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.

As you know we've done a lot of work on the house and are thrilled to bits with it all, but when you step into the hallway, it all looks a bit grey and bare (although seeing it here makes it look rather serene) and in need of something hanging.

So, I have a plan. I have an old canvas, an old very large canvas (it's 130 x 80cm) that I want to cover and hang there.

It's going to involve a piece of my screen printed fabric, a few of these embroidery threads...

...a section of an Ebay purchase of a matching Orla fabric piece to the wallpaper in the room next door...

...and lots of my favourite grey fabrics.

I'm going to try and be really patient (I can hear you laughing from here) and plan this design carefully and take my time with it. it's a large piece, in a prominent position, so it needs to be just right. I have lots of different ideas that I want to play around with before I actually cut into anything. But I have an idea of the one I am actually drawn to.

Watch this space.

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.

Remember my lovely purchases from the amazing Kayanna of Junecraft a couple of weeks ago? Well, carrying on with my theme of making something out of the huge pile off scraps I collect, I set to cut into them last night to make a picture for Ruby.

It's entitled "A stroll around the garden"

This fabric panel was absolutely perfect for this. Kayanna has screen-printed an array of different flowers that are just crying out to be patch-worked. Even that little sprinkling of dots is just too cute for words.

I had at first been thinking that some of the larger pieces would work beautifully as the centre of a log cabin design. Looks like I'm going to be needing more of these panels. A lot more.

(P.S. Thank you so much for your such positive feedback on the previous blogpost. I have to say, I was really pleased with how the picture came out and to have you all confirm that was just fab, thank you. And it will be going on the grey wall ;-)

That's impressive isn't it? Only last night I was tweeting about how I needed a pattern for a Flexi Frame Purse and would you now look?

I won't tell you that I have had the afore-mentioned Flexi Frames for almost a year and been wanting to make one ever since...

Moving on...

With the help of my lovely Twitter friends last night, guiding me to all sorts of wonderful patterns, I eventually settled on this one by Pink Penguin.

I know. Mine looks nothing like Pink Penguin's gorgeous Puffy Pouch. Whilst I love that one and in time will make that too, I really wanted something simpler and smaller for all my cards and lose change.

Over the years I have used all sorts of different purses and wallets and have found I prefer something small and compact. I used to transfer all my bits into something smaller if I downsized my handbag for an evening and found I would never have the right things with me later as a consequence of not transferring them back.

This size purse works for me. Easy to move from bag to bag. And after all, how much room does a credit card take?

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...

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.

We have big plans this year to put our own stamp on our house. We bought this house when we first moved back up from London over 5 years ago. And whilst we fell in love with it immediately we have lived with some interesting decor that we haven't quite managed to obliterate.

Until now.

Next month we are starting attacking with vengeance and I am having an amazing time putting into place all those items I have been drooling over for aeons.

First off the living room...after some persistence I have managed to persuade Matthew that we NEED this Orla wallpaper around the fireplace. Fortunately he's relented. I've given him first choice for the bedroom. Well that was easy. You have seen what we've been living with there. Anything will be an improvement. And it's not like I entertain in my bedroom!

Having got the wallpaper, the teal, grey with a touch of mustard theme was beginning to materialise. Next stop Etsy to finalise some fabrics that had been on my wish list for almost as long as the Orla wallpaper.

The first two are by Caitlin of Pippijoe. I just love her patterns and the richness of the colours she uses.

These next 3 are by Roisin and Arounna of Repeat. An equally talented pair that produce the most stunning handprinted fabrics.

These fabrics are now all on order and I'm now sitting very patiently waiting for them to arrive. Ok, so I'm not so patient. I'm beside myself with excitement and can not wait to get going on some cushions and possibly a quilt for my new room. It's going to be unrecognisable.

Sunday Stash #6

Not so much a stash I currently have...more one I am lusting after.

Knowing my willpower with resisting buying fabrics, unlike this lady, no doubt it will be purchased quicker than you can say...well anything really...

And if you'd like to test your own willpower, head over here.