Sunday Clippings and Other Beauties...

The sun popped out for a short while today, so the conservatory was momentarily a great place for photos of the last week's fabric influx!

On Thursday a great big package of fabric came ℅ Jenn at Knotted Thread, along with a couple of bundles from her shop there were my Stitch Tease blocks, but I've just realised that I forgot to photograph them, and also the pair from Annabella that came yesterday, doh; plus a couple of yards of AMH velveteen and 2 yards of Sunday Clippings voile I'd had forwarded from Hawthorne Threads.

The start of my love affair with Priory Square…

… and some beautiful Pat Bravo Nouvelle…

Some of the voile and velveteen were quickly made up into an infinity scarf, which I may have worn non-stop since!

Also coming through the door on Thursday was a beautiful cut of Frances Newcombe voile from Sarah as a Sew Together thank you; I am seriously considering combining with this green voile and pompoms for another scarf…

Then onto yesterday at Plush Addict.  Fortunately the nattering seriously reduced the shopping time, otherwise who knows what damage I could have done to my bank balance!

Backing and binding for the girls' Stitch Tease Amsterdam quilts; the dimple fleece is soooooo soft, but also likely to fill the whole house with fluff, hence it will all remain squished in the bag until needed!

Another meter of Sunday Clippings and some essential Odif…

… and as I mentioned last night, a scrap bag full of great cuts of the soon-to-be-released Daysail by Bonnie & Camille; I think these will be really useful for Bee blocks and scrappy projects, especially as my red stash is seriously lacking...

In case you aren't envious enough, how about a little peak at these from Katy; a bundle of Frances Newcombe's Cherie, including the print I received from Sarah…

… and I'm sorry, but only a bundle of Melody Miller's Playful…

So if you need me, you'll find me surrounded by my pretties with a mighty big grin on my face xxx

Highlights...

Just the highlights of today, it's late, I am tired, and my To Do list is getting longer and longer; yes that is panic you can hear.

I struck lucky at the local Doughty's Roadshow first thing, I got the wadding I needed (yay!) and some fun spots and some elephants for luck…

I wasn't sure what to expect, but to say there was more batik and brown than anything else is not a fib!  I was the youngest in the room, bar the Doughety's chaps, by a generous 20 years, and boy can those ladies shop!

What I actually needed to buy today was elusive though; owner Jo and I ransacked the shelves at Eclectic Maker and I came away rather despondent and disheartened, but that's delving into the depths of the lowlights, so moving swiftly on.

This afternoon the Cubs went kayaking, a first for dear son, and he had a fantastic time.  It was good fun to watch too…

So at least one person will be sleeping well tonight!

Right, I need to mull and alter plans and hope I get one of those middle-of-the-night revelations x

Pretties...

There's been no sewing, but I sat in the sun today, (yes, there was enough to warm my cockles), and play with the package I received from Pink Castle when I got back from my hols.

A few weeks ago Brenda had a stupendous discount on bundles, and seeing as I had just been paid, I indulged in a full flat rate envelope, because obviously it would have been both stupid and rude not to…

They all play together so nicely, I couldn't have planned it better if I'd tried.

For those who want more than just to look at the pretties, I purchased a half yard of both the lovely plummy and silver XOXO from Cotton & Steel and DS Honeycomb Lace (sold out); a FQ bundle of Scrumptious bias stripes; a FQ bundle of Sara's awesome Jungle Avenue; Brenda's Ah, Paris In The Summer bundle, and Katy's Sorbet picks.

I have no plans as such, other than to not buy any more fabric for a long time!

Playing Shop...

Sunday morning, whilst still in bed, I was pondering my next Hadley quilt, you know, the Denyse Schmidt one, and I got all panicky that I wouldn't be able to back it with something worthy; some things just need more than the IKEA numbers.

So then I searched out an eBay seller from my dreams!  If you are in the UK, take a look here, and I dare you to resist - you want a bargain, trust me, I am the one to find you one...

