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.

 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... ;-)

 It's been a hellava week this week. One that can be basically be described as a bit of a post celebration blur.

I'll post about the amazing weekend we had at another time, when I can put into words what we all went through and when I've picked myself up off the floor from exhaustion. 

I don't remember Sam's flooring me quite so much, but I think that's a lot to do with us being out of routine this week with the extra Bank Holidays and Half Term. If we had been back to routine the next day we would have had no choice but to get on with it.

We spent most of this week sleeping late, saying farewell to visiting family and friends and generally living in the moment.

By the time Matthew went back to work yesterday we were finding it tricky to get out of our slump.

I dived into the cellar to get some printing done for some orders that were piling up and as is my normal trick started playing around with an idea that had been forming in amongst the blur.

As you know i normally print in colour on white fabric but wanted to give printing on some colours a go.

This ended up with me printing on a fair few of my solids and rather liking where it was going. The main reason behind this was the need to order more magnets and deciding that perhaps they would look better with more colour.

I've put up a couple of pics here to get a feel of the difference.

What do you reckon? Printing on solids or printing on white?

I'm rather liking how the solids look coupled with other fabrics. The design seems to stand out better, particularly with the blues, but on the other hand the postage stamp block seems to work with the print on white.

Maybe I'm too tired this week to make a decision or maybe there is a place for both.

Do you have an opinion? Would you like to see more designs on a coloured background?

Would love to know what you think. You are probably less tired than I am...unless of course you are recuperating from FQR...

I'm feeling a little bit pleased with myself.

My studio gets completely out of control at this time of year. Stock for fairs gets dumped. Fabric stashes can be seen all over the place, with scrap pieces strewn across the entire room.

So with things quietening down a tad this week, no more fairs to get ready for and orders slowing down a fraction, I actually got on with tidying up the place.

It's always a very daunting task, but so satisfying when done.

I won't actually say it's been done. We are talking at least 3 months worth of dumping going on.

But I can certainly see the light and find things.

Which for you means, i have organised my screen printed fabric scraps and made 3 lovely bundles of great pieces for you to have lots of fun with over the holidays.

I've listed the Scrap Packs here so, if you are planning a little holiday sewing, go grab a pack!

And who knows what else will be listed when the rest of the room gets cleared next week!

Have a great weekend x

Update:

All gone!!

It appears that you peeps love scrap bags and they sold out in record breaking time!

Hopefully there will be a few more very soon ;-)

I don't know about you but I rarely make something for me or the home because I want to. There's normally a zillion other things that NEED doing.

It's more a case of "oh my g-d, I need THIS and I need it NOW!"

(I really should have taken a before shot to illustrate EXACTLY how much I needed to.)

It's Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, starting tonight and I have 24 for dinner...hence a lot of table cloths needed ironing. The makeshift ironing board cover that I put on a month ago (because the old one split) was not doing the job with ironing super-sized cloths, a tricky job at the best of times.

So with shopping still to do, lots of dinner still to make, not to mention the rearranging of the house to seat the aforementioned 24 people, I set to making a new ironing board cover. I know I could have just grabbed everything and gone to iron them at Mum's - hell, she'd have probably offered to iron them for me if I had - but no, I had to have a new ironing board cover and NOW!

Have you ever made an ironing board cover?

It's one of those really gratifying projects. It's pretty quick to do and with a little consultation of this tutorial, the whole thing was done in way less than half an hour...far less time than it would have taken me to take the whole lot over to Mum's in the first place.

And what's more, now I have a pretty - and functional - ironing board.

One day I will sit and make something for us because I WANT to...

It was my first trip to the screen printing workshop today since the summer hols began, so I was filled with anticipation and excitement to get in there and try out a couple of new designs that I've been working...

~ hexie and leaf ~

~ waves ~

But it didn't all go according to plan...

There was...

...the good...

...the bad...

...and the downright ugly...

I learnt 2 things today...

