Quilt and Shine – Block 10

Welcome to Block 10 of #quiltandshine Quilt-along…

Block 10 – Friendship

We all need friends in our lives, to let us shine. Take time to reach out to your friends and family and talk…  Be the reason someone has a smile on their face today….

#bekind

Block 10 is ready for you to download at the link below, perfect for some weekend sewing. #Quiltandshine quilt along, is hosted by dawn and myself, there is still plenty of time to get involved and join in.

Download your free pattern here

You can find blocks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 here on my blog

Be sure to head over to Dawn blog and download block 4, 7 and 9

https://fromourlittlehivetoyours.blog/blog/

 

Share your gorgeous blocks on Instagram using the hashtag #quiltandshine, we are so excited to see your finished blocks… .

This Quilt Along is sponsored by HoneybeeCloths

Dawn has very kindly put together packs of fabric especially for the quilt along

https://www.honeybeecloths.co.uk/shop/4574190065/Zen-Chic

Thanks for joining in with our Quilt-along, we are so excited to be sewing along with you.

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

‘Do what makes your heart smile’

Happy Sewing

Michelle

Block 5 #quiltandshine Quilt-along…

Hey,

Today I want to share with you Block 5 of the #quiltandshine quilt-along, hosted by myself and Dawn @dawn_honeybeecloths

Block 5 is all about seeing stars… using prairie points to create this beautiful star. Download block 5 at the link below

Quilt and Shine block 5

I was so excited to complete block 4 – Beachcomber (designed by Dawn) and its available now to download on the blog at the link below

https://fromourlittlehivetoyours.blog/2019/08/24/quilt-and-shine-quilt-along-block-4-beachcomber/

Now the first four blocks have been released, they are ready to been sewn together…

Love the seeing the stars begin to appear between the blocks

Thanks for reading, hope this post has inspired you to get creative.

You can follow me here on my blog, and can also find me on Instagram and Facebook

‘Do what makes your heart smile’

Happy Sewing

Michelle

Quilt and Shine Quilt Along – – Fabric requirements, Giveaway plus a promotional discount code…

Hi guys, with the release of the first block coming this Saturday (15th June). I thought I would share with you a few more details.

This quilt along is being designed by myself @creativeblonde and Dawn from Honeybee Cloths, you can follow both our blogs, and Instagram pages, so you don’t miss a thing 🙂

Prizes Along The Way

HoneybeeCloths are giving away some fabulous prizes throughout this quilt along, that you wont want to miss, for example one of the giveaways is ‘A Fat Eighth bundle of 12 Day in Paris fabrics, which is the equivalent to 1.5 metres!!

Be sure to follow us:

https://www.instagram.com/michelle_creativeblonde/

https://www.instagram.com/dawn_honeybeecloths/

We are using a brand new beautiful collection of fabrics, from Moda called ‘Day in Paris’ by Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic 

Here is what the designer said about her collection

“Who wouldn’t enjoy a day in Paris, the fashion capital of the world? Zen Chic’s newest group Day in Paris reflects this extraordinary elegance and feminine flair with a color palette of cool aqua and chartreuse, a deep navy and a soft pale pink, enhanced by little splashes of gold. Use these sophisticated fabrics to create one of a kind chic and stylish quilts”

In this quilt Along, we will be making a beautiful throw size quilt, which will measure 50″ x 50″ (approx. 127cm x 127cm)

It will be made up of 16 blocks, each measuring 12″ x 12″ (approx. 30cm x 30cm)

12 blocks will be designed by myself, and will be released in the middle of every month, starting next week. Dawn will be creating the remaining four blocks, which will be released throughout the year, as bonus blocks.

