BOOM!

I survived the Great Craft Bomb of 2011.



Just.

The Queen of Curvy Sewing.

Not it is not My Assistant.
Although she was very taken with this incredibly clever book.

I wrestled it out from under her and read it through from cover to cover.
Ever wanted to make curved blocks but been put off be twisty bias-cut fabric turning evil? This clever lady makes it all soooooo simple even I could do it effectively.

Look! I made a strawberry!
Wanna see the trick?



By cutting the squares on a set curve they interlock with other pieces easily and when sewn together they make a single square, this means there are only ever straight lines to join. No fiddling with miles of bias cut edges. Oh I do love this new trick.

Yay for Oxfam having this book hidden away on its shelf and a huge thank-you to the craft-loving woman whose children donated it.

Sylv needs your help!!

This is my mother's latest quilt.

As always stunning and, despite what she would have you believe, beautifully crafted.

While my initial response was 'What an ace quilt for a little girl' and 'Ooo! I recognise that fabric!!This one is actually going to her god-daughter, a woman older even than I.

The problem is the binding.

She can't decide whether to go with the olive green or a slightly more lively (and seemingly patterned) orange. What so you think?

Hmmmm?

Look at me Mama!

I'm crafting!!!


(pics to follow)

Well, craft bomb defused...

... without CK being any the wiser. Even managed a bit of culling (hello school knitting club).

Now just have to write out job application and return to sweetest country school tomorrow.

Did you notice my poll (eyes right>>>>)

Last week I sent out an email wondering if I were the only one fed up with 'Aussie Crafty Bloggers' going on about just how magnificent a time was had at Sewjourn? Or if others wished they too could have attended the fabulousness that was Sew It Together, Melbourne 2010?

I get a resounding reply of NO!

I was not alone in my deep, deep envy.

Now I accept that Sewjourn is a magical place imbued with the spirit of the luvverly Jan, and the chances of finding such a venue customised to delight the hearts of crafters here in the UK would be tricksy without a mahoosive dose of good fortune. However I reckon that if we put our heads together we could come up with our own version of Sew It Together right here in Old Blighty.

I have been given blessing and benediction by Sheridan . So if you think you might be interested in attending a Craft Extravaganza come October 2011 would you take a couple of seconds to fill in the poll in the sidebar? And if you could spare a few more minutes would you pass the word to any other bloggers who may want to join in?

Part one of a Summer in pictures.

Hilltop visit by very clever, talented and funny famous author.

Teary farewells at the end of primary school.

Long cool drinks required to survive those hot days.
(honest we DID have some)

Fridge fascists at work. Princess Curly Wurly tidied and cleaned the fridge. Eveything being put back in was given an exact spot that corresponded with the map attached to the front of the fridge. Map complete with demands for compliance OR ELSE. Even now a month later CK remains in fear of putting things in the wrong place.

Purchase made on behalf of Missus Moog last Saturday at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham.

Uhoh...

... think my head may be about to explode.






Want to paint new pattern I found at painting this week.

Want to finish knitting 'plane socks'.


Want to finish knitting Will's Christmas present.

Want to finish Treeclimber's wonky star quilt.


Want to start pirate quilt.

Want to bake fabulous recipes from here.


Want to knit something with the stunning bright red 2 ply lace yarn from Posh.


Want to knit scarf with gorgeous brick red alpaca yarn.

Want to read 'clever' book. (not sure which one but something not chick lit-ish)


NEED to finish current block for Around The World - Christmas - Swap.

Want to finish travel, quilt, picnic blanket and all the other bazillion WIPs I have lying around.





Head-exploding due to fact that someone somewhere has decided that


i) 24 hours is sufficient for a whole day


ii) I require sleep.

Answers on a virtual postcard please.

Have nearly finished the top for a Christmas quilt for a special girl in the lives of those

Chez Trash Towers. I bought the coloured star fabrics at lubbard Spotlight near Sylv's house and married it to some bright white cotton curtain lining from the old-fashioned haberdasher's around the corner.I love the bright colours against the white and I really love them both made up as wonky stars. My problem is with layout.

You see, I bought seven colours which is all well and good but my quilt is five blocks by three. My basic maths confirms that this would equal 15 squares. Unfortunately this is a problem in that my basic maths also confirms seven colours doubled up only equals 14 blocks. So we came up with a plan. And this is where you all come in.

