hexie heaven...

 I am a great starter...

I am a crap finisher...

There I've said it!

In an attempt to rectify that I am setting myself little goals to complete WIPs.

I really don't mean to be so rubbish at finishing things but it is just that I get so distracted by new things coming along.

Take the rainbow cushion below for instance.

This was a Christmas project that I started 2 Christmases ago. With the third Christmas imminent, I felt pushed into a corner to finish it.

What amazes me most - and a lesson I wish I remembered - is how quickly projects are to finish once I actually set my mind to them.

Do you think I will remember this lesson in a couple of years when I get around to finishing my Oakshott Lipari Hexie cushion?

Probably not...guess I had better tackle this one whilst it's fresh.

giveaway time!...

Seamstar has a fantastic selection of Better Value Plain Cottons and Courtney is offering a very generous giveaway of them.

Seriously generous and seriously tempting...

Better Value Plains are 100% cotton and available at Seamstar in over 50 colours as well as various 4 and 6 colour palette bundles. They are better value too as they are are 150cm wide.

The generous giveaway that Courtney is offering is your choice of any 3 bundles of 4, some of which you can see above and the rest you can see along with all the colours available here.

And here's how you can win...

1 entry for telling me which bundles you would choose...

another entry for following my blog before or now...

another entry for signing up to Seamstar's Newsletter...

a final entry for tweeting about it.

So 4 chances to win...what are you waiting for??!

Giveaway open until this time next week - end of play Sun 4 Nov 2012.

p.s. apologies but open to UK residents only this time

I've only just recovered from catching up from the summer holidays. 

Actually I will rephrase that...

I am still recovering from catching up from the summer holidays.

And now it's Half Term...for 2 weeks...what's that all about?!

Apparently it's about seeing quite how far I can stretch before I snap. 

Let's hope it's sometime after all the preparation and execution of the looming Christmas fairs!

Speaking of looming fairs, I will be at the following and would really love to see you...

Selvedge Winter Fair - Sat Nov 10

We Make London Spitalfields Market - Sun Nov 11

Country Living Fair Harrogate - Thurs 29 Nov - Sun 2 Dec

not happy...

Some things just don't turn out the way you hope...

I have had a commission for some placemats. They have turned out just fine...or they will do when they are finished.

Along with the placemats the customer asked for a couple of centre table mats in blue/red colourways.

Let's face it I have plenty of these colours in my scraps so it should have been pretty straight forward.

It started out well...I was liking the look of the HSTs...

I also was liking the pieces I had added to frame the HSTs...

and I was pretty much in heaven with the little row of dinky sized HSTs...

But then something happened.

I was suddenly not as keen when I had added these rows in.

For some reason that I can't put my finger on it just wasn't working for me.

I am wondering if it was the "make it up as you go along" approach, or the "I really haven't got time for this but I must get it done" pressure or whether it's the buckling on the 4th final side that is annoying me.

Whatever it is, I am not happy.

Not happy that I spent an evening making it only to not feel comfortable including it in the commission.

Not happy that now I have to do the whole process all over again.

Grrr...what to do?

moving sale...

Great news from Pink Castle Fabrics...they're moving into a real live bricks and mortar shop where not only will they be selling their amazing range of fabrics, but be in a position to offer classes...

fantastic if you live nearby...

...but the great news for the rest of us that don't live near enough is they are having a moving sale with 25% off everything, oh yeah you heard correctly, 25% off everything!...until the end of October. 

So what will you buy?

Maybe something from Tasha Noel's incredibly cute The Simple Life collection.

I've got my eye on Bucks in Blue, part of the Decoro collection from Echino...how cool are those stags in glasses??

We are all a bit cookoo about text at the moment, so why not stock up on some from the Mama Said Sew collection. I think I'll be popping a little of Sewing Guide in Cream and Apple into my basket.

Head over there now and just enter the code MOVING at the checkout to get your discount and as the good peeps at Pink Castle Fabrics say, Go Wild!

after the screens comes the printing...

 So yesterday was all about preparing the screens with the designs and today was all about the printing and sewing....

and for those that follow me all over the internet will already have had a look at these...

not to mention my happiness with how they've turned out.

 I have been carrying both these adaptations of the originals around in my head for some time and it is always quite scary seeing if what is in your head translates as you imagine. Do you know what I mean?

On this occasion they have surpassed my expectations and I feel quite in awe of how they have turned out. 

I printed the Euros first and was quite blown away with how they looked and had to sew a pouch up immediately just to check that it was as good as I'd hoped!

Then came the Giant Triangles and quite frankly I can't put into words how I feel about this!

I really hope you are as enthusiastic about them as I am. Please tell me you are and it's not just me getting carried away from the paint fumes...

and if you are you can find the start of them listed in my shop...more to be added in due course, but do give me a shout if you don't see the colour you were hoping for...

and thank you for allow me to indulge my enthusiasm for them...not very modest of me really.

my creative space...

I'm off to the studio this morning to get a couple of designs put onto screens.

Both of them are a new take on old designs and I am really excited to see how they are going to come out.

I'm planning on enlarging my triangle design to make it bigger and even bolder for printing larger projects like cushions. We shall see...

I am also spinning my euro sites design around and around to do an all over print for some boysy pouches and wash bags. Again, we shall see...

I am also doing a third secret design...but I can't tell you about that right now...

So what is happening in your creative space at the moment? Pop along and see what others are up to and join in!