One of my favourite Chicopee prints - a whole bolt!!!

Yup, a bolt, my first (and probably last, in reality), for a ridiculous price (for us in the UK at least!).  I know we moan all the time, but with a meter now coming in at about £14 here, and with the exchange rate, mailing costs and dreaded import duty-sting, it makes bulk US shopping almost as expensive.  So to buy 8m for £5/m and free delivery, of something you actually want, nay, need, I had palpitations.

So half of it is earmarked for the quilt, and the other half will be cropping up frequently, I have plans for my FQR swapsies and a few other bits and pieces that I need to make.  Hope you don't get bored of seeing it non-stop for the next 6 months!

Right, must fly.  The clock is ticking and Jack only has 24hrs to save the world!

Life is a rollercoaster...

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that yesterday had its ups and downs!

It wasn't all gadding about and guesting over at Sara's you know.

I went back to work; 'nuff said, albeit that my day was cut short with a hospital visit; a girly with a hurting hip/leg, which is already pretty much better, but that involved waiting for 3 hours, (even having been referred by our GP!), only to be told to come back if it gets worse... we are not going back!

Yes we have that bloody Mr Chimp again!

And then the arrival of a bundle of gorgeous fabric from Denyse Schmidt...

I say from, as in, it really was from Denyse Schmidt she arranged it and everything, because this is her Hadley collection!!  How bloody thrilled and excited am I!?

We exchanged emails a few weeks back, and now I have the full pre-release in my grabby hands...

Sadly no sunny photo opportunities today; loudest clap of thunder at 6am and then rain pretty much non-stop from then until about an hour ago, so you will have to make do with these; but believe me, I'll be getting more snaps as soon as the sun comes out; I need to capture these for prosperity...

And before you all launch in, I know there is a lot of brown, but Denyse does good brown, rich chocolate, none of that stuff that reminds you of babies or really old ladies!

So I am now thinking on what to make; the prints remind me so much of my 1970s childhood, I may have to go with that and run, and run!

OK, I think I have exhausted my supply of exclamation marks for the day a lifetime, so I better love you and leave you.

Here's to a fun and fabric-filled weekend folks xxx

Coincidence?

Randomly named?

What more can I say?!!

Linking with the lovely Cindy et al, well I will later, as my MacBook is having a random moment too! xxx

Swings and Roundabouts...

Today has been full of mood swings, about-turns and back tracking.  Taking the good with the bad.

Most importantly my consultant confirmed that with a cocktail of pills and a diet more suited to a 3 year old, I should be able to get my stomach acid and associated pain under control and on the mend at last - wish me luck!

Before my hospital appointment I took a detour via The Eternal Maker, buying some necessary Aurifil and pink Sweetwater Sunkissed gingham, and maybe not so necessary, but couldn't be left on the shelf, yarn dyed Essex Linen...

And finally I have a cushion ready to finish binding.

On the flipside, I spent about 3 hours trying to get the binding on the aforementioned cushion with a velvet backing.  You can only imagine the mess, fraying and swearing that accompanied the unpicking, seam ripping and thread pulling that went on there.  I was not happy.

But after chopping off the offending backing and binding, it took about an hour to totally remaster a new back and get the binding on, but now I have a smile on my face.

So no pain no gain is probably my mantra of the day, but the gains totally outnumber the pains for a change, long may it last xxx

Prepped and ready...

I crossed a couple of things off my To Do list today, keeping myself occupied with the help of a little skiver so-called poorly child, who, 10 minutes after pick up at 9.30am, seemed as right as bloody rain!

So first I made the binding for Terri's quilts.  As far as I know, the tops are still in block form and then need to be quilted, but I am ready!

Then I made the next additions for Jude's Brit Bee Medallion, but I forgot to take any pics, but as they are secret anyway, no biggie.

