A little R&R

I struggle to believe how quickly Christmas passes each year and this year was no different.
I love the traditions of putting up the Christmas tree and getting the presents wrapped and it was a very strange thought that this year would be our last time to have a grown-up Christmas.
Today, I am making the most of some peace and quiet and relaxing in the sunshine with some stitching. Although it is very chilly outside, the sunshine coming into my mother-in law's sitting room is just perfect on my back.



I hope you all had good Christmas celebrations too!

Things here have been crazy with organising kitchen and bathroom renovations as well as getting a new car. There's nothing like a deadline to get things moving.
I have slowly been getting back into sewing but I am just taking on some smaller projects at the moment.
My project for today is a set of pictures for the babies room. As we don't know if we're having a boy or girl we are opting for a neutral jungle theme.
I thought this little cutie on the wall would look nice and he has three friends too.



I think a nice long walk with max to make the most of the autumn sunshine this afternoon is also needed.
Have a lovely Sunday!!

Location:Getting my sewing mojo back

Meeting for the first time

Last week hubby and I got to see this little monster for the first time.



He/she is due in March and is very much to blame for the lack of my creativity in the last few months.
Hopefully I'll start to get a little more energy and the creative juices will start to flow again- I do miss my sewing machine.
For now I'm settling with watching tv on the sofa with max!

Sorry

Life has taken me on a path away from sewing and blogging recently but I'm starting to get back there.
Mum and I went to the festival of quilts last week and it was full of inspiration












The show was great and as usual we came home with a small bag of goodies.
Back soon with lots of progress (hopefully)

In need of a little TLC

Hubby and I took a random day off work on Monday to just hang out and enjoy a long weekend. At lunchtime we decided that it was really hot (we've been having a heatwave here for a couple of weeks) and that we wanted to go and cool down. So off to the cinema we went to see Monsters University. Brilliant fun and a completely empty cinema meant we could sit wherever we wanted.
On our way back we went past a second hand furniture shop and noticed this little gem in the window. Hubby convinced me it would be perfect for all my sewing bits and pieces in our living room and would only take a little bit of love and a new coat of varnish.



He was right and it does look beautiful. Hopefully this weekend I will manage to sand it back and re-varnish.
(Please note it doesn't have a missing handle- hubby pulled it off when inspecting but it is safe and sound)

A bit of weekend reading

Hubby is still fast asleep upstairs and Max is busy with a chew toy so I'm going to make the most of the peace and quiet and catch up on a little light reading.
These two beauties arrived this week and I'm going to make a coffee and enjoy every second of them.



I normally tear out the patterns I like and file them in a folder to be made at a later date but I love Vignette so much it gets filed whole.
Have a great weekend

Christmas in July

I am so excited to be signed up to this years Christmas in July. I love Christmas celebrations and always try and start them in the middle of the year so that they stand a chance of being done by December.
Hubby will be away a lot in July so it is the perfect time.



All the patterns are sent by PDF so there is no postage involved and some of my favourite designers are taking part.
For more details or to sign up go to www.quiltfabricdelights.com.au
Now the countdown is on until July

4 years ago

4 years ago I became a 'Mrs' and to celebrate hubby and I went or a long weekend break to Barcelona. We visited just before our wedding and have wanted to go back ever since.
The weather, food and atmosphere were fantastic and we had a great time.
We had a visit to the Sagrada Familia and spent an afternoon relaxing in Park Guell.



The food was amazing and I'm sure I don't need to eat for another week



It's nice to be home but I wish the weekend hadn't gone so quickly

A finish for June

Having had a good sort out of my sewing box I have found so many projects which I love that have been forgotten.
I found this Christmas Wreath kit by Rosalie Quinlan and knew I wanted to finish it ASAP as it is so beautiful.
I have been so into sewing it that I have been up past midnight most days this week but now that it is finished I LOVE it!
I'm still having a think about what to do with it as we have a lot of Christmas wall hangings and cushions are a little vulnerable to Max's games.



(Please excuse the crease lines- it still needs a press)

We have kits now on sale in the shop and I would thoroughly recommend them. This was lovely sewing!
Have a great weekend

A find in the bottom of my sewing box

This weekend I have dug down to the bottom of my sewing box to see what hidden treasures are in there.
One of my forgotten projects was this fabric which I cut up but never had any plan what it would be actually used for.



