Lazy Days skirt

My latest project was the Lazy Days Skirt from the tutorial from Oliver and S

I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I didn't quite have the full selvedge to selvedge, but as Possum is pretty small it didn't really matter.

It was really simple and the instructions were very easy to follow.

As I didn't have the selvedges intact I watched this YouTube video on French seams, and I am now a whizz!

Shirring - Aarrrrrgh!

Here's my first attempt at shirring......



If it were competing in Vancouver - "Nil Points!"

I'm off to google to solve my problems! Wish me luck.

Pillow talk

Here's what I've been working on recently.



All the kids in my mothers' group turn on in the middle of February so they all had a joint birthday party and Possum and I were the guests!

So as little present for them all I made them name pillows.

Since making Possum a stocking for Christmas using this tutorial and using this tutorial to learn how to embroider I've really gotten into my embroidery.

I hand embroidered the names and then made borders in coordinating fabrics. I used this tutorial to make the actual pillows.

When it came to Isabella's I didn't have the stamina so I found a different stitch and a different font and did a slightly different version, I think I need to practice my raw edge applique technique!!!

Uh-oh!

I finally succumbed a ordered the Single Girl quilt pattern from Cia's Pallette. I've been coveting it for a while now and I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy to finally have a copy! However now it means selecting/collecting 36(!) fabrics to make it! I've been wanting to make a qult for our bed and this has been the pattern that's been in my head for a while. I'll machine peice this baby and then ahnd quilt it so I'll be at this one for a while, but I do love the look hand quilting gives.

Here are my collected fabrics so far....

I've had the Heather Ross russian dolls for a while with our bed quilt in mind. I'd really like them to be dominant in the quilt so I'll probably double up on those. I'm just not sure about the oranges or the mermaids, what do you think? Maybe I should seek out more browns and maybe a pinky/red colour to pick out the colour in the russian dolls?

Catch up

So....... had visitors galore for the last eight weeks, and now we're home alone! Yay in one way, but boo in another as I miss my mum : (

Aforementioned visitors have resulted in limited crafting and even more limited blogging. So here's a post full of the goings on over the last few weeks.

I received my parcel from my swap partner for the friendship bag swap. The lovely Frieda of sheknitsallday sent me not one but TWO beautiful bags, one for me and one for Possum, she's adopted the one on the right and took it out yesterday to carry her maraca and a little cow (as you do). Frieda also sent some lovely FQs, a covered tape measure and a little toy for Possum (not in the picture - already in toy basket!) Possum also love the tape measure, she pulls the whole thing out and then looks on in amazement when I push the button to retract the whole thing.

The birthday quilt was not finished on the actual birthday, so I whipped up this tutu from this tutorial as a quick on the day present, and the quilt was finished in time for the party a few days later - unfortunately it was finished in the nick on time and was hastily pulled from the dryer and promptly wrapped and arrived only 15 minutes late to the party - which meant no pictures! But I have asked for some pics so hopefully I'll have some soon.

I sign up for the Sis Boom Pow! block gather which V from Bumble Beans has organised. Fabrics donated by Jennifer Paganelli and a request for appliqued blocks. Here's the fabric parcel I received from V (I don't know if you can see in the pic the little bee in the cornerof the envelope, a nice little calling card - very cool, think I may have to get me one!)

And here's my first attempt at machine applique, quite a few puckers so I think I need to lift the foot at every pivot and be a bit more careful, now I just need to finalise my design, hmmmmmm.

And onto my most recent project, the black and white quilt for the Grandparents for Christmas.

I have already printed lots of black and white pictures of Possum and her cousin onto the inkjet fabric, they are all wash, pressed and cut out. I think the fabric worked quite well, although it did skew slightly after rinsing, and the colours look a little green tt me which I think will annoy me beyond belief as I am a real stickler for colour matching (used to be a big part of my job!)

My inspiration for this quilt, started from this, and eventually turned into a version of this but with actual pictures. I'm going to frame each picture with one of the black and white fabrics, and then put them all onto a white background courtesy of the Ikea flat sheet, and the Piece de resistance of the whole quilt will be the backing courtesy of spoonflower, but you'll have to wait for that to be revealed!

x

WIP

Here's my latest WIP, it's the birthday present quilt for a friend, and here are the blocks all sewup, threads trimmed and pressed.....


Next came laying them out to plan the quilt layout...

Then came the ginger possum destruction unit, and this is the aftermath!


x

Another beach ball and a new project

We're back from a little holiday to Bali, which was fabulous, for the trip I made Possum a little beach ball with some of my prized Far Far Away fabrics, she seems to love it which is pleasing!

And now my next project...... a 1st Birthday present for a friend's daughter. I order some fabrics from afabricoutlet on Etsy, and I pulled together this bunch of fabrics for it, what do you think?

Now I think I will pre-wash these - that must be the worst bit of making a quilts! Then the cutting up, then my favourite bit sewing the first few pieces together. Although I think the bestest bit of making a quilt is that last seem which finishes the top - what's your favourite part of the quilt making process?

x

Snuggy

I've been meaning to make Possum a snuggly/security blanket type thing for a while now, and here's what I came up with....

I used some Heather Ross Far Far Away double gauze for the front, and Princess and the Pea panel, surrounded by little snails. And on the back is leftover pink fleece. I sewed some ribbon loops into the seam on the front panel for some interest and something for little hands to explore, and I bound the whole thing with peach coloured satin blanket binding (not easy to work with!) I hand quilted a loopy line around the border, kind of like a snail trail, and I quilted Possum's name down one side.

So far she has quite liked it, and it's been everywhere with her (my choice rather than hers!), I hope she really takes to it - I still get a warm fuzzy feeling when I think of my Bowie (my baby blanket which I had until I was 11!) and I hope Possum feels the same about her snuggy.

x

Oh Fransson's pincushion organiser.

Introducing my latest sewing project.......

It's the pincushion organiser from this tutorial by Elizabeth from Oh Fransson on Sew Mama Sew. It was really easy to make and the instructions were al very clear. The little bag for scraps and threads is very useful. I used some Erin McMorris Wild Wood, and some cool batik-y type fabric from Quilts n Calicoes.

Spot the mistake? I cut the piece to make the organser section the wrong way round, so the trees grow sideways - never mind!

Definitely a tutorial I recommend - I'll be making my mum one of these for Christmas - and speaking of Christmas - flights back to Blighty book - YAY!!!!!

x

Handmade presents

One of mine and Possum's bessie mates is moving back home tomorrow and we had to say goodbye today : (

As a little token departing gift I made Possum's buddy this little fabric beach ball using this tutorial from Purl Bee. I used some Amy Butler Full Moon Dots, some Jay McCaroll's Wood Maze, some cute birdie fabric and some orange solid. It was really easy to make, except the circles on the ends, the tutorial says to cut out the circles and iron the the fabric in a little, but this was waaaaaay too hard for me, so I used this tutorial for circles, and they turned out pretty well I think!
And for my buddy I made the "Poopy Clutch" from this tutorial. A few things went a bit worng but I gave it to her anyway as I thought she'd see the wonky bits and think of me!

I'll definitely be making more of the beach balls, they're fab!

x