cute little pouches.

I'm in a new swap on Flickr called the "Goodies swap 2011" which is for a mugrug and a goodie of your choice. Times 2 coz you make for 2 partners. Now, I had seen a very cute tutorial for a wee fabric basket for keeping stuff in (I could use one myself for all my trims and things!) and another for a fabric flower and thought I was set. Then I checked out a tute that Judith at Rags to Bags mentioned for wee pouches. Fell in love, had to have a go.

I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out (it's just a practice for me) and I do love messing about with thread scribbling. And the Fimo got a turn out of the cupboard under the stairs for the zip pull. But those corners really bug me.

Is this just something I have to accept? Or have I not clipped away enough excess fabric from the corners? I did trim a bit but was worried about how much seam allowance I was leaving for a rigorous turning procedure. Thoughts, anyone? I've been searching on Flickr and a lot of other little pouches have this not-ninety-degree corner going on but if I can make it better then I would really like to. Otherwise it's back to baskets and flower brooches! Ooh, the tutorial itself is to be found here at Flossie Teacakes, it's a rather groovy one with those wee zip end cover bits.

Special thoughts going out to all my US Eastern Seaboard friends making friends with Hurricane Irene (especially Dee) - I hope you're all safe and not too soggy!!

pretty shopping and some upcycling

I got the most fabulous parcel from Seamstar yesterday. I'd been buying the last bits for my work colleague's baby girl quilt (they're having a c-section so I even have a deadline! 2 weeks and counting...) so have a lovely stack of Sherbert Pips, Moda Bella solid in grey and some Tanya Whelan Delilah (stripey binding ahoy!!) all set. Then I found their trims.

 I remembered a half started project to upcycle my VERY favourite pair of jeans. Now these jeans were so worn that my thighs were threatening to bust through the worn denim. So I was researching making them into a skirt after we'd seen some gorgeous ones on holiday in a market. All I needed was the reminder and a lovely package of trims and some pretty fabric and I was away.

Tah-daaah! Not bad, eh? I knew that Anna Maria Horner fabric would be perfect when I saw it. Enough blue to match but enough other colours to keep it fresh.

 A test wash proved the ric-rac very sturdy but the rag flowers less so. That could be a massive button or a proper fabric flower in a few more washes time!

Here is me modelling. I am a very happy bunny and so is the spouse who complains I never wear skirts anymore. We just need to see how the donor denim holds out - it really is knackered!!

I've kept the legs from my jeans, too, could look cute in something, I figure! I love recycling.

Back to school and eighties love.

A very quick one from me today - my keyboard is being a scunner and I either get NO "H" or two-at-once so typing anything takes aaaages with all the corrections.

This is Chookie before we left the house this morning. That's her into primary 5 so not so very many years until she heads up to the secondary. Gah! She was really nervous but as soon as she saw her friends in the playground she was off! She says her teacer was lovely, too (she helped her with her tie after gym and tickled her nose with it) and she had NO maths today. *grins* So a huge success all-in-all.

And when I arrived home I had my parcel from the I heart the Eighties swap! I used up all my stash of that cassette fabric making things for other people so I'm thrilled to have some of my own in the form of my awesome tote! The pacman mugrug is on my wall (too cute to use!) and the Chook as nabbed a Smurfs badge - there are four. Thanks Beth!!

 I dropped the spouse off at the hospital at half 2 today for his knee operation. He was getting done at half three and at half four I was wondering when to phone to check everything was okay. He bet me to it! Half four and he was done, awake and waiting on a sammich and some physio. I've to pick him up at half eight and that's him! Ace of spades! Six weeks recovery now - doh!

big horses and little horses.

Yesterday we visited the annual Blair Castle horse trials which is a rather big 3-day eventing affair about an hour and a half from where we live. It has been on since Thursday and since the weather forecast was good we took a trip up - what a place!

We watched some showjumping - various different levels with a magnificent backdrop.

And then we thought we'd take a walk out to the cross country course. Chookie was quite excited since we've ever seen it live - only on the telly at Badminton and the likes.

I couldn't believe how massive those jumps were!! Really, this photo doesn't look like the horse has a snowballs chance in hell of making it over! It did (with plenty room!) and we were very pleased to watch William Fox-Pitt (who is team GB) belt round.

This is right after a massive series of water jumps and is the third attempt. Mr Horse wasn't having a bar of it! Can't say I blame him, he must've been knackered! We had a great day, caught some sun (typical Scotland - one minute wishing you'd brought gloves, 15 minutes later wishing you'd remembered sun cream!) visited lots of stalls and generally hung out together.

Today was spent with much smaller horses. Chook bought another Breyer model at the show yesterday and it prompted me to finally make her stable into.....well, into a stable instead of a plain cardboard box!! Six hours later and she was very happy! Really, nothing startling. Paper, card, some bent paperclips and garden canes but a smiley girl is worth all that time and having a clarty (dirty) house! Like I was saying to my Dad, plenty time to clean when she's 14 and doesn't want a thing to do with me!