I made a rainbow wonky star and have tried it in two different spots in the quilt. What I would like would be for you all to pitch in and tell me which you prefer.

This one in the bottom row?

Or this one smack bang in the middle?

I have to confess I am currently of a mind to do a third purple one (Treeclimber's favourite colour) and place it in the middle and then use the rainbow wonky star as an add-in on the backing.

OK non-believers, hold on to your hats!

This is said quilt in its finished and drapey state. Pretty, non?
Filled with lovely colours Emma Scrapbag put together, interesting texture in the chenille.
A mix of both my worlds with the inner fabric a blog friend gift and the outer a mix of shirts
(one of which I actually loved and wore - don't tell my mother about the other) and a dress belongum Princess C-W.

And then we have the binding.
Gorgeous girlie, frilly pretty binding a gift from a friend.
Binding that was machine-stitched on both sides.
Oh Patch Andi, you clever, clever girl to make me feel brave enough to try this.

And then we have several reasons why it took so long to actually finish completely and 100%.

OMG!!! A Finish. **edited**

Way back somewhere a million years ago I posted about all the WIPs I wanted to finish before end Dec 2010 and guess what? Tonight I managed to finish one! Yay.

So now Princess C-W has a brand new QUILT, completely finished as in bound and and quilted and everything.

(Of course she has actually been using it for over 12 months but - shhhhhhhhh- don't tell anyone).

(I was hoping no one would notice, I should have guessed someone would pick up on my error. Locket.)

Have you ever been in love?

I think I may just be.

Isn't he gorgeous?

And because it really is true love, this is on the other side.

This is one of the vinyl-lined bags I have been making like a crazy hound these past two weeks.

It started with a washbag for my girl to take on her weeklong residential trip last month. This fabric was too perfect to leave in the shop and some pretty floral, lightweight vinyl from the old-fashioned haberdashers in town.

These were such a delight to make and look so blurry good (even if I do say so) that the decision was made to create more for that end-of-year scam - the teacher present. This year d/Boy has had six 'teachers' (don't get me started), and Princess C-W three so for once I am ahead of the game and have made five so far.

The first was the boat one for Mr. Headteacher and then d/Boy picked out some shapes for the rest. Gingerbread Man and initials for the really lovely teaching assistant (TA), angel for the god-loving TA, bell for the uber-music loving teacher and a Dala (swedish horse image) for the horse's arse faced evil teacher. This just leaves the knitting one, the coffe cup one and the 'gods-alone-know-what-to-make-for-her' one and there is still a month left of school.

But these need not be just wash bags. I made one on Friday for my gods-daughter's half-year birthday and told her it could be for pencils, shells, felt-tips (textas/markers) or, if her mother really insisted, a damp flannel.

And finally I am managing to post the pictures of the most recent blocks I have made for the 'Quilt Around The World ~~ Christmas Blocks' for Carroll and Sudi-Laura respectively.

I am very excited about both of these because I pieced with reasonably sharp points for a first-timer AND also did needleturn applique! Yay me!

Potential errata

Have just read comments left on 'I think I have issues with perfection' and am beginning to wonder if I actually meant circles.

Perhaps I am exaggerating the situation? It is a circular piece but the zip only

goes halfway around.

This makes it just a curve, doesn't it?

I think you are right Quinn.

I think I have issues with perfection.

OK those of you who have met me or possibly even those who have been reading this blog for more than three minutes need to stop laughing now.

I rooly trooly do think perfection and my expectations of attainment affect the crafting I do (not even going to look at wider aspects in my life).
I see the finished products I make and most of the time they bear little resemblance to the initial idea of what it will look like. Sometimes this is ok because different is not necessarily bad but usually it results in a big ugly mess that I can't fix and yet am unable to throw into the bin (viz Mrs Onion, her shopping bag and the London red bus cushion cover).

Poppy Treffry and those following her style in a flattering manner (sounds better than copiers right?) have aided me in seeing past the strictures of neat edges, french seams and straight lines laid down by Mrs Robinson and Mrs Heighway so many years ago but still I struggle. I know my limitations; I will never get sharp pointy triangles when sewing. Frankly I still get quite joyous when corners meet in an appropriate fashion!

This recent work with zips and bobbles has been useful in meeting my perfection expectation. While not quite professional or shop standard it all looks fairly good and so I went in to creating the pieces for the Snailblazer's Sample Swap (taking place here) on a high. So far so good but have still to attach the base into both the body and the lining. Let me just say though - zips! In circles!

