Catching up ...

I have become such a poor blogger (still blaming Instagram!) that I'm not sure if anyone will even read this post - except for Aunty G ... hello x - but I was going through my photos since I last blogged and really wanted to capture what's been going on. I'm linking up with Lorna @sewfreshquilts and will see what I've been missing!

September was our return to the USA. Before the trip, I made my friend Gerrie some patchwork gifts out of her brother's shirt:

It had been 5 years since our last USA visit and there was a lot to cram in -  combining our 15th Wedding Anniversary, with a family wedding and visiting relatives in Maryland (MD) and Pennsylvania (PA). Cousin June has quilted for nearly 40 years and had a bit of a destash just for me:

Yes, I was very happy to take dozens of yards and fat quarters off her hands! We also spent a few days at Lewes Beach, Delaware and June and I 'got lost' for a couple of hours in the lovely Mare's Bears fabric shop with the friendliest and most helpful staff.

And this was me in The Old Country Store, PA ... could have spent days in here! I would've if DH had let me: 

Just a glimpse of what managed to come home with me ... there's still a box in MD with my name on it :) 

Upon our return to Wales, it was Autumn and the leaves on our Virginia Creeper had turned gorgeous shades of red:

A very special young lady turned 17 and instead of 'normal gifts' had asked for cash towards driving lessons - I couldn't not make her a themed gift to go with that now could I?

I finished a Christmas table runner for my sister (made mainly from Scandi Makower) and added a little bunting too:

I found the first quilt blocks I had ever worked on - shoved in the back of a drawer (how sad) but they forgave me and after a little fixing and trimming, I added some sashing and now have another quilt top ready to be basted:

I finally finished this quilt for our cousin in Florida (posted nearly 2 weeks ago ... I hope it survives the journey!):

I have started on a 'Stag Quilt' for my God-daughter who us 18 in January (think this deserves a blog post all of its own!):

And yesterday, I finished making for my friend 8 little Pants Bags for her 6 year old to give as Christmas presents to her school friends:

What a couple of months and what variety! One of the most used hashtags I add to my Instagram posts is #ilovemyhobby ... and I do - after nearly 7 years of discovering Patchwork and Quilting (thanks to this special lady): 

I still love it.

Can't help but play with fabric scraps :D

Since pulling all the blue and grey scraps out for my Siblings Together quilt, I cannot seem to stop touching my fabric scraps! What's strange is the more I use up, the more I seem to make! 

Today, I have made a few gifts all from scraps. Firstly, I look at the fabric colours and sizes and that helps me to decide on a design / object. Also I find great inspiration from the Internet and other quilters. This block was inspired by Cathy's quilt:

All made from pink scraps and white leftover binding strips. I needed a new iPad cover and now I have one:

It's my birthday tomorrow (and St George's Day) and also my friend Kate's on Monday so I decided to make some gifts for Kate and as a giveaway! I raided the red bucket and made an open wide zipped pouch (great tutorial by @Noodlehead):

The large glass of bubbles was for scale but did get drunk eventually! Then I made a Pants Bag (so called because when I travel, I don't like putting my drawers in other people's drawers so I can just keep my pants in a bag hanging up!):

And here they all are together with a tissue holder I made too:

Would you like the Pants Bag or the open wide zipped pouch and tissue holder? Leave me a comment saying which (giveaway open for 24 hours only) and I shall then pick a winner. I will also offer this on my Instagram account tomorrow and will announce the winner on Sunday. 

As I was tidying up, I just couldn't but help touch some more scraps and quickly made these two log cabin blocks in no time - not sure what to do with them yet:

Have a great weekend - I know I will!

