Twenty Four Hours (give or take)

A Mini Quilt

A finished object! (UFO's linger round here for a depressingly long time - I obviously have a short project attention span)

I have one friend locally who also enjoys craft (yay!) and she had a big birthday last month. I really wanted to make her something, and when I saw this tutorial by Aneela Hoey I knew it was perfect. (Let's gloss over the fact that by the time I came to the end of the project I was going through an agony of indecision and had convinced myself she would hate it - does anybody else get like that about handmade gifts?). Fortunately she loved it - and she is now planning to make a first communion version for her niece.

Anyway here is the finished mini quilt:

The quilting is very very simple (by choice - I didn't want to detract from the applique) - and it is bound by a deep red and green fabric (thankfully the green isn't too obvious).

Things I would do differently - make the amount of white "border" smaller (I think...) - and also I when I make another one hopefully I will have a bigger scrap stash ( I don't have one really yet - so I had to cut into some pristine fat quarters as well) - some of the fabrics I used perhaps draw the eye more than I would have liked. Also I tried machine binding for the first time ( I had really run out of time) and it wasn't great - the front is fine, but the top stitching was too far in on the back. Fortunately it is a wall hanging, so nobody is going to see.

I can't believe how much fun it was to do. I was nervous,  but I really loved it - I now have plans for three - one depicting each of my children in their favourite pastimes. I just need that extra wednesday.......

Cushions!

Mmm - this seems to almost becoming a quarterly blog! It wasn't intended - I think it is because I thought I knew what I wanted to say when I started, but have realised that I am not actually sure how I want this blog to be........

Anyway.... cushions! (or pillows if you are in North America). We currently have none in our living room ( I threw most of ours away and then pinched the last 2 to go on the chair I sit on when using the sewing machine). Having been inspired by Pillow Month on the Sew Mama Sew! blog , and by the Bloggers pillow party, I bought 4 cushions to cover from Ikea.

Several fat quarters of Amy Butler's "Love" fabric later, some Klona solid (from Backstitch, although the Remnant House also stock it) and inspiration from Red Pepper Quilts, I have got this far

I wasn't planning on quilting the front, but sadly at the moment, most of the windmills/pinwheels don't really stand out, and I think very simple quilting around them will help.

I did consider leaving it pinned to the study blind as I quite like the stained glass effect, but having sewn all 76 pieces of fabric together, I feel the need to finish and display it! (our study is a bit of a glory hole/dumping ground - I don't willingly let any non family members in there)

I am hoping to make several very different cushions using the same fabric (though I am not sure I have enough of the grey solid...) so hopefully they will coordinate and I will get lots of practice at piecing (without losing the will to live...)

Discussion with a 4 year old...

I had an interesting discussion with child 3 after picking him up from preschool on Wednesday. He had had a lovely day, doing lots of making - including rockets and a flying saucer.

Child 3: We watched a film about flying saucers
Me: Really? That's sounds very interesting.
Child 3: They make them in Africa
Me: I didn't know that!
Child 3: Except for the blue bits. The Aliens make those.
Me: Mmm. So why do the Aliens make the blue bits?
Child 3: Because the blue bits will kill you.

I still don't know what the blue bits are exactly.......or why flying saucers are made in Africa.

Not posting...

Well, I was looking through some photos and thought of all my "Not Posts" (you know, the ones I planned to write, but somehow never did...)

So, here is a brief whirlwind tour of some of the  "Not Posts"!

There was the October half term trip to the Lakes (in the caravan) where it hit -6 on the first night and all the campsite stand pipes froze....

It was incredibly beautiful though. (The rest of the week was much warmer - and MUCH wetter).

There was also the 2 day Beginners Patchwork course I took with Annabel Groom at the Patchwork Dog and Basket in Lewes, which resulted in this

I also went and did a short workshop with Mandy Shaw (you may have seen her on Kirstie's Homemade Home) making a Russian Doll tree ornament (please excuse the poor photo - my camera was dying and Santa was yet to make his visit...)

I have found out that actually I really like hand sewing..........

There have been birthdays (which required cakes...)

And currently I am working my way through a Busy Lizzie quilt kit. all the blocks have been sewn and trimmed

 

 

 Sewing them together though will have to wait - I have a tweenage girl's birthday party to organise and apparently I need to sew some party bags....and make another cake.......

Ah well at least I have ten months before the birthday party season starts again.

'Tis the Season......

For Snow!

I think we have about a foot of snow! (That's about 30cm in metric) - it is beautifully silent outside and warm and cosy inside.

It was Child  3's birthday yesterday and apparently having Snow on Your Birthday is the best thing EVER - even better than presents that have (plastic) screwdrivers in them!

Recipe books

Reading about some of Sue's delicious creations and cookbooks (particularly here ) it made me think about how many cookbooks I have.

I have finally counted them.

I have excluded pamphlet types such as " The Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce " cookbook (and the must have "Bero " cookbook for nostalgic purposes if nothing else)

I have 115.

That does not include the 31 cake decorating books I have (though I did include the pamphlet type in that total).

That's not too many right?