This is Hazel (Just a Dream) who she bought in Hamley's when we'd been to the dental hospital on Wednesday (her tooth is looking much better, thank you all for your concern!). There's an empty stall coz I've said I'll buy her another if she has a good first week at school. That means no talking back when it's bedtime and getting up promptly in the morning. Nothing like a bit of bribery to get back in the routine after 8 weeks off! No, I'm not above it. *g*

And here's the stable next to the tackroom I constructed on Thursday and half of her "scene" that Dad made in February. Great fences made from wooden pegs (an emergency "but I really NEED fences, Mum!") and I would like to give a medal to whoever invented the hot glue gun! Although we need more glue sticks now.  Apparently she's named it "Apple Tree Acres" - I thought Holly Tree would fit better but, no, Apple Tree it is. I think a secret sign making mission is called for!

She made this little video as a walk round of her farm to put on YouTube for her horsey pals to see. I love having these little bits of her preserved for posterity! She's talking really slowly (honest!) and it's so cute to hear her making an effort to be understood by non-locals!

School on Tuesday and the Spouse's knee operation. I'll sleep when I'm dead!

Earl Bob dresdens finished - and some dental shenanigans.

I've had quite the busy week! On Monday night that Chookie of mine announced she had a bump on her gum that was sore when she pushed it. Of course, it was an absess above her avulsed tooth (the one that got knocked out and reimplanted last October) so on Tuesday morning at 8.30 we were at our local dentists getting a prescription for antibionics. We also had to phone the Dental Hospital in Glasgow who have been doing the work on it (root canal and things *shudders*) and they, of course, wanted to see her ASAP. Which is how we ended up doing a 3 hour round trip on the train on Wednesday. Luckily she's not back at school til next week so that wasn't a problem but I had to get the day off work and Spouse couldn't - hence the train trip. It's actually quicker than driving and trying to get parked! Luckily we didn't have to wait too long (there wasn't a free appointment for us so we just had to take our chances) but when the consultant said she wanted to clean all the packing out of it my heart sank. That was going to mean going back another day and more time off work and probably school. But sometime fortune shines and they had a cancellation for 3pm that afternoon!! So we trotted away and had some lunch, visited Hamley's toyshop (the one in Glasgow, Mrs Wookie!!), trotted back up Sauchiehall Street (honestly we must've walked about 5 miles to and fro!) and had the work all done that day. So hopefully it'll all die down and that'll be us til December. Cross your fingers, yeah? Added to that I've an infection myself in my wisdom tooth (how I will never know - I've only got one half one and one quarter one coz they've never fully erupted. Bloody pest!) and the spouse goes for a knee operation next Tuesday. He'll be off his work for 6 weeks - yikes! Active men + forced sedentary lifestyle = possible divorce proceedings. I get to keep the rats, though. And the quilts, natch. *g*

I was off work today, though and have finished my Lily's quiltalong quilt! I started it in March so it's about time! It was supposed to be a quilt-as-you-go affair but I couldn't get my head round it at all and wanted a uniform all-over pattern so sewed all the blocks together and went with a diagonal straight line. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

The backing is a Makower scissors print. The whole quilt is patterns that mean something to me (family members, hobbies, just stuff I love) and I used scissors as a nom de plume all through my teen years. My maiden name has a strong link to male hairdressing!! There's a small line of leftover blocks at the join, too. Breaks up those wee scissors a bit!

I wasn't totally convinced about this Sevenberry stripe binding when I was sewing it on but I love it now. I think the white lifts the whole quilt.

A rather lovely match is another Lily's Quilts pattern - her Little Big George which I made into a cushion. Super pleased with this one!

And on my bed. I do like staging these shots - makes me feel all important and designerly. It's the only time I do, thatsfersure! The cat is a fake before anyone comments! Fred is a doorstop.

So I'm pretty much up to date with the WIP's! I have my ongoing strings with the Breakfast At Tiffany's scrap bag and I have 2 baby quilts to do (one for my other pregnant colleague and my nephew is one in October) but there's nothing hanging over the bannister. GREAT feeling!!

the deets:

the pattern is Lily's Quilts dresden quiltalong.
the patterned fabrics are from all over but I think the background is Kona Medium Grey and Charcoal. Backing is Makower, binding Sevenberry's.
it measures 59 x 86in.

Notes on the quilt name. A Flickr discussion was ongoing about what to name your quilt. I, being naughty, decided on "Bob." A few days later Judith at Rags to Bags announced she had been dreaming about my quilt (what a waste of a perfectly good dream, eh!!) and it was called "Earl Grey with a slice of lemon." So I smooshed the two together and he is known as "Earl Bob." So now you know. You'll sleep easy tonight, won't you?!

Just Wing It - baby quilt number 1

This is the first of the 2 expectant-Dad gifts I've been making for the optometrists at work. The pattern for this wee quiltie comes from Sew, Mama, Sew! but is actually designed by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson! It's her charm squares baby quilt and is a joy and a doddle to make up. Not to mention quick and therefore incredibly gratifying! I'm quite chuffed how this has turned out.

