Christmas at M is for make

Just one last post before Christmas to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a happy, peaceful holiday. And a reminder of opening hours...

The shop will be open for orders throughout the festive season, but there will be reduced deliveries. The last postal date before Christmas is 21st December and all orders placed before 12pm will be posted then. All orders after that will be posted from 30th December.

Up, Up and Away

'Up, Up and Away' collection by Heather Moore for Cloud 9 Fabrics now in stock.

Christmas

source

I am looking forward to Christmas; to having some time off, eating, Christmas films (preferably with talking animals), sitting infront of my mum's fire, going for long walks by the sea, being free of school for 2 whole weeks, presents, mulled wine. I am anticipating it all like a cast-away searching for fresh water. And the new year too; turning over a new chapter in 2014, shaking off 2013, a long, hard year.

Source: Mr Printables

One things I love about Christmas is getting stuck into some craft, the days are short, the weather often dreadful and someone is usually too ill to go out. Last Christmas, we coloured in this epic Christmas tree, I am wondering if the kids are prepared to do it again this year (I am). Mr Printables, (what other career could he chose with a name like that) has many delicious printables for us, look at this super cute polar bear wrapping.

I also love:

• These pine cone Christmas trees
• These super cut (or super sinister, can't decide) origami trophy animals 
• These festive embroidery templates 

Also, my new obsession is felt balls, I bought a bag from Blooming Felt, and strung them together to make a garland (or cat magnet) for the Christmas tree. I love them so much, and have had to restrain myself from buying many more.

Another post to follow on Christmas opening hours, please share any great Christmas craft links, Christmas breakfast ideas, favourite Christmas films involving talking animals (for the record ours is The Search for Santa Paws - a classic).

Made: the Triangle Quilt

My last quilt of 2013: the Triangle Quilt. Made for an old friend in need of a quilt (well, something of a presumption, but who wouldn't need a quilt?).

I boldly chose colours that I thought she would like, and it was fun to venture out of my usual palette of colours. Clementine has been a really popular colour during 2013, so it was pretty easy to pick out that side and I couldn't resist putting in a fair bit of Tule.

Chip with an eye on quality control

The triangles are big: the sides measure 21cm, so it went together really quickly after the initial fiddling around to make the pattern random enough, not having the same colours next to each other and having the bolder pieces spaced apart. 

I used Kona navy for the backing, it just fitted, just. Then having whipped through the top, I managed to make an awful mess of the quilting as usual. A combination of ploughing in without enough thought, wanting to get it over, and hoping it would turn out ok, didn't work. It took me about 3 goes to get the quilting right, even though it was just straight lines in the end.

And despite thinking this quilt would be started and finished in half term, I have only just managed to finish binding it this week.

You can find the fabrics I used for this quilt here, although a few are sold out now, let me know if you want to make this quilt yourself, and need some extra fabric choices.

Now all I have to do is wrap it up and send it off (oh after I have removed the white fluff from the back, poor choice to put a navy quilt back on a fluffy white rug).

Hope you are finding time to finish off your makes before Christmas!

New fabrics

In the calm that follows the epic Black Friday sale I have finally found time to upload some lovely new prints, including these beauties by Charley Harper. I am huge fan of Charley Harper, if you want to read a little bit more about him, head over here.

I picked a few prints that I thought would make great additions to your stash, a lovely bag, pillow or quilt back.

Also with perfect timing as they are marvelously festive, these metallic zig-zags and dots are just gorgeous and glimmery.

And finally another great colour in the Essex linen collection: steel - grey with a hint of pale denim.

Black Friday sale

From 9am Thursday 28th November through till 10pm Monday 2nd December there is 20% off  fabric, patterns and haberdashery. This excludes new fabric and patterns.

Just use the code 'blackfriday' after the checkout. Fabric flies out during sales so if there is something you have your eye on - snap it up early to avoid disappointment!

Happy shopping all :)

'Bark and Branch' now in stock

I'm very excited to announce that the much anticipated 'Bark and Branch' collection by Eloise Renouf for Cloud 9 Fabrics is now in stock - catch it while you can!

Made: the star quilt

So it struck me last night while snuggled underneath this quilt that I had completely forgotten to share with you after finishing it during half term.

I have something of a love affair with this quilt, it is without doubt my most favourite thing that I have ever made. The colours are all me, the satisfaction of the repeat pattern with the star; tetris in a quilt.

It makes me happy just to look at it, and happy in the thought that I will always treasure it; the colour choices I made, the sewing, my favourite fabric designers. All condensed into one happy quilt.

I'm sure somewhere I had some quilting disasters, I usually do, but blogging about it a few weeks after making it means I have forgotten them. I was pretty happy with the results, quilting around the stars, it looks ok on the back. I used Brussels washer in charcoal for the backing,  it was wide enough to mean I didn't have to piece the back (phew) and both soft and durable, a triple win.

I bound it in one of my favourite ever fabrics too, because I'm worth it.

Going to bed last night it was freezing and I had 2 quilts on top of the duvet, this one and my medallion quilt, they look so happy together, the same colour theme.

Talking of colour, I'm really glad I added the bright yellow and pink diamonds, it was a bit of a bold diversion out of my grey comfort zone, but the quilt needs it, I think it would have been a bit boring without. If you'd like to see all the fabrics, you can find them here.

I do find myself looking at this quilt, at the fabrics, picking out my favourites. (It's hard, but it's this one by the way.)

So, one more quilt almost finished and then time to take a break from sewing for a bit, or maybe not. See how long I can hold off.

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The golden bundle

 

Recent fabric arrivals (and subsequent lovely orders) and prompted me to marvel how well different collections go together. So I am hoping to pull together a few colour themed bundles, and first up is the golden bundle, 6 coordinating fat quarters themed around a beautiful dusty gold. One of my favourite colours, it goes so well with grey, my other favourite colour. Hope you like.

... and finally

New colours in the ever popular Essex Linen, chambray, indigo, and red.

This very lovely owl print.

... and new colours in Interweave Chambray. This fabric is 100% cotton and it's soft texture and close weave makes it great for dressmaking.

Last week in pictures

Storms, beaches, walking, quilting, poorly kids, and the Beetles; last week. And home to boxes and boxes of new fabric, more to follow on that shortly. Thanks for your patience while I was away.

Plotting...

I'm plotting something new, how do you like the colours?

and into Autumn...

And so into Autumn, enjoying the long shadows, cooler days, the way everything looks when the sun in low. Truth is, whilst I love the summer, I am more of a cooler climate kind of girl and being prepared for the elements. 

Round here we have been huddling together for warmth, some with less subtly than others.

Marvelling at those who brave the sea whatever the weather when I even find it far too cold in the height of August.

We have been making fruit crumbles, perfecting the ratio of fruit to crumble. Which appears to be 1:100 incase you want to try it.

Doing a lot of sewing in the dark, the light is awful now, it compliments my awful quilting as I tackle my least favourite part of making a quilt and head towards my favourite: the binding.

This week I have been reminiscing about eiderdowns and my head is filled with the idea of making one, mostly for my daughter who is already buried under a deep layer of duvets and blankets on her bed. My granny had them, and there is something so very wholesome and cozy about the thought of making one. Although I suspect it would be a feather field quilting disaster waiting to happen. Has anyone made one or seen a good tutorial?

Hope you are enjoying Autumn wherever you are.