Fabric Warehouse

My main fabric distributor Is just down the road from where my mum lives, so obviously a trip to my mum's means a warehouse visit! My idea of heaven :) The kids and dh were in tow so came in for a nosey too, the owner was great and gave them a charm pack each, fat quarters and some ribbon. I came away with a new fabric line, loads of new Kona Solids colours, rollups etc..
 

Look what we got :)

 

Decisions, decisions......

 

The new fabric range I have got in is Carmen by Anna Griffin, I love it and will put it up on the website once it arrives next week.

Next week I am planning to visit Oakshott Fabrics and Makower/Andover Fabrics so much more to come!!
I have got so much planned for 2011 so please keep checking in on my blog to see what is happening.

Happy New Year!!!

Mandy xx

Couple of Christmas quilts

Sorry these are so badly photographed, been waiting for the weather to improve but now we seem to have thick fog, certainly no good for photography!

Lap quilt for my mum

It is actually pretty blues and greens! lol x

We are visiting my mum tomorrow and hopefully she will like it!, I made it to go with a hexagon pillow I made last year.

I made two of these Christmas quilts with a Kate Spain - 12 Days of Christmas layer cake.  They were very very quick to put together and I sold one!  The other has been brightening our living room this Christmas!

I made so much other stuff before Christmas, purses, make up bags, brooches, coasters and sold them or gifted them without documenting - duh!!  I will photograph the train quilt I made for my ds when the weather improves, it is too big to do indoors and the lighting is atrocious!

We are still in the midst of it all here but life will get back to normal next week and i will post properly and catch up. 

Hope you all had wonderful Christmases and a Happy New Year!!!!

20% off ALL orders!

Use code - JANSALE11

(Free postage on all orders over £15)

Sale runs until11th January 2011

Give away results and office party!!

Sorry this is a bit late but have been busy partying!!!!! 

Super flattering piccie of dh and me partying!

I am very tall but not that tall!!! look like a giant!

The random generator chose number chose Marilyn W - who said:

"I follow your blog!!! Thanks for this op!

Layer cake will be much loved if I win it! :)

Marilyn"

Congratulations Marilyn, I will be contacting you for your details :-)

I have been very busy quilting but they are Christmas presents so I shall post piccies of those after Christmas.

Some friends and I decided we needed a Christmas boogie so booked an "office" party - since I booked it I registered us with my company name - Simply Solids, had a company speech etc etc... Ha ha ha! Amazing I have amassed a staff of 10 in my first six months of trading!!! A really good night was had by all.

Me

Very grainy pic of Lynne from Lilysquilts

Me and my mate Anne

Me and my mate Sal

So all that remains is to wish you all a 

Fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Watch out for exciting things from Simply Solids in the New Year - a big sale and lots of new stuff!

Christmas Giveaway!!

As promised I am holding a Christmas Giveaway :-) 

A fantastic Moda  - Punctuation by American Jane Layer Cake!  Yum Yum!

See below for details...

New in stock this week, some gorgeous It's a Hoot Jelly Rolls - the fabric is so gorgeous I want to keep them all for myself!

I am also now stocking wadding.

Rules for Giveaway:

You get four, yes four chances!

1. Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment to tell me, if you are already a follower comment and tell me.
2. Follow me (madewithlovebym) and tweet about this post in Twitter and let me know in a comment.
3. Post about this giveaway on your blog and let me know in a comment.
4. Like my new page on Facebook and let me know in a comment.

The giveaway will end 9.00 am (UK time) Tuesday 21st December.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Craft Fairs - busy busy busy

Sorry I have been neglecting my blog recently, but this time of year is soooo busy!! So many kids things, snow and making stuff for a couple of craft fairs I have been taking part in.  Yesterday was the School Christmas Bonanza, pretty low key and great fun.  The kids sang, loads of people came and chatted and I sold a few Christmas decorations, purses brooches etc.  Today I can get on with Christmas present stuff, got two quilts to finish off and a massive bolt of wadding turned up yesterday so I can get on - YAY!!  I will be adding the wadding to the shop shortly.

Here I am in my festive sweater all ready and raring to go! - DS hiding in background!

Keep your eyes peeled for a Christmas giveaway in the next couple of days!!!

Gift Certificates added and extra days added to the SNOW sale!

Well there is still plenty of snow here and although we can now get out and about I have decided to continue the SNOW sale for a few more days - until the 10th to be precise!  So just add SNOW into the discount code box to receive your 10% off.  UK only orders please.

Also, if you would like your nearest and dearest to help you out with your stash, there are now Gift Certificates available in the shop - so drop them a hint!!!

Sooo funny, check it out!

Check out this video on YouTube:

Patty cake cats!


Mandy xx

SNOW SALE 10% OFF!!!

I am snowed in at the moment and going a bit stir crazy!!  So just for the sake of it I am offering 10% off all purchases!  I have loads of new stock in so check it out!  Just type SNOW into the discount code box and away you go! - UK and two days only unless the snow lasts longer of course! 

Snow, Medium Gray and Ash ....

Snow, Medium Gray and Ash are finally back in stock!!!!!!
I have been promised there won't be this sort of delay again - but many many apologies to those of you who have been waiting.

No quilting been going on here but I am finally on the mend, the last couple of days I have been feeling well enough to sit up in bed and make Christmas ornaments, which I love doing so here are a few piccies...

These little birds are from Fa la la la Felt by Amanda Carestio, I have actually made 15 of them (not all in the last two days)!  Really fun and easy to make and a great book.  I am planning on making loads more from this book.

The bell is also from this book, but I made my own template as wasn't near a photocopier to enlarge the ones in the back of the book.

The gingerbread men were kind of adapted from a Tilda pattern  from her Crafting Christmas Gifts book - another goodie, I am a sucker for Christmas decoration books!

These are from an Indygo Junction pattern from last year, but I just love making them - they take hours but are worth it!

Again these are from an Indygo Junction pattern.

Tomorrow I'm of to Harrogate to the Knitting and Stitching Show with Lynne from Lilysquilts - very excited!!

Is anyone else going?  If so let me know and we could meet for coffee x  We got free tickets to see Gok Wan which should be fun and maybe we'll pick up some styling advice!  I will be sussing out whether to do a stall there next year, I am already doing the Festival of Quilts next year, but more on that in another post.

AccuQuilt's Black Friday Sale - Lowest Prices Ever!

AccuQuilt is giving its blogger friends a sneak peek of their upcoming Black Friday sale! As you all know, Black Friday has become a great shopping tradition among Americans everywhere. However, a majority of consumers now prefer to shop online to escape the dangers of stampede and the hassles of long lines at stores. If you can't find the items you want, it's easy to hop from one store website to the next without being disappointed. Savvy online shoppers know how to get the most out of Black Friday sales by utilizing blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and other websites to get the inside track on tremendous sales.



AccuQuilt is offering the lowest prices ever on some of their most popular items plus special Daily Deals you don't want to miss! AccuQuilt's Black Friday sale begins on Wednesday, November 24th and ends on Cyber Monday, November 29th! Don't miss out - visit accuquilt.com starting Wednesday to place your order!


Mandy xx

3rd day in bed...

So fed up, 3rd day in bed with nasty virus, raging temperature and fainting bouts :-( Only my trusty iPad for company. Woe is me .....


Mandy xx

Accuquilt Go! Cutter -we have a winner!!

Well the random generator has chosen!!

And the winner is Leah from Canada!

Wowee! Congratulations Leah! I have emailed you so just let me know your details and the very generous people from Accuquilt will send you your Go! Cutter.

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max:484
Result:
429
Powered by RANDOM.ORG


Mandy xx

Just 13 and 1/2 hours to Go!

It's all heating up here in blogland!  Just 13 and 1/2 hours to Go! until I pick the lucky winner for an amazing Accuquilt Go! Cutter!  Who will it be?

Comment on the post below to be in with a chance!

Lilysquilts is having a giveaway too!

My great friend Lynne of lilysquilts fame is having a giveaway on her blog celebrating 300 followers on her blog! She is giving away a Moda scrap bag donated by yours truly so go check it out :)



Mandy xx

Accuquilt Go! Giveaway!

It's time! Your chance to win an amazing Accuquilt Go! Cutter and three dies of your choice - yay!!!


"What do I have to do?" I hear you ask. Well it is very simple and you have three chances...

1. Become a follower of my blog and let me know in a post - if you are already a follower let me know.

2. Become a fan of Accuquilt on Facebook and let me know in a post.

3. Post on your blog about this giveaway and let me know in a post.

All that is left then is to go the Accuquilt website and choose which three dies you would like if you were to win! Do not post these, I just need to know if you win :)

The giveaway will close on Saturday 20th 10 am U.K. time.

The giveaway is now closed at 484 entries!

Mandy xx

New colours!!

Check them out http://www.simplysolids.co.uk!

Free iPhone quilting app from Robert Kaufman!!

Wow, look at this!  Robert Kaufman have just brought a new iPhone/iPad/iTouch app and it's free!!

Look at all the things it does... 

How cool is that - an immediate download from me :)

Sewn Together November Blocks

These are the blocks that I have just finished for Anna - Singings for the Sewn Together Bee on Flickr.  Anna has chosen some fantastic fabric and I just love wonky stars - such fun to put together.

Love the spots and the cute little car!

The text on this fabric and the smoking lady are so cool.

Fresh Modern Bee - November Blocks

This month for the Fresh Modern Bee on Flickr we were sent some gorgeous solids - right up my street!  Jessica - Quilthappie is making a quilt for her sister, these are her favourite colours and then she wanted just a small splash of red thrown in as her sister loves rubies.  I think these colours just sing!

