hypothetical question....

...if you made something as part of a mystery swap that you really liked but wasn't perfect, would you send it anyway because it needs to be posted tomorrow?  or do you make another in the hope that it will be better (50/50 chance at best!) and send it all late?

#askingforafriend

covert robin

I'm in a mystery swap called Covert Robin.  It's not on Flickr so there are no inspiration mosaics to help and you just have to make something nice (in the value of $20-$30) for your swap partner and work out what that something nice will be through serious stalking.  I have been stumped!  No inspiration mosaic!  What' a girl to do?  Well, in my case that would be sulk for about a month and then realise that you have 4 days to get something made and in the post before the deadline.  So I'm making this.....

Wish me luck!

fretting

Another sewing-light week for me this week.  I've said many times before on here that I get project overload in my head and it leaves me stalled.  I've been fretting this week about bee blocks and swap items whilst at the same time dreaming about becoming a dressmaker and also fretting about two quilts that need quilted and then dreaming about a great quilt I just have to make whilst printing out lots of tops/bag patterns.  Oh and I dreamt that I was in a pasta recognition competition with David Moyes (Everton football manager WFT?!) and he kept insisting that macaroni were dowels.  I mean you can't make that sh*t up!  I think this is what broken sleep does to me.

Laughing Boy got bored of my took pity on my pathetic whining and has taken the wee man off to his nana's for the day to let me catch up.  I haven't done nearly as much as I wanted to but I have finished something....

Modern She Made swap item....I think....



backed with quilted AMH flannel and Essex linen binding

The paper pieced star was going to be part of a mini quilt/sewing machine cover combo but just kept whispering "but I'm a cushion" to me every time I tried to fashion something else out of it.  I did some simple echo quilting using Aurifil 28 in 2150.  I was lucky....

this is how much was left after quilting

A wee glimpse of my sewing area there - as you can see, my machine is in front of my computer, which is mad really, space wise and distraction wise.  It works for most piecing and small stuff.  I move down to the kitchen for quilting and big piecing stuff.  You can also see the lovely hoop that Helen (Indianna Dreams) made for me as part of the last MSM swap and just behind the machine and in front of the speaker, a fab basket Liz Dandelion made me as part of another swap.

I'm pleased with my cushion/pillow cover. I'm not convinced that it will make the final cut - I think I need some space away from it first. 

Hope you are all keeping warm.  It's freezing out there x

confessions...

... of a fabric nature.  As you know, I'm on a fabric fast, living off of my stash as much as I can this year.  Only I fell off the wagon, big style, with a huge thump.  Gluttony! Shame! The horror! And it all started with temptation put in my way by someone who knew better but did it any way (*cough* JoJo *cough*).  Oh and I had an Enternal Maker gift voucher staring at me from its washi taped place on the wall.

So in the name of full disclosure here's what happened in a mad half hour last week....

to bolster my desire to start making some of my own clothes, a wadge (technical term for waaay too much) of Double Gauze from the Eternal Maker....

beautiful print and great colours

because Kate at M is for Make was practically paying me to take them off her hands, some "in the sale" metre-age (flipping heck!) of Melody Miller....

I love them both (and I have the moth in dark too)  Skirts?  Tops?  Keep forever and stroke from time to time?  So many options!  Actually I've just piled up my MM fabric and it's shocking - I need to do something soon.  Like buy more?  Because that's what I did!

Some sparkly phones from Village Haberdashery, anyone?...

And that's it (apart from some butterfly fabric I bought for my sister to make dresses for Lady G but that doesn't count).  Oh and because I'm a doofus, I had to buy a charm pack to save the Bumblie Bee block I'm making for Tracey.

I feel a little queasy *quickly phones bank to explain*......

Lift Off!

Yesterday was World Wide Quilting Day and, fittingly, it was also the inaugural meeting of the East Midlands Modern Quilt Guild. A quite lovely gaggle (flange? patchwork?) of ladies met in a pub in Nottingham and worked out the beginnings of a plan, which includes swaps (fabric and makes), show and tells, workshops and charity projects...oh and maybe a wee retreat of our own.  We're hoping also to arrange some swaps with other Guilds so if you are in a Guild and are interested, let me know.

In the meantime, you can find us on Flickr here.  Our next get together is a Weekender Bag workshop :)

Remember.....

sta-a-a-a-r, that's what they (don't) call me....

...has been running through my head all evening.  As I mentioned in my last post the Modern She Made 3 swap focuses on stars and as I am now in the grips of paper piecing fever, I made this....

it looks better in person

I used a PP pattern called Good Luck star (available free on Craftsy) but modified it as I wanted a simpler colour palette.  24 separate sections with a hole in the middle (not user error for once!) .  I'm planning to add a cascade of smaller (easier!) stars, perhaps following the movement of this star, in different colours.  My partner would like a mini quilt or a sewing machine cover - would it be madness to make one that could be used as the other?

