Little things!

It's the little things that please me most of the time......

So, when I saw this mini travel iron for a quid in a table top sale I had to have it.  It goes just right on top of my mini ironing board (£3.50) from Ikea.  In our house I am extremely lucky that the only time I ever do ironing is when ironing fabric I am sewing..... but this does mean the iron and ironing board are often in use when I want them.  Now I just set up my mini kit in the kitchen and I am ridiculously happy! (Plus this iron seems to work better than our old ordinary sized one - but don't tell Mark!)

I have finished my October hipbee block for Jan early ....... This is the first star I have ever made, and I was pretty daunted by this. But actually found it quite straight forward.  So now I want to give smaller and more adventurous stars a go.  Check out our flickr group for some really amazing stars, including stars within stars and weeny stars.

Maybe I will make stars for my mouthy stitches 2 bag......... 

x

look books!

OK, so I do know that in comparison with the lovely huge intricate quilts I see on other blogs that this is very small fry in comparison, but (disclaimer over) I am so immensely proud of this little mini quilt that I have made - I just want to leap and shout (hee hee)

Look

Books

Here's the back

I have been intimidated by quilts for a long time, partly due to my poor old sewing machine that has slighty dementia and a mind of it's own.  But it did the trick this time, so I am not to be deterred any more.

The quilt is from don't call me betsy's tutorial.  I learnt lots of new things making this - this is the first thing I have properly quilted, I made all the bias binding myself, using this tutorial

And it's thanks for Ingrid for her recommendation of the darker blue fabric to make a border that would stand out, (I was thinking of a green, but I love how this works). Also huge thanks to Moira, as nearly all the books are made from fabrics that she sent me in the most amazing scrap pack I have ever seen. 

I am thrilled to bits with it.

The quilt is my Dad's Christmas present.

On the subject of books.  Ingrid has lent me this one.

So during nap time today I am going to sit down with a coffee and get some new ideas, I really want to try the applique technique (got to learn how to lower the feed dogs on my machine first - when we tried the bobbin holder fell apart!)

x

A whoopie cushion!

I am looking ahead to Christmas (eeek, sorry everyone!) and thought I would make some cushion covers for several of my friends using the wonky log cabin lessons I learnt at the FQ retreat, and using this brilliant tutorial from Judith.

Here is my first attempt.

 
And the back - with it's lovely hidden zip

I even snuck on one of my school name tags!!

It's for my friend who has a narrow boat, so I thought the bright flowers and pops of red would go well in her boat.

Now I need to study the colour schemes of my friends lounges to try and make them cushions that would fit!

Today has been a lovely day, I have met up with Moira and the wee man for an afternoon of nattering about sewing and children..... lovely.

In, win (that rhymes)

With a four year old in the house we are always finding rhyming words!

House - mouse

ring - ding

You get the picture!!!

well today this post is about being in......





the mouthy stitches gang.  I was too late (I was sad) then I was on the reserve list, and they let me in (I was happy)

So time was short to post my mosaic...... so last night it was a choice between sleep or sorting out a mosaic to post (yawn, I am very weary today) but I did it in time.  (I am relieved).

Now I need more sleep deprivation tonight to start commenting and getting mouthy, or I will be in the bad books!

But this post is also about win.......

Look at all the fabulous fabric that arrived through the letterbox this week.  It was from Colleen's giveaway that I won in the blog hop give away.  She asked the question 'why do you quilt?'  and there were some really interesting answers.  Pop over to her blog to say hi and have a look.

Other incoming fabrics this week was my hipbee stuff from Jan.

This is actually for October...... but who knows when a spare evening will crop up, and I might get the block done early.  jan wants stars...... hence the magic stars I guess?  But I have never done stars before, so this will be a good new challenge for me.

x

Blocks and winnings

Phew it's been a marathon of block making here over the last few days.  Not that I'm complaining I think it's one of my favourite types of sewing to make blocks for other people's quilts.  Although I am looking forward to doing some of my own sewing next!

Stash bee blocks..............

These are going to Danny - who has kindly taken over as mama of the hive, which is great because I was wondering if the hive was dwindling so much that when my month finally comes around there would be no-one left to make blocks for me!!

Bee Blessed blocks.............

The blue fabrics were passed on to me by Di from Trudi...... which was fab, I have been thrilled to use these lovely blues in these blocks.

Hipbee block............

  Which is going off to Judith today. I enjoyed this block, and am looking forward to seeing how they fit together in a quilt.

Then I was a lucky lucky person as I won two of the blog hop give aways that were going on recently.

So yesterday there was a parcel for me from Amy at Crafty Shennanigans.

Which contained this fabulous bundle of loveliness. Can't wait to get cutting into this gorgeous fabric, and might just give the almighty aurofil a try!! So thank you Amy.

Have a good weekend

x

Back again

Back to term again (and a bit more time for blogging - I hope) ..........

For us this is a new routine as Hope has started school.

How better to celebrate the end of the first day of school - mars bar scones and chocolate meringues.

It has been a lovely summer - we have done so many nice things and made the most of every day.  The second half of the holidays involved a week to Cornwall to visit family.

 Where you just have to eat pasties...........



Then we had our sewing evenings (ignore the bottle of wine - check out the sea view from the balcony!)

These were the fruits of our labour.  Alice made the fabulous blue scrappy tote bag - using a blue pillow case we found in a charity shop, and some of Moira's fabulous scraps that she sent me - THANK YOU xx

Tracy and I made the pouches, and I had a bash at a wash bag made with a shower curtain we got from the charity shop.


Then we came home, and we made our first ever batch of lemon curd...... I was anxious it wouldn't set, but as it cooled in the fridge it did set - and so these precious two jars will be birthday presents for people.

And, then (drum roll) I managed a long weekend away by myself to Scotland to meet up with my Mum and Dad while they were staying in St Andrews.  Wow, I had the best time.  We walked miles and miles along the Fife coastal footpath, we explored every nook and cranny of St Andrews, we found cafes everywhere we went and had fresh crab for lunch and chai tea latte's.....

There were two sad things when we were there, firstly the Pilot Whales that came too close to the shore and then couldn't get out to sea again, we were there while the rescue crews were trying to save them, and although 10 were saved, about 12 could not be saved.  It felt very very sad to see them.

Secondly, and far more trivial, was that I had heard there was a great fabric shop called very Crafty in  Lower Largo, and so I had saved some money to have a spending spree in there..... alas, the day we walked there it was closed.  My Mum had really hoped to take me there as she had discovered it before and thought I would love it.  Anyway, I have sent her back there with my twenty quid on a day it was open so I have a feeling some yummy fabrics will be on their way to me soon.

Talking of which, I won some give aways recently, but I will blog about those another time, I am hoping to try and blog a bit more often now I might be able to snatch a bit more time. 

I hope you have all had a good summer

x