giant hexies...stateside...

 my giant hexies quilt pattern has always been a big hit. i really love doing it and i really love that others do. 

it makes me smile to think of all those giant hexie quilts that must be out there...or maybe it's just the patterns...

i was about to start a blueberry park version when i had an custom order from a lovely lady in the US for me to make one for her. 

very exciting...my first commissioned quilt!

we chatted a little over Etsy and she sent me some images of colour schemes she liked and we settled on red and aqua.

 i have a lot of red and aqua in my stash so it was pretty easy finding enough fabrics to use...

and particularly since I had a couple of recent arrivals from  DS Quilts collection.

 i really really enjoyed making this quilt. it is very easy to piece - although i did it differently this time thanks to my new 'y' seam skillage acquisition.

 i have to admit though that i think my favourite part of this quilt is the back!

i started out wanting to use the pale spot at  the bottom but didn't have enough, so i pieced it with another DS Quilts fabric that the uber lovely Audrie recently sent me. i made a little panel between the two of the cut-offs and put it all together. i love it!

the photos all look a little washed out due to so much light out there today and even more bouncing off the snow we continuously seem to have this year. i'm not complaining mind. just saying.

i did make this in record time which i think made it even more enjoyable. i didn't have time to get bored of it. i was spurred on by the possibility of it cadging a lift to the US tomorrow when hubs goes on business.

i am ever so slightly concerned it will get brought straight back again or worse still, left in a hotel room somewhere.

so still only tuesday and the biggest thing of the week ticked off.

surely that must mean it will be a productive week...

...will let you know!

I've been trying out a new idea this week. Actually, to be pedantic, I've been trying out an idea that has been mulling around in the far corners of my brain for, ooh, about 4 years, ever since I first started designing these.

I can't blame not being able to find the time. It's been more a case of stalemate and knowing where I was starting from and sort of knowing where I was going to end up, but not sure of the journey I was going to take to get there.

A lightbulb moment occurred last night, some time between finishing tutoring, dropping Noah off at Scouts and coming back to get Ruby to bed. You know how it works. And it was plainly obvious that I wasn't going to be going to bed until I'd at least got somewhere along to trying it out.

I have got somewhere along and I'm quite pleased with where it's at and hopefully they'll be ready for a bit more show and tell early next week...

Declaring more from the holiday buying fabric stash...

Last night I made some Wash-bags with waterproof lining. The linings were delivery number 43 in the buying stakes, bought from Dreams Come True.

I'm waiting on delivery number 44 for some more linings for more designs I have planned...

They are available right here, here and here.

One of the amazing things that I love about our online community is the generosity of cyber friends. Friends that we have never met in real life, but have such a mutual interest with that we appreciate what each other is doing and how much something means to us, that we go out of our way to do a kind deed. Kind deeds that real life friends do without thinking, that I guess makes our cyber friends real friends too.

This week I received metres of this gorgeous striped linen from one such generous cyber friend. Louise posted on Twitter that she was off to buy some of this linen and did I want any. My order was placed and within days it was here in my home.

The fact that this linen is gorgeous and works beautifully with my creations is irrelevant. The fact that Louise, who only knows me from my blog, Twitter and other such web based meeting places, knew at once that I would love it, is the reason behind why I love this community.

I really love what I do and I really love that it gives me the opportunity to meet all of you.

I started working on some blocks that I was planning to use with the Orla Car patch I began the other day. I began by sewing together long rows of fabric, but I wasn't overly keen on how it was working out so I cut them into these strips.

I'm liking them alot better like this and have a few ideas buzzing around as to how I now want to use them. But, uncharacteristically, I am going to leave them on the side for a few days and be sure of what I want to do with them. I have about 5 ideas all at once for them and have a feeling they may become a theme for new work...watch this space.

In the meantime I had to get back on track with the Car Cushion. I decided to continue on the Log Cabin style that I'd started, with an added sashiko stitching around.

I have backed it in linen with an envelope opening, in a style that I normally use for my cushion covers. I like this style. Is it because I'm too lazy to do zips? Or simply that I like them this way? I like to think it's the latter...

There are going to be a fair few of these, but if you want to grab this first one, it's right here...

All done and finished...my first set of a new product...

Did you guess right?

I'm really pleased with how these have turned out and can't wait to get into my studio and get more sets made.

I've already picked out a load of fabrics (my favourite bit of any project) that are sitting waiting patiently for a few spare moments.

The first set is in the shop now

I've been rather caught up with this order this week...but, in a good way. It has completely taken over, but what better an excuse to be tied to my studio sewing all week. Honestly, there are times when I simply love my job (remind me of that in a few months when it's tax form time again...ugghhh).

My job includes sewing AND shopping. I needed a fair few ribbons for the pot holder hangers and, me being me, I wasn't satisfied with the ones already in my stash. If there's one thing I feel very strongly about, it's the little details that make or break a look. So if the handle didn't gel, then the whole piece was going to look all wrong. And just one ribbon wasn't right for all the different pot holders, so again, as you can see, several had to be purchased. I wouldn't want to give the impression that I cut corners with my work after all. So a quick stop of at Daisy Park and my shopping was complete.

I'm really pleased with how the whole "Sand & Sea" Collection is coming together and can't wait to see it all in situ at Harewood next week. I'm rather proud of this one.

(Thank you all so much for your help in locating the Denyse Schmidt fabric I was after...and a massive thank you to Kirsten and Ryan who have come up trumps and are sending some...I owe you!)

I was pleased with the outcome of the Wedding Cushion and thank you to those that liked it too, but I think this one was borne out of the antidote to the more sophisticated feel of that. Without realising it at the time, I obviously found it quite sombre. And even before I had finished completing it into a cushion, I had already pulled out all these bright, fun dots, lining them up ready to be "log-cabined".

It could have been as a result of that, or equally a result of my sombre mood of last week. Either way I feel lifted to have been sewing this bright array of spotty dotties this morning.

It will be all cushioned up and in the shop asap. And long may the summery weather and mood continue until the distant future...

Sunday Stash #4

I indulged in a little shopping at Fabric Rehab this week, in the need of some fun fabrics for pencil rolls. I love the dots that they have at the mo and thought they went rather well with these 4 funky ones.

I think the Lizzy Dish is my fave, but a certain little girl in this house has already lay claims on the Ice Creams. Which does raise the question - do we make things to be attractive to the mum's who are doing the puchasing, or for the children to be delighted? Tricky one. If I find a fabric that does both, I'll be sure to let you know.