And although I have the MATO applique at the ready, I feel a little lost when I don't have a bunch of EPP on the go; so I sizzixed into yesterday's bundle and a dozen complementary prints, mostly Liberty, including my first quilty fabric purchase from the V&A exhibition in 2010!

I am not sure what these will become yet, whether I will stick with my usual random, or make pretty flowers, I cut 8 hexies of each print to keep my options open, and time will tell.  I am just happy to have some basting to keep my fingers busy.

So until next time dear folks; it'll be Random Thursday, and if the sedative hasn't worn off, you can probably expect something a bit more random than usual!

Couldn't help it...

On Sunday evening, despite the lovely day we'd had, the impending week got the better of me; oh so how would you cheer yourself up then?

This gorgeous bundle arrived today from Jessie's Sew and Quilt.  A mixture of Tasha Noel's Country Girls, some Pam Kitty Picnic and Aunt Grace mauve Minitures.

This wasn't a pure act of self pity indulgence, I have a (secret-blog-hoppy) project planned for these pretties already; OK so maybe I didn't need quite so much, but what's the fun in being frugal all the time eh?

Originals...

After the madness of the #greatukfabricdestash this time last week, the calm normality of instagram returned, and on Monday afternoon, I bagsied some Flea Market Fancy from sweet friend Aneela.

Not just any old FMF, proper old FMF, you know, the fabric from before I was born; well, before I got embroiled in this mad crazy obsession...

I had obviously heard tales of this line's magical powers, and had gone bonkers over the reprint, pre-ordering the lot, but had been dissatisfied with a single hexie of the original until this weekend.

I knew the originals were meant to be more delicate, and they really are.  The red print at the back is a legacy cut, but the one in front is an original, the picture is shocking, so I don't know why I bothered to point it out, but in real life they look very different to my trained fabrician's eyes!

So I am a happy bunny, and even more so, as dear hubby treated me to these after a few days away in Aberdeen last weekend xxx

Fabric anyone?

I hope that you have heard of Emily's awesome baby, the antidote to the 'US only' sellers over at the #greatfabricdestash that had so many of us UK folks gritting our teeth earlier in the week, and wondering how difficult it must be to use the US postal system!

At 7pm tonight the #greatukfabricdestash will commence over on instagram...

If you 'don't do Instagram', quick, sign up, it's free, painless, and you won't even have to use it again after this evening, but I bet you do!

I only have 4 lots to list; I have said it before, we are talking a stash of just scraps or things I love too much to part with or use;  plus I very quickly lost the will to live whilst searching through.  I have a couple of infinity scarf sets, and a 4m cut of AMH and another meter that will never get used, so please pop over, I am mrsflyingblind.

Can't promise I will upload at 7pm on the dot, small matter of bedtime to sort, but with the number of people already prepping, it could be a long and expensive night!

Awesome Austerity...

Well how could I resist?

As I may have mentioned, I am making a concerted effort to use my stash, rather than mindlessly reverting to shopping for new this year, and my lovely friend Sarah just made that a little bit more acceptable, communal and fun!

My stash consists of 2 unused layer cakes, half a dozen charm packs, no beautifully stacked shelves like a fabric shop here; I rarely buy cuts bigger than FQs, unless it is specifically needed, and even less over a yard.

Most pieces have at least one corner missing or some awkward fussy cut hole, so for all intents and purposes 50% of my stash is scrap.  I know, it's sad isn't it!?

My #economyblockalong mini is 100% from scraps...

Harry Potter was a scrap-magnet..

... except for the backing, as I had a whole stashed 1/2m, and I have already pulled a bundle of scraps to supplement some partial charm packs for a teacher's baby quilt.

So the odds are looking good that I will be regularly linking up with other scrap-busters this year.  How about you?  Pop over to Sarah's, grab the button, and get those scraps working, you know you want to. xxx

A Block... and an Oops!

First the block...

The January Siblings Together Bee block, chosen my grandma-in-waiting Jenny was a nice gentle start to 2014.