The backing is more of the Just Wing It! range - baby is of unknown gender but has a green nursery so I colour co-ordinated. Binding is Nicey Jane (again! it was perfect on the baby skull quilt, too!) and I stippled all over. The green here is a much lighter, spring green but the weather is terrible here currently (and shows no signs of improving) so I've had to take some pics while I can!

All labeled and wrapped up. Washing instructions on the tag will - I hope - make it more likely to get some use. I pointed out it makes a great floor quilt!

When I left work today the optom's wife was having contractions 9 minutes apart (her due date was yesterday) so hopefully she won't be labouring for too much longer!

the deets:
the pattern is the charm squares baby quilt found on Sew, Mama, Sew!
the fabrics are Momo's Just Wing It by Moda, kona white and Nicey Jane.
it measures 30 x 37in.

Brit Quilt Swap - received!

You may remember that my partner in the Brit Quilt Swap, Rachael, had a serious knee operation right in the middle of the swap. It wasn't scheduled so threw her timing out a bit! She sent me my extras last month and today my quilt arrived!!

 Isn't it just ME! Pink and green, lots of white, squares in squares. Pretty much my favourite things. It's also a really nice match for this quilt I received in DQS9 last summer from Rene

 She also made this wee guy.

How cute is he?!?!? I love bats and this is just so sweet. Thanks so much, Rachael and I hope your poor knee is almost back to normal!

epic fails.

Some of you may know my spouse is restoring a MK1 Ford Escort named Stinky Eric. There's tags on all the Stinky posts here, click on them and you'll see some of his history. We've had him over 4 years now and he's just about finished. This is him earlier today.

Looking really, really good. Particularly if you've been and looked at the photos of how stinky he really was. But see the sad face on my spouse? And the black, sticky hands? I was helping him fit the front windscreen this afternoon. We did the rear window last weekend which is perspex and it went in beautifully. Since the front is glass we expected a bit more trouble but it actually went very well. The black stuff is sealer that goes between the rubbers and the actual car. It was in, I left him to it and came into the house. A half hour later his face was tripping him. He'd been - in his perfectionist finicking - trying to get the one inch long piece of rubber that wasn't perfectly flat to lie down properly.

Oops. Now, this was a new windscreen since the one that came with the car was knackered (no surprises there - the whole car was knackered!) and they are like hens teeth. Spouse fluked it and his friend had a brand new screen and they did some manly swapping of car parts and voila! One windscreen which has spent the best part of the last 2 years under my bed. And now? Well, he's screwed. Where on earth ish e going to find one? He's scouring online forums, parts dealers and Ebay as I type. Poor soul. It doesn't help that it was his own stupidity that smashed it - he hit the seal too hard with a rubber mallet!

And me? I'm a failure, too. After saying I wasn't going to make for the expectant opticians at work? I've started making a baby quilt with a delicious "Just Wing It" charm pack I got from Biff for my birthday. It's an Oh, Frannson! pattern. I'll do linkies and stuff when it's finished. Which will be soon since it's halfway quilted! 

I'm hoping you're all having more successful and peaceful weekends than we are!

the baby skull quilt

I delivered the skull pram quilt to my friend yesterday! She loved it (I knew she would) and I'm still chuffed to bits how it turned out. This friend had a baby 2 years ago and my very first quilt EVER was made for her then newborn. New baby, new pram, new quilt!

The backing fabric is a Japanese import (Kokka maybe) that I knew would be perfect with her new black and bright green pram. Does a bear go in the woods? *g* (it's not as lurid as it looks here!)

And some perfect Nicey Jane stripe for the binding (I really, really love stripy bindings!)

So I really AM all done with sewing for other people for the next wee while. Unless I change my mind about the soon-to-be-dads at work. Both our optometrists are expecting babies in the next 6 weeks (at least, their wives are!) and I wasn't going to make for them. It's not like I can make for one and not the other so it's TWO somethings. But I reserve the right to change my mind!

the finished deets:
the pattern is from Boo Davis' book "Dare to be Square" - I just scaled it down.
the fabrics are mostly solids from all over with some scraps. Backing is Kokka, binding Nicey Jane.
finished size is 22in x 27in.

37.

I had another birthday yesterday. They are definitely getting closer together the older I become. Not sure I'm liking that much. Know what I did like, though? All my marvellous gifts! These are my favourite bits picked from various parcels.

A bottle of Tru-Blood from Sue, a Ladybird address book from Biff, a very long necklace with a bunch of keys on it from my kid brother and the lovely Vixen that is his wife, jammies with ickle deer on from my folks and a fragrance oil burner from my spouse and that kid o' mine. There was a ton of other stuff (perfume, a glorious just-what-I'm-needing handbag, more jewellery, fabric!, a wonderful hamper of my favourite things from Beloved Wee Granny and Papa) and quite a bit of money, also. Which was happily spent today on a new Trollbead bracelet for all the beads that languish in my drawer because I've nothing to wear them on. Excellent.

You know the bestest thing, though? Getting visits from all my favourite people. My poor spouse had to work and was on call so not only did he miss the birthday tea but he didn't get in til 4am this morning. I kept him some birthday cake but I did miss him. It's so lovely to see everyone on the same day, though. Almost worth getting another year nearer 40!