please welcome...oh and the winner is...

So, for the long-awaited, most delayed giveaway results ever, finally we have a winner...

and it is number 9...Gill! Gill has the pleasure of choosing which set of 3 pouches she would like. If you didn't win and would like to make your own pouches, or something else completely from this fab range, head over to Saints and Pinners to get yourself some of the fabric.

Other news today, in case you have been sleeping all weekend and haven't yet heard, is that the wonderful website to get all your Kona solids here in the UK - along with other lovely fabrics - has changed hands from Mandy to Justine.

This is a very exciting new venture for our lovely nurse, quilter, mother of 3 friend and I hope you will all give her a warm welcome.

Justine has big plans for Simply Solids. As well as continuing in Mandy's great footsteps, she has exciting new plans too, which will be revealed over time. Simply Solids offers free postage on every order over £15and Justine would love to hear from you if you would like certain colours stocking and other collections. Personally, I'm after her stocking Quilter's Linen...

To welcome Justine Lynne is doing a giveaway, so head over to her blog to read all about it and enter.

To celebrate the launch Justine is offering for this weekend only, every order will receive a free random FQ for every £10 spent in the shop. The offer will run from today thru to midnight on Monday 17th September!! What are you waiting for...GO!!

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!

weekend shopping...

Saturday morning, first weekend back at school and no lie in for me. I'm up early to get myself to The Makers' Fair in Saltaire. If you have nothing on today and you fancy a day out do come along. The Makers' Fair is an awesome event full of wonderful original work (crack on with early Christmas gifts, you'll be pleased you did!) and if you do come please do stop and say hi!

Just before you go I wanted to let you know of a couple of awesome sales with 2 of my sponsors for this weekend only. The nights are drawing in - hey, it's a fact, don't shoot the messenger - perfect opportunity to stock up with sewing needs.

First up Saints and Pinners are having a crazy flash sale...25% off everything! What are you waiting for?? (No code needed...works it out at the checkout)

Over in the US at Pink Castle Fabrics there's 25% off all Kokka fabrics.Now that is worth rushing over for. Just enter KOKKA25 at the checkout for that one. With that discount it's certainly worth having a bundle shipped over.

Hope you have a great weekend whatever you are doing x

Introducing Saints & Pinners...

 Saints and Pinners is another of my lovely sponsors and another great UK online fabric store. It is run by mother and daughter-in-law team, Fran and Jo (how great it must be to get on that well with your mother-in-law and have a shared passion!)

Their website is a lovely site, very easy to navigate around and divided into interesting sections. I particularly like the "make this" section where Jo and Fran have listed projects made from fabrics they stock and navigate you to what was used and where in the shop it is.   

 You will find a lot of the usual favourites in store - they are big fans of Cloud 9 and Anna Maria Horner, amongst others, but Jo and Fran will surprise you with some more unusual finds.

One particular collection that I haven't seen anywhere else in UK is the batik prints they currently have. These wax block prints are very striking and very different from what you normally see out there.

Jo and Fran sent me some samples to have a play with and they are so lovely to use. They are very happy fabrics for one! Also the cotton is very crisp and really lovely to sew with. The fabric holds its shape well so was perfect for my pouches.

I really enjoyed sewing with these fabrics and making something that is a real departure from my usual look. I was sent Oak, above, Zigzags, below (my favourite I think - I just love that stripy blue zigzag) and hydrangea at the bottom. 

These fabrics, along with the 2 other designs in the collection are available here and I really recommend you giving them a go in your next project. Step out of your comfort zone and have a play with them. You will be rather pleased you did.

In the meantime I am doing a little giveaway with my makes here. The winner gets to choose the 3 pouches in either Oak, Zigzag or Hydrangea.

Usual story to enter...

4 ways to win...

1. Leave a comment here to say you'd love to enter!

2. Go 'Like' Saints & Pinners on Facebook and come back here and tell me you've done it.

3. Go sign up for Saints & Pinners' Newsletter (scroll down to the bottom of the page on the right) again come back here to tell me you have.

