So that was the summer...

 Ok, I know it isn't over quite yet, but in terms of all the work I can do before September it is, which means all those things that had to get done in preparation for the silly season and haven't, actually now won't.

Which means....aaagggghhhhhh!

I was panicking before the kids broke up and apparently that was well justified as I got so little done. I would like to say I just about kept my head above water, but that would be a gross exaggeration...just about avoided drowning more like.

Despite not getting as far with Autumn/Winter prep as I would have liked, it is looking like with sheer hard work, grit and determination it will. (Do you like the air of positivity there?)

I have decided on the 2 autumn winter colour-ways I am working towards - Utility on the top right and Still Unnamed (let's call it Ice for now) on the left. Lists have been made, deadlines put onto the calendar. Crikey, I am so ahead of the game, it's frightening. (see what I'm doing with this positivity thing?)

So can I go away at the weekend and not have any sleepless nights or panics because everything is so in control? As we would say in Yorkshire...

Can I 'ecky thump!

P.S. After various suggestions Still Unnamed (thank you everyone who sent me alternative names - and still thinking that is a rather cool name - think it may have to be the name of my first fabric line...) will henceforth be known as Frozen Berries - thank you Charlottte - genius!

Familiar colours...

It was back to the more familiar colours of yellow and grey today, with a little random orange and brown thrown in.

 Printing my triangle design in white on various coloured Konas had been on the To Do list for some time and was needed to be pushed up the pecking order with autumn/winter thoughts in mind.

 I love how the coloured fabrics have taken the white ink, altho when you compare the 2 ways below (white ink on coloured fabric or coloured ink on white fabric) I am not totally sure you can tell the difference with this design, can you?

What I think it does give me is the flexibility of colour. Paint colours are much more limiting than the huge array of choice of Kona solids, so printing in white ink does allow me to get the perfect colour. I mean who wants Tomato when you can get Tangerine? Seriously, who?

Being the impatient soul that I am I had to see if things would be any different when I made it up into products and again, I'm not totally convinced they are.

Along with the vast choice of colours with Kona, the other advantage of printing with white ink is I can print in lots of colours at once without having to wait for a screen to dry first. This has to be a big plus. 

So unless you have a huge problem with this set up, I think I will be printing with white ink for the foreseeable future.

 Do you find your tastes in colour combos goes round and around?

Quite a while ago now I had a big attraction for reds and blues but then it seemed to disappear again for yellows and greys to take it's place.

But it appears to be back.

Without consciously meaning to I have recently been combining reds and blues again in various projects.

When I picked fabrics for my Siblings Together quilt, donated by my lovely sponsor M is for Make I was very much drawn to reds and blues and am in the process of completing this quilt (bottom left) and am very much enjoying surrounding myself in this combination. 

Maybe it started again with this. Then I was making some new pencil rolls and ordered this fabric from another sponsor (bottom right), and found it worked beautifully with some Summersville I had sitting on my desk (as you do).

And if that wasn't enough submersion into one of my first colour combo loves, I received a package of Water for Elephant fabrics from the talented Umbrella Prints designers (middle above) and before I knew it I was obsessing with reds and blues again and picked out the top fabrics for a range I want to produce for upcoming fairs and the like.

Who knows if my rekindled obsession will last into preparing for these fairs or not, but in the meantime I am rather enjoying glimpses of red and blue.

Do you have combos you keep coming back to again and again?

I officially have no more babies.

I think I said this when my baby started nursery and again went she started school and again when she went from Infants to Juniors, but this is definitely it this time.

Today Ruby turned 11 and in a couple of weeks she will be starting High School

Madness I tell you. 

When on earth did the years go?

Whilst on the one hand I absolutely love seeing them grow up and turn into wonderful, fun, compassionate people, I do miss the days of cuddling them all together on my knees.

Guess I will just have to wait for the grand kids now to do that.

For those eagle-eyed amongst you when i posted the giveaway I mentioned draw day was Ruby's birthday, so if you have been waiting all day for presents to be opened, cakes to be eaten, now is the time for the long awaited result...