Lovely Bluebird Park by Kate & Birdie from Moda...

This was surprisingly easy to make; I probably spent more time working out which of the fabrics were to be used for which part, and now I think my days of resisting the #economyblockalong are numbered.

PS.  Happy New Year to our super sponsors...

      

            

      

And the oops... I succumbed to the fabric sales!  Well just the one, and I absolutely dare you to ignore a bargain of 94p/FQ, that's £3.76/m folks!!!

I bought 4 meters of Tula Pink's Fern print, because I love it; (I used the 1/2m I had to bind my Marcelle Medallion), so I think I should be forgiven.  There are plenty of other great bargains to be had over at Stitch Craft Create, just saying, as a favour, you know, not to ease my guilt... honestly!

Black Friday...

Well I have to admit to having taken a teensy advantage of Black Friday-related shenanigans, but with no broken bones in sight!

Annie jumped the gun at the beginning of the week, with 25% off Sale fabric over at The Village Haberdashery; so I  snapped up a few stash FQs, which will help those frustrating Bee-moments when nothing seems to work, and I also loaded up with some bolt ends of voile; I feel a pre-Christmas scarf making session coming on...

Last night Ali was offering 20% off orders at her Very Berry Fabrics Folksy shop, so a Maxi Bag of Liberty Scraps is heading my way; and then today more voile from Saints and Pinners and a bit of Sketch from Justine at Simply Solids.  All things I needed, obviously.  I'll be sure to show you when they come.

I deliberately kept my shopping within the UK, as on balance, the discount prices, along with minimal postage and quick delivery, definitely outweighed the slightly cheaper fabric plus postal price; but the potential for falling foul of extended Christmas scrutiny and a nice Customs and handling charge is not something I want in the equation.  Ho Ho Ho.

So I am done.  Do not let me buy any more fabric this year; I really don't need it!

Saturday quickie...

Well it was a day of shopping, cleaning and sewing - one of those unfussy Saturdays.

I will show you part of what I was up to in tomorrow's post, although you may have seen already on Instagram, but for tonight's quick one, a postal smile that I got yesterday, which I forgot to show in the FAL hubbub.

When you get a parcel with a warning on, you know you won't be disappointed...

I totally hadn't felt the need to avail myself of any mirror ball dots until I started thinking a bit more about Christmas, and then I had to have some!  Plush Addict, (new to me, but likely to be on first name terms soon enough), had a great selection and decent postage, so I had to!

... and they are gorgeous!!

And like many others, I got my first subscription copy of Love Quilting & Patchwork in the mail...

It looks wonderful; I only hope after the last modern quilting magazine debacle that this will run and run!

So for once I am hoping the weatherman is right with his forecast of stay-at-home, don't-venture-out rain for tomorrow, I am feeling all kind of creative!

Staying in...

Haven't had a Saturday at home in a long time; bit of a lie-in, couple of horrible, necessary hours cleaning and tidying but a noticeable, and way better vista when I was done, and some happy mail.

When Brenda/Pink Castle was having a 30%-off event just over a week ago, I nabbed some half yard cuts of Alison Glass's Text prints...

I didn't get them all, but these coloured ones really are beautiful.

I also did some sewing for 'me'.  I decided on my Brit Bee III colour scheme, and got down to it.  I think I better consult with the rest of the gang on what I am allowed to tell you, because we are mixing it up this year, and it's going to be a-maz-ing!!

But what I can remind/ask/beg you, is to check out all the entries over at Fiona/Celtic Thistle Stitches' Holiday Memories competition, as voting is now open. 

I would love you to vote for my mini quilt, however as I have friends entered in the same category too, all I can ask is that you do cast a vote.  Fiona worked hard for this competition, and the sponsors have been generous, so it would be great if you could show me/us/her/them some love. 

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you got some 'me' time too; and have a peaceful rest of the weekend one and all xxx