I was originally going to to double wedding ring using my Go! Cutter, but the block would have worked out way to big, so I cut out the shapes using my cutter then did a bit of curved piecing around them.  I am really pleased with the end results and am definitely going to do a solids double wedding ring quilt - watch this space

What have I been up to...

First, here is the block I have made for the lovely Melissa from Ardea's Nest for the QATB Swap.  We have each chosen a theme, and Melissa's is birds, I could do what ever I liked around that theme!  I decided to do some brightly coloured little tweeties - aren't they cute!

 They are raw edge appliqued and then heavily quilted around.

 Here is the back.

This is the lovely block that Melissa did for me, my theme is teacups!  Thank you Melissa!

I received this lovely mini-quilt from Sasikirana in the Savvy Seasons swap on Flickr.  It has gone straight up on the wall in my studio even though it's not Christmas yet!  I love it :)  She also sent a lovely sparkly blue Christmas FQ for my stash - just got to decide what to make with it!  Thank you!

More news to come on other finished and half finished projects.....

Sarah Vedeler's GO! Bedazzled Quilts wins 1st place in Houston. GO! GO! GO!

Accuquilt and their Go! Cutter are going from strength to strength,  Sarah Vedeler’s GO! Be Dazzled quilt won first place honors in the Computer-Aided Machine Embroidery category of the 2010 “A World of Beauty” annual fall show of the International Quilt Association.

Sarah Vedeler and AccuQuilt have partnered together on new designer GO! dies featuring Sarah’s Sparkle

Tree collection and Stars collection. In addition, Sarah Vedeler Designs offers digitalized embroidery motifs to

accompany the new dies. 

The new designer dies by Sarah Vedeler and GO! Be Dazzled embroidery CD are now available on the Accuquilt site. 

To recreate the quilt yourself, you will need the following dies:

GO! Feathers
GO! Hearts
GO! Funky Flowers
GO! Round Flower
GO! Stars
GO! Circles

It really is a stunning quilt!

Dresden Plate Tutorial - Accuquilt Go! Cutter

I have been using my wonderful Accuquilt Go! Cutter now for a while and I must say it is fantastic and a real time saver.  I used the Dresden Plate cutter for the Bee Mental Flickr group and the results were stunning - perfect blocks every time.  So here is a tutorial for using this die.

Step 1. - Mark your die.

This helps with your fabric placement and minimises waste.  Use a Sharpie or other permanent marker and carefully draw on the foam where the blades are placed.  Be careful not to press too hard and damage yourself or your pen!  Learn from my mistake and leave to dry before cutting out fabric!! I raced ahead and some pen transferred on my fabric!

2. Choose your design
With the Dresden Plate die you get two different choices, rounded or pointed edges - which of course gives you the third option of alternating them.  I decided to go for pointed edges.

3. Fabric choice
The die cuts four pieces - you will need twenty for a full plate, so for good variety choose five different fabrics.  The Go! Cutter will cut through six layers, so will easily cut through your five fabrics and a whole plate is done in one go!  Choose another fabric for your centre circle and you are almost ready to roll!
Carefully place your fabrics on the die, your pen marks will show you where to place and how much fabric to use.

Step 4. Rock and Roll
Simply place the cutting mat on top of the fabric and die and roll your fabric through the Go! Cutter using the handle.  The cutter works for right and left handed quilters so just do what is easiest for you.  To lengthen the life of your cutting mat make sure you alternate sides and direction each time you cut.

Step 5. Fabric ready to sew.
Your fabric can now be removed and is ready to sew!  It's that easy!

Step 6. Preparing your points.
Fold each piece right sides together, make a good crease as you will need this later, then sew a quarter inch seam across the top.

All these can be run through one after the other and your will end up will a lovely pile of pieces.

Step 7. Trim threads and snip corners.
The heading says it all, trim all loose threads and snip the corner on the folded edge to make it easier to turn your point.

Step 8.  Turn and press
Turn your point the right way, use your crease line from earlier to make sure your point is even. Prod with a stick or other such item to get a nice sharp point and press.

Step 9. Centre Circle
Take your two circles and place right sides together and sew a quarter inch seam all the way round.

Step 10. Snip and turn.
Cut small snips around the outside and make a cut through the centre of one side.

Turn and Press.

Step 11. Layout and sew together
Choose the order and sew your pieces together using a quarter inch seam, pressing after each seam.  I stuck to batches of five which makes this easily manageable.

Then make up your halves

Complete your plate and press.

Step 12. Appliqué
I machine appliquéd my plate to my base fabric using a running stitch, although you could use zig zag or hand appliqué for a neat finish.  Simply pin your plate on to your fabric and stitch around the edge, then starch and press and attach your centre circle.  Again I machine attached my centre as this also secured the centre of the plate to the base fabric.

There you have it - a very quick and easy Dresden Plate block thank you to the amazing Accuquilt Go! Cutter!