So, the winner of the wonderfully generous prize by my fabulous American sponsor, Brenda of Pink Castle Fabrics is number 183...

 Eryn Alexandra  

who said...

"I love this fabric thanks so much for this giveaway"

Big congrats, Eryn and if you could email me your address this fab bundle will be on its way to you.

Again, in true Oscar style, a very huge thanks to Brenda and a very huge thanks to all of you for taking the time to enter. And if you weren't lucky enough to win this time, you could always console yourself with purchasing a smidgeon of the fab collection anyway...

There will be a little break from giveaways for the next few weeks while summer holidays take their toll, but don't worry I will be back with more and some giveaways of my pieces that others are hosting that I'll point you in the direction of when they are happening.

Giveaway!

Madrona Road by Violet Craft is a new line for Michael Miller that is capturing everyone's attention. Seeing these pics you can see why.

It is split into 2 colour-ways - Citrus on the left and Ocean on the right, although as you can see from Elizabeth of Oh Fransson's stunning quilt below, they work beautifully all together.

 It is a wonderfully diverse collection with some small scale great blender prints as well as some feature pieces with fantastic larger scale designs. There are even a couple of text pieces too, which seem to be all the rage at the mo (says she, sounding like a grandma). I know I've recently been picking up a few and planning on doing some things with them. 

And now for the brilliant news...

My newest sponsor and first overseas, Pink Castle Fabrics are offering an entire fat quarter bundle of all 26, yup, you heard correctly 26!! fat quarters of these delicious fabrics! to one lucky reader! The even better news is that the giveaway is offered worldwide!

I 'met' Brenda a couple of years ago now on Etsy when I was doing one of my usual mad USA purchasing fests to be brought over by my aunt and purchased quite a bit of fabric from her. Brenda was a pleasure to deal with, very helpful and quick to respond and mail (as usual I'd left it almost to the day before when I knew for weeks that my aunt was coming over).

Pink Castle Fabrics is a lovely online store to navigate and is full of all the current lines you would expect. you can find exactly want you want as it is clearly sectioned, I think my favourite of which is the Stash Builder section...all those blenders in one place...perfect!

So, the giveaway...

4 ways to win...

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

2. Go 'Like' Pink Castle Fabrics on Facebook and come back here and tell me you've done it.

3. Go sign up for Pink Castle Fabrics' Newsletter (you really will want to be kept up to date with what's in store) 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 until this time next week, Weds 8/8...my baby's bday ;-)

And once again thank you all for your wonderful support of my sponsors. They really are incredibly generous and I hope you are all having fun exploring what each has.

De stashing

I am having a de stash!

Sounds painful I know...

actually it is...very...clearing out lots of beautiful, once favourite pieces, but needs must.

I am sure I will regret getting rid of a lot of them (shhh, don't tell, but I've kept a little scrap of a few) but I am trying to be ruthless.

I don't use as many fabrics these days since my work is mainly with my own fabric. Quilting obviously is the time when that is different and I know I am going to be swearing a lot when the perfect fabric I thought I had is no longer there. But most of the time they are sitting there and I'd much prefer them to be used and not just loved.

Please go and browse my sample shop where they are all hanging out, some for not as long as others and keep going back as it is taking me rather a long time to upload them all! So there will be more added over the next few days.

What are the chances of this??

What are the chances of Number 1 coming up on the Random Number Generator??

Ok all you smartypants out there, as a Maths teacher I am well aware that every number has an equal chance of occurring, but really, Number 1?

I am delighted to announce Deb as the winner. I am delighted because it saves me having to count, recount, and recount again through the comments to get the right one. I am also delighted as Deb is currently celebrating (?) Ramadan and needs something to keep her mind off those long hours of fasting. Look forward to seeing your inspired makes Deb

Thank you all once again new followers and old for entering and for Alice for the extremely generous giveaway.

Apologies once more to all you overseas folk that weren't able to enter this time, but look out for next week's giveaway. It's a real goodie...and open to one and all...that's all I'm saying...for now...