FAL Q4 2013 - How did I do?

Back in October I laid my Q4 FAL hopes on the table for all to see here, and now is the time to check back, and link up on how everything did, or didn't turn out.

1. Goody bags for the girls' birthday trip in November...

Success - blogged here...

 2.  Craft It Forward needlebooks...

Success - blogged here...

3. Terry's Fabrics pouffes...

Success - blogged here...

4.  A secret Sizzix project...

Success - blogged here...

5.  The Hadley quilt...

The top is made, but illness, birthdays and Christmas meant something had to give; but this will be a quick finish, and will be on my FAL 2014 Q1 list as a sure thing...

6.  And finally my Stitch Tease LV Scrap Vomit...

Woo hoo - my first finish of 2014 already!  I basted this on New Year's Eve then quilted and bound it yesterday.  I took these pics early this morning before we went out, and it has since been washed, tumbled and laid out on our bed, looking gorgeous, I might add!  I will attempt to get some better pictures, weather permitting, and give you a full glory reveal post tomorrow...

Well I can cope with 5 out of 6 successes, especially as back at the beginning of October I hadn't even thought about all those things that needed to be, and would be started and finished by Christmas too.

A huge thank you to our wonderful 2013 hostess and my inspirational friend Leanne and to all the generous sponsors of the 2013 FAL.   I am looking forward to pulling those WIPs together to link up with Katy for 2014 in the next week...

Crafting It Forward... At Last!

I am not going to look back at the exact date for shame, but last year I jumped at the chance to receive a Craft It Forward gift from Charlotte.  She treated me to some gorgeous fancy chocolate mularky, and in return I put out the call for 5 bloggy types to receive a gift from me.  In return for doing likewise, when they receive from me, they will blog, make, and so on and so forth, sharing the love ad infinitum.

So with 365 days to honour my side of the deal, I kept a 'CiF' entry on every month's To Do list that I wrote this year.  I even showed you progress at the end of the summer when I added them to my Q4 FAL list; so now, with a clear(ish) conscience, I can show you the finished pressies...

These should be landing on doorsteps of the surprised victims recipients, who I'm sure must have given up all hope, and been too polite to ask...

Just in case you like to know the details of these things, these needle books were inspired by some that I coveted over at Krista's, and all were made with Liberty 1/2" hexies, Essex Yarn-dyed linen in Denim, lined with Alison Glass' Sun Print Text, and felt from Eternal Maker.  Everything was pieced and stitched in Aurifil 50wt.  There's a handy clip for scissors, or to attach to a zippy pouch, and I think they measure up at about 4" square when closed.

I added some chocolate and a small button badge to try to get me back in the good books, and the postmaster popped Christmas stamps on the UK ones, so it even looks, for all intense and purposes like they are early!

I will link back to the recipient's CiF posts, so you may get lucky and be on the receiving end of their crafty generosity some time soon.

Linking up now with Liz, even though it's not Thursday.

Right, back to the next thing on the list xxx

I did a bit of that making thing!

At the beginning of last week I scored a finish; but the turn of events since then has meant I haven't told you all about it.  So sorry!

So whilst the computer gods are playing nice, the health gods are giving me a little break, and the kids, well they are doing something I probably don't want to know about, I am going to get this out there!

Back in the summer I chose a bundle of home dec/curtain weight fabric from Terry's Fabrics, and here is the first of a couple of makes, which I also declared as part of the Q4 FAL.

A lovely pair of pouffes!

I used Susan - Living with Punks' excellent tutorial, and made them as big as I could.  I have a 22" quilting hoop, which I knew would come in useful for drawing big circles one day!  I ordered the pompom trim from here, the only big ones I could find at a reasonable price, and they are excellent quality.

They are filled with a kilo of polyfil stuffing each, which makes them lovely and soft, and perfect for footstools or lounging on.

The deco-weight fabric is perfect for these, and I used the heavy duty poly-thread that came in my FQR goody bag, because no-one wants a pouffe busting at the seams do they?

They have gone down a treat with the kids, and look really cheerful, and right now we could do with plenty of cheerful.

Thank you Terry's Fabrics; the girls and I have plans for the pink gingham tomorrow!

Well the weather wasn't as bad here as it could have been, so we are all intact, and today I have even managed a couple of hours at the sewing machine - woo hoo!

Goody goody!

I have a finish, in fact I have two from my Q4 FAL list already, but one is a secret squirrel make that will be revealed at some point in November.

But what I can show you, from my cosy weekend of sewing, are the girly goody bags.

I used Jeni's tutorial, and just matched my measurements to the smallest piece of fabric that the girls had selected, I stuck to the main principals but didn't box the corners...

So these can be put somewhere safe for a few weeks, and then loaded with sweets, left over from Halloween no doubt, to be swung about by the three little ladies when I take them for lunch and Build A Bear!

And added to the sewing rain yesterday, my day started even better than expected with an email from lovely Lindsey saying I had won her giveaway of Megan's awesome Hemispheres pattern.  I may well have spent this evening cheating with my Sizzix, cutting and sewing drunkard's path blocks, using mirror ball dots, and white Essex linen, it wasn't on the list, but it will make a cute Christmas present!

2013 FAL Q4 - The end of year list...

Before I begin, I want to thank Leanne, for corralling the masses again, on this, her final quarter as the FAL-Mistress, and to all the wonderful sponsors who give us a little more focus for getting things done.  My Q3 was a bit of a flop, so I am hoping for better things this time.

I was seriously worried I would have nothing to put on the list though, seeing as basically once I get started, I don't like to stop until I finish!

So I have spent an agonising week just starting stuff!  Things that need to be made this quarter, and things I will definitely make time for.  So here we go...

1.  I got the girls to chose some fabric combos, plus one for their best friend, and did all the cutting and made the ties before they could change their minds last weekend.  These are going to be goody bags for when we go out for their birthday in November...

 2.  These you have seen, and I need to have finished by the end of November; a little secrecy, but I will tell all when they are done...

3.  I received a huge parcel from Terry's Fabrics ages ago, after commenting on Charlotte's lovely lamp; and these are now raring to go too...

4.  Another secret project, which has moved on a little from this fabric pull, but I can't show you that yet, sorry!

5.  This has to be a secret for a tiny while longer too, sorry; but as soon as I get the a-OK to snap away and rave all about it, I will, you can count on me.  I was able to start playing with these beauties (and some others which are strictly for my eyes only) today, and I am loving how they are looking already.  I am so excited, and now I know how the big girls feel when they get to play with not even new yet fabric lines.  It's not going to my head... much!

6.  And my final hope is to get this beauty completed.  My Stitch Tease finish is in the hands of my fellow bees, as I am still awaiting a few blocks.  But when all the ladies come good, I will be straight onto it, because I completely love how it is looking so far!

I have a list of more Christmas and birthday makes to start, and I have pulled fabric for the Midnight At The Oasis QAL too, but there is no chance, in a month of Sundays, of me finishing that this quarter.

So all I can say is bring on that cold wet weather, I am totally prepared for being house-bound now!!