Fat free Easter Eggs…

Hey, hope you’re all well, thanks for stopping by to read my blog.

Here the UK the sun has been shining, the snowdrops and daffodils are opening up and the weather is turning warmer, Spring is in the air, and its certainly given me a boost.

Today I wanted to share with you a Easter Egg table runner pattern I have designed using some FQ’s packs in pastel tones from Craftcotton

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These Easter eggs are created using Foundation Paper Piecing, which is a great way to achieve crisp joins, without any fuss. I love the effect of raw edge applique, in fact its one of my favorites.

Download my free pattern using the link below

Easter-egg-table-runner patternDownload

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Follow me here on my blog, and share with friends, you can also find/tag me on Instagram and Facebook with your makes.

‘Do what makes your heart smile’
Happy Sewing

Michelle

Personalised Nursery Bunting…

To compliment my ‘Cheeky Frog’ quilt, I have created matching bunting, which is available at the link below .

Hope you enjoy making the quilt and bunting.

craftcotton-frog-buntingDownload

Don’t have time to sew, place an order here on my website, to purchase the bunting with the quilt.

(fabrics subject to availability).

Follow me here on my blog, and share with friends, you can also find/tag me on Instagram and Facebook with your makes.

‘Do what makes your heart smile’
Happy Sewing

Michelle

Free pattern – Christmas gift table runner…

I’m so excited to share with you my Christmas gift table runner pattern… The gorgeous Christmas fabrics are from Craftcotton, and the batting inside in from Vliesline, sewn together using Aurifil threads.

Christmas-gift-table-runnerDownload

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Be sure to tag me with your finished table runners, I would love to see your makes

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Follow me here on my blog, and share with friends, you can also find/tag me on Instagram and Facebook.

Looking for more handmade Christmas items to buy?

Please check out the ‘pages’ listed on my home page (or click the link below), you will find all my quilts which are for sale, most of which have been published in UK, American and Australian quilting magazines, plus lots of other handmade items.

https://wordpress.com/pages/creativeblondeblog.wordpress.com

‘Do what makes your heart smile’
Happy Sewing


Michelle

Cosy petal cushion tutorial…

I love the new collection from Gutermann ‘Cosy Moods’, one of my first projects is this ‘Cosy petal’ cushion

These beautiful green, red and blue, along with powdery pink are stunning, and definitely give off a cosy feel. I’ve used needle-turn applique to create my design

You can download my tutorial at the link below

 Cosy mood cushion tutorial

See more of this beautiful collection here

https://consumer.guetermann.com/en/products/fabrics-accessories-guetermann-ring-a-roses/collection-cosy-mood

Follow me here on my blog, you can also find me on Instagram and Facebook

‘Do what makes your heart smile’

Happy Sewing

Michelle

‘Building Blocks’ Quilt – Free Pattern…

Hey, I know its me again!

…but this time I come bearing gifts, yes its my free pattern for one of my latest quilts

‘Building Blocks’

This is by far the softest quilt I’ve ever made, its been created using the adorable wool batting from Vlieseline, and jersey fabrics from Stoffabrics

Download my free pattern here

Building Blocks -Newborn Quilt

 

Follow me here on my blog, and you can also find me on Instagram and Facebook

‘Do what makes your heart smile’

Happy Sewing

Michelle @creativeblonde66

Sunday and still going strong…

Hello, thanks for stopping by to read what I’ve been up to this week…

I’m feeling just a little bit pleased with myself ,as I’m keeping on top of the quilt-a-longs I’ve signed up to, so here is where I’m at so far…

First up – Daisy chain QAL hosted by Amanda @honeybunnyanddoll this week was all about sewing together Unit A, I’m itching to find out what this will look like when its finished, so is my cat 🙂

As I’m making the Throw size, I had 39 of these traditional 4 square blocks to make

The start of March brings with it, the next in the colour challenge block, hosted by Jen @patternsbyjen,  this month is BLUE… I’ve used an array of Beautiful Blue Batiks from @island_batik, and Gutermann threads.

I’m still busy sewing along with the weekly flower bouquet hosted by Pat @quilterpatsloan, can you believe we have reached block 10 of 20 already? I’m using Gutermann fabrics from the Portofino collection for all my blocks, along with Gutermann threads

The next block in the Modern HST BOM hosted by Steph @stephjacobsondesigns, is now available, I was keeping to a bit of a blue theme this week. I’m using Island Batiks and Guterman threads

The last sew along I need to update you with, is the Mystery QAL, hosted by Tracy @itsatsweetsday, this is where we are given one particular fabric which we need to include in our final make, along with whichever fabrics we like. this quarter the fabric is an adorable mouse fabric @lewisandirenefabrics, I’ve decided to make a paper piecing project, adding some fabrics from Moda and Stoffabrics

This week I was asked to play around with some accessories from Groves, so I decided to make a few simple Mothers Day gifts, my tutorials are suitable for beginners. You can download my patterns below 🙂

