:: one clever lady ::

 do you know charlotte?

you know, that clever lady (she knows about science she does)...

the hilariously funny lady...

oh and let's not miss out the uber talented lady. 

a while ago charlotte wrote this fab tutorial for a teabag wallet, the perfect little gift for well, the tea lover obvs.

i had parked this idea in my brain for when the perfect gift was a teabag wallet.

that moment has arisen and clever charlotte's tutorial came in very handy.

it's a fantastic little tutorial...

really really speedy that uses almost scraps on your pile (in fact you could use scraps and make a patchwork version) but produces a gift that is just perfect...if the recipient like tea that is.

fortunately this recipient does like tea...and pink...so i am excited to be able to hand deliver the perfect gift.

clever me for thinking up such a perfect gift...not to mention clever, funny, talented charlotte for designing it in the first place. 

the big finish...nearly...

 we moved up to leeds and to this house almost 9 years ago to the day.

when we arrived the entire house looked like this...

painted in ghastly colours throughout and stencilled to within an inch of it's life.

finally and so not before time the last room to be obliterated of its tired decor was being tackled this week. 

for the last 3 1/2 years when we did the lounge at the front i have walked into the house swooning at my orla wallpaper only to be slammed in the face by peaking into the next room. yeugghhh!

but it has happened. 

it has all gone! 

i am now the proud owner of a stencil-less house!

it all started with matthew and his dad pulling up the b & b style carpet awaiting the floors to be sanded, followed by the arrival of magician john transforming the room entirely with a lick of paint...white paint...lots of it...oh and some grey.

(i'm thinking i need to pinch john's ladder - makes a nice addition don't you think? being yellow n all.)

so last night it was all done bar the one wall of wallpaper.

john made me wait a night. i can't quite believe he did that. and he really should know me better.

but i have been brave and patient awaiting for this morning to arrive and john to turn up and get his pasting brush out...

come on john, my patience is wearing thin now...

:: molly's quilt ::

 i love quilt commissions. 

i love them because it gives me an excuse to make a quilt.

i love that people pay me to play with fabric.

it doesn't get much better than that does it?!

i also love quilt commissions because i love that other people come up with colour combos that i wouldn't necessarily be drawn to.

last week i had a quilt commission to make a quilt for molly's 1st birthday. 

all of molly's female relatives had clubbed together to buy her what will become an heirloom. how gorgeous an idea is that? not a plastic unnecessary toy in sight just a beautiful long lasting piece that i particularly am very proud to be part of.

even though i was working in a colourway that i wouldn't ordinarily do, i had a surprisingly good collection of fabrics in and only needed to top up a few which i found in the beautifully stocked Tikki.

i had only made my giant hexie quilt in my trademark teal grey and mustard before so it was a lovely refreshing change to make it up in something different.

i look forward to being paid to play some more.

(ps sorry about the blurry (atmospheric?) photographs...molly's aunt came to whisk the quilt away before i could take some decent shots...but you get the idea)

Guest Blogpost: Julie Ryan...

something a little bit special today...a guest blogpost!

please let me introduce the lovely Julie Ryan. Julie very kindly road tested my new Allotment Tote Bag Kit pattern. she has long since been a wonderfully supportive virtual friend and when she enthused about my new allotment design and suggested what i had been contemplating with it, a tote, i knew she was the girl for this job. it transpires that Julie was also an editor/proof reader in a former life so perfect for the job all round!

thank you so much for your enthusiasm Julie and road testing my latest pattern, and if like Julie you would like your own allotment tote bag you can purchase it here.

:::::::::

I’ve been a big fan of Karen’s screenprinted fabrics for a long time now, especially her geometric prints, so when she posted photos of her new Allotment print, I let out a squeal of delight. Teeny-tiny geometric bits, all in it together, patchwork-style?! My fabric-loving heart swooned!

I am also, it seems, going through a strange phase of tote-bag-obsession -- I suddenly want one for every possible occasion and see tote potential in every bit of fabric I see. (I’m not sure what’s up with that; I never even used to like totes at all.)