4. Go tweet about it and yup, you guessed it, come back here to tell me you have.

Good luck! you have quite a while on this one...I'll randomly pick a winner at the end of the month...August 31st.

If you can't wait that long to get your hands on some of this go check out this and S & P's other delights right now!

I am absolutely delighted to share my news with you that my blog is now sponsored by the following fantastic UK online fabric stores.

I am extremely honoured and proud that these wonderful shops view my blog as worthy enough to sponsor and so if you don't know them already please do click on the links on the right and peruse their wonderful collections.

Each one is very different from the next with what they offer and I will be telling you about all of them over the next few day.

Let me introduce the first one to you today and those of you that are regular readers of my blog will find it a very familiar name. 

M is for Make is run by the lovely Kate who handpicks the most wonderful collection of fabrics from all over the world. Kate is based in Brighton and M is for Make is the result  of a lifelong love of pretty fabrics and sewing.

Kate supplements her lovely collection of fabrics with the best collection of beautiful Japanese sewing books and fantastic sewing patterns. I have several of the Japanese sewing books and even though I don't understand a word of them, the photographs alone are enough to entice me into thinking one day I may be able to make something from them.

You may remember Kate generously offering me a selection of fabrics - any selection I wanted - to make a quilt for Siblings Together. A couple of the fabrics I had chosen hadn't yet been released and coincidentally coinciding with the launch of my sponsors they arrived this week. I have a feeling that the Denyse Schmidt on the top is not going to hang around for long.

The partnership with my sponsors is going to bring lots of exciting news, giveaways and other opportunities for you, so please stick around as I announce each in turn.

Since BCTF I'm back to making kits in abundance.

It's funny because the fabrics I have generally been using with my other work is very different from what I call my "kit fabric". Since the kits are children's kits the fabrics I tend to use are a lot brighter and zingier than I use with my accessories. So I had to put my kit-making hat on and make selections. It's not always clear quite how these fabrics look in the flesh but the lovely ladies at Saints & Pinners are more than happy to send out samples of fabrics making it much easier to make the right decisions. After all it's costly making mistakes. And I have made some right clangers in my time.

Today I received my samples (I only ordered them yesterday) and I'm really pleased with all of them and as well as wanting them for the kits I am also liking the bottom two, Genie by Annette Tatum for summer clothing for Ruby and possibly they may even sneak into the accessories range.

The top fabric, a gorgeous teal Mod Flower, also by Annette Tatum, will work perfectly in the kits and the 2 bright flower designs in the middle there from the Weekends collection by Erin McMorris are just great. Their brightness stands out perfectly.

So, if you are unsure about whether fabrics you see online will work for you, I strongly recommend you see whether samples are available. I know M is for Make will also send samples and I'm pretty sure most of the lovely online fabric stores will offer this service.

Do you like japanese fabrics?

I do. A lot.

And I particularly like this circle range.

I'm particularly partial to this yellow and grey combo.

I know - I shock you with my revelations ;-)

But this red and navy combo is rather delish too.

The lovely Jo at Saints and Pinners sent me some samples of these fabrics that they are now stocking, along with some of these ditsy flower and dragonflies.

Gorgeous, aren't they?

I love how japanese fabrics are so compatible with each other and I can just picture them together in a variety of projects.

I for one am going to be racing to S & Ps pronto to add each of these to my fabric collection. I have a feeling as soon as the show orders are completed, I'm going to be in the mood to create with some of these lovelies.

Didn't we have a lovely time at Grey Circles Winter Workshop??

Well, Manda and I certainly did!

We had 3 lovely ladies turn up for our Christmas Stocking and Zipper Pouch Workshop today and we had such a lovely time. Well, as I said, Manda and I certainly did, but you may need to ask Justine, Judi and Crissy if they did too.

Seriously, is there a better way to spend a Saturday than perusing over fabrics, spending the day sewing, coming away with some beautiful things you have made and sitting round a table with new friends eating and laughing?