 

Mothers Day Gift ideas – key fobs

 

Mothers Day Gift ideas – keyrings

 

Mothers Day Gift ideas

‘Do what makes your heart smile’

Check out my Instagram and Facebook page @creativeblonde66

~Michelle~

x creativeblonde x

The Big Reveal…

Wow, can you believe its been over a year since myself and Dawn begin this mystery quilt along sampler, today I’m going to take you a little journey, so you can see this quilt come to life…

Block One – Cherish; was designed me. After the very sad loss of my Nan (my best friend), I took time to reflect on the love around me, the strength I found from friends and family to keep going. Sometimes we are all guilty of not finding the time to call family or a friend, and this I know, I’m guilty of. So this block was designed for my Nan, to let her know I love her and miss her every single day, and I cherish every memory we shared.

 

Block 2 – A spring basket; was designed by Dawn, and this is what she said about her block ‘

Seeing the daffodils and primroses peek out from the melting snow means spring is here, so this month’s Sweetest Things Sampler block is an Easter basket, full of springtime wonders

‘The first Easter baskets I remember were little paper and glue ones, made in primary school. When we returned from lessons, they’d been filled with speckled candy eggs. So now whenever I see little Easter baskets, I’m reminded of this and how little acts of kindness, mean a lot’

 

Block 3 – April Showers bring may flowers; was my turn… my inspiration cane from ‘April showers, bring May flowers.

In this block you will find, free motion embroidery flowers, little silver raindrops and a  padding which gives a lovely 3D effect to the umbrella

Block 4 – Nest; is Dawn design, here is where her inspiration came from

‘Inspired by our little feathered friends’ who put so much care and effort into nest building, weaving twigs, moss, and feathers together – it reminds me of the loving care which goes into making our quilts.

With the first few block made, I decided to get busy making the Irish Chain blocks, which would join our sampler blocks together. Using the quilt-as-you-go method, this quilt started to come together quite quickly

Block 5 – Basket of Strawberry sweetness; and I was up… and would could be sweeter then a huge basket of juicy strawberries

This block includes a basket woven from Brenda Riddles’ “Caroline” ticking fabric, juicy looking strawberries, and the sweetest little quilted butterflies.

Block 6 – From our little hive to yours; is dawn design, and nothing gets sweeter the honey

Here is what Dawn said about her inspiration for the block…

‘It’s lovely to hear the little bees humming, busily working together, nurturing the hive – it reminds me of the hum of the sewing machine, and how just like the busy little bees, so much can be achieved when we work together’

 

Block 7 – Quench your thirst;  was my turn…and yes i know its food related again 😉 But it was a beautiful summer in 2018, and I enjoyed many warm evenings in the garden, with a fresh juice or two, while the kids ate ice-creams

Block 8 – Prairie Point Hedgehog; Dawn had created the cutest block of all time, with the very clever idea of using prairie points to create a 3D hedgehog! Hedgehogs are one of my favorites, so this block was so lovely to make

This is what Dawn said…

‘Spending time in the outdoors, among the little wonders of nature is lovely any time of year, but a fine autumn day, when the fruits are ripening, the leaves turning colour and the possums making themselves a cosy spot to overwinter, is especially sweet

Block 9 – Birthday Treats; Inspired by my Birthday (did anyone notice it was food related again?) I say you cant beat a cuppa and slice of cake, I love the little bow I added in this one, and the quilted bunting

Block 10 – Mistletoe and Mittens; and it was turning chilly, Dawn designed the perfect block, here is what Dawn said…

‘In winter, when trees have shed their leaves, there’s something kind of wonderful in the big bunches of mistletoe, hugging the tree branches. Mistletoe is fairly common in this corner of the U.K. It’s rich green leaves and bright little berries, welcome colour this time of year. So let’s put on our warm woolly mittens, and go find some mistletoe…

Block 11 – Deer in the snow; This block was designed by Dawn and here is where her inspiration came from…

‘Even in the middle of winter, you can still find little moments of wonder. It might be the bright winter sunshine, shimmering snow, the shy doe in the woods, or perhaps the little snow globe which shimmers when shaken, that comes out this time each year’

Block 12 – Sew Happy;  Was the last block in this sampler, designed by me.

