For this Christmas...

Warning, quite a few pics!

Somebody's tote from a few years ago was so well loved that it really needed a quiet retirement. However, a replacement was needed first.

 details from inside..

Someone else needed a different type of bag, this one for the second daughter. 

and an inside shot of this one, too. 

The fabrics were bought at Abakhan, and at Dunelm Mill. 

And the third bag

made with love for the super creative  partner of my son.




















and a wee inside shot here too.

I shall come back to show what has arrived with me, later...

These bags are Noodlehead's supertote, and her 2 for 1 tote, and Malibu Satchel from Fabric Mutt. 

Swap time again

Ok, I fell into another wee swap. Too tempting with the title' In the Garden' My brain went into overdrive, and I had to join... Goodness only knows what to do with the bits that come back... some are so lovely, but still, where do they all go?

So garden it is...

 A little free machining to start the ideas off. and give some depth to the image in my head






















and a couple of contrast area, again to give an illusion of length to my garden,

Then grasses and a web, with dew on the strands, and how do you decide when you are done? Ok, so it was done. Then the panic sets in... will my partner like? Or hate?

And so another offering gets started.. but then, which to send? 

In the end, there is only one answer. Send both. 

 and a little extra, which I have made again and again... but useful, pretty and easy.  A couple of other items may have crept into the parcel, as well... and off it all went on it's merry way..

The lovely lady making for me, somehow also decided to send two minis... 

and a selection of extras. The package arrived on a day when all sorts had gone wrong at work, and was cheery and bright, and gave me cause to smile! Thanks Lish! You really helped me that day. 

Time...

In this time poor age, it is good to spend time making things for a friend. But when it is that friend's special birthday, you cannot always share the make immediately, and it gets left, and left, until it is all but forgotten.

  So Elizabeth likes teal? You want to make something of it?  No, I thought not!

 I am sure she will find a happy spot to put this in her home..

Leonie's bag

A year or two ago friends came for a sewing weekend. One of our number brought everything in a bag, which had a simple but unusual design.  We rather admired the bag, and has a good look at it, and sort of stored up the idea for later...


Now is 'later'!







I happened to spot some rather attractive fabric, 100% linen, going for a rather bargain price up at Abakhan. Lovely linen with ELEPHANTS all over!

Well, perhaps a good bit of that landed in my basket? and just perhaps, it was meant to be a bag... Some details are rather different, but, in essence, it is the 'Leonie bag'.

Shoulder padding, and sewn up the places where stuff might otherwise escape, and a couple of pockets later, and I hope to take Leonie travelling this summer... Perhaps even next month.

Golden

We have been invited to afternoon tea. Lovely. It is in celebration of a golden wedding anniversary. On the invitation was written ' No Presents'.
An acceptance card was designed and made, Very simple. And sent almost instantly! That is a shock, but so instant was it, that I never thought to take a photo.
Then I started thinking. A card would be needed. Similar, but different from the acceptance card.

 Hammered cream card, with gold.
I think it is effective. And, more to the point, the couple will like it.

So, no presents?  Really? They think?

I got a thought in my head. As one does, and that thought involved dense quilting with unquilted 50 on it. The rest was amorphous, and had to develop. Development with time constraints, after all, we are to attend this do next Saturday.

So, after work yesterday, and after lunch yesterday, I got myself organised, and got on with it. It really helped that the weather did not encourage gardening!

A neutral colour scheme, and pale sulky to quilt with, and you cannot see what I have done at all!




The back was simple, and knocked out in next to no time, but that front? took about four hours by the time the quilting was done.




An invisible zip later and we happened to have a brand new cushion inner to put into it, and here it is in my home.

if you look really hard, you may see that 50 in the middle. There is also a pair of hearts, as well as a leaf design, and the couple's names in there, in the corners.

no presents. Hmmph. The very idea. 

Linking with Scraptastic Tuesday. Yes, I know, it is Sunday morning but hey! You going to tell me it is not scrappy?  and yes, the title did something all it's own... 

Triptych comes home..

I was lucky enough to receive this laundry day triptych from my secret partner, who put such love and humour into making it for me. She was so clever as to use the back of the quilt, which is free flying, as her quilt label. The patience to do that teeny weeny piecing! She must be mad! Oh, but it was so worth it! 

 See all the wee goodies Lish sent me!

And this wee creation now lives with me!

A Clipper of teacosies?

Do you know a name for a collection or group of tea cosies?
No, neither do I. So, now it shall be a 'clipper'.
Why? because I have been making them, of course!
First I was helping my youngest to make herself a teacosy. She made mine for me, a couple of Christmases ago, but never quite got around to her own version. So, I assisted slightly.
And then the request.
DD1 requested tea cosy, and oven glove. No way would I turn that down, so,

First, the oven gloves. She likes the occasional hedgehog, So, Occasional hedgehogs it had to be.
And she also likes tea- hence the need for cosy...



I did add a face to the hedgehog, but that came after.
 I might have been trying to finish it quickly, as I was heading over to her place.

Now, she has had a trying time lately, so various friends have really come through for her as needed. And thank yous were appropriate from me, as I am too far away to be of immediate help. So, tea cosies all round?





A cat theme for Jenny, who has two furry fiends in residence. Devils incarnate according to herself.

And when she saw this, she responded, one is Jinx and the other is Pixie!

Yes, I think she was slightly thrilled with the thank you gift!

And then friend Claire. I was told she is a marine biologist. So a watery beast felt suitable here.

And I am about to start on some more oven gloves to hand over in suitable directions... 

Bits and bobs

The jacket is done...

 and I am pleased with it. Simple, but with that shot taffeta lining, and lack of fuss, I think it will look classy.  And how the silk glows! ( shame about the body it will be going on, but hey, you can't have everything!)












And then, of course, I had to take part in another small swap.. Triptych.


Three  linked tiny quilts, whatever you were inspired to do, you do, and send to a partner, who has no idea who is making what for them. And they are making for, someone else, of course.

I have explored this theme before, but nevertheless it felt appropriate for the partner I was assigned. So, I went with it- yes I thought about and rejected umpteen different ideas before this one happened, and felt OK.

and there had to be some variation, and a link, so other members of the wildlife community came into play. 

Finishing with this fellow, out on definite business dealings... Very purposeful. 

 I think the three follow through nicely.

And then, a small something? Well, let me not let a good theme go past...  Let us have a basket,





 The deer again

 and some hares,

And Mr Fox has to come in again, too

This was sent about a week ago, so sometime soon, it should land at its new home...

Where else?

Do you remember this? You may not, as I bought it whenever we went to Thailand- which was when my BiL got married, which was??  You get the idea. I cannot recall when it was, and, actually, I would not be certain I showed a picture of it before, so, perhaps your memory lapse is forgiveable...

Yes, well, it has sat in my stash for a year or so... Since 2011. 

I have a yen to make a jacket from it. It is an odd width- probably to do with it being silk, of course, so it is about 40" wide, and there is about 2 yards of it. So, careful cutting and I should be OK. 

It does need a lining though, so off we went and got some shot taffeta as the lining. Well, that pretty silk deserves a pretty lining!

Where could you go, at no notice, and pull out fabric, and say, 'well, what do you think? Is this okay for a jacket? '

Yes, I noticed Diane was in at Stitchscape, so I bobbed in, just to see her and show the fabric. She is a treasure, and made all the right noises ( 'Perhaps Rachel will go away and leave this behing, if I am good' type of noises, 'I think it is my colour' type noises, you know). 

So I spent a few minutes there, before leaving her to get on with it. And now, I am back to try to get on with it. Having the, I only have this bit of fabric, and if I get it wrong, that is my lot, type of mental conversation with myself... 

But it will not make itself, so wish me luck!

and a cushion to match?

Well, I thought I should do it while it was fresh in the brain...

 This is how it looks, flat, to go with that quilt you took away for snuggling purposes...















and the other side, perhaps a little more restraint here, depending on your humour...











but how does it look with cushion pad inside, and on furniture?

A bit like this, actually. 

You will need to show me how it is with the quilt it was designed to go with. 

I shall get it to you, when I can. 

Smile. 

A book to enjoy

I received a few gifts at Christmas, yes, I know it was a loooong time ago, now, and I had not put them down here. The home made, and home designed gifts, that is.

Amongst these came a book. This is a special little book. Carefully designed and made by my elder daughter.


First, it has squared paper on the inside. So, I can use it for designing. I can use it to design quilt blocks, or layouts. I could use it to design knitting patterns, whether fair isle, or lace patterns. Except I am too idle to design knitting motifs.

And, the pages lay flat when the book is open. So I am not having to anchor it down. It just sits!









Then, she has divided it into 'chunks' I am sure there is a technical term for this, and the magic Babylonian figure of 8 is involved, as with any normal book. Each chunk has a plain light coloured outer, so I could easily divide my projects.
Nicely done, thank you!











And she has chosen a pretty fabric to cover my book.
















And here is a view of the spine. Hand stitched finish on it.


Thank you Kitty!


If you wish to get hold of a similar book, she is also now making and selling these on Etsy, along with one or two other bits and pieces. Go take a look.


She even does project bags and matching 'knit books'.

Thanks, darling!

finally! a Bee quilt!

 Eons ago, I started a bee quilt. Blocks were assembled from this one and that one,  I had decided on a tessellated design, so backgrounds for blocks were in squares, to be finished 12" or 6", or rectangles, to finish 62 x 12". Add a restricted palate of bright cheerful hues, and then have great fun organising and arranging these.





Then, the real fun begins. Several part seams. some slightly under or oversized blocks- you may think, oversized is easy, just chop a bit off, but when a design gets near the edge,, that is not always a wonderful solution...

 Then to quilt it.
I knew I just wanted to do a cosy fleece backing   ( Quilt police , just do not look, please!), and I had some variegated thread to work with. I did simple organic wide quilting to anchor everything, and then, with trepidation, and after several practice efforts, I actually did odd bits of FMQ in a few places.

Go me!

 See that flower by the wee birdie?   yes, that is one of the bits. Or does this count more as embroidery? I am not quite certain, but it was free motion, so, that is a start.

And there you see my DS, home for the weekend, holding up the Bee masterpiece! He and his girlfriend have trotted it off down to London to cheer their wee home up a bit. I am very happy to see it go off to a happy home, to be snuggled under.

I was chuffed to bits to get the effect I wanted with those varied size blocks.

Thank you everyone who contributed.