The layout of our blocks is shown below, along with fabric requirements

The main layout of the quilt will require the following to make up the stars and boarder

• 3/8 yard (approx. 0.32 metres)  from any of Pinks in the collection
• 5/8 yard (approx. 0.6 metres) from any of Light Blues in the collection
• 3/8 yard (approx. 0.32 metres) from any of Navy’s in the collection
• 5/8 yard (approx. 0.6 metres) from any of Grey’s in the collection

The border will require

• 3/4 yard (approx. 0.7 metres) from any of the Greens in the collection

We have decided to use the low volume white/creams from the collection to make up the 16 blocks, this will require

• 2 1/8 (approx. 2 metres) yard from any of the Whites in the collection

The blocks we design will be made using fabrics from the charm pack in the collection, which contains 40 premium cotton squares each measuring 5″ x 5″ .

We recommend ordering 1/2 yard (1/2 metre) from the Pinks, Light Blues, Navy’s and Grey’s, so your left over fabrics can be used to make up the blocks along with One Charm Pack

***Enter the promotional code word ‘SHINE’ when purchasing fabrics from www.honeybeecloths.co.uk and receive 5% off your order***

(offer valid 9/6/19 – 15/6/19 inc)

We are both very excited about this quilt along, and cant wait to sew along with YOU.

Its suitable for everyone, whether you’re new to sewing/quilting, or simply want to sew along with us and create a beautiful throw size quilt.

There will be something for everyone, needle-turn applique, raw edge applique, free motion embroidery, English paper piecing and lots more

Here is a sneak peek at Block 1…

GIVEAWAY

To kick start this quilt along, Gutermann have very generously given us two packs of their beautiful ‘sew all -Summer Loft thread’ collection, they compliment these fabrics perfectly

To enter to win a pack, simple :

• Follow my blog
• Leave a comment telling me what your favourite type of sewing/quilting is…

Best of luck!

🎊 🎉 The winner is… APRIL LOPEZ congratulations 🎊 🎉

For another chance to win, head over to my Instagram page @michelle_creativeblonde for more details…

Thanks for reading, Myself and Dawn are so exciting to be sewing along with you all.

‘Do what makes your heart smile’

Happy Sewing

Michelle

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

Double Giveaway…

I’m so excited to tell you about, not one but two giveaways happening this week…

I’ve teamed up with @craftcottonco to give away this Evergaldes FQ pack to one lucky winner. Its a new collection that doesn’t hit the shops till April.

How to enter:
1️⃣ Follow me @creativeblonde66 and @craftcottonco over on Instagram
2️⃣Tag your crafty friends in the comments on my Instagram post (one tag per comment, each tag is an entry)
3️⃣ Bonus entry: post a photo of something you’d like to see a tutorial for, on the craftcotton blog. With the hashtag #craftcottonco

UK residents only.
Giveaway will be closed Monday 4th March at 10pm. Winner announced Wednesday 6th March – GOOD LUCK

I was lucky enough to be send a FQ pack to play with, and here is what i made…

A lined, padded laptop case with matching phone case

The second giveaway is tied in with finish of the Sweetest Things Sampler, its a year in the making, co-hosted by myself @creativeblonde66 and Dawn at Honeybee Cloths. This is the first QAYG Sampler quilt I have ever made, and I really love how each block has such wonderful memories attached to it.

With just less then one week to go… we are completing our quilts for a very special date in our diaries…

The BIG reveal of Sweetest Things Samplers 
on Friday 8th March! 

Both, Dawn (Honeybee Cloths) and myself Michelle from CreativeBlonde are super excited to see the beautiful quilt’s you’ve been making.

To join in simply post a photo of your quilt on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, using the hashtag #SweetestThingsSampler.
You’ll then be entered in the Sweetest Things Sampler Big Reveal Giveaway prize draw. One lucky winner will receive this super-sweet bundle of sewing pretties.

♥ The draw will take place on 9th March, so let’s hop to it, and sew those samplers ♥
If you’re making the Quilt As You Go version of the Sampler, there are tips for completing your quilt on the Honeybee Cloths Blog.