My inspiration came from the one thing that gives me joy everyday… yes it could really only be about one thing, something which makes our lives a whole lot happier

 

I had to get busy now, cutting and joining the rest of the Irish Chain Blocks, so my quilt could be joined together

 

Thanks so much to each and every one of you, who has followed us along this journey, whether you have been sewing the whole quilt, or just chosen a block or two, or simple just left beautiful comments along the way – we thank you. If you have been sewing along, be sure to tag us @creativeblonde66 and @dawn_honeybeecloths using the hashtag #sweetestthingssampler and you will automatically be entered in to win this fantastic giveaway

 

***MY BIG REVEAL***

 

‘Do what makes your heart smile’

Check out my Instagram and Facebook page @creativeblonde66

~Michelle~

x creativeblonde x

Read all about how I came to love quilting, in this month BP&Q mag…

I was so excited when Helen from the British Patchwork and Quilting magazine approached me about writing an article for one of their regular features in the magazine called ‘First and Last’. The Issue is out today, the article tells you a little about me and how I came to find quilting and fell in love with it…

Also inside is my mini valentine wall hanging quilt pattern, made using some beautiful Batik fabrics

 

The quilt I talk about as being my last (not my last ever, just the last one I was working on at the time) is a free pattern which you can download here

My Retro Flowers Quilt

I really hope you enjoy making this, its a beautiful finished size, approximately 40″ x 48″, so its perfect for that ‘go-to’ blanket on the sofa on those chilly nights.

 Have a lovely weekend, until next time… happy sewing

 I would love to hear from you, please leave me a comment

Check out my Instagram and Facebook page @creativeblonde66

~Michelle~

x creativeblonde x

This weeks catch up, plus free Christmas patterns…

Hello, thanks for stopping by…

I have so much to tell you about, this week has been so busy, and I’ve loved every minute

…Did you know there is only 29 days till Christmas?

I’m so excited to tell you my ‘SNOW’ and ‘HO HO HO’ wall hangings PDF can now be downloaded below.

For more Christmas inspiration head over to the Craft Cotton Blog

Christmas wall hanging – snow

Christmas wall hanging – ho ho ho

I’ve been busy making this months sewing bee block for the ‘siblings together’ charity.  I love this pattern and the colours chosen by Karen@weekendtextiles. 

I used Island batik scraps to create these blocks, and Gutermann threads

This week I was able to complete the final block in the #savethebees quilt, designed and hosted my Jacquelyn. I think this block is my favourite, i love the super buttons from Groves

This month also came the release of block 10 of the shared quilt-along, hosted by myself and Dawn at Honeybee Cloths.

There are 10 blocks so far, with 2 more to be released, below are the latest five blocks. I’ve used Caroline Fabric by @brengr from Moda to complete my blocks

 

And lastly this week, i got involved in a sew along called #retrosnapssal hosted by @imstudiolou. Its such an adorable pattern.

I chose to use the scraps left over from my ‘winnie the pooh’ quilt, the fabrics available from craft cotton soon

Now i just have to keep the dog away from it, its the whitest item in this house 😉

Getting ready for 2019? I’ve signed up for the following quilt-along, Im so excited to be sewing along with Sherry at powered by quilting

I cant cover it up, its all about Christmas…

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE Christmas, so I couldn’t resist making a quilted Christmas countdown wall hanging, that way i can keep you guys up to date too 😉 A free pattern for this will be available very soon, its on my to-do list for Monday. as of today there are only 37 till Christmas  – yay!!

The Christmas countdown wall hanging comes with a cute drawstring bag to hold all the numbers in, and is tied onto the quilt with some adorable ribbon from Groves, and available in all well stocked craft stores

I couldn’t resist a cute ‘HO HO HO’ wall hanging to go with the ‘SNOW’ wall hanging i made last week, i just love the cute Christmas fabrics from Craft Cotton. The blue fabric was perfect for creating snow globes for the ‘O’s and a little fussy cutting of the snow animals

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a special quilt for my dogs, and Camelot fabrics have released the cutest Christmas dog fabric, available from Craft Cotton and Hobbycraft

*** Free Tutorial with pattern coming soon***

One of my dogs, (my very old lady dog) was keen to pose for her photo too 🙂

I hear you ask… have you done anything unrelated to Christmas…

Yes i have, so thanks for still being here and reading on 🙂

This week i was thrilled to see my ‘Monochrome Zoo’ quilt on show at the Craft Cotton stand at this years Quilt market – This was made from a new collection which is due to arrive at Craft Cotton really soon, and with this will be the release of my quilt pattern

Head over this week to the Craft Cotton Blog to grab my free pattern and tutorial for my ‘Cookies and Milk’ mug rug, using the super cute woodland fabric

Free Pattern – Cookies and Milk mug rug

Before you go, I have some hugely exciting news…

Would you like to become an Island Batik Ambassador??? well the application forms for 2019 are OPEN

I’ve had the best year, becoming an Island batik Ambassador, making lovely projects with the boxes of beautiful fabrics, threads and batting, from Island Batik, Auriful Threads and Hobbs batting. Head over to Island Batik website using the link below to apply for 2019

2019 Brand Ambassador Application
https://www.islandbatik.com/news/index.php/2019-brand-ambassador-application/

 

Many thanks for reading, have a lovely week ahead, until next time… happy sewing

 I would love to hear from you, please leave me a comment  🙂

Check out my Instagram and Facebook page @creativeblonde66

~Michelle~

x creativeblonde x