Taking a look at today's posting you'd be forgiven for thinking it was summer outside, instead of snow threatening the UK this week!

Maybe it was working with this selection of fabrics for Olivia's cushion that infiltrated my brain and got me printing in summery colours this week.

I'm not overly sure what the cause was, but it feels nice to preempt summer a tad and forget that it is so cold outside.

Olivia's cushion was completed last night, having been backed with the prettiest brushed cotton candy pink stripe that I picked up on Etsy recently. It is so super-soft, it is just perfect for the cushion.

I'd had a request for some of my Hexie prints (thanks, Nicky!) and whilst my brain was still on Spring/Summer, that's what got printed up.

Nicky swiped up this pack, but if you too are hankering after a bit of spring, there are more pieces in the shop...

After that unseasonal interlude, normal colours will resume very soon...

Hello and Happy Monday to you!

I can't tell you how much I am loving life being calmer and being in control. Don't get me wrong, I still give my fair share of crabby irrational crossness, but generally life is cope-able at the mo.

Just as I say that watch it change...

First weekend for a long time with no visitors, no trips, nothing pressing, leaving me to get started on a commissioned cushion for a new baby.

I really love doing these log cabin cushions. Every one seems to be different. One of the recent ones was a bit too pink for this customer, so I pulled in a bit more green and teal. Log cabins are perfect for adding a little special piece of fabric without hyper-ventilating at the thought of using up precious stash. Just a little row of Lu Summer's Hearts, along with Mikodesign's Matryoshka dolls work a treat. Oh and let's not miss a couple of teal Scruffy Daisy's here and there ;-) I love the pop of colour in the Erin McMorris Lollie fabrics too.

I've just embroidered the centre panel and am finishing off the personalisation, then magic it up into a cushion and we are good to go.

I have a couple more in the queue...let's hope I'm still enthusiastic about them after I'm done.

By the way...quick question...

I'm thinking of adding to my Take Away Kits and making a Log Cabin Cushion Cover Kit. What do you reckon? Is this something you'd like to see? Will possibly be based on my screen printed fabrics, along with coordinating plains. What do you reckon? A goer or a noer? If a goer , what would you particularly like to see in them?

Answers on a postcard please, and you never know, there may be a little something in it for you... ;-)

It seems like a long time ago now that I was obsessing with Freezer Paper as a printing method, but since doing the Screen Printing Course it took a back seat. Not only did it take a back seat, but I wasn't sure if there was going to be a place for it now that I was screen printing.

Having invested in a fair size roll of freezer paper, I was a bit cross with myself for being so flitty with yet another craft.

Today I learnt that there is definitely still a place for freezer paper printing.

It goes without saying that screen printing is perfect for producing quantities in a way that just doesn't work with freezer paper.

And in contrast freezer paper is perfect for one offs. The time and expense of producing a screen for just one print obviously makes little sense.

So I was delighted to remember my stash of freezer paper that I could use to personalise this commissioned cushion. I used to embroider the details but with my recent penchant for printed fabric I really wanted to find a way of doing this.

I was very pleased to discover that freezer paper still has a place in my crafting...particularly since I have one mighty large roll.

And you never know, Jo and Fran, I may even need another one day soon...

Every now and then a fabric comes along and takes me by surprise.

I'm not generally a pink lover. I'm not adverse to it, but I don't ordinarily gravitate to it. However I was after a pretty floral to add to a couple of cushions that I'm making for a friend's two little girls.

I found this pretty vintage piece on Etsy and decided it would work for what I was after.

I wasn't ready for falling in love with it and I've had to quickly go buy up what ever Jessica had left. I'd only bought a fat quarter and this was already allocated for the couple of projects that I'd eyed it for in the first place.

The first project is, as I mentioned, a couple of log cabin cushions for these particular little girls. Here are some of the strips waiting. The vintage piece lifts the whole thing, don't you think?

Whilst photographing the fabric on my landing I was standing by my old Lloyd Loom chair. It sits on one of our mini landings in all it's worn out glory. I love the shabbiness of the chair but am also quite aware that it could do with a little care and attention.

I think this fabric is going to work beautifully on here. I'm yet to decide in what form, but it will certainly be the starting point for any future renovation.

And because I'm the impatient person that I am ("what? moi?") I couldn't NOT make anything when it arrived and so last night I happily made this Needle and Pin Set.

Well, I did have to see if the fabric worked as well made up as I thought it was going to.

Fortunately it does. this fabric is going to have a very special place in my stash.

And this Needle Set is available here...

I started working on some blocks that I was planning to use with the Orla Car patch I began the other day. I began by sewing together long rows of fabric, but I wasn't overly keen on how it was working out so I cut them into these strips.

I'm liking them alot better like this and have a few ideas buzzing around as to how I now want to use them. But, uncharacteristically, I am going to leave them on the side for a few days and be sure of what I want to do with them. I have about 5 ideas all at once for them and have a feeling they may become a theme for new work...watch this space.

In the meantime I had to get back on track with the Car Cushion. I decided to continue on the Log Cabin style that I'd started, with an added sashiko stitching around.

I have backed it in linen with an envelope opening, in a style that I normally use for my cushion covers. I like this style. Is it because I'm too lazy to do zips? Or simply that I like them this way? I like to think it's the latter...

There are going to be a fair few of these, but if you want to grab this first one, it's right here...

I've talked before about the joys of blogging and how it enables us to find others that ordinarily are too far away to reach. Like all of you, I have met through blogging, Twitter, Flickr so many wonderful, talented people all over the world and closer still in Britain, who I consider to be my friends.

One such friend, is my very talented artist friend, Tara. Tara and I met a while ago now and whilst we have only met in person a small handful of times, I consider her one of my close friends. A day hardly goes by that we aren't in touch (normally on the scrabs board on Facebook it has to be said ;-))

We 'met' when we were both running our own online gift shops (Tara has subsequently closed Boutiko and is concentrating on her life as an artist). We instantly had a lot in common and became each others sounding board, helpline and general buddy.

Tara, generally doesn't sew. She paints. I think this gave us respect for each others talents. Her work is amazing. It is generally mixed media and she uses a lot of wording in her work. She was doing a series of little dolls on canvasses that I just had to buy for Ruby's birthday. I'm still itching to give them to her.

Tara came back from a recent trip overseas to new Zealand and was inspired to start her "Portrait of My Friends" series. They are so clever and beautiful and I loved them. It was around this time that I had begun my love affair with Log Cabins, which it seemed Tara had quite a thing for.

So our swap idea was born. I was going to do a log cabin for Tara and she was going to do a picture for me. Perfect!

Tara picked the colours and I decided on the rest...a little like she is going to do for me. I finally had time to make Tara's cushion this week, although I am slightly perturbed by one thing...it looks too at home on my bed!

But this one is for my buddy Tara in celebration of why I blog.