A while ago now the lovely ladies at Saints and Pinners sent me a pack of the Warm & Natural Batting they are now stocking. I love this batting and have been using it for a while now and was delighted when Jo and Fran started to stock it. If you haven't come across this before you really should head right over to their shop and grab some.

It is exactly what it says on the label - Warm and Natural.

It's not a heavy batting which, in my eyes, makes it ideal for an array of projects, from quilting to oven mitts to wall art to table mats. It is warm and cosy enough to be used for throws and padded enough for those items that need a little cushioning, without it being overly weighty.

I've been itching to use it for a project but with everything else going on have only just managed to do so.

I'm off to London next week and was in need of a protective case for my Macbook and decided that this batting would work perfectly.

I had a little bit of time this morning (actually I MADE a bit of time this morning, otherwise there wouldn't be another opportunity before my trip) so I got started.

I love whipping something up for myself, partly because it hardly ever happens and partly because it's a good excuse to rummage through my fabrics.

Initial rummage got me to select the above blues and reds and whilst I really love them, they were stronger than I wanted for this particular item. I have however placed them to one side to make a cushion for my studio.

Second rummage gave me more of a look I was after. No great surprises in this selection I think you'll agree - obligatory Social Climber, Kei Grey Dots, a little hand printed pieces, some linen, along with several other faves. Maybe I'm getting boring or maybe I know what works for me.

After I'd pieced together the patchwork front, I quilted this with a layer of the batting and stitched across all the squares. I then stitched a piece of batting in place with the back piece. All super quick and easy. Super cute spotty lining and handles in place, oh and the addition of my favourite vintage braiding and less than an hour later I'm all set and ready to hit The Big Smoke.

The batting is absolutely perfect for this project. The tote has protection without me feeling I'm lugging some weighty, bulky accessory around.

I even managed to keep to my resolution with this project, as not only did I use some of my all time favourites, but incorporated some of the newer stash, the striped linen and the black speckle, which has just arrived from Cottonpatch. I think both of these are destined to be classed as all time favourites too.

Thanks to all those that have posted/tweeted/emailed about book recos. I have a list of some fab new reads that is going to last me well into 2011 and beyond. And I hope you have all picked up some new titles too. Thanks for playing ;-)

Enough slacking now. It's back to business. The business of my wall-hanging.

My starting points, as you well know, where the inclusion of the Orla Blossom and a patch of my screen print. Oh and plenty of grey fabrics.

I had in my mind that I would be doing some brick piecing with the fabrics, so this week I've started doing that. I am quite conscious that I don't want this to be a quilt as such, so I have pieced the strips together with raw edges showing. I won't really know how this is going to look until I get further in. I do want these strips to be a backdrop for everything else that is going on, so nothing too dramatic there. Just lots of beautiful greys.

This was going in a whole different direction last night and then had a rapid U-turn when I caught sight of one of the cushions on my bed. Made over a year ago and still I love the Social Climber Flower appliqued on, so I bravely cut out a large section and positioned it to see how it looked. I'm quite liking the inclusion and am thinking a few smaller pieces dotted about may work too.

Still a long way from being ready to hang on the wall - particularly since I am awaiting delivery of more grey Kei dots - oh grey Kei dots, how I love thee - but it's slowly beginning to come together.

All done and finished...my first set of a new product...

Did you guess right?

I'm really pleased with how these have turned out and can't wait to get into my studio and get more sets made.

I've already picked out a load of fabrics (my favourite bit of any project) that are sitting waiting patiently for a few spare moments.

The first set is in the shop now

I've been playing around with a new idea and it's almost ready to show.

Ever since Ruby got her little sewing machine for her birthday I've been hankering after playing around with Stitch I. It's that scalloped stitch you can see here.

I haven't been able to get it out of my head and I kept thinking of ways I could use it. Needless to say, it's all come together...

I've had a new product in mind to try out and today when I was experimenting with it, I suddenly remembered Stitch I and new at once how I could incorporate it.

It's almost ready for show and tell and you've probably got a pretty good idea what it is going to be...

Any guesses?

I've been rather caught up with this order this week...but, in a good way. It has completely taken over, but what better an excuse to be tied to my studio sewing all week. Honestly, there are times when I simply love my job (remind me of that in a few months when it's tax form time again...ugghhh).

My job includes sewing AND shopping. I needed a fair few ribbons for the pot holder hangers and, me being me, I wasn't satisfied with the ones already in my stash. If there's one thing I feel very strongly about, it's the little details that make or break a look. So if the handle didn't gel, then the whole piece was going to look all wrong. And just one ribbon wasn't right for all the different pot holders, so again, as you can see, several had to be purchased. I wouldn't want to give the impression that I cut corners with my work after all. So a quick stop of at Daisy Park and my shopping was complete.

I'm really pleased with how the whole "Sand & Sea" Collection is coming together and can't wait to see it all in situ at Harewood next week. I'm rather proud of this one.

(Thank you all so much for your help in locating the Denyse Schmidt fabric I was after...and a massive thank you to Kirsten and Ryan who have come up trumps and are sending some...I owe you!)

I woke up to winter this morning, which is mightily disappointing. Especially since we'd been teased with a bit of warmth yesterday and even managed to sit on the deck. Albeit momentarily, but a presence none-the-less.

I had to make my own sunshine today as a consequence and have added another colour to the peg bag range. It sure is bright and summery!

It seems to have done the trick, however, as now the sun has got it's happy little hat on. Long may it stay.

As you have probably noticed I have enjoyed making this throw more than anything else that I have ever made. From the picking of the fabrics, to the quilting at the end and all the patchworking and embroidery imbetween.

Not one tiny bit was a chore. Maybe it was something to do with using my favourite fabrics. Maybe it was something to do with being a first, so no repeated processes again and again. Maybe it was the joy of doing something for us that will hopefully be treasured for years.

