handprinted: a fabric swap lll

 i'm trying to be disciplined and not sign up for a lot of time sapping swaps at the moment but this is one that is difficult to resist.

 handprinted:a fabric swap lll is organised by the lovely and talented leslie and she gets a whole bunch of people involved. i actually did resist last year, but apparently the same resolve couldn't be expected 2 years running.

the aim of the swap is to print an fq of fabric in any printing medium you like.

rather than just printing up one of my designs i do like to produce something original for this.

 obviously just printing up one of my designs would be a lot easier and quicker but where's the creative fun in that?!

i had been thinking about what i would do for a while.

actually translate that to "i had been thinking that i really must get on with this as the deadline is approaching.

to be honest until i sat down yesterday i really wasn't sure what i would be doing but apparently i'd be cutting stacking bowls out of a stencil and apparently i would be grabbing some designated fqs and apparently i would be printing them up in 2 colours.

this does sound like a rushed job, but i guess when inspiration arrives, you just go with it. no messing.

i hope the 4 members of my group jennifer, yasmine, ciana and ruth (it's not a secret swap, they all know) will like their pieces and i'm sitting excitedly awaiting to see what wonders i receive from them.

umbrellas and other quilt tops...

 is there any better sight than a pile of quilt tops?

 the only thing i can think of that is better is possibly a pile of completed quilts.

 january has seen me not only make 2 quilt tops from scratch but also finish off one from the WIP pile...big YAY!

 i jumped on the scrappy trip along bandwagon and made my first quilt top of the year.

 this was swiftly followed by making my Glimma quilt top...

and whilst the pressure of relative ease was still present business wise, i finished off my umbrella prints top.

i really love this top. 

the girls at umbrella prints are design geniuses and rank right up there with lotta jansdotter in my eyes (as does someone else who i'll tell you more about tomorrow).

i am hoping to tweak a little more time into my days to get these 3 quilted and bound before real work gets back to its crazy mayhem.

i'm not sure if i'll succeed but i think you will agree it's a damn good start to the year!

not happy...

Some things just don't turn out the way you hope...

I have had a commission for some placemats. They have turned out just fine...or they will do when they are finished.

Along with the placemats the customer asked for a couple of centre table mats in blue/red colourways.

Let's face it I have plenty of these colours in my scraps so it should have been pretty straight forward.

It started out well...I was liking the look of the HSTs...

I also was liking the pieces I had added to frame the HSTs...

and I was pretty much in heaven with the little row of dinky sized HSTs...

But then something happened.

I was suddenly not as keen when I had added these rows in.

For some reason that I can't put my finger on it just wasn't working for me.

I am wondering if it was the "make it up as you go along" approach, or the "I really haven't got time for this but I must get it done" pressure or whether it's the buckling on the 4th final side that is annoying me.

Whatever it is, I am not happy.

Not happy that I spent an evening making it only to not feel comfortable including it in the commission.

Not happy that now I have to do the whole process all over again.

Grrr...what to do?

after the screens comes the printing...

 So yesterday was all about preparing the screens with the designs and today was all about the printing and sewing....

and for those that follow me all over the internet will already have had a look at these...

not to mention my happiness with how they've turned out.

 I have been carrying both these adaptations of the originals around in my head for some time and it is always quite scary seeing if what is in your head translates as you imagine. Do you know what I mean?

On this occasion they have surpassed my expectations and I feel quite in awe of how they have turned out. 

I printed the Euros first and was quite blown away with how they looked and had to sew a pouch up immediately just to check that it was as good as I'd hoped!

Then came the Giant Triangles and quite frankly I can't put into words how I feel about this!

I really hope you are as enthusiastic about them as I am. Please tell me you are and it's not just me getting carried away from the paint fumes...

and if you are you can find the start of them listed in my shop...more to be added in due course, but do give me a shout if you don't see the colour you were hoping for...

and thank you for allow me to indulge my enthusiasm for them...not very modest of me really.

 Why is it so easy to get distracted?

