This is my last full child-free week until November 7. How crazy is that? With the way the Jewish festivals have fallen this year, Ruby, being at a Jewish school, breaks up on Wednesday for 10 days. She goes back the day the boys break up for 2 weeks...yes, 2 WEEKS!!

Of course I am panicking just a tad about the stock I have committed to get to stockists by end of October, knowing I have just 4 more child-free work days before then.

But I am also panicking a little about other commitments I have made, like this Flickr Pillow Swap. As usual I got off to a flying start, but as usual if the project doesn't get completed in that time, it tends to sit to one side when other things jump the queue. I hate letting people down and as pictures were being posted about completed pillows I glanced to my half-finished one in one corner of the studio. So last night, as I was spurred on by something - guilt, most probably - I finished the pillow. I had so many more plans for this pillow that time wouldn't allow but hopefully my partner will love it and won't think there is anything missing... I've also included a few nice surprises to soften the blow.

You'd think I would learn and not commit myself to any further challenges on my time...but oh no, I've just signed up for this...

p.s. thank you for all your advice on fabrics for the European Pouches...I really appreciate it...and if you haven't done so already, you've got until tomorrow to give me your opinion and enter my giveaway x

Giveaway time!!...

...in exchange for a little advice please.

I've been working on a new design today at the screen printing workshop.

I have had a request from one of my stockists for some more male oriented pouches and hopefully this design fits the bill.

However I got a little print happy on a variety of fabrics and now I'm at a loss as to which work best...

...and that my lovely readers is where you come in.

In exchange for a spot of advice as to which fabric you think works best, your comment will be entered into a draw to win a pouch made up in that fabric.

Do you like the striped or checked shirting?

Do you like the Klona plains in red, blue or grey?

Or is your favourite my signature linen?

I really would value your opinion on this, so just leave a comment and I'll enter you in the draw, which will take place at the end of the week. Please make sure you leave a contact email so I can let you know if you have won.

Thanks and good luck ;-)

It was the Reetsweet Fair at the Leeds Corn Exchange today...

You know what they say...Location,Location, Location...

...and this sure is one of the best locations for a fair that I have ever been to.

The Corn Exchange has had a revamp in recent years and it really is a stunning building.

It hosts one of my favourite restaurants in Leeds, occupying the whole of the ground floor and with views up to the entire building, it really is a beauty of a place.

Consequently, it lends itself as a craft fair venue. It's such a beautiful setting for visitors to wander around and what better place is there for exhibitors to show off their wares?

To be honest, I have done better fairs in terms of sales. I have been places with a better footfall. That aside and for all the reasons above it was a good fair.

I met some great people, particularly one lovely lady that announced excitedly "I know you, I read your blog!" She was very excited to see my things in the flesh and couldn't resist one of my new totes here below.

And to be quite honest, that's one of the things I love about what I do and why no fair is ever a dud fair.

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...

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of a book we have all been waiting for, The Liberty Book of Home Sewing.

If, like me, you are a Liberty fan (Liberty's of London was on my Must See in London List when showing Ruby the sites of London earlier this year, for goodness sake), then this book will not disappoint.

From the minute you hold the book in your hands, with its beautiful fabric covering, to the flicks through the first fabric printed pages, this is a Liberty Lover's joy.

However...I then have to admit to an initial disappointment, as I impatiently flicked through the pages, thinking it was dark and uninviting.

The trouble was, I delved in so quickly, I didn't savour any of it and thankfully I very quickly realised my initial reaction was oh so wrong, and what I had in front of me was a beautiful, broody, evocative and indeed very insightful sewing book.

The book does not forget that it is essentially a sewing book. It is full of a comprehensive list of projects, the projects themselves which are exquisitely styled and photographed and entice you to want to make every one of them.

What else defines a good sewing book? Well, obviously clear step-by-step instructions are a must.

I love the hand drawn illustrations that go alongside the instructions. I'm a bit of a sucker for pictures to go alongside recipes in cookery books and I expect the same with sewing books. The projects are full of illustrations making following the instructions very straightforward.

Like all the best sewing books, there are detailed descriptions of basic sewing techniques, again accompanied by lovely hand-drawn illustrations.

And just when you are ready to take a breather from all the excitement, the final pages will have your heart racing even more...a glossary of beautiful Liberty fabrics to feast your eyes on.

So do add this book to your sewing library and I implore you to take it slowly.

Don't do as I did...go make that cup of tea...sit down when you have time to savour it and then slowly, slowly take pleasure in the visual feast and be safe in the knowledge that this book isn't going anywhere and it will be one you will return to for many years to come.

...on a cushion roll...

...this one is now in the shop...

...it's the end of the week...i'm very tired...have a great weekend one and all. x

I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed and under pressure at the moment.

Not only is this my first proper Christmas with stockists wanting handmade pieces in time for the Christmas rush, hence I have a LOT of sewing to do, but also we seem to have a crazier than ever schedule at the mo. I keep waiting for life to calm down. It somehow never does. One of these days I will fall off this treadmill...

In the meantime it was all go in the sewing room yesterday, finishing off my new Vintage cushions (see, no sympathy with myself - 'new' products? at this time of year? crazy girl).

First up was hand making the binding for the envelope back. I love making the binding for cushions...a little pop of colour showing it's face.

And then, hey presto, cushions finished. I'm not actually delivering these for another couple of weeks, but I did need to finish them off having started the fronts last week.

And besides...if I didn't, how could I justify cutting into these latest arrivals???

So crazily busy at Blueberry park Headquarters and yes, life is a tad more stressful than I would like, but I am aware at the moment that my stress is all good stress - getting orders out on time, getting my children to all their clubs, activities etc, doing a job that I love - and long may that be the case.