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.

I'm nothing special ...

... well, I am special - we all are, aren't we - in our own way? But I mean I'm no different to thousands of other quilters across the world in that we just - keep - giving. I have been busy making lots of little gifts over the past few weeks - and I just want to keep going! 

Friends and family often comment, 'you should start charging' or 'you can't keep giving everything away for free' ... but I can. And I will (until circumstances dictate otherwise) because I really do love my hobby. And I love how much happiness a small gift can give.

Take my friend Shauna @ lovinquiltin who won my birthday giveaway. She received my gifts this week and wrote the most lovely post. Please go and check out her blog - it was her birthday this week too!) This was the sewing mat I made for her:

It was Mum's birthday (at the end of May) and I made her a new peg bag (the last one I made was very sun faded) I struggled to find an easy tutorial so just made it up as I went along. Anyone recommend one, please - my friend wants one now!

DH said we 'needed a big one' - your wish is my command, m'dear (that's our old one next to it!):

Dear niece needed some new cushions:

And my little zipped pouches have gone down a storm at work (perfect for keeping things tidy in your handbag) so I have been making lots of these as well:

Speaking of DH - he was 50 last week and I surprised him with a trip to the homeland of his father - Poland - we had an amazing time. It is my new favourite European city and we will go back:

 We loved the flavoured vodka - even made our own cherry beer one night:

Loved it so much, we brought some home! Didn't spill a drop :

But I mustn't be distracted further this weekend! I have two more weekends after this one to finish my piano quilt for my boss. Just needs a border today and basting - then I will have to think seriously about how to quilt it:

All of this activity has meant I have been neglecting my blogging friends and I have missed seeing what everyone has been up to. I shall link up with Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts and Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict and check in later on everyone else's finishes.

Have a great weekend and whether you sew for yourself or others - it's your job or just a hobby - you get paid or give it all away - enjoy yourself. And never forget - you are special too.

I'm on a roll ...

I really do find that having a tidy space makes me want to create more - does it work that way for you too? So, tonight after work, I looked at my list and reckoned I could manage to sew another thing (or two) and started with a Pants Bag for my dear Aunty Lilian. I had been meaning to make her one for ages, then I thought I had (oh, you know how the mind plays tricks on you as you get older!), so I looked through my old photos, diary entries and blog but, no, I couldn't find any evidence of it so that was that.

Aunty Lil is a huge Everton fan and I am not - I am a huge Liverpool fan!! But, let's put that aside ... when choosing colours for her Pants Bag, it had to include some Everton blues so this is what I made for her:

 I'll pop it in the post tomorrow - I hope she likes it :)


And, very quickly (and I mean VERY quickly) I made this cute little Peg Bag for me:

Two more things off the list ... please please please let there be nice drying weather at the weekend so that I can wash all the fabric and make a start on 'USA #5' :)

Just a few things ...

Gosh it has been very warm and muggy in the loft but I AM back in the groove. Two more cushions and a new peg bag for Mum-in-law's birthday :)

For Pam at work, the centre square was paper pieced which gives it beautiful lines and I may use this pattern for 'USA #5' ... not sure yet. I was going to stitch in the ditch it but ended up FMQing in purple thread. Pam loved it:

 And for Caryn at work - in 'her colours':

And Mum's Peg Bag. She celebrated her birthday on Tuesday by watching the Olympic Torch relay pass through Chester so I thought it only fitting to make her a new Peg Bag with our Union Flag theme. After making the front, it felt a bit 'flimsy' so I decided to make it into a mini-quilt and stitched in the ditch down the white lines. Took my time and only bunched up a couple of times because I needed a new needle ... much better :) Then, I really wasn't sure how to put these two pieces together:

But I did it (no pattern!) just worked it all out and added some 2" binding to finish it all off. LOVE IT!!

 And the back:

 And a little close up:

I love making gifts for people!! It's been a fun week :)