New pincushion and pencil case!?

I love Karen's screen print fabrics ...

I also love what she makes with them....have a look here!

Now I love my new pincushion using a circle of her scrappy daisy fabric, some blue linen, some toy stuffing and stitching in my lovely Aurifil thread!   I have to confess the original idea is Karen's but I have added my own little twist!

I echoed Karen's daisy design in a contrasting thread, made a stem and some leaves.  Then I decided to finish the edge off the edge with the word flower and some simple flower designs and just to break the monotony I stitched a and the word buzz!   The edge has been left raw - so no turning inside out and no hand stitched closure - all done by machine which was a little bit tricky at the end!

Loving it though and thinking of stitching more words in future projects!  Funny thing is I seem to write better with a sewing machine than pen or pencil!   But it would be a bit hard to carry my Bernina around to produce my signature....hehe!


My second little project was this little pencil case.... using Karen's triangle fabric!  I was surprised at how small this is and would use it more as a little change purse rather than a pencil case.   

But I have now bought Amy's hexiecase pattern so that will provide a bit more room for that sort of thing!

  

Hoarding! Do I have a problem?

No I don't think so!


But honestly how can I resist when Mandy from Simply Solids offers a discount on Echo fabrics like these - and ties them up with string!  One of my favourite things for sure...

And then Karen @ Blueberry Park tempts me with her own screen printed designs ....wicked girl that she is!  Gorgeous hexies...you know that has to be good!

She has been asking me what I am going to make with her fabrics ....I have others to so it is getting to be quite a collection!  And I just hadn't gotten around to pulling out some fabrics to go with them . ... until today!


I took a photo or two but they are awful so it will be tomorrow before I can get a better photo to show you...I seem to be teasing quite a lot these days but if you Ozzie guys would give us back the sun then I wouldn't have to!  Heehee!

Open the bags....!

Several of you wanted to see what was inside my bags and thought I was a big tease!


Well I went to town with hubby as part of my birthday celebrations and the purchases were to be presents from my family so I was not allowed to keep them .....until now that is!




Here is a cardi from Anthropologie.....

Here are my fabrics from Liberty .....

I also got some more lovelies

Now I'm afraid I need to go and stroke them and tell them how utterly lovely they are....I'm sure you won't mind....!  Lucky me!

Fabrics from Sweden!

Look what came to me from the lovely Karin who I 'met' on Flickr through the Christmas Tablerunner Swap.  I posted a little block I had designed that I called a Danish Woven Heart - after a few comments it became apparent that the woven heart was common to Sweden and Norway too!






I told Karin that I also collect Dala horses and the next block I'd like to design would be a Dala horse.  Here is my little collection - the white one I got from my parents as a child...

Karin very kindly said she would send me some fabric with Dala horses on them and so she did!  My little chaps are either guarding or welcoming the new arrivals...

Isn't this gorgeous - I need to make a bag with these!  The big blue one definitely has a punk thing going on with his lovely red spiky hairdo.  And just look at that cute little braid with Dala horses!

Cannot say thank you enough Karin and just need to think of an appropriate local return package to send your way!   You can catch up with Karin at Karin pa Osater or at her photostream on flickr!

Little Birds at the Window

I collected lots of cute bird fabric last year to use for an attic window quilt.  I have not done mitred corners before so thought that should be my next challenge!  This is a new project for this year although I was planning it and buying for it last year.


 Here are my bird fabrics

I teamed them up with some solid fabric to form the window frame,

 and these are my first few blocks

I was only intending to make a smallish quilt with these -  about this size really.  But I think I will make three more blocks like this!  And maybe add a border or two!  That will make a reasonably sized single quilt.



If you've made one of these quilts do tell me what was in your windows...


Nicky,

A little parcel in my letter box....

Look what arrived in my letterbox this week.  A gorgeous collection of fabrics from Saints and Pinners in Devon.  You can find them here! 

Dolce Bamboo Garden
Dolce Ella
Dolce Deco fans
Dolce Glamour and
Dolce Rita
Dolce Marilyn and Dolce Lana

Yellow voiles from Anna Maria Horner:

Dobby dots
Diamond Mine
Forest Hill
Colouring Garden and
Little Honey gold 

I heard about Saints & Pinners at Blueberry Park - a great UK blog!  Thanks for the recommendation about a great UK online-shop.


Before the end of term one mum turned up in the playground with a patchwork skirt and I kept looking at her, or rather her skirt.  I thought: I could make that! 

So I want to make a patchwork A-line skirt out of all that orange and pink loveliness and I'm brooding over what to make with the voiles....maybe a scarf to go with that skirt.  Better start looking for a skirt pattern or summer will be over and no skirt!  Then where would I be?


I know SKIRTLESS!


Do you like my choice of fabrics?  I'm trying to decide whether to make rectangle patches or vertical strips?  Anybody got any suggestions?

Do help me to decide....or I may never get started...

Nicky