Aglow!

Look what I got, I was so excited when I saw the return address on the package.

I was 10,000th visitor to Emma's blog and she sent me this to mark the occasion, thankyou so much Emma, it's beautiful, and you were right, red really is my favourite colour.

I'm sorry my pictures don't do it justice but it really is fabulous and so appropriate for the weather today. See more pics on Emma's blog.





Anyone who hasn't seem Emma's blog before, you must check it out, her work is so clever. Not only is she a wonderful quilter - a quilt artist indeed, but she is so helpful and supportive of other quilters, not least beginners like me.

Thank you Emma for all your support and for this lovely quilt.

51 Books

Well, I pulled together my pile of books, stacked them up, and lo, 51 books, which one should I NOT read this year lol!

Uni Books



More Uni Books



Books for pleasure



Don't think I need to say any more...

What are you reading?

I've decided I'm going to join in with the 50 books challenge that Ruth kicked off on her blog at the start of the new year, many (some 'sheepishly' Car lol) others have followed, so I think it's almost an official challenge now.

50 books for 2009, I have about a thousand I should be reading for Uni, so better get started.

I'll do up a list in another post, but I just thought I would throw this out there (you obviously don't have to be participating in the 'challenge' to answer.

1) What are you reading now?
2) What book do you think EVERYONE should read at some point in their lives?
3) What is your favourite book? (Might be the same as No. 2)
4) What book would you recommend to a friend who needs a bit of cheering up?
5) Who is your favourite author (and why)?
6) What is your favourite non-fiction book?
7) What is your favourite genre/type of books?
8) What is your favourite era in literature?
9) What book do you REALLY want to finish this year (even if you don't manage another 49)?
10) What is the most disappointing book you have read (i.e. you expected it to be really great, or it had a disappointing ending).
11) What BIG book do you have sitting on your shelf that you would love to have time to read?
12) What are you reading next?

I think that's enough, I considered aiming for 50 questions, but thought that might be a bit much...

So, my answers...


1) What are you reading now? Juliet Nicolson, The Perfect Summer: Dancing into Shadow in 1911 (non-fiction about the build up to the first world war as seen by the British aristocracy - this was a Christmas present and I'm really enjoying it)
2) What book do you think EVERYONE should read at some point in their lives? Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
3) What is your favourite book? (Might be the same as No. 2) Hanif Kureshi, The Black Album
4) What book would you recommend to a friend who needs a bit of cheering up? Roddy Doyle, The Woman who Walked into Doors - not cheery but then you'd realise your life isn't so bad after all, or Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran which is engaging enough to take your mind off things, but not hard to read.
5) Who is your favourite author? Hanif Kureshi, or Adaf Soueif (Map of Love).
6) What is your favourite non-fiction book? Well, can't go past anything by Nigella Lawson, I reckon her recipes read like fiction, I have been known to read her books from cover to cover... Study wise Nancy Etoff's Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty.
7) What is your favourite genre/type of books? I love books on the Middle East and India, even though they are places I have never been to, books about the characters' everyday life, and I'm not immune to a bit of crime drama (a la Dan Brown) for a forget-all-about-the-real-world type read.
8) What is your favourite era in literature? Early 20th Century, through to 2nd world war, although I have really enjoyed Phillipa Gregory's historical novels as well.
9) What book do you REALLY want to finish this year (even if you don't manage another 49)? Germaine Greer, Shakespeare's Wife, and lots of Uni reading.
10) What is the most disappointing book you have read (i.e. you expected it to be really great, or it had a disappointing ending). Yann Martel, Life of Pi, I could never shake the feeling all the way through that he was a patient in a mental insititue, and I promise I didn't read the ending first, so I just couldn't suspend disbelief enough to buy the story; Arthur Golden, Memoirs of Geisha, I believed it, all the way through, and then it turned out it wasn't real, just a story. I was gutted.
11) What BIG book do you have sitting on your shelf that you would love to have time to read? Vikram Seth, A Suitable Boy (and Ulysses, and Anna Karenina)
12) What are you reading next? For pleasure - Germaine Greer, Shakespeare's Wife, for Study - Dana Heller (ed.) Makeover Television: Realities Remodelled... and many more.

wall of progress...

