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: 

Friends, Fun and ... Fashion faux pas?!

Life is great, life is busy, we are having lots of fun in our new home - 4 months since the big move and it feels like one big holiday. 

Nearly every weekend we are seeing family and friends which is absolutely marvellous. If I was doing less of this (I really have no business wearing a 'onesie' at my time of life!):

I'd have more time for this:

The new windows are finally in and Nell is settling in nicely:

And a rare action shot:

I have nearly finished my charm square bag for chicken-owning SIL, loving the lining fabric which I bought in Amsterdam 2 years ago:

More friends and family visiting this weekend! The novelty of us being 'just around the corner' will wear off ... eventually?! 

And I just had to share this with you all ... LOL!

Linking up with the lovely Lorna - gorgeous butterflies :)

Gorgeous gift and a little finish :)

Like most of us, I'm sure, when I first started blogging, I wasn't sure if anyone would ever read my blog or if I'd even enjoy blogging. I hoped I'd at least make a friend (or two) along the way. And I have! One of my newest friends is Jasmine @ Quilt Kisses, a really sweet lady who makes the most delightful quilts (check out her latest for Halloween!)

This week, she sent me this gorgeous mini-quilt 4,500 miles across land and sea as a house-warming gift ... I love it! Thank you xx And the cutest handmade card:

Jasmine is not afraid to try out new stuff and her quilting is even better close up. I wish I had an 1/8 of her talent. 

She spurred me on to have a little finish of my own and I've been meaning to make a cushion for the fireside chair in the snug. So yesterday, I took my design inspiration from the rug in there:

Here are some steps along the way. Had to push Nell off the ironing table! I love making cushions with binding:

I tried some fancy black cotton quilting in the centre square - it did NOT work out! Hence the appliquéd centre 'kiss'! And the finish:

Linking up with Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts. It feels really good to have made something this week 😍

Made a bag, got a bag :)

Like many quilters and bloggers, I am enjoying a very busy Summer and I'm not getting much sewing or blogging done ... but that's okay, hey? 

Last week I made a tote bag for Angie (a friend of the family) to say thank you for gifting us these fabby brass jugs for our new house:

I love making these tote bags. Angie said she liked rose pinks so I raided my stash / scraps and here are some of my 'along the way' photos:

And it doesn't matter how many times I get to this part, it always makes me smile because I think, 'no way this is going to work' ... but it does:

So that was the gift I made and this was the gift I got from my dear blogging friend Jennie over at Porch Swing Quilts - she makes amazing bags (you must check out her 'Weekender' bags) and she sent me the bestest little Sew Together Bag - look at those 3 delightful zipped pouches:

And see what she added on the front - a Glinda wand! She makes all these beautiful things AND has 5 little ones to look after - SuperWoman indeed! Thank you sooooooo very much, Jennie, I adore it! You're incredibly thoughtful and I'm sending you a big hug all the way to North West USA from here in the UK (North Wales) x

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

Enjoy the rest of the Summer - I will :) 

A little bit of what you fancy ...

... does you good! So in just a few hours sewing today, I made pencil cases for my niece and nephew (at their request, my little quilty converts!) They came to stay with us this weekend and we did have fun ... shopping, pétanque, barbecue, a walk in the woods, a boat ride on the river, visiting Chester - we managed to cram a lot in in a couple of days :)

They both love my new sewing room - especially all the fabric! It really was like watching kids in a sweet shop but they actually know what they like and chose quite quickly - Oliver (aged 11) gravitated towards the ginghams and Libby (who's a very girly 12 so I had to add this pink love heart ribbon) picked from my vintage USA fabrics and a modern batik:

I used this fusible Pellon to add some strength -  I bought it years ago in the USA and found it when unpacking - what clever stuff - simply cut, iron, quilt - voila:

I did a very simple design of 3" squares and strips which finished at around 12.5" x 5" so the case will easily take a ruler and plenty of pens. 

Here they are ready to be posted and finished in plenty of time before they go back to school:

And Mr Postie delivered my first batch of Christmas Fabrics yesterday. Bought online from Patchwork Dreamer, they're a truly festive Makower bundle:

Think I'll make a Christmas Quilt out of it for the Snug. Had to light the wood-burner in there today, it was a little bit wet and windy in North Wales - thanks to Bertha apparently, we had a month's rainfall today:

Night night from me and Nell - guess I won't be tidying up just now:

Stay safe and warm :) 

Linking up: