Cat Bed

A friend acquired a new (to her) cat, so I thought she might appreciate a little quilted cat bed for the new arrival.







                                                             Out this came..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this was the result.

It was made with scraps - some of them new, some recycled fabric.
And the new kitty - think she's settling in!

 

Quilty Dilemma

I've made a baby quilt top and now I'm ready to get it basted and quilted.

 

It's about 36" square and made with a Moda Folklore charm pack plus a white border and an outer border of some orange Katie Spain fabric, which I found in a box and don't remember buying.

I usually just go for a safe option and quilt with straight (ish) lines. So, stick with what I know or push myself to do something a little more challenging?

Waving Not Drowning

........With apologies to Stevie Smith. I hadn't added to this blog in a long while.
When I started it I had just left a job that I thought I would stay in until retirement, That wasn't to be. Whilst I only had to deal with unemployment for around two weeks, I found it difficult to settle. Subsequently, I've had four jobs in 2 1/2 years - not good. Until recently, my only gain had been weight.
It has taken all this time for me to get over the shock of losing something which was an intrinsic part of my life for so long, but thankfully I think I have. A few months ago I found the perfect position, so feel very hopeful about the future.

A lot has happened in the last couple of years - quite a lot of it bad stuff, from bereavements to a financial crisis to a mind numbingly boring and badly paid job to finding out who your real friends are (fewer than before) to an accident that left me housebound for nine weeks.

Not everything is perfect (if anything), but I think about the future a little more optimistically!



In blog land there is a tendency to post shiny, lovely things. I haven't been shiny or lovely in a long time, but attempted to focus on the positive stuff. I do, however have an all-singing, all-dancing shiny new sewing machine*, courtesy of my other half. Very pleased with it.



* Relative to what I had before - that one cost £15 second hand (and the one before), this one was hundreds and new. I know the sky's the limit, but for me, there was a cut off point.

GBSB Tonight

It's that time of year again - The  3rd series of The Great British Sewing Bee starts tonight. Very much looking forward to this!

I'm hoping that I'll be inspired to have a go at sewing clothes again. When I was much (much) younger, I made most of my 'going out' clothes. This was necessary being a sort of glam punk ( spent a lot of money on hairspray and garish make-up).
Now my tastes are much more conservative, but it would be nice to make well fitting items without spending a fortune.
I think I need (well, want) to buy one of these!

A fast approaching birthday might be the solution. Wonder if Himself is feeling generous????

I have a baby quilt on the go at the moment - top finished, so I must press it and take a picture.

I used a Moda Folklore charm pack with some white and a bit of an orange Katie Spain fabric. The colours are much better than this image. Definitely a lot of orange going on.

Pay It Forward .........

Firstly a very warm hello to my newest follower, A Vintage Kitten. I'm always flattered that someone takes the time to read my very scant offerings!
Sometime ago Diane at The Cheshire Quilter posted about the Pay-It-Forward idea. This is the original post. It was several months ago, I sent my details to Diane then promptly forgot about it.
Well, true to her word, a parcel arrived!

Lots of lovely things including a card with a cheerful message. There's a large piece of fabric with Russian dolls on - I have just the project for that. The case in the foreground was made by Diane - I know this because she blogged about it recently. You can't tell from the photo, but the stitching is incredibly neat. I very much in awe of Diane's abilities.

So, it was mission accomplished - I was surprised and cheered up and am of course, very grateful. Thanks, Diane.

The next job therefore is to keep it going. Here's how it works - if you'd like a surprise, to be sent sometime in the next 12 months, just leave me a comment.
I'll do this for the first three followers and I'll come back to you for your details.
It could arrive anytime in the next year and I promise not to forget to send it.

Old Quilt, New Home

I've been meaning to post about this quilt for a long time. I ought it quite a while ago from a charity shop in Congleton. It didn't cost much and to be honest, at first glance it looked like it was past it. It smelled a bit damp.
Anyway, a quick go in the washing machine resolved the problems. It is actually quite lovely. I really like it.

The interesting thing about it was the label on the back. It was made by a lady called Anne in 1996, in Congleton. As I know another blogger Diane @ The Cheshire Quilter attends a quilt group in Congleton. I thought I'd ask if she knew this lady. She did!
After Diane passed on my contact details to Anne, I had a lovely email back from her. She says it was one of her early quilts and made as a gift. She was very modest, as the quilt is superb  and I know from Diane that she is an award winning quilter.
I'm really pleased to own it and although it has a hanging sleeve on the back, I prefer to make use of it. It's often on the sofa - that is when it's not in the washing machine (cat hair!).

It will cover a double bed, but I can't get it all on one picture!

Charity Shop Haul

I had quite a productive time. Sometimes visits to charity shops doesn't yield anything worth having.
Not today, though. I've got a new in packaging notebook and pen, a set of three sewing related prints (destined for sewing room wall, aka back bedroom), a patchwork and quilting book - nothing too exciting, but some nice photos and a very good quality white 100% cotton sheet.
Put it on the bed? No, I'll be cutting that into squares tomorrow.
Total spend......err, a fiver.