Crochet fun

Oh dear. It looks like I've been neglecting my blog again. I can't believe that April is almost at an end. How on earth did that happen! Over the past couple of months I've been teaching myself how to crochet by watching videos on YouTube. Don't you just love the Internet. Such a wealth of information. I've been making granny squares and eventually hope to have enough for a blanket.

I recently came across a cute crochet owl tutorial on the Bunny Mummy blog. Feeling confident that I was up for the challenge, I gave it a go. The pattern was beautifully written with lots of pictures. I had no trouble creating my own little owl. I'm planning to make a few more as they would make a great gift.

Last week I started making a granny stripe blanket. I probably shouldn't have started a new project until my granny square blanket was finished, but I just couldn't help myself.

I just love these colours. The wool is Moda Vera Marvel 8ply in 100% acrylic. I got it on special at Spotlight. I'm using a 4mm hook and I am so enjoying making this blanket. I've only done six rows so far, but I'm having so much fun making these treble clusters.

My colour sequences are totally random which is a first for me, as I usually don't do anything random. I found the pattern over at Attic24. This is such a fabulous blog. It was after I started reading this blog that I became interested in crochet. I'll be back soon with some more progress pictures.

Strawberry Shortcat and her friend Petal

I recently participated in an auction that was organised by 'The Handmade Library'. All proceeds from the auction went to the Red Cross - Tasmanian Bushfire 2013 Appeal. I was lucky enough to have the winning bid for a custom made kitty and tottie by 'Good Kitty, Bad Cat'. Jackie has done such a fabulous job making 'Strawberry Shortcat' and 'Petal'. You can find 'Good Kitty, Bad Cat' on facebook. Why don't you drop by and say hi!

                                            Image by 'Good Kitty, Bad Cat'

I'm a winner

I had a surprise waiting for me in my mail box yesterday. It was a prize that I won in a recent giveaway at Quilt Kitty Loves Life. This was my first ever blog giveaway win! I received a lovely pattern by the fabulous Rosalie Quinlan. Rosalie is a very talented lady and she designs some gorgeous things. I've got a few other projects on the 'to do' list at the moment, but I hope to get started on this stitchery very soon.

Birthday sewing

It was my friends birthday last week and as she doesn't do any type of craft, I always try to make her something. This year I made her a book cover. I used bright fabric in shades of teal, red and mustard. The patchwork blocks are: a nine patch, a shoo fly and a churn dash. This project also gave me the opportunity to make prairie points. I always thought they would be difficult, but they're not. I was pleasantly surprised at just how easy they were.

Also in the photo is a colourful millefiori floral polymer clay handled seam ripper that I purchased from a shop in Etsy. Angela has some beautiful items in her shop. If you would like to take a look, you can find the link HERE.

I'm back...

New year, new start. Last year I found it very hard to focus on anything craft related. My daughter separated from her husband after only seven months of marriage. So she and her two cats moved back in with us. It had been four years since she last lived with us, so it was a big adjustment for everyone. She recently moved into a place of her own and I now feel ready to tackle all of my unfinished craft projects. I've also been reading the Tara Frey book "Blogging for Bliss". Hopefully I may have learnt how to produce a creative and inspiring blog! I'll finish today by showing you some pictures of a needle folder, scissor keeper and pin cushion that I have recently made.

Busy week

Last week I made a doll/mini quilt. The nine patch blocks were made using 2½" squares. The fabric is from the Moda range. Barbara at Cat Patches has recently organised a doll quilt swap group. I would love to join but don't think I have the time to make a new doll quilt each month. You can find out about the group HERE.

Another project I have been working on is a hand applique quilt designed by Katrina Hadjimichael. The quilt is called 'Pemberley' and is the first quilt in Katrina's 'Jane Austen' collection. All the quilts in the collection are named after the houses in Jane Austen's 'Pride & Prejudice'.

I have been working on this quilt for about 18 months and still have a long way to go before it is finished. You can find out about Katrina's 'Jane Austen Quilt Collection' HERE.

Tube Quilting

I made this table runner using a technique called 'tube quilting'. It would be a great project for a jelly roll, although I used fat quarters. Tube quilting is a quick fun technique that produces great results. The best thing about tube quilting is that you can achieve a totally different look for each block, depending on how you lay your squares out. I found this really good tutorial about tube quilting which you can find HERE.