Linking up to Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts and Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict 

Holidays and high days :)

What a great week we've had. When we moved to Wales last year. we were a little worried we might lose touch with our friends in London but we are blessed to have the best friends and five of them came to visit us this week. The weather was a little temperamental but look how glorious it was at the top of Beeston castle yesterday:

Aren't they a beautiful family? We also had a wonderful day out at Llandudno; a walk along the Pier, fish and chips on the Prom, a ride on the tramway up the mountain, ice cream in the rain and my most favourite part?? The 2p push machine in the arcade - the most fun I've had with £3 in ages:

And I managed to get some sewing done too! The girls were desperately in need of new Pants Bags. The ones I had made them a few years back were well used (and loved) but were also not of my best earlier work - unlined and without a drawstring action - so each girl was let loose in my fabric stash and they chose their own fabrics and created their own designs. My friend Judi also asked for a Peg Bag and Millie wanted to make her Nanna a zipped bag so I helped her with that:

I showed Millie how to make the tissue holders and gave her some templates and fabric so that she could make them at home. They were only home an hour and she sent me a photo of one she has already made for her big sister. Clever girl:

And also for my dear friend, I had made her a cushion - just for her - just because:

When they drove away today, my eyes were a little moist :'( but we will see them again soon. I am very thankful they are in our lives and it was a most fabulous holiday ... thank you, dear friends xx

Linking up with Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts and Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Oops ... I did it again! Absent blogger :(

I feel like I'm in a time warp lately. I wake up and the whole day stretches before me. I go to bed and a week has gone! How does that happen? And last week was a year - 12 whole months - since I broke my shoulder ... now that time has passed by very very quickly.

In that year, a lot has happened - DH retired, we left London and bought our forever home in Wales. I now commute to London - stay in a hotel for 3 nights - work in the week, come home at weekends. Family time has become very precious; we are having so many fun times. And this weekend was no exception. On Friday, we went to see Aunty G and took her to lunch for her birthday. I made her a Dresden Plate cushion:

On Saturday, we had a houseful and I made pudding:

DH created a wonderful meal of roast pork with all the trimmings - here we all are tucking in:

And yesterday and today, I have been quilting! DH and I basted our first quilt in a year and I set about free motion quilting it. I'm certainly not as fast as I was and I can tell you my little shoulder is throbbing today. But, oh what fun :) It's good to be back:

Hope you all had a happy weekend. Back to work tomorrow. I tidied up my sewing room so that I can get straight to it on Friday when I get home:

Back to work, here's to routine!

I had a really good first week back at work ... don't get me wrong, I missed home, the Christmas decorations, the time off - but in many ways, I like it when things 'return to normal' and doesn't it make you appreciate the weekends even more? 

Last night, I finished the binding on the cushion for the lady at work who's retiring this month. I enjoyed making this Dresden Plate cushion very much and, as Jane enjoys gardening, I'm hoping the flower and outdoor theme will hit the spot:

Also, just as a little extra ... one of my Pants Bags for her netball games:

My little big sister visited before Christmas and asked for a 'scrappy iPad case' - your wish is granted, dear sis:

And the back:

There's a lot of quilting activity going on out there this week and I'm doing my best to keep up but, in the meantime, I'll just keep tinkering away in my little oasis here (my delightful sewing room) on a very blustery day in Wales. Happy weekend :)

Linking up to Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts.

A bit of a spurt ...

How's your Christmas preparation coming on? Not even two weeks left ... oh dear! How did that happen?! 

I took part in our work's Christmas Gift campaign (you buy gifts for a child in care, all you get told is their age and gender, you drop them off and they are then wrapped and anonymously donated.) I wanted to add something home-made to the gifts I bought so made a London pencil case:

Merry Christmas, little boy, and God bless you x 

My sister was ogling my tote bag when we met up last week:

So she's getting one of her own for Christmas. The joy of scraps: 

I cut my handles at 5" and when folded they end up at 1 1/4" which I like:

Just needs quilting and putting together. Also, I have started on a Pants Bag for my cousin's daughter who's going to Paris in the New Year:

Finally, for dear SIL - out of the leftovers of her chicken bag, I cut out 36 x 3 1/2" squares, sewed them together, pressed open the seams (don't really need to but it does give a nice flat finish):

And placed it in front of the tree for a festive photo:

Something furry and amazing heard the baubles knocking and came a-looking  ... tried to hide from me but I spotted her: 

I love the cushion on our chair under the stairs too ... sooooooo very tempted to keep it for myself ... but I wont - we never do, hey?

And today - a first - Mum came over for the day and we sat together for a few hours chatting away in my sewing room, drinking coffee whilst we made some bunting (for dear niece's wedding next year):

Enjoy your weekend, linking up with the lovely Lorna and Amanda: