:: molly's quilt ::

 i love quilt commissions. 

i love them because it gives me an excuse to make a quilt.

i love that people pay me to play with fabric.

it doesn't get much better than that does it?!

i also love quilt commissions because i love that other people come up with colour combos that i wouldn't necessarily be drawn to.

last week i had a quilt commission to make a quilt for molly's 1st birthday. 

all of molly's female relatives had clubbed together to buy her what will become an heirloom. how gorgeous an idea is that? not a plastic unnecessary toy in sight just a beautiful long lasting piece that i particularly am very proud to be part of.

even though i was working in a colourway that i wouldn't ordinarily do, i had a surprisingly good collection of fabrics in and only needed to top up a few which i found in the beautifully stocked Tikki.

i had only made my giant hexie quilt in my trademark teal grey and mustard before so it was a lovely refreshing change to make it up in something different.

i look forward to being paid to play some more.

(ps sorry about the blurry (atmospheric?) photographs...molly's aunt came to whisk the quilt away before i could take some decent shots...but you get the idea)

paid to play...

 you have heard me say it before and you will doubtlessly hear me say it again...

I LOVE MY JOB!!

what's not to love? people pay me proper money to play with fabrics - money i can spend in shops, money i can barter for goods we need, money i can pay bills with...PROPER money!

the latest playing i have been paid to do is this disappearing 9 patch baby quilt.

i am a little bit in love with the disappearing 9 patch and having made my pillow for the pillow talk swap in it recently i wanted to give a quilt a try. i thought it was a perfect block for busier fabrics. 

 i know i am a little bit late to the D9P party - only by about 3 or 4 years - but it is such a great block it definitely needs a revival.

i love the randomness of D9P. i love how you can pick any 9 blocks, sew them together, cut them up, repeat repeat again and shuffle all the mini blocks around and have something that works.

back to the job bit...

the customer wanted a mix of jewel, liberty type fabrics and was happy for a big mix up so this layout was perfect.

there is repetition with the majority of the fabrics, which in the midst of all the craziness gives a cohesive feel, but i included a few snippets of my favourite fabrics that i had enough for just one square in the whole quilt. i put in my absolute favourite piece that had been sitting on my desk. it is a little sample square that Ayumi had sent me with a recent order. sadly she didn't have any more, so that's it now, gone.

i so enjoyed making this quilt and piecing a D9P. i am most definitely going to put it on the list of throws to make for us. it won't pay me in money but it certainly will in joy, which is almost as good...almost.

i am going to leave you with a question which i would love you to link to...

did you do D9P back in the day? if so would you share a link to your makes? i would love to see. if you didn't is there another quilting pattern you have recently discovered where you feel you are a bit late to the party?

if i knew how to do one of those clever linky things at the bottom of the post here i would, but i can't, so please leave your links in the comments and can't wait to see!

giant hexies...stateside...

 my giant hexies quilt pattern has always been a big hit. i really love doing it and i really love that others do. 

it makes me smile to think of all those giant hexie quilts that must be out there...or maybe it's just the patterns...

i was about to start a blueberry park version when i had an custom order from a lovely lady in the US for me to make one for her. 

very exciting...my first commissioned quilt!

we chatted a little over Etsy and she sent me some images of colour schemes she liked and we settled on red and aqua.

 i have a lot of red and aqua in my stash so it was pretty easy finding enough fabrics to use...

and particularly since I had a couple of recent arrivals from  DS Quilts collection.

 i really really enjoyed making this quilt. it is very easy to piece - although i did it differently this time thanks to my new 'y' seam skillage acquisition.

 i have to admit though that i think my favourite part of this quilt is the back!

i started out wanting to use the pale spot at  the bottom but didn't have enough, so i pieced it with another DS Quilts fabric that the uber lovely Audrie recently sent me. i made a little panel between the two of the cut-offs and put it all together. i love it!

the photos all look a little washed out due to so much light out there today and even more bouncing off the snow we continuously seem to have this year. i'm not complaining mind. just saying.

i did make this in record time which i think made it even more enjoyable. i didn't have time to get bored of it. i was spurred on by the possibility of it cadging a lift to the US tomorrow when hubs goes on business.

i am ever so slightly concerned it will get brought straight back again or worse still, left in a hotel room somewhere.

so still only tuesday and the biggest thing of the week ticked off.

surely that must mean it will be a productive week...

...will let you know!

my creative space...in the middle of the day...

 yesterday i snuck in some playtime...

you know, the kind of crafting that has nothing to do with work.

 i indulgently got on with jan's march blocks for the bee a brit stingy group...

right in broad daylight...

well it was my birthday!

meanwhile today it's back to hitting the list proper.

what have you been up to in your creative space? either legitimately or in an oh so sneaky fashion?

check out what other peeps have been up to this week here.

x

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.

I recently bought this gorgeous Folklore Kokka fabric on Etsy. Don't you just love it? I really like Kokka fabrics. This is another of my faves that I intend to buy very soon.

Today I had my first sewing day for quite some time and this was waiting patiently at the top of the making pile (there is a serious making pile backlog going on right now).

As well as making these flat-bottomed pouches to gay abandon in varying shapes, sizes and fabrics, I have a new zipper pouch design that I have been working on, but I need to get that more perfected before I use precious fabrics like this. I am dying to use this fabric on my new design, but in the meantime you are just going to have to manage with this style.

And it's available right here.

Wow, how did it get to be Friday again so quickly? I am seriously concerned with how life is passing by. I have had a productive week, but as usual the week ends much sooner than I anticipate, leaving a longer To Do List each week.

It's Half Term in England this coming week, so we are taking a jaunt to London for a few days to see some friends. We haven't been to visit for a while for one reason and another and I'm really excited to be heading down to stay with our buddies.

Heading down to stay with them meant I had to make time today to take a hostess gift to take with us. They have had huge renovations to the house since we were last there (translate that to mean walls ripped down and rooms created) so I am even more excited than usual to head down.

I've been through the renovations every step of the way with Jo, so I can't wait to see if they look anything like what is in my head! One thing they have done is create a massive kitchen living area. I'm not really sure what they need to accessorise the new place, so I figured I'd take a little something this time and once I've seen it be able to do something bigger.

All I could get at this stage from Jo is it's all very grey and since they haven't set on any accent colours, I decided it wasn't my place to dictate it (although I'm obviously pushing for some yellow), so I'm taking down a couple of grey based tea towels that I hope they'll enjoy and will fit in with whatever else they decide to add.

Happy weekend to you and look forward to catching up on our return x

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.

How are your holidays going? We are having a grand old time and doing a bit of everything. Seeing family, seeing friends, going out on family outings, just the 5 of us, eating well, drinking well, sleeping late...

...and getting in some crafting.

I made a conscious effort last week of choosing a crafting project to do over the holidays that wouldn't keep me away from my family (I knew there was no point saying I would do NO crafting - I could NEVER have kept to that)

I'd used up what wool I had bought for the grey cushion on Day 1, so I had to think up a new plan.

I've been staring at the canvas I've been wanting to recover for the past however many weeks and have been ignoring it as I've been too busy to do anything with it. I'd had it in my mind that I'd tackle it more fervently over the holidays. The way the original idea was heading wasn't conducive to hanging out with everyone and also, the more I looked at it, the more I didn't like how it was developing.

So a quick U-turn has resulted on it going in a completely different tack...

...Hexies...lots and lots and LOTS of hexies! I still haven't decided quite how many colours are going to be incorporated and whether it will be all hexies or a mixture of some other design.

But in the meantime, I'm getting my crafting time in, I'm doing a specific project that needed addressing and what's more, I'm not missing out on hanging out with everyone.

I hope you are having as much fun this holiday and managing to tick all the boxes.

Now isn't this a pretty site?

Not only did I purchase a few fabrics online this week, but I also unexpectedly got to The Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrogate on Friday and so picked up a few staples for kits and other work projects.

Let me show you what I bought...

I was stocking up in Hobbycraft on a few kit essentials and bought a metre each of these lovely Windham fabrics whilst they were in the sale. They'll be perfect for my kits.

I ordered some more grey Kei dots for my wall-hanging from M is for Make, this week. Whilst I happened to be there, I picked up some of Joel Dewberry's Herringbone designs in a couple of colours I hadn't yet got. I absolutely love this design. It works so well as a 'filler' with other fabrics. The last one in the row here is a Denyse Schmidt that also was noted for it's absence in my collection. I no longer have that problem.

The rest of the fabrics are ones I picked up at K & S. I was exceptionally reserved. This was partly due to the fact that it is like a cattle market at this show and you really have to scrabble and fight for an inch of space. If you've been , you'll know exactly what I mean. I'm not a great one for shopping in over crowded places, so consequently I was very selective and didn't spend too long shopping.

The second significant reason for my lack of purchasing was due to the fact that Matthew was with me and spent his whole time suggesting various fabrics that he thought I should have. Suffice it to say, we had a difference of opinion, a big difference of opinion, and it became clear that it was easier to steer clear altogether.

I'm really really pleased with the ones I did pick up however. First off were these gorgeous simple florals based on Liberty designs. I absolutely love the greys (obviously) and know that they will both be the equivalent of a LBD in ones wardrobe...very useful indeed.

Next up were these tiny prints, that again are just perfect for my kits. Also, I know they'll be great for log cabins, brickwork, in fact anything where just a little is needed.

Finally, I went back to my favourite stand that sells the most beautiful Japanese fabrics. They aren't the cheapest of fabrics, but are just so stunning I had to pick up a few to have in my stash. I picked these in mind to use for the quilt I'm still planning to make for our bed.

Not only are the textures of these fabrics so exquisite but, as you can see, the designs and colours are just stunning beyond belief.

All in all a productive week on the fabric acquiring front. Some for work and some for play, so happiness all round.

It's not just purchasing to be done at K & S. There are many exhibitions around the halls, various embroidery and knitting guilds and also graduates displaying their work. Some of the graduates work was incredible. There are a lot of very talented people about and it was amazing to have the opportunity to see this work up close.

Since Matthew was with me, a purchase of art was made. Matthew loves buying art (as do I) and it's probably fair to say he is as passionate about that as I am about fabrics, so really, despite his interference with the fabric buying, we really had the perfect day out!

It will be a whole other blog post showing you what we bought and reporting on all the other stunning pieces we saw. So check back soon...

A holiday isn't a holiday if you haven't a new, clean, fresh bag to accompany you.

I'm now ready for my holiday.

If you don't count not having done any packing...at least I have the bag.