Vintage Pleasure

Birthday Blanket

Well I had a whole post written and then Typepad froze again. It's really frustrating and to be honest putting me off posting.I am very tempted to move.

Basically I wanted to show you the patchwork birthday blanket I made for my sister. She's a little colour phobic and I wasn't sure how I would work it with the browns and creams of her lounge.So I added some blue and green from my stash.

I'm not going to risk uploading any more photos to this post but there are a few 'in action' shots in my Flickr photostream

Hopefully I'll be able to resolve the composing a post problem as I have quite a bit to share with you.

Inspired by Pip and Blair

I love it when the little pieces of cyberspace we share collide and spur me on to actually do something. A few months ago the lovely Pip's home was featured in an Australian mag.As luck would have it on of our 'blog fairy godmothers' the lovely Aline was in Australia at the time so I cheekily asked her to pick me up the mag. Which, being the lovely lady she is, she did. Not only the mag but also some sweet little koala bear clips and a boomerang.Oh how my girls love their 'blog fairy godmothers'!

 

When the mag arrived  this photo really took my eye and I realised that I needed more cushions for the playroom sofa.A whole heap of ecclectic cushions in fact.All mixy-matchy and fun.Not too much thought about them all looking right together.So I set to and made a few.

I have admired from afar the 'union jack design fetish' that seems to be everywhere but have never sucuumbed until now.I thrifted a length of unused tea-towel fabric and washed it and washed it and washed it until it had faded slightly. Then I used some of my Prints Charming fabric stash and handstiched on some detail.The intention was to use it to display all the girls collected badges but...well lets just say they don't make for a very comfortable cushion!

Then the lovely Blair blogged about her stash value quilt and I was so taken with the technique.I knew however that it would be a long time before I'll get around to making a whole quilt.So I just made a piece big enough for a large cushion cover.It's backed in a thick cotton waffle that is actually a baby blanket.So combined with the quilted front the cushion is so snuggly.

The other couple of cushions are made from my vintage fabric stash. The sofa looks and feels much more inviting now. It even makes the upholstery look a little more pleasant.The sofa is an Edwardian drop arm one that was a birthday present from my hubby. We are going to have it recovered in a bluey-grey velvet. Umm... I must ask hubby when that will be!

 

Quilting With Kids

I can't believe that the 6 weeks hols are so nearly over.Can it really be that long ago that I had to drag my girls out of bed for the last school run?

It means aswell that it must be well over 2 months ago that I took into school 30 little squares of white cotton and a packet of fabric pens...

 

...and came back with 30 beautiful quilt squares.

 

I asked the children to draw a picture of themselves that told us something about what they liked to do.So there was plenty of football pictures from the boys!

I love Jake's football spikes and yes he does have bright red hair!

 

Originally I was just going to piece the squares together with a couple of cotton prints but...kids being kids they drew right upto the edges and left me no seam allowance!

 

So I improvised and hand-stitched them onto the same white cotton and then machine quilted the whole thing.I think that the binding,which I can't for the life of remember what it is, really compliments the backing which is from the Cake Rock Collection . It definitely had to have a boy vibe which I found quite hard with my normally girly tendencies.

The photo was taken very late at night just before it went in the washer and the drier.I had my fingers and toes crossed that the fabric pens held fast and that the patches didn't fray too much. Thankfully everything was fine and the children were over the moon with their creation. So was their lovely teacher Miss Ffye who received the quilt for her new baby Louie.

I did enjoy it but I am kind of hoping that none of the girls teachers get pregnant this year!

Start To Finish

I seem to spend alot of my time finishing jobs I started. Like the kitchen deep clean I started yesterday will be have some more work spent on it on thurs...probably. It's not because I don't have the commitment but because I have too many commitments. See how I did that? Play on words eh.

 Oh to have the luxury of enough time to be inspired and actually follow through.

 

Like the time to paint a picture then draw up a pattern and actually make what you had in your head. Luxury I tell you.

 

But I suppose when you are 14 it's easy to find the time.I mean what else is there to worry about apart from how your hair looks or if you have your PE kit ready? Lily doesn't have to worry about deep cleaning the kitchen now does she?!

Sarah Nicol

So last week Paddy and I managed a very grown up evening date. A trip to the theatre and a beautiful meal. No kids just each other. I love those kind of dates. Time to really take in everything around us without worrying about whether the little people are seeing everything around them. I love The Royal Exchange it is such a beautiful big old building yet the theatre itself is so intimate.You really feel part of the play. Another thing I love is that around the theatre they showcase artists work which is also availlable to purchase.