Now where are my dungarees?  or have I got the wrong video?!

200 for 2 hours

My grump lasted slightly longer than expected or wanted.  It was triggered by my house smelling of poo, its change of use to become a chinese laundry and weariness from the regular poorliness of the men in my life.  So when the house started to fill with giggles again and the washing Alps became a manageable Munro, I waited for the cloud to lift. And waited. Then it dawned on me (I'm clearly not that in tune with myself!) that it was Mother's Day that was making me blue. 

Every year I would buy a mother's day card and a lot of the time I wrote it and left it on the side to post where it lingered for a month before I sent an extra pressie to say sorry for being only half organised. The other times, cards were bought and "filed away" - I am looking at a small pile of them now! This year I didn't need to buy one and I think that upset me more than I would allow myself to recognise.  I need a trip home and some Scottish air!

Whenever I asked my mum for advice on cooking something, she would always say "cook it at 200 for 2 hours".  Didn't matter what - chicken, cake, lamb, fish. I only used her advice once, mind! It makes me giggle whenever I cook and this phrase pops into my head. So I think my way of dealing with mum this year was to have her with me, making me laugh,  while I made a massive feast for Sunday dinner, including my first ever, and rather successful, attempt at homemade onion gravy, yorkshire pudding (a triumph!) and a rib of beef. 

One other reason for my lack of sewing progress is that I have an idea for a block and I can't work out how to make a template for it.  Here's how far I've gotten...


still needs a good pressing *blush*

I want to mirror the right and side on the left and sew them together with a white "stem" down the middle.  Any suggestions on how to create the template?  I have used my retro flowers acrylic template for the bottom part.  I guess i'm having trouble with how to add the seam allowance on the top part for the background fabric part.

I did pull some fabric for my Modern She Made swap...

The focus this round is on stars and my partner would like a mini quilt, cushion cover or sewing machine cover so I have lots of options.  I'm going for something paper pieced and though the black essex linen would be good as a night sky maybe. Thoughts?

sorry ryan..

this is how grumpy I am today....

Source: http://www.babble.com/

while you were sleeping...

It's one of my favourite films - a Sandra Bullock rom com.  Can't beat it especially on a wet and wild afternoon.  Why did they always make Sandra wear massively over sized jumpers and head topping scrunchies in these movies?

Anyway, the wee man is a little poorly again (oh the nappies!) which although a little worrying does mean that he sleeps well during the day.  This has meant that I have been able to cut, sew and finish Charlie's quilt top (only 6 months late) in the space of a few days.....

new wave pattern 40"ish by 42"ish

Like many of us,  I found working with the browns a little aesthetically challenging and had to add a couple of brighter fabrics to make it work for me.  Thanks to Di for inspiring the pattern choice (hers is just lovely).  Charlie's mum wanted something in keeping with his nursery, which is creams, blues and browns so I hope she likes it.

I've made a quilt using this pattern a wee while ago before I had bought my 1/4" foot so it's definitely an improvement in terms of the piecing.  But I can't cut accurately to save my life!  Part of the problem is cutting on the floor I think.  It's a little hit and miss.  I need a table so I can do it standing up.  Half of the fabric was cut downstairs in the kitchen and these pieces are much more accurately cut than the kneeling down on a carpeted floor. Oh to have a dedicated cutting/sewing table....

So the two baby toddler quilts are now waiting to be sandwiched, basted, quilted and bound and I plan to get both of them done by the end of the month (I've told Rory's mum so can't be late!) so these are my planned lovely finishes for March.

February 2013

Usually (well, sometimes!) when I do my monthly round up, I'm a little surprised at how much I've actually achieved.  February left me feeling that I'd done more than I did....

I've included Jack's quilt even though I finished it on 31st Jan cos I posted about it on the 1st Feb and missed the deadline for the Lovely Year of Finishes in January (I'm not really that bitter, much).  The rest of the month's makes include gifts for friends who donated to my Dryathlon attempt (£2.5k in the end - proper chuffed), Siblings Together blocks and bee blocks. I also have my first proper attempt at foundation paper piecing and LOVED it. 

I'm not too upset about the lack of finishes - I have also just finished a quilt top that I started last week (needs an iron and trim so photos in another post). And no fabric purchases this month (apart from some that was sent to Jess to help with her Tasmanian quilt appeal). The only think that I feel annoyed about is not even starting my planned Lovely Year of Finishes item - that skirt panel is giving me evils as I type!

March is the month when I start my FMQ training - gulp. And I hope to finish not one but two toddler quilts (only 6 months late!).  It is also the first meeting of the East Midlands Modern Quilt Guild, which I'm really looking forward to hope goes well.  In a rash moment, I may have promised to make myself a hat that looks a little like this ...

(c) http://www.millionlooks.com/accessories/top-15-crazy-hats/

... out of a skull cap and colander.  Oh my giddy aunt!

Linking with Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts