I’ve unpicked the block that I made for the Mouthy Stitches tote as I really wasn’t happy with it.
This time round the points on my geese have a better chance of survival and the secret for that is starch. The Essex linen is very floppy and I think that was part of my problem. That and the fact that the fabric is cut on the bias. So this time I’ve sprayed so much starch on my fabric my little sewing buddy left the room!
I’m a cat person with a dog. Master is a dog person with a cat. The cat and the dog aren’t the best of friends but have accepted that they have to share the house and us.
Charles brings me mice in the middle of the night, curls up on the sofa next to me or on my lap and generally makes this house a home.
Aron looks at me adoringly, ignores me when I call him and curls up on the sofa with me when I watch tv in the evening. He also gets me out of the house twice a day.
Of course I’ve made beds for both of them. Actually that’s not quite true as Charlie has a little quilt I made a long time ago while Aron has a nice fleecy bed in the living room. However, Charlie has decided that the Swoon cushion is his bed now and sleeps on it every day. Fine by me, it’s nice to know that things I’ve made are being used.
Yesterday Aron hijacked the bed and Charlie was not happy.
At least not until I gave him some rubs while sitting on the sofa.
I think I need to make Aron a new cover for his bed. Another Swoon? Stars? Stripes? Decisions, decisions.
This is the pattern I’ve decided to use for my Mouthy Stitches tote:
This block ‘fleeing the nest’ is from the really fabulous book “Shape Workshop for Quilters” by the Fat Quarterly team and was designed by Brioni Greenberg. I really like flying geese and I think my partner does too. My biggest worry at the moment is that I have posted my fabric choices on flickr and the response has made me quite nervous about it. My partner isn’t very vocal so I have no clue as to what she likes or doesn’t. Therefore I’m starting to think that maybe I should go down the rainbow path after all as there were so many in her mosaic.
I’ll keep you posted.
Do you know the old game called Beetles? You basically have to roll a dice to win beetle body parts. The first to end up with a whole beetle wins. I bought this game a couple of weeks ago and Little Miss Bossy-Boots really loves it. It’s great as it has made her recognise the numbers on the dice and is lots of fun.
However (and sadly there is a however) the plastic beetle parts are a bit cheap and cheerful. The legs don’t fit properly, the antennae fall off every now and then and the head keeps splitting open. Not a nice sight, I can tell you.
Mummy to the rescue! I’ve started making beetle body parts in my spare time. Yep, no joke. Here we go:
Sorry for the bad pic, the light isn’t very good today.
After making a body, head, two antennae and a few legs from some cheap felt I bought, I’m resolved to make no more. I hate the feel of the felt, it’s too thick for the magnets to bond properly and I hate the feel of the felt. Oh, and I really must mention that I hate the feel of the felt. After putting my thinking cap on I’ve decided to start again with some quilting weight fabric. I believe that if I use some woven interfacing on the back I could make some really fun, pretty and, most importantly, pink beetles which feel nice too.
However, (oh no not another however) before I do that I’m off to play Bridge. See you all tomorrow!
I have been thinking quite a bit about what to make for my partner in the Mouthy Stitches Swap. The night before last inspiration struck and yesterday afternoon I spent a good 30 minutes pulling fabric from my stash. I decided early on to use some Essex linen in ivory for the bag (not the most practical, I admit) as my partner likes rainbows and I wanted the colours to pop. After pulling out a rainbow of fabrics and putting it on the background I decided to ditch half the rainbow and ‘only’ go with purple, blue and red. At the last second I threw in a little orange but am not sure whether I will keep it in there or not.
The aqua Kona is for the lining and a couple of accents. This is going to be a reversible tote so the lining needs to be pretty as well. We are allowed to change the pattern inasmuch that we may add a small pocket on the inside. I’m thinking of turning that pocket into a bit of a feature so that both sides are equally pretty.
Now, should I wait to see if my partner comments on the picture I’ve put up on flickr or should I just dive in?
Oh yes, I’ve done it again: I’ve signed up for Blogtoberfest 2012.
Don’t know Blogtoberfest? Kat from I saw you dancing is hosting it this year so check out her blog post and sign up if you feel up for it. I had so much fun last year finding lots of new blogs and challenging myself to post something every day. I admit that some post were pure fillers with nothing to show or tell (and I may or may not have missed three completely) but I hope I’m better prepared this time round.
I have the “I’ve done this all before” feeling which will probably make me run around in a panic frantically searching for something to photograph and blog about. I apologise beforehand.
Right, I’m off to write a few blog posts. Ha, ha, just trying to give the impression I’m well prepared….
Today is the last day of Blogtoberfest and I’ve really enjoyed it. I admit I’ve missed a few posts but it has been fun trying to blog every day. I’ve also enjoyed visiting loads of new blogs and, of course, a few that I already subscribe to.
To celebrate this enjoyable month of blogging I’ve decided to host a giveaway. The prizes are:
First, we have a “Tilda” Charm Pack. To be honest I would love to keep it so I might just buy one and make myself something lovely after Christmas (I wish I had the time to do it right now but alas…).
Second, a mug rug made by yours truly. The nine patch block in the middle is Nell Whatmore’s “Happy Go Lucky”. I’ve machine quilted the polka dot border and hand quilted the nine patch block with some pink perle cotton. This mug rug is 7″ by 7″, perfect for a cup and a biscuit.
Third, is a little Amigurumi frog named Fergal. He loves to look out of the window and watch the flies but is just as happy holding your pins (with his head…).
Interested? Leave a comment on this post telling me about some handy tip, cooking, sewing, knitting, gardening anything that makes your life easier. My best tip? Use a rubber glove to get dog and cat hair out of carpets easily. This is especially handy on stairs as you get into the corners much better than with a dustpan and brush. Just rub your hand over the carpet, the hair will stick to your glove and turn into this dust bunny thingy (I have no idea what it’s called in English, sorry!).
Giveaway is open till Sunday, 6th November 2011 and it’s open to everyone. I will draw a winner at 10am Greenwich time, so make your sure you comment before then. Please make sure I can contact you to ask for your address.
Good Luck!
Ok, today I have no idea what to write about. It’s half-term here and with Little Miss Bossy-Boots not in school I haven’t managed to sew more than two seams.
The reason, however, that I’m rambling on now is that I decided at the start of Blogtoberfest that I would host a giveaway at the end and I would have as many prizes as I had missed blog posts. I’m on three at the moment. Do I need to say anymore?
I’ll leave you with a picture of some cute buttons (after all, a blog post without a picture is like toast without butter).
I’ve decided to join Blogtoberfest, a month of daily blog posts. This festival was brought to life by Cathy and there’s a long list of participating blogs on her blog tinniegirl which I can’t wait to explore. There will be giveaways, fun posts, challenges and I’m sure lots of desperate posts from me to make sure I have something to talk about. After all, I’m not really known for blogging daily, am I? Here we go, though, it’s my chance to get into the habit of blogging daily and hosting my first giveaway! I think I know already what I’m going to give away. Curious? Stick round and I’ll tell you soon.