 

That's where I came across a new to me textile artist Sarah Nicol. I just love her doorstops. I mean how cute are they? You can just expect some little woodland creature popping their head out the door and inviting you in for tea and cakes! I think I've fallen in love with the blue one and it's red roof.My all time favourite colour combo is red and blue.

 

That blue one with the spotty roof really gets me too. Sarah also makes a smaller version that stand about 20cm tall if I remember right. She calls these 'Herb Houses'. I am still kicking myself that I didn't buy one on display at the theatre.It was so sweet and red. She doesn't seem to have any listed in her shop at the minute either.

 

Sarah  makes lots of other lovely stuff like pillows and wall hangings. All gorgeous but I think the 'Herb Houses' have stolen my heart. Go check her site out and let me know what you think. 

P.S. All photographs are shown with full permision

Bags

Thanks for all the birthday love you guys. You really know how to make someone feel loved.In fact I felt loved in so many ways during my birthday week.Yep our birthdays last a week around here. I received so many lovely gifts and got to spend an entire childfree evening with my hubby.What a luxury to eat in piece at a nice restaurant and then have a lie in the nexy day.Very decadent for a school night I'll tell you! Whilst I was out I came across a new-to-me textile artist that I really want to share with you. Tomorrow maybe when I can get the words in the right order.

 

I just realised that I never shared this WIP I showed. It was for my sister as part of my home-made gifts pledge. I used a vintage linen mangle cloth, ditsy floral cotton and vintage doilies. I just love the soft feel of these old mangle cloths. They are a perfect weight for everyday totes.

 

I liked how it turned out so much that I made another for a friend. I see lots more in my future. They are roomy enough for all the day-to-day paraphenalia that goes hand in hand with kids and work etc. The handles are long enough to sling right over your shoulder.I have a thing about handles that are too short.

 

 

I lined them in floral print cotton and added a pocket. The recipients loved them but the thing is do you think they would sell? I'd love to make some for my paltry excuse of a shop. In fact I'd love to think I will make a whole heap of things to sell.I will.I will.I will.

Some Fabric Found Me

Seriously it did.It even called my name.

I'm glad it did. Especially *this one.I think it had the loudest voice.

 

What fabric is calling your name? Will you listen?

*Lush fabric by Erin Michael

It's In There Somewhere

As a mother of 2 teenage girls I often dread entering their rooms.Seriously they can sometimes be a health hazard and lots of times I just shut the door and walk away. It's their space and as much as it pains me I have to let them be. Every so often I make them have a big clear out and a fresh start but most of the time you can guarantee there will be overflowing waste paper bins and books etc everywhere. I insist on dirty washing in a basket though.I'm not picking anyones dirty knickers up of the floor!

 

Not so long ago I went into Lily's room and was about to shut the door when I saw something.A little treasure in amongst the chaos.

There on her amongst the the mess on her craft desk.She has two desks one for school work and one

 

Can you see it yet?

An original pastel by Lily.Worth a little mess don't you think? 

Definitely a keeper.

Life's like that isn't it? Little treasures amongst the chaos.

What Have You Been Doing?

Whilst computer free I managed to get organised enough to actually get going on a few things that have been going around in my head. Some house related, some garden related, some kids related, some friends related and  some craft related. I'm hoping that I manage to keep up the momentum. I have to thank the spring light as it have definitely helped. How amazing is it that things seem so much better when the sun shines?

  

One of the things was working with some vintage mangle cloths, ditsy florals and doilies. I'll show you the results soon.

So what have you been doing?

A Little Bag

My girls have some lovely friends who only live 3 doors up from us. When it was Mish's birthday I needed to make a present and only had a few hours to make it.

 

So out came the linen I picked up in NYC and some lovely Japanese fabric.Both of which I had been hoarding for ages. I was totally inspired by these. So whipped my own pattern.

 

It has an extra wide strap so it's comfy over the shoulder.No fastening so things can just be thrown in easily.The front pocket was a just a panel until my littlest insisted it needed to be a pocket.So my friend the seam ripper helped out! I lined it with a lovely soft vintage flannel I have been hoarding.

Can you see a crafting theme? Actually using the stuff I've been hoarding.Revolutionary I tell you!

Apparently it was the favourite birthday present.Now that's nice.