It wasn't big enough for a lap quilt and I as it was old I couldn't get another set so I decided to make a large bean-bag style cushion for my sewing room floor.
I often sew sitting against the radiator (I have done this since a child) so it will be nicer than my current cushion- the dog bed.
Still a bit of sewing to do but should be done this evening

My love of buttons

My Grandma started an early love of mine when I was very little. She would give me her huge box of buttons to play with and tell me to find as many pairs as I could or find all of a particular colour. This would keep me quiet for hours.
My favourite was a tiny pot of pearl buttons which I would love. They all matched and they were like tiny jewels. I now have this in my Grandma's sewing chest in my sewing room as well as many of her buttons.



She was so careful to tie them all together so it was easy to find a set.
I have added in my own buttons and now have a lovely collection



Of course not forgetting those on the wall



And the pictures of them



I just hope that one day I will be able to keep visiting children quiet with my massive button pot :)

A few finishes for May

It has been a quiet month here with bad weather and not much sewing but I did manage to get two small finishes for May out of my 'unfinished' box.
I live this Melly & Me Stitchery and sewed it together quickly. It was a lovely Stitchery to do and so cute. Kits are on sale in my shop now





I also managed to get my rainbow lap quilt finished to match in with my cushions. Now I have a snugly place to tuck up in my sewing room and do some stitching away from the chaos.




We have had a lovely sunny bank holiday weekend and it has been such a treat to sit outside for a while. Hubby has been away so Max and I have just been quietly pottering around (max is recovering from his 'big boy' operation- so things are very mellow to keep him calm).
Have a great week!

An exciting day

Today is a very exciting day as we have launched our Quilted Hearts webstore:

www.quilted-hearts.co.uk

We have a gorgeous range of Tilda fabrics, some beautiful stitchery kits and some fun patterns.
Please go and check us out and I would love to hear any feedback =)

How to spend a wet Saturday

The weather outside today was so miserable all we could think to do was sit in front of the fire and watch some films.
This was the perfect opportunity to sew the borders on the frosted pumpkin stitchery's spring sampler.

I'm declaring war...

On my WIPS!!
I have had enough of the huge pile of half finished projects and can't fit any more into my craft bookcase.
On Saturday I took drastic action and packed all my new and unstarted projects and fabric into a box and put them into storage. As hubby was away and we have had a long weekend I have managed to get a good start but there is a really long way to go.
I have filled my evening sewing basket with projects and just a few hours a day will get the work done...eventually :)

A year on...

This little monster has been in our lives for a year and with each day that passes we love him a little more :)
We could not have wished for a better puppy despite some of the challenges his has thrown our way.





Right now he is laying in his favourite place- on my desk right next to me.

Uttoxeter stitch and quilt village-part 1

This Saturday my mother in law, her friend Jane and I went to the Uttoxeter stitch and Quilt Village. This is normally a quilt show I miss as it is so far away from me in Cambridge but it is quite close to my mother-in-law's house.
All I will say is that I am so upset to have messed it in the past. It is a beautifully set out and stocked quilt show. The stalls are all a good distance apart giving lots of browsing room and they have been well picked to show off everything to its fullest. As usual the stallholders were friendly and helpful and we had a wonderful day.
I came home with a large bag of goodies but I did TRY to restrain myself a little :)




Tomorrow I will show you the hoots of the beautiful quilt exhibitions and competitions. They were so beautiful they deserve their own post :)
Have a lovely day :)

Getting some projects finished

I said a long while ago that I needed to finish more projects and try not to start anything new until some old projects were done. This typically failed :(
I am now making more of an effort to only start projects I LOVE and to keep working on them until they are done.
When I saw Leanne Beasley's 'sew laugh love' I hunted everywhere for it but after sewing it for a few weeks put it into my sewing box and it got forgotten. When I had a hunt through my sewing box for a safety pin I found it again and realised how much I wanted it finished and up on my sewing room wall.
This is now in my project basket as a focus project and hopefully can soon make it to the framers :)

Books I love

In trying to develop my love of crafts I have bought many books, but recently some of those books have stood out with their beautiful designs and colours.