Maybe it is the beautiful feel of the cotton batting that I used (a big thank you to Manda and Kristy for guiding me to Doughty's). Honestly, words can not describe the feel of this quilt with this batting.

I'm so glad that I used up my precious Orla for the backing and thank you for all of you for advising me to do so. I had actually bought the fabric for a project for this room in mind, so I'm not sure why I dithered about it. I know it's on the back, which may seem a waste. But it makes it reversible doesn't it? You can probably tell I didn't quite have enough. Or maybe the linen trim at the top was always meant to be. I leave it to you to decide ;-)

I now fully understand why so many of you make quilts. And make some more. And some more after. I used to wonder how you can keep making them. And making them. But having had such a wonderful time making this I too am hooked and can't wait to cut up the fabric for the next one. Ruby has put her order in...I think there may be a bit of pink in that one...

Having said I was going to lay the quilt pieces down a while, we knew that wasn't going to last long. Not when it was the weekend and I had time to play. And sometimes you just have to let intuition take over. Heh, Kylie?!

I have to say I am very excited by this quilt. I just love the colour combination and love how the linen is working with it too.

I did however feel it needed 'lifting' with some embroidery on the linen. Sunday evening watching BAFTAs was perfect time to sit and hand sew with a big throw on my lap.

I'm still a little undecided about the backing fabric, but I am rather drawn to the Orla that I recently purchased. Not that I'm obsessed with Orla at the mo or anything. It's just that it will bring the whole scheme together...don't you think?

If one thing all this building work is allowing me, it's an excuse to make some accessories to go with all the rooms. We've lived with the revolting inherited decor for so long now, I'm just gagging to get going on making things. I'd avoided making much to fit in with the existing schemes. They obviously weren't staying, so it seemed a waste of time and fabric to make things to go with them.

Now it's all systems go! As you know I've been collecting fabrics for a while to use for these projects and last night I started playing with some of them, thinking of them for a throw for the living room. I am a little bit nervous, it is safe to say, that what is in my head may not quite come out right in a throw. I am fairly confident that the fabrics work well together. And I am even more confident that I like them. But will it have that snuggly wow factor that I want to achieve?

It does feel rather daunting to use such precious fabrics, only to muck it up. So having done a few strips last night, I think I'm going to take a back seat for a while. It's laying on my studio floor at the moment. I think I'll leave it there a while, walk past it every now and then, move it around a bit and take my time. The living room walls are still bare plaster, so there's really no rush.

For the ladies

A couple of my friends are having birthdays this week, so I've enjoyed a brief interlude from compiling kits and have rustled up a couple of purses.

I normally hate cutting into my stashes of favoured fabrics, but when it's for a gift I think it's worth it.

My little pieces of Of Paper & Thread designs , by the uber talented Danielle, are rapidly diminishing. But I love using them as they are so utterly divine that just a touch gives an item a huge lift (as you noticed in my sister's cushions).

The Kei dots are another fave - I know, you must be getting sick of them! Again, a little goes a long way.Another must have is Anna Maria Horner's Social Climber in Ice. At least I can get that easily from my lovely British supplier.

I've had fun making these purses. There has been little creativity going on around here of late, so it was great to have an excuse to play with my fabric. I just hope that the girls concerned will be pleased with their gifts.

Where's my squid?

I for one have been really pleased that it's rained on and off all weekend (sorry!). We were going to go for a family day out on Saturday but decided we couldn't face dodging the rain clouds.

Consequently, I got plenty of time to make the other 2 cushions I wanted to. Having made the first, I had a feeling it was going to be case of one of those jobs that never got done, as far as the other 2 were concerned. On this occasion, I was well off the mark and got not one, but 2 completed. The secret was to do Matthew's first and then still wanting one for myself, I'd have no trouble to be motivated to do that!


I included Matthew in the decision process (or so I'd like hime to think) and let him choose fabrics to be included (within the design frame of course) I think he is pleased with it. But his first (and continued) reaction was 'Where's my squid?' I think we all know that the squid was never going to make it.

As for the fishies he was so desperate to include... there really was only one place for these...

Mine obviously had to include Social Climber. I'm now waiting anxiously for my aunt to come over from USA in a couple of weeks, with reinforcements of this that I've ordered from Cia's Palette as I'm now all out. It also had to include the fabulous paisley from Prints Charming (next project is to use the gorgeous blue and red version)


Having completed our bedroom cushion project I am on a mission to redo ALL the cushions in the house! (Ruby has already put her orders in) I've also been rather preoccupied with thinking up children's designs for the shop. So watch this space...this is just the beginning...

Deer, deer

I've been wanting to make some cushions for our bedroom for ages. We are waiting to redecorate, but until we can manage it, I want to detract from the decor we inherited (yes, Manda, we didn't do this ourselves!)


I've been gathering a pile of fantastic fabrics recently and I wanted to use some of these. Not being able to decide between several of them I thought I'd see which ones went together. I am absolutely in love with the Social Climber fabric I bought from Saints and Pinners and also have been a bit obsessed with the Oh Deer sample I had been sent through from Shannon of Aunty Cookie. Fortunately, with a bit of coordinating blue stiching around the deers, I think these 2 compliment each other well.



Another favourite on the pile was pulled in as well. My delicious Icy Blue Honeycomb from Kei fabrics just finishes it all of nicely. (Or so I think!)

I decided to run the Social Climber round the back too. Maybe this was a bit extravagant, but for me it keeps it all alive, rather than just a plain linen. I used my gorgeous new linen to make the binding for the envelope opening.


I'm really pleased with the outcome of the cushion and can't wait to do something matching with the very tired large cushions it leans up against.