I have been following 'Whip up's Month of mini-quilts' and am loving the designers being highlighted. These fabulously talented women could split wide the cracks laid by all these years hanging around the crafty blogoverse.

Spreading the cushion love.

There has been some cushioning going on here up at Trash Towers recently.

Our dining room has been awash with thread, d/s bondawebby stuff, cutting mats, rotary cutters and some blue air. Did I mention there was zippage going on? And those bobbles??? This one has a new home to go to but I am quite chuffed as I made up the stitchy bit all by myself.

This was part of the birthday present sent to Missus Moog. It was also my first finish in the Loft Creations 'no Strings Attached' Challenge.

This was an upcycle/stashbusting number. CK's shirt was the backing, some spotty loveliness and a linen tea towel from stash. the wee mouse came from a picture book of the smalls.

And just as soon as I finish it I can look for a new home for it!

A February finish.

My assistant claimed this one.

Seems she is prepared to overlook the eagle-beaky, non-ovine shaped nose of the wee sheep.

Am not sure I am prepared to overlook her stretching out on Maria's backseat after she rolled in the stinkiest badger poo ever. Or the fact that the only cleaning product within arm's reach as I bathed her was my Neal's Yard citrus handwash.

Revenge came later in the afternoon with a pair of scissors, some wispy hair around her ears and 15 minutes of thoroughly enjoyable (for me) coat cutting.

Blurry lace!

I opened 'The Cupboard' this weekend and it was brutal.

Once the tears and fainting fits passed I gently began to excavate with the kitchen broom.

There was A LOT of scrappy bits of paper, far more fabric than I remembered buying, pins, elastic, buttons, needles and machine bobbins. Woohoo! Bobbins!! This means I now have more than one. Yay!

There were drawings, books and pens. I found partners to many sad and lonely knitting needles sitting in the library bag. Can anyone remind me when I bought the pattern to the Amy Butler Weekender bag? I read the pattern yesterday over lunch. I am quite a little bit scared of it now. I think it may just be one of those patterns that just sits on the shelf and makes me look competent and capable.

While browsing the stalls with Maria at Ally Pally last year I bought some really fine yarn. In fact I think it is just sewing thread with an angora overcoat. The plan was to make a wide lace scarf. Simple lace you understand. It would be flimsy and fabulous yet warm and wonderful.

(This is not the pattern. But it IS lace. I can't do this one either.)

The pattern asks only simple things - K, K2tog, dbl y/o, P1.

I can do all of those.

I really really can.

But apparently NOT in the same row.

I have now ripped back the blurry lace pattern three times. I think I want to cry.

Do you think this is God's way of telling me I really shouldn't bother with housework???

Hooray! 2010 will end with at least one finish!!

Wooohooo I did it!


Remember back here I said I was working on something with the fabrics from my SSCS swapper Pam? Remember how I said it was a Christmas table runner? Wanna see it?

There were nine 6 inch squares so even taking into account seam allowance it was always going to be a long old piece of amazing creative artistic endeavour. I had the the green and the backing red and purchased the gold script after falling in love with it when I sent some to Joy in the SSCS. Ignoring the possibly odd angle and slight curvature of some of those straight lines it really is something I am rather pleased with.

And the thing that I have discovered that has forever changed my quilty/sewy ability and plans? Yay for pullthrough finshing. How come no-one ever told me about the whole 'no need for binding if you sew it all together in the first place' thing? Oh how deliriously happy I have become!

We set extremely low ambitions for these holidays ....

.... unfortunately we fell short of achieving them.

These past two weeks have been among the most slothful I can remember spending. Ever.

Grandad's Christmas present after my assistant's exploration.

I was more energetic in the weeks after birthin' babies than I have been over this Christmas.

our seasonal lttle village

I have discovered a new skill or two in this time, been delighted with thoughtful gifts from family new friends and old.

tablerunner I am in love with and adore

sweet Christmas star from Casey Random

But now the decorations are packed away, the last of the holiday fare has been consumed and it is time to return to a more normal operating schedule.

Wish us luck!

Bugger.

Have just finished and sewn up the lovely kidsilk haze hat for my girl. a beautiful slouch beret kind of thing. In a mid level blue. With cream stripes. Pretty, pretty, pretty.


It doesn't fit.


The band is too tight so I have opened it up.


The body of the hat is so mahoosive I think there may be enough room for all seven of us.


I am so pissed.