charm is actually made using real fabric; I wouldn't want to sew one that small.

Heart Charm

It didn't take long to sew up the matching block this time especially using foundation piecing which I love doing.

Heart Block

The fabrics that they sent me this time were exactly the same fabrics that were in the charm.
I don't do a lot of traditional patchwork these days. I am mainly sewing crazy quilts or art quilts and so I am really enjoying participating in this charmed mail out.


Bye for now,
Linda

Charmed Block 2

I signed up for a charm bracelet and matching block pattern with the girls from Quilted Crow and every two months I receive another pack. You can read my post about the first one here.

I have now received my second charm and it is a little Christmas tree. It's hard to believe that they can make such a tiny little block, it might be hard to see but it is made of fabric.

Christmas Tree Charm

What you might not know about me is that I hate UFO's (Unfinished Objects) and since 2002 I have determined to never have one. So when I received this second charm and block pattern I started to worry that I hadn't sewn the first block yet.

I needn't have worried because they are very easy to make and only 6" square. They are foundation pieced and I think that they only took me 15 minutes each to sew.

Here is the first block which is a log cabin.

Charmed-Log Cabin

Here is the second block which is the Christmas Tree and it goes with the charm that I showed you in the first picture.

Charmed- Christmas Tree

The blocks are foundation pieced and I have done a lot of foundation piecing in my time but instead of using the pattern that they sent me I printed it again on some Foundation papers that I had at home. I had two different types of Foundation papers and I don't know when or where I bought them. The log cabin was printed on Foundation papers from That Patchwork Place and it was fine but opaque paper. For the Christmas tree I used Foundation Paper by Zippy Designs and you can see through it.

See through foundation paper

I actually couldn't see the advantage in using the see through paper but it might have been more useful if the pattern was more complicated. What I didn't like was the way the paper curled after it had been ironed whereas the other paper stayed nice and flat.

I had to pin the edges back to photograph the block. I think that I will stick to the other paper in future.

Now I am up to date and that is a worry off my mind and I can get onto other things until the next block arrives.

Bye for now,
Linda

Charm Bracelet

I received an exciting package in the mail last month. I had received a newsletter from the
 Quilted Crow earlier in the year and they mentioned a block of the month that they were running where every 2 months you would receive a little quilt charm that was actually a miniature quilt block and also a pattern and some fabric to make a quilt that matched the charms.

I haven't participated in a block of the month for years and on an impulse I signed up for it. For the past few years I have been busy doing applique and crazy quilting so I haven't done any traditional pieced blocks for a long time and thought it would be fun to some piecing again.

I signed up for this quite a few months ago and I had completely forgotten about it until a package arrived.

It was very exciting to open it and this is what I found.

Pattern, fabric and charm bracelet



Inside the little box were the charm bracelet and the first little charm which is a log cabin block.

Charm bracelet



As you can see from the fabrics it is very traditional and country style but I think it will be fun for a change. The little charm is actually made of fabric and it is a micro miniature block. I don't know how they made them so small.

It is ¾" square.

 

The charms and blocks will arrive every two months. I'll make this block up over the holidays.

 

Bye for now,

Linda