This first pic shows my sewing space (rather messy today) and my new 'wall of progress' I have attached hooks to the walls and using trouser hangers I can now hang up my works in progress so that I can have a good look at them and not hide them away in a cupboard. Only problem is there is only room for three quilts ;) You can also see my two other ongoing projects in the picture, 4sdqs5 on the table and big bed quilt (black and white with red backing) hanging over the chair.



This is the first of the projects I pieced on the weekend, it was sandwiched and quilted last night so is just waiting for binding. It's about a metre square and will be a play quilt for B. I'll blog more pics once it is bound and washed.



And I also pieced the hungry caterpillar kit that I bought last year, I wanted to use the scraps for another project this week, so thought the best way to know what would be left over would be to piece the top. It's not likely to progress much for a while as it's intended for B's single bed, and she's a way off that yet.



So good progress has been made this week. If only every week could be as productive.

Eye Spy... Something I want to try in 2009

My first meme.

I have decided to join in with the Eye Spy... meme hosted by BugandPop. This weeks theme, my first, comes from Red Chocolate.

Now I'm not going to list hundreds of things or else I won't get around to them but I would like to try...

hand quilting and needleturn applique.

That's it, short and sweet. Have a good one folks.

Mini Messenger Bag

Quite pleased with this one,

I needed a little bag to put purse/phone etc. is as I keep losing them in the nappy bag so I made up this one from some leftover denim and some cookie fabric.

Introducing Miss Scarlet

Inspired by the gorgeous Misses Buttons that Novy has been making recently, I had to go straight out (well onto the net) and buy a copy of the pattern.

This is Miss Scarlet Buttons she is now wrapped warmly in the butterfly doll quilt I made earlier in the year (a doll has to have a quilt!) and inside the santa sack that I made last week, ready for the big day.



Miss Scarlet buttons loves singing and playing and would really like to learn to play the guitar, her favourite colour it, you guessed it, RED! She is looking forward to having a real little girl to play with. Despite her name, this particular Miss Buttons is buttonless. Maybe once B is older we can add a button.

She is leaning against the now rather full Santa sack that I made. We haven't even wrapped the present from us yet!

Scrapping scraps

I used these foam letters to make my daughter's name (twice) but I have no further use for them. I think you can see what letters are remaining, if not please ask me. The small letters (e.g e, a, x etc.) are 2.5cm and the taller ones and the numbers are 3.5cm high.
If you would like them let me know. First in best dressed.

Bags of fun

These really are great little bags to make from the Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts book, they don't take more than an hour to make (well, not counting settling the baby, waiting for her to go to sleep, cooking dinner etc. etc.).

I ended up making three, I loved the contrast of the dark denim against the prints, so I cut as many as I could out of my piece (which was $5 in the bargin bin with a second piece of fabric at Spotlight) and made them up with different prints.



I was very happy with the result, two will be gifts, and the third one (not decided which one I want to keep yet) might even be for me!!!

Santa came early...

I opened my gift from my 'secret' santa from the EB Newbie Quilters swap a couple of days ago, I was spoilt by Meika with some yummy body goodies, some really cute fat quarters and a dinky little mobile phone cosy (how cute).



I sent a package to Kirsty, but I forgot to take pictures (oops).

It was a great fun swap to be involved in to finish of a lovely year of virtual quilting, chatting and general support. Thanks Ladies.

Free Motion Sleeping Bag

Been practicing my Free Motion Quilting, on a sleeping bag for B.

It turned out a funny shape for some reason, probably because I just borrowed on off someone else and drew round it. But it works well and I know what I need to change for the next one (like remembering to add seam allowances, and making the neck lower at the front.







Not sure how much you can see but I did some little stars and some funky type of flowers and things, just playing about really.

Nappy time

I finally managed to make up some nappies.

Two of the red ladybird covers for night times because B is reacting to the foldover elastic on her other covers. Made from the honeyboy pattern in a size medium.



