Work in progress...

A while back, I started on my Gathering Flowers Quilt. Some of my blog readers may be too young to remember this.

I'm pleased to report that I have been making some progress lately. My main motivation has been making sure I cut out all the pieces of fabric I need before Innocent Crush sells out. I have been sewing in the evening when the kids are in bed. There are issues with this as I will demonstrate.

Spot the mistake? Let me make it easier for you.

Look at block number 2. Those of you who know me can probably imagine that I did utter a few well chosen bad words when I noticed this. I had even said to myself that I must check it before sewing because wouldn't it be frustrating to spot a mistake at this stage? Well, it was, very frustrating. In the future I will listen to that particular voice in my head.

I was further hampered by the fact I used my seam ripper last week for a spot of DIY and snapped the pointy bit off, making unpicking stitches very tedious.

But we learn by our mistakes, second time round I was extra careful. And here they are all shiny and perfect.

I need to make 2 more of these as I'm making a cot bed sized quilt 6 x 2. Neither of my kids are in cot beds (or ever were for that matter, straight from a cot to a massive single bed) but it seemed more achievable at this size.

Now that I finally have more than 2 blocks, I can think about how they will go together.

I think I prefer the latter, it's less perfect. Kind of how this quilt is turning out. I love the squares is creates and the rings of the petals which could have been paler to stand out more in hindsight.

So now I am back on track with this quilt, I'm hoping to finish it before it's intended recipient reaches her teens. She is currently 6 so I am feeling fairly confident.

Make a Corsage

Been a bit quiet on the blogging front recently - sorry about that. Half term and family life has rather taken over. But a while back I wrote this blog post for Boden about making a corsage, so if you fancy giving one a go, then head over there...

I have 3 different fabric collections on their way to me as I type, so in the coming weeks there will be lots of lovely new fabric to show you. Some I already mentioned, some my lovely Twitter followers offered me advise on, and another that only Florence knows about.

Exciting eh? I am very excited and it feels like a good time to think about give-aways, so do check back.

In the meantime, go and get your corsage on.

Wish list

I finally succumbed to my Amazon wishlist this week and got some books for me and the kids. I got this Papertoy Monsters book after making some from my mum's copy of the book with the kids.

 Squidbeak: coincidentally, my nickname

this is a joke: do not call me squidbeak

It's brilliant, probably suitable for kids 7 or 8 years + due to all the sticking required.

You press the monsters out from the page and then follow the very well laid out instructions to stick the monsters together. You need double sided tape.

 This takes me back to the Walking Dead, 

or maybe earlier this morning just after I woke up

In truth, the kids chose them and I made them, but I enjoyed it, and they liked playing with them after.

Anyway, I bought a copy as I thought it would make a great boy's birthday present (or girl's). I find boys particularly hard to buy for when my daughter gets invited to the occasional boy party. As far as I can tell they mostly like fighting and running around and what can you buy for that?

Me at meal time

I eat with a trowel

Next up, with my daughter's 7th birthday looming, I read a review of this book in the paper and it looked brilliant, so here it is.

I loved bubble-writing when I was little and so this really appealed - How to be the best bubble writer ever.

cup cake bubble writing

shooting stars bubble writing

ribbon bubble writing - could this book be any more girly?

next up kitten writing and cuddly toy bubble writing

grrr monster writing, that's better

and robot bubble writing

And finally for me, I bought the book with the worst title ever - Hand Job. Basically it's the adult version of the bubble writing book, with hand drawn fonts and other very cool illustrations. It's full of so much inspiration of things to draw and design, a feast for your eyes.

Last photo is my studio*

Ideally I'd like to have the young' un doing some bubble writing while I flick through this book, but no. It's half term, it's a glorious day and the although the wind has droppped considerably since I made the promise earlier, we are off to fly a kite. Or drag it along the grass for half an hour, i'll see how things pan out.



*This is a lie.