Or is it just me?

I have got on really well in The List stakes this week and so sub-consciously I must have told myself I could have a bit of a play today.

Not that I had anywhere near ticked everything off, you understand...and had only just ticked off all the Must Do's ...

(I cheated a little...moved some off...shhhh) 

 Anywaaaaaays...I had worked really hard this week and definitely deserved a little play with fabrics. 

I was cutting up my fabric for the Addicted to Text - UK Charm Swap (organised by the lovely Charlotte...more on that another day) really enjoying the therapeutic nature of it, when I had the random thought of making my own charm packs. Never one to let an idea pass without trying it out, I set to cut...

I think they look rather pretty...what do you reckon? 

And as I am not so superficial to know that looks aren't everything, they are pretty darn useful too...

Go check them out and if you want to make me feel less guilty about playing today when I should have been working, humour me and treat yourself to a set (particularly if you have you 10% off...)...then I'll feel like really it was useful work.

bribery time...

I would really appreciate your opinion...

I'll make it worth your while...

well you read the heading...Bribery Time.

As you know I have been working on my screen printing range for this Autumn/Winter and have developed the 2 colour-ways - Utility above and Frozen Berries below and within that Triangle Mania and Scruffy Daisy.

I have 3 big fairs coming up and so need a lot of stock and obviously I want the right stock for my customers as all the fairs will be a "see it and buy it now" kinda affair, rather than the ordering kinda scenario.

So the question is, what would you choose? If you could pick any 3 items that you are drawn to, either for yourself or thinking ahead as Christmas gifts what digs it for you? Is there a particular pattern? A certain colour? A favourite pouch? I really would greatly appreciate your thoughts on this, my little in house market research buddies.

 So what's in it for you, I hear you ask? Obviously I know you aren't that kind of person and you are happy to just help out I hear you cry, but everyone is entitled to a little reward and I insist.

So, two things. 

The first is if you leave me a comment with your thoughts I'll email you a code for 10% off your next order (so be sure to link to an email address).

Secondly I'll enter you into a draw to win a little selection of your suggestions. Ah, sneaky huh? Now you have to think about what you like, not just be random, because one of you is going to be lumbered with the said pieces.

Seriously though, I really appreciate the time you take in helping me with this.

Thank you! x

Giveaway open until Sunday evening (oh and talking of which, there's still time to enter my fab giveaway from M is for Make...go check it out if you haven't already entered.)

 This printing malarkey on white is such a breeze. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it earlier.

The only thing slowing me down at the moment is space for the fabric to dry.

I am on the lookout for something like this but they are so pricy that I just can't afford it right now.

 I definitely need a better system however as finding a solution in one area - printing in white - is now being hindered by another.

Maybe I should have a "drying rack pot"...

every time I sell fabric the earnings go into a pot to purchase my drying rack...shouldn't take too long!

...particularly when i am offering bundles of gorgeous colours like these at the bargain price of £20 a bundle! There's my Utility bundle at the top, followed by Frozen Berries and then Frozen Utility at the bottom - what happens when a little Berry mixes with Utility.

p.s. this wasn't supposed to turn into a sales pitch...I never know where my posts are going to end up when I start out...but if you are smitten please do head here to buy a bundle... ;-)

let normal service resume...temporarily...

So it's the first full week back into the routine and so far so good....if you don't count a few newby High School Girl tantrums...and that's just from me!

Actually, Ruby is doing brilliantly and coping amazingly with her dramatic change in life and with no old friends to hold hands with in an unfamiliar place.

I am having a very productive week (which is a good job as no sooner are we back to normal than the next 2 weeks are disrupted again for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) and even had time for a little creativity with the stunning Elephants Love Water fabrics from the fantastic Umbrella Prints gals.

I started the week off at full speed, inspired after the great Makers' Fair last weekend and promised myself if I got everything done on this week's To Do List I could start thinking of what I was going to do with the fabrics. To be honest I cheated a little...let's face it I have more work than my little head can cope with with all that is to come...made it realistic in terms of what really had to be done this week...and consequently decided today was Play Day!