Oh and did I mention fabulous fabrics to purchase sent up from Saints and Pinners?

Personally I could do this every day of the week...

...and judging by the look on these ladies faces, I think they could quite happily again too.

Watch out for further up-coming Grey Circle Workshops in a kitchen near you (or just a train ride away, hey, judi?)

How gorgeous are these little guys? Completely irresistible I'd say.

After a heads up from Kate about how she's got her Christmas gift making under way, thanks to the fab patterns from Fiona, I decided this couple of rabbits would be the perfect gift for my little niece and nephew.

I am DETERMINED to get them done in time.

So, having purchased the patterns, off I popped to Saints & Pinners to get some fabric essentials, including Cloud 9s white flannel. This was typically the only colour I didn't pick up in my selection last week.

Whilst I was there I threw a few extras into the basket. Well, it's illegal to not purchase more than you need. Isn't it?

I'm really pleased with these 2 Darla Ditty pieces that were in the sale. They'll work great for my kits and I always like to pick up nice fabric for the kits. (See, thoughtful after all)

And I just love this Joel Dewberry's Herringbone. It's so fresh and striking. I'm thinking it will work super well as the skirt for the girl. (See, so not indulgent...pure necessity)

So, there, I've laid it on the line. I am making these for my niece and nephew. For this Christmas. That's 2010. So you are well in your rights to hassle me about the progress. In fact, please do, I think I might need it.

I had a little splash out on fabric this week. Ok, not so little. But not so flighty either. Ever since Cloud 9's gorgeous flannels came out, I've been lusting after them. And this week with needing to design some new cot quilts, I knew this range was going to be the basis of it.

So a quick stop off at one of my favourite UK online fabric stores and 24 hours later here it is.

And boy was it worth waiting for. It's gorgeous! The designs are what you would expect from the talent behind the label that is Michelle. This children's range is quirky, yet cute, yet humerous. A range that appeals as much to adults as it does to children.

As for the soft flannel finish...scrumptious. I'm not normally one for painstaking operations and when the pre-washing instructions came with the fabric, I took one look at them and thought grrr, this is too high maintenance for me.

But, I slowed down and decided that this little pile was worth looking after and nurturing. And I'm so glad I did. Into the wash and off to the drier it went and I'm so glad it did.

This softened up the flannel no end and if it wasn't perfect enough before, it certainly was more than perfect after this process. This has taught me an important lesson, a little bit like I have learnt from quilting. Every step is important. Every step is part of the process and should be enjoyed as just that.

I cannot wait to cut into this pile. But again, I'm going to take my time. No rushing, but plenty of thinking and planning and enjoying every step and snip.

When Michelle announced on Twitter that a swatch pack of her new fabrics Beyond the Sea was now available, I think I'd clicked 'Basket' quicker than a quickest thing on a quickest day!

I have used several of Michelle's My Happy Garden fabrics in various projects and just love it. With her label Cloud 9 she produces the most beautiful soft, eye-catching fabrics, in the most stunning fresh designs. What's more they are made from organic cotton, thus providing a welcome eco-friendly element to them.

This new range is just delectable in every way. The fresh colours, stunning designs and touchy feely factor, make them top of my wishlist. Fortunately for us Brits, you can get them right here...

Race ya!

Drum roll please...time to announce the give-away winners...

The first winner and recipient of the £20 Saints and Pinners' Voucher is...

Number 48...Aimee from Live, Lush, Laugh...Congratulations Aimee!

The second winner and recipient of Scribble Mug and Wash Mitt from Illustrated Living is...

Number 16...Pauline...Congratulations Pauline!

And finally, winner of a Peg Bag by moi is...

Number 16...is Kirsty from Me Plus Molly...congratulations Molly!

Oscar-style thank yous...thank you all so much for entering and showing your support for my blog. I really do appreciate it.

An equally big thank you to Jo and Fran from Saints and Pinners and Rosie and Chris from Illustrated Living for your generous prizes.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I just want to leave you with this...it will soon be turned into something BIG...think you know what? All will be revealed soon...