...first was to make sure the squeegee is securely at the back of the screen so that when you actually print a good piece you don't go and ruin it by the squeegee flying off the back when you raise the bed;-(

...second, use a little masking tape to secure lightweight fabric in place and prevent blurring.

One thing I have been struggling with when printing on fabric is this blurring and I haven't been able to work out how to prevent it. Today Gina (remember my guru who knows everything?) was about so I asked her how I could stop it. I don't have this problem with paper or heavier fabric, so I knew it was all about the fabric moving, but my brain wasn't engaging as to how I could stop it happening.

All it took was a secret ingredient - masking tape - and my blurring days were behind me (I hope).

Quite frankly, I'm disappointed with all you screen printing aficionados for not sharing this little secret with me.

Declaring more from the holiday buying fabric stash...

Last night I made some Wash-bags with waterproof lining. The linings were delivery number 43 in the buying stakes, bought from Dreams Come True.

I'm waiting on delivery number 44 for some more linings for more designs I have planned...

They are available right here, here and here.

Thank you all for your lovely comments about the quilts and also advice on batting/wadding. It seems like you are all in agreement and I shall go order some of the cotton/wool...even tho I bought 5m of the other stuff. I'm sure it will come in handy for something!

I've been busy this week doing the first of 6 embroideries I need to do for a Flickr Swap. See more about what everyone is doing here...

My first one is for Dena whose brief is woodland and woodland animals.

I think it fits the brief and hopefully she'll love it. The aim is that we decide on a theme and then send fabrics to each member of our group. I thought I'd incorporate a 'living room' theme into mine and plan to use it for cushions/quilt for our soon to be redecorated room. Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with for me!

Imbetween the hecticness of work at this time of year, I've been trying to make a few of my presents. I'm not doing too badly, surprisingly, but no doubt there will be the last minute franticness. I'm still planning on making all the children their own initial keyring. There aren't too many of them so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge.

I made a friend this purse. I was playing around with some of my new stash of Mikodesign fabrics. I think she'll be pleased with it.

Then the in-laws. My in-laws are very hard to buy/make for but I'm quite pleased with what I've come up with. My father-in-law is taking us all away next summer for his 80th so I've made them both a Passport Holder...useful and appropriate! I even spoilt them by cutting into my precious Liberty stash.

Hopefully they like it enough to at least use it next summer...if they don't lose it/wear it out before then.

Something for the house

Yesterday ... or was it the day before now? I lose track ... it was Ladies Day. Today it is the turn of your home.

I've been coveting these beautiful cushions by Roddy & Ginger for aeons and finally they are here at Blueberry Park.

If you are a regularly reader, you know all about my soft spot for hand printed fabrics. And my soft spot for cushions. So it's hardly surprising that these were going to hit the spot.

Virginia, the talent behind this vintage inspired company, handprints stunning retro inspired designs onto linen or cotton using water based dyes.

I love the freshness and colours of her designs and never tire of gazing at them. Go check them out right here and tell me what you think. I know you'll feel the same way as I do.

Abracadabra

Less than 24 hours ago I went on line to one of my favourite online fabric shops in the UK and less than 24 hours later here it is sitting right here with me. Now that's magic.

For the love of chickens

It seems like I've started something here. Ruby wasn't satisfied with just a brooch. Oh no. We needed a keyring as well.

But I think she might be on to something here.

Shoulda known

I just knew I wouldn't get away without making Ruby a brooch once she'd seen mine.

Cute tho, isn't it? (If you cast your eyes away from the hand-me-down Bratz PJs that is)

A little birdy

Anybody would think I had so much time on my hands, that I could quickly knock up a little brooch to go on my nice, new, white, but empty looking cardigan, as I was heading out to meet my lovely friend Roz for a birthday coffee (hers not mine).

Well apparently I do, because I did!

I'm quite pleased with it. What do you think? I was aided greatly by my little stash of gorgeous Aunty Cookie samples that were just crying out to be used in some shape or form. And don't worry, these will be available very very soon. Just as soon as I have sorted out the tricky question of importing.

I obviously didn't have quite enough time because, if I had, Roz would have got one too!