Here are some sneak peeks of my finished quilt, I will show the full quilt on Friday 8th March – if I don’t burst with excitement first…

‘Do what makes your heart smile’

Check out my Instagram and Facebook page @creativeblonde66

~Michelle~

x creativeblonde x

Fruitcake… and i’m not talking Christmas cake ;)

I was thrilled to be able to participate in another Fat Quarter Shop Quilt Along. For this Quilt Along, I made the Fat Eighth Fruitcake Quilt, which is  part of their shortcut quilt series

Finished size: 64” x 75.5”, Collection: Harriet’s Handwork by Betsy Chutchian

To complete my quilt, I chose  ‘love you’ by Moda, pure snow solids and cutest fabric for the backing ‘grey polar bears’ from the Minny Muu Spring 2016 collection by Lecien Fabrics

 

Once all the pieces were cut, this quilt came together surprisingly quickly

 

And I just love the backing and binding

Head over to ‘The Fat Quarter Shop’ to purchase your pattern, please tag me in your makes, I would love to see which fabrics you choose

 

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

an extra hour…

Hi, thanks for stopping by this week, as the clocks in the UK go back an hour, i thought what better way to spend that extra hour, but to write my blog. Can i just say i really do appreciate each and every comment that you leave me 🙂

This week, was half term and also the week our very and manky (my sons words) kitchen got taken out, and the new one installed. Surprisingly i wasn’t worried about the fact i wouldn’t have an oven for the week, but the fact my conservatory was out of bounds! My conservatory is where i take most of my photos, it gives the best light with the least amount of shadow – who knew

I finished my valentine quilt, and oh my goodness, how lovely is double gauze to work with, i will be totally honest and let you into a little secret, i’d never heard of it, but i LOVE it, and its definitely something i will work with again and again.

I love the soft and cosy feel to it, and using it for raw edge applique, i think gave my quilt a real shabby chic feel.

Click here to see the huge range by  Higgs & Higgs

“Double gauze is, very simply, two layers of gauze that are tacked together at regular intervals with little stitches that are undetectable from the right side of the fabric. Soft, airy and slightly crinkled for a casual look these textiles make fabulous fashion and nursery items”

Gutermann threads were beautiful to work with for this fabric too

I was so excited when i was asked to make some wash bags, the fabrics i chose are from Gutermann from their Marrakesch range, and i LOVE it, definitely going to have to fill my stash with more of this beautiful fabric. I was also given the chance to try out a sample of Vlieseline Lamifix – my conclusion… FAB!! The two wash bags below are both lined with Lamifix, the pale green is covered all over, and the navy piece is just fabric, with base covered in Lamifix. Its so versatile and i would recommend the product. Ive almost finished a toiletry roll which i lined with Lamifix, I will share with your next week

 

In honor of my new kitchen i have made a table topper, i hoping to get round to making matching seat covers too, the cat thought this one was for him 🙂  These beautiful fabrics are by Moda from the caroline collection designed by Brenda Riddle, Kate and Birdie and Tilda and all available for Honeybee Cloth  and if you head over there this week, dawn is offering 10% off EVERYTHING in their shop, use the promo code CREATIVEBLONDE

 

They have a beautiful range of the most prettiest fabrics, each and every piece of fabric is cut and packaged in the most adorable way, makes an idea gift for someone or just a well deserved treat for yourself

 

Next month brings new and exciting fabric from Craft Cotton – its their new ‘Winnie the Pooh’ range, isn’t it adorable. I will be making a quilt and some coordinating bunting – its the perfect fabric for anyone expecting a baby in the new year. Pre-order yours now  – click here

That rounds up another week, I would love to hear from you, please leave me a comment  🙂

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

Check out my Instagram and Facebook page @creativeblonde66

~Michelle~

x creativeblonde x

Creative Blonde weekly round up

Hello, thanks for stopping by

This week i promise, no more Christmas related items, its Valentines this week hahahaha !!  🙂

As the night are drawing in, and the evenings are getting colder, what better idea is there, then to make a Valentines quilt for a loved one…

I’ve started with some ideas, using this amazingly soft fabric from Higgs & Higgs, called  Double gauze its two layers of fine gauze that are tacked together at regular intervals with little stab stitches which are undetectable from the right side of the fabric and it comes in the most beautiful grey, pinks and white

 

The next block in the ‘sweetest things sampler’ has been released, this month it was my turn to design it, head over to Honeybee Cloths to grab your FREE pattern. this months block inspiration came from October being my birthday month, and so i just had to invite you all for tea and cake 🙂

Last months block was an amazing hedgehog designed by Dawn at Honeybee cloths, using prairie points to create his spikes – genius 🙂 I’m a big fan of hedgehogs, so i was super excited to make this block, I love the acorn quilting details. Grab your free pattern 

This month was also the last month in the #sew6organizers challenge, to see everyone’s completed challenge, head over to Instagram  page #sew6organizersgiveaway to see everyone’s collaborations, deadline is the end of October, all the projects are available in this fab book by Aneela Hoey – Stitched Sewing Organizers

If your looking for a bit more sewing inspiration, check out this month issue of Quilt Now magazine, there is a rather awesome project in there ( by me 🙂 ) a New born quilt/play mat with matching rattle/play ball using some beautiful Gutermann circus fabrics, they would make a great gift for someone expecting a new bundle of joy in the new year

I’ve been working on a little secret project this week too, called ‘Fat Eighth Fruitcake’ which is part of the Fat Quarter Shop shortcut quilt series. The big reveal is Tuesday 23rd October, be sure to head over to the Fat Quarter Shop Blog to see all of the Quilts made by  the 14 bloggers taking part. Its a beautiful pattern, and is the largest quilt I’ve ever made. The fabrics I’ve chosen are ‘love you’ by Moda, pure snow solids and cutest fabric for the backing ‘grey polar bears’ from the Minny Muu Spring 2016 collection by Lecien Fabrics – here is a little sneaky peek…

 

and lastly the winner of these beautiful metallic Guterman threads is @ketacaudillo – huge congratulations

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

Check out my Instagram and Facebook page @creativeblonde66

~Michelle~

x creativeblonde x

‘Home Sweet Home’

Hey Guys,

Hope you’re well, and a huge thanks to you for stopping by today.

I’ve come to the conclusion i’m never going to be a day by day blogger or even a regular event blogger, don’t get me wrong, I’ve tried (that’s a lie) but in my head i wanted to be… I do love receiving those regular emails from bloggers i follow every day, and you can find regular posts from me on Instagram @creativeblonde66 (a place i spent waaayyy too much time).  Anyway i decided i will be a weekend blogger, so somewhere between Friday and Sunday night i thought id update you all on my sewing adventures from the week 🙂

I had huge fun this week, hopping around, seeing how everyone interpreted ”welcome to my house’ blog hop organized and hosted by Carol @justletmequilt.

I’ve picked a couple of my favorites…

https://www.quiltfabrication.com

https://websterquilt.blogspot.com

There is still a little time left to enter my giveaway, head over to my

‘welcome to my house’ post

for all the details, its a fab little kit of everything you need to make my ‘home sweet home’ quilt, that’s the wadding, threads, binding, fabrics and Bondaweb – see below…

 

This month i’m going to be busy working on my Island batik Ambassador Challenge, the fabrics have been chosen, and the theme is ‘starstruck’

 I’m using the new collection called ‘WILD THINGS’, I’m loving all these gorgeous wild animal prints 😍.  I’m going to create three ‘rolling stars’ (pattern from my EQ8 software) to make a wall hanging

I’m also involved in making the new ‘fat eighth fruitcake’ quilt, its a super cute project, from ‘The Fat Quarter Shop’. The fabrics I’ve chosen are ‘love you’ by Moda, pure snow solids and cutest fabric for the backing ‘grey polar bears’ from the Minny Muu Spring 2016 collection by Lecien Fabrics.

Follow my journey to see sneak peeks as i go and for the final reveal on the 23rd October.

And if you’re looking for some inspiration for the week ahead, Grab your copy of ‘patchwork and quilting magazine’ out now!! My shadow hexi quilt pattern with tutorial is in print.

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

Check out my Instagram and Facebook page @creativeblonde66

~Michelle~

x creativeblonde x