2 Year Giveaway

Apparently it was 2 years ago that I stepped out into the world of blogging. I can't remember how long before that I had been obsessed with all the amazing blogs out there that now become part of my daily read. But like most of us it took a while to go from the step of reading to doing.

As we all know it seems a scary step to take at the time, but words can not describe the fulfilment and enjoyment one gets from blogging. You do it. You know what I mean!

As a celebration of reaching this 2 year milestone, I have an amazing giveaway for you. In fact I have not one, not 2 but 3 prizes to offer you. All you have to do is leave a comment sometime between now and next Friday May 7th to say you would like to be entered into the giveaway. Names will be drawn at random, using a random generator or cheap child unpaid labour if one insists.

My first giveaway prize is a £20 voucher from Saints and Pinners. As you know Saints and Pinners has fast become my favourite UK based online fabric store. It is run by Mother and Daughter-in-law team Jo and Fran, who together have selected a beautiful collection of fabrics and patterns. Thank you Jo and Fran for donating your generous prize and for making buying fabric oh too easy!

If you have been following me recently you will be aware of my current Orla obsession. This obsession has been fuelled by the array of goodies that Rosie and Chris from Illustrated Living teasingly offer on their amazing website. Did you know you can accessorise your entire house in Orla? Ok you did. I've told you before. Well, Rosie and Chris, as founding members of the Orla Self-Help Group have kindly offered my next prize of a Scribble Multi Stem Mug, along with a matching Wash Mitt. See, you'll already have Orla in 2 rooms if you win this!

Finally, number 3. A little something from me. I produced these yesterday after being completely inspired on an Ikea visit this week. I knew as soon as I saw them what I wanted to make out of them. Some very sweet people have already got their mitts on them, before they even made it into the shop, but I'm wanting to give one as part of my big Give-away too.

It's been an amazing 2 years and I never imagined where I'd be when I started. How many wonderful, helpful, inspiring, funny people I'd meet on the way. Thank you all who stop by and comment. Thank you all who read behind closed doors. And here's to the next 2 years, with your help and support xx

Oh, and good luck ;-)

With everything that is going on around here at the moment, I feel like I'm neglecting my blog somewhat. It's very easy to quickly get out of the rhythm of blogging.

But I miss it. I miss posting. I miss the contact with you out there. I miss your feedback, opinions, news.

I am determined to get back to more than a once a week pop-in to say hi. And as beautiful as my latest fabric purchases from Saints and Pinner are, I promise to give you more reasons to stop by very shortly...

...including a fab giveaway for my 2 year Blogiversary...

Watch this space ;-)

I know it seems like I'm always buying fabric, but I actually don't think I have for quite a few weeks now...and in my book that's quite some time. I think I've been so busy at looking at wallpaper, paint colours and prints for the walls, that my fabric stash has got a bit neglected. Sad, but true.

Fortunately I've put all that to rights this week with just a small little shop at Saints and Pinners, one of my favourite on-line British fabric stores. I was driven by the need for a fabric to back Ruby's quilt. I've been coveting this Dolce Deco Fans for a while and think it will work beautifully with the fabrics we have picked for the top. Fortunately Ruby agrees.

This stunning Barefoot Roses is such a gorgeous duck egg/grey colour that I couldn't resist throwing it in the basket. You can never have enough dots in your stash. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to incorporate it in Ruby's quilt, but I'm not too worried about it being saved for other projects if I don't. It's going to be a useful little number. The little black dress of the fabric stash.

Final purchase was this beautiful Voile from the new Anna Maria Horner Collection. Another recent covet that I succombed too. I just bought a fat quarter as it's quite expensive, but I think I'll be going straight back for more. The stunning vibrant colours are what you expect from Anna Maria's fabrics and the weight is akin to Liberty Tana Lawn. Feeling it is tactile heaven. This has leapt into one of my all time favourite fabrics.

Ruby took one look at it and gasped in delight at the thought of it going into her quilt. No, my darling, this one is not for you...