To have a lovely, made-by-me tote in Karen’s perfect Allotment print?! And in red, no less! (Another thing I never liked and now suddenly seem to want everywhere.) Eeep! I chose a sweet, girly lining to contrast Allotment and then a precious scrap of Cloud 9 Monsterz print for the inside pocket. I can’t tell you how happy this fabric combination made me - it came together like they were always meant to be!

The tote sews up like there's nothin’ to it - a perfect little instant-gratification project and I loved every bit of it. Now I get to carry my adorable bag around and make everyone jealous!

I'm everywheres: 

julie@button-button.co.uk

http://button-button.co.uk

http://twitter.com/gotthebutton

http://www.etsy.com/shop/littledorritandco

http://www.ravelry.com/stores/button-button

http://andstitches.blogspot.co.uk/

a little exposure...

 so i managed to sneak another holiday in this week...a mini break to France with some girlie friends to catch some last of the summer rays.

it was blissful, relaxing, stomach splittingly hilarious, as it can only be with the girls.

i was already in a good mood when i got home late last night, so when i quickly logged on when i got home having, had no internet for 4 days, i was greeted with 2 wonderful blog features that made my mood even greater.

first up was seeing the fantastic makes that the oh so lovely nicky had made with my new allotment fabric. nicky had not only bought up some of my new fabric pronto, but she had also sewn up this incredibly cute little cross blocks almost before it hand landed on her doorstep.

i adore these nicky.

if this wasn't enough to come home to, and it really was, the next blog mention blew me away.

i have long since been a huge fan of lotta jansdotter's as you know and to have the queen highlight one of my quilts on her blog was beyond awesome. thank you lotta...you've made my year!

since i am so pumped by holidays and all this exciting exposure there is no excuse for me to not be inspired and get up and move it today.

back home and refreshed...let's see what the day brings!

chirpy workshops...

 you may or may not remember that recently the most lovely design-led gift shop, chirpy, in chapel a in leeds became one of my nearest and dearest stockists.

well not only is it now one of my lovely stockists but it is now one of my workshop venues.

i am very excited to be teaching a zipper pouch workshop and a screen printing, the embroidery hoop way, in november.

harriet, the delightful owner of chirpy has put together a fab mix of workshops throughout october and november, the perfect time to sign up and make some handmade presents this christmas.

you can find out about all the workshops harriet has arranged here and read more about mine and the others (note tho that my zipper pouch workshop is £25 not £35...bargain!)

i personally am very tempted by Mr Yen's paper cutting workshop...love his work.

patchy update...

apparently there was only one way to see how white ink on solids would look...go right ahead and try it...

and i'd say, from that same modest standpoint, rather darn lovely!

a few panels have been added to the shop with more colours coming just as soon as i get all those other things done...

well some of them anyway...

patchy...

 hello!

i'm back!

at some point - before it becomes so last year - I will post you some pics of my lovely relaxing trip to Portugal but right now life has moved on way too speedily to stop still to even reminisce for a second.

i have a list a mile long, as ever, which i won't bore you with, and if i don't get my head down immediately i'm going to be severely reprimanded from all corners.

first to be ticked off (and possibly the most enjoyable) was finishing off this design i started a while ago.

i scootled off to the workshop to burn my screen, zipped home, tested it out and spent the rest of the day mesmerised by it.

it's probably wrong to love it quite as much as i do, being overly modest and all, but i really really do!

i love it's potential...

to be used randomly across the patches or cut up in its 3" squares.

actually seeing them cut up is probably what i love about it most.

unfortunately i haven't got time to actually do anything with it as yet, apart from staring at it lustfully and contemplate what colours i should print it in next.

i also can't decide if it would look good reversed...you know, printing in white on coloured background.

i guess there's only one way to find out.

it will be in the shop very soon - when i've done all i need to do and kept the growlers at bay - so be thinking what colours you'd like to buy see it in.