I've got to make these…

…just love these wings. I've got to make them for tink, it's got to be the prettiest use for all those little fabric scraps.

http://llevoelinvierno.blogspot.com/2011/03/make-alitas.html

My second attempt at chrocheting

So, leaving everything to the last minute as per usual, I decided to crochet my friend a giraffe as a gift for her new born baby girl. I decided to make it 10am on Tuesday and was due to see her 3pm on Wednesday! To all the people who crochet I'm sure that would not seem like a challenge but it was to me, I'm not too quick at crocheting and I'm not good at following patterns.

I found a free pattern on http://www.coatsandclark.com/Crafts/Crochet/Projects/BabyChild/WR1729+Little+Crochet+Giraffe.htm and used this as a basis to my pattern. I found a gorgeous giraffe on http://www.flickr.com/photos/djonesgirlz/3951110811/, and used this as the inspiration for my giraffes nose and legs. With the help of a really fab old book that I inherited from my mum I was armed with all the examples of stitches and increasing and decreasing that I needed for reference and I was ready.

…it started with binding!

So yesterday morning, whilst waiting for Guy to finish his work so we could take the kids to Legoland I decided to do the binding for my yellow puff ball quilt.

Getting side tracked like you do when your looking through fabric, I came across some squares that I'd cut for my rainbow puffball. I'd cut them too small! Silly mistake, but I got to thinking… so I started to lay out a pattern on the floor.

 …so then I began to wonder if I had enough of the pink fabric and started to rummage through my sewing basket – the most likely place. I came across the pink, cool, but I also came across all the quilts that I currently have on the go at the moment… crikey! I lay them all out on the bed to take stock.

…my pink puffball has snuck into the shot on the left hand side, sneaky – that one is finished.

Rainbow puffball, colours look awful in the photo but it is a nearly completed project. Strips to sew on the bottom and then stuff, 1 extra square to add to each row because I want this one slightly bigger, quilt, and bind. Not sure what binding colour to use on this one but I have a lovely pale blue which I haven't used for the rainbow.

Tink's quilt in brown. Quite a lot to do on this one. Four more large squares to make as above. 16 hearts to applique. Heaven knows how many small squares around the outside. Quilt, bind and stitch. Crumbs the situation is worse than I thought.

Single size quilt, not the greatest photo again. I love this quilt. 5 rows sewn… not sure how many to go but the pile of fabric below says quite a few!

…see what I mean.

This is the start of one from Kaffe Fassett's quilt romance book. Hearts and Flowers by Kim McLean. I am a little disheartened with this one I'm afraid. For some reason, I decided to sew the applique using the freezer paper method, I much prefer needle turn method which I used for the flowered heart. I found it very hard going and am still to finish (I'm round to where the pins and needle are in the top photo), I just couldn't get the lovely smooth edges that I was after and just hated the way it wasn't tactile to hold, just hard and crunchy. I have loved the satisfaction of pulling the paper away from the finished area though. I really love the fabrics and I'm still undecided about continuing the whole quilt – I think I may turn this one into a large cushion cover for my bed!

…and then to my first dilemma – what binding and backing. I really wanted plain yellow but haven't got enough of the colour I like, not even enough to make bias binding. I'm tempted to go with the rabbits, I think it will frame the quilt nicely and cream backing. In my order of jobs to finish this is top of my list, other than that…

I restored my sewing basket to some sort of order – less the bulky puffballs, and await next week when the kids go back to school and I can sew to my little hearts content! After I've tidied the house, done the ironing, finished painting the bathroom cupboards… oh and the lawn needs mowing!

Happy sewing

Rachael

Baby Boy Fabric

…so I've been rummaging around in my fabric basket under my bed and have found all my lovely blue and brown baby fabrics.

Now my dilemma is what quilt to make with them! Hhhmmm. I'm tempted to make a puffball but I did come across a white quilt with different coloured circles, sounds strange but it looked really good, (Note to self find link to circle quilt!). I have been inspired by so many quilts lately so do I go for a change, but then I still think it would look cute as a puffball. Decisions, decisions. Time to put the kettle on and get my sketch book out, oh and ask Guy!

Rachael

New to blogging

Not sure that I'm meant to admit this but setting up a blog is harder than I thought.

I'm a graphic designer by trade but 6 years bringing up kids with only the odd design job leaves my new technology skills a little rusty, and I'm finding it a little frustrating when things don't work how I expect them too!

Bare with me on this… I hopefully will improve.

Rachael