And an AIO for Christmas (plus an extra not pictured here because it's not staying with us).

Oh and I sorted my nappies by colour earlier, looks so pretty .... should have taken a picture of that too.

One night only

Made and blogged in one night, it's a miracle.

This set is for one of the babies in my mother's group, for a secret santa.





She'll be 8 months at Christmas and she's only a little person, but I've made size 12-18m since the red cord, although rather lovely, is very much a winter fabric, so isn't likely to get much use for a few months anyway. The pattern for the trousers is Simplicity 9911, it's a basic elastic waist pattern and I've added a contrast cuff which can be rolled up or down to make the trousers shorter/longer. The top is a Bonds size 1 long sleeve stretchie t-shirt.

I have another pair of the trousers cut out for Beth, which knowing her luck won't get sewn up before she's grown out of them!!

Christmas Table Runner

Here are a couple of pictures of the Table Runner I sent to Kaysha for the EB newbie quilters TR swap. I was worried it might not fit in her 'keep it simple' request, but she seems to like it. Hurray.

It was such fun to make, I really enjoy the applique, I really must make a pieced one next time! And these smaller projects are fantastic to practice a bit of FMQ.



The Christmas Tree was my favourite.



And the whole thing (almost anyway)

Gratitude Wraps

I made four wraps based on the Soule Mama Gratitude Wrap.



One done with Bias Binding, as in the pattern



One bound Heather Bailey Style



and two quick and dirty turned and topstitched.

I need to make some ties for them and find some co-ordinating note pads and cards to go in them. Then I just need to work out who to give each one too.

Another Versatile Wrap Skirt

this one's a christmas present for my sister in law

One down, just all the others to go now ;)

Ooh, Christmas is a month today!

Table Runner Swap

Here are some pictures of the beautiful table runner that Selina sent me as part of the EB Newbie Sewers Table Runner Swap. Thanks Selina, I love it.


Here's a close up of some of the detail. The holly leaves are beautifully HAND appliqued and all the quilting has been done by HAND too. I wish I had the patience to do a hand quilting project, maybe one day...



The spotty backing fabric is so pretty, and the package came wrapped with this cute little angel doll. And see Selina's labels, they look so professional, I want some!



p.s. if you're out browsing the net check out The Selina Bellarina shop

Versatile Wrap Skirt

I have seen this skirt made a number of times on other people's blogs and always fancied having a go at it.

This is the pattern and I bought it from here.

Excuse the terrible me in the mirror photo,



It's pretty simple to make, the instructions are reasonably thorought, and it's very comfortable to wear.

Have a go!

This has to be be the easiest skirt in the world... ever...

I made this in less than an hour, no pattern required, it goes something like this.



The easy peasy lemon squeasy skirt...

Requirements:

Roughly 1/2m of fabric
Shirring elastic
Matching thread
1 1/2m or 3m of bias binding (optional)

Take 1/2m of fabric, hem or bind the long edges (I was lazy and just overlocked the top edge, but I bound the bottom edge.)

Fold the fabric in half right sides together selvege to selvege and stitch the edges together so you have a tube of fabric ready hemmed.

Wind the shirring elastic nice and tight onto your bobbin and pop it into the machine. Decide which is the top of your skirt. Starting about 1.5-2cm from the top of your skirt, sew round and round the 'waistband' in lines about 1-1.5cm apart until you run out of shirring elastic or your 'waistband' is at least 5-7cm deep (mine was 6 lines of shirring). Don't worry if the lines are neat or not, you won't notice once it's all ruffled up by the elastic. Tie off the lose ends.

And that's it. A skirt... Anyone come across any easier ones?

Vintage Fat Quarter Swap...

Another rather late post, I joined in with the vintage sheet swap on Meika's blog back in August, and I've only just got around to blogging what I recieved from her in the post. All in my requested colours of yellows (to go with what I sent).



I have recently started a beginners quilting course at Amitie and am using some of these for the blocks that I am making in the course, hopefully I'll be able to join them all together into a little quilt when I've finished the course!