My favourite books on my shelves are:



As you can see I am starting to run out of space on my craft bookcase so maybe just one or two more

Learning a new skill

I have been seeing crochet blankets everywhere at the moment and thought it would be great to have one on my sewing room sofa.
I have never crocheted before so decided to take a class on craftsy. It was fantastic and so helpful and informative taking time to show the stitches in detail and slowly.
I made a couple of little pieces to get used to each stitch and now I am working on something bigger-my blanket.



I decided to make it all one big granny square so that I didn't have to join squares together yet although I fully intend on making more complicated projects later.
For now I love it and am really enjoying learning something new. Plus it's great to have a basket besides the sofa which I can delve into if I have 5 minutes spare

Spring has sprung

Finally spring has popped it's head up to say hello.



To make the most of it I put my (long) to do list to one side and moved my sewing outside with a delicious coffee.



Pure bliss and let's hope it stays with us a little while longer :)

Things that made me happy in March

March was a hectic work month and the sewing room hasn't seen much action.
There are many things which have made me happy this month:
Beautiful quilts in my local show



Learning new skills



Using old skills beautifully



And of course one thing makes me particularly happy



Many changes are planned for April so hopefully my attention can switch back to my sewing.
Have a lovely Easter!

March stitching

The pattern for The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery woodland sampler was sent out on Friday night which wouldn't have come at a better time for me. Hubby was away, I had a giant bar of chocolate in the fridge and the dog had loads of new toys to keep him quiet.
A few hours later and I had finished it.


Such a cute little mushroom. Can't wait for April now :)

Gorgeous additions to my stash

I went to my local quilt shop this morning and I got these gorgeous fabrics.



I love the dressmakers patterns fabric and have plans for every inch of this metre.
I also had lots of deliveries recently.
For ages I have tried to get some cherish nature mode charm packs and finally managed to get some online. It seemed to sell very quickly here when it was released. This will eventually be a spring quilt for our sofa.



I also indulged and bought the kit for Roslie Quinlan's Dance of the Heart. I have loved it for a long time but talked myself out of buying it. In the end I decided it would be a present for myself.



Now on with the stitching :)

A little bit of Sunday stitching

This afternoon I have Sunday dinner with my family but I have a few hours to do a little bit of stitching.
This little pack of fat quarters has been calling out to me for ages (a Christmas present which has patiently sat on my shelves).



Now, all I need is for this monkey to get off my cutting mat and I can get started :)

Valentine's sewing

I recently bought a book on iris quilting and in the spirit of valentine's day thought sewing a heart for my study wall would be appropriate.



I love it and now just have to stitch it onto some backing fabric and quilt.

Birthday treats!

Do breakfasts get any more wonderful?
I am being treated like a princess with gorgeous flowers and my very special present-an iPad mini. Then off to London sightseeing for the day.
Hope you are all enjoying Valentine's day as much as me :)

Loving zips

I was always really scared of working with zips but now I can freely admit-I LOVE them!!!!
Once I put the right attachment on my sewing machine I was whizzing away.
I signed up to take part in the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's monthly Woodland Sampler and I am loving it but I needed a bag to put it in each month while I was waiting for the next pattern to be released. I love block of the month and so this is fantastic for keeping everything safe and sound.



I pulled some fabric out of my stash and an hour later have a small padded bag which fits my embroidery hoop. I added a small pocket to the back of the bag so that I can put my ends which should stop the floss bunnies all over the house.

The perfect Sunday night

I have had a crazy week at work and barely a second to breathe, but I can sit down this evening and relax finally.
Hubby had planned the perfect evening...

Cuddles with this monster in front of the fire...

Lots of this...

And maybe even a chapter or two of this...

Hope you all enjoy your Sunday night x

In my hoop tonight

I am working very hard at my focus projects and enjoying them.

It is nice to work on a project while picturing exactly where it will belong in the house.

As our house is teeny tiny we don't have a lot of wall space but I love to display my work around. Why pay for something mass-produced when I can make something individual and meaningful?

I started working on Leanne's House 'Sew, Laugh, Love' last year and now I have had a move around in my study, I have a small gap where this would hang perfectly. I have put it in my focus box and am working away on it while watching tv in the evenings. Just an hour a day makes me feel happier and is making progress