Oh boy is this fun to play with! With my new found favourite block, it was Wonky Windmills all the way when I paired Elephants Love Water with some coordinating Kona solids and navy Quilter's Linen. 6 blocks later and I'm in love! Ideally I would love this to be bed sized, but I think it may have to be satisfied with being lap sized...unless it wants to stay on the never-ending "there's no way I have time to finish this" pile.

Some time during the holiday I started this and didn't manage to show you the end results. Justine has saved me the trouble as she is explaining all about it over here. Go check it out...it may be worth your while!

Talking of giveaways (inadvertently), in amongst the holiday mayhem I never closed and drew a winner for this giveaway. Consequently your luck is in if you still want to enter as I am going to draw the winner on Sunday.

I'll be back on Sunday with a winner and then bear with me over the next few weeks. What with the Jewish New Year holidays and getting stock ready I have a feeling I may not be around very much, but hopefully enough to say hi at least...

Have a great weekend and good luck in the various giveaways!

So that was the summer...

 Ok, I know it isn't over quite yet, but in terms of all the work I can do before September it is, which means all those things that had to get done in preparation for the silly season and haven't, actually now won't.

Which means....aaagggghhhhhh!

I was panicking before the kids broke up and apparently that was well justified as I got so little done. I would like to say I just about kept my head above water, but that would be a gross exaggeration...just about avoided drowning more like.

Despite not getting as far with Autumn/Winter prep as I would have liked, it is looking like with sheer hard work, grit and determination it will. (Do you like the air of positivity there?)

I have decided on the 2 autumn winter colour-ways I am working towards - Utility on the top right and Still Unnamed (let's call it Ice for now) on the left. Lists have been made, deadlines put onto the calendar. Crikey, I am so ahead of the game, it's frightening. (see what I'm doing with this positivity thing?)

So can I go away at the weekend and not have any sleepless nights or panics because everything is so in control? As we would say in Yorkshire...

Can I 'ecky thump!

P.S. After various suggestions Still Unnamed (thank you everyone who sent me alternative names - and still thinking that is a rather cool name - think it may have to be the name of my first fabric line...) will henceforth be known as Frozen Berries - thank you Charlottte - genius!

This little (?) pile of loveliness arrived from one of my lovely sponsors this week...

After having been studiously pouring over my Kona chart I ordered a bunch of neutrals, along with some pretty tangerines. It's amazing how varied neutrals can be and you never quite have the right one to hand. I'm actually looking into doing something with all of them together...an idea is forming.

So a little bit about The Village Haberdashery...

Annie openend The Village Haberdashery just a few months ago but it is already reaching lots of radars. Annie seems to know what everyone wants and stocks a wide variety of fabulous fabrics, including an amazing range of our favourite Kona solids. And if she doesn't have the one in you are after, she will do her best to get it, as my little stash is case in point. 

Aurifil thread, the name on everyone's lips at the moment and stocked here, is another example of how Annie has her finger on the pulse and wants to provide for all our sewing needs and desires.

Perhaps you are a knitter or crocheter? Take a look at the selection of yarns stocked at The Village Haberdashery. Scrumptious, every one of them. I'm saving up for some of this...a beautiful blue wool with a mix of luscious mohair and entwined with glittery tinsel, neon coral crochet flowers, tiny yellow velvet daisies and shimmering turquoise 

sequins. Wow!

Please do take a look at The Village Haberdashery...I think you will like it.

I've been eyeing up my Kona chart today with the aim of working on some solid based pieces.

Sometimes when you look at the chart it is easy to get distracted by all the pretty colours but it is all the neutrals that I'm interested in at the moment, perhaps with a splash of tangerine and coral.

It's seems as though I'm still in my orange phase although I am also tempted by some teals and Caribbean blue...maybe I'll incorporate both.

The tricky bit however is trying to find a UK stockist that has these shades...so if you are one please do shout out!