tried and true

do you have a pattern that you come back to time and time again, because it’s just so great? i have a few, and the ‘library bag’ pattern by leanne of leanne’s house is one of them. i’ve made it for friends, i’ve made it for aunties - and most recently, i made it for one of my teachers:

it's a winner.

so, so scrappy

i am working on a big quilting project, and i am really excited about it!

i am using up all my scraps...

when i am finished, there will be 900 of those little squares, all pieced together into the scrappiest quilt in the whole wide world. 

a little gift

one of my friends had a birthday this week. she’s a crafty chick, who likes apples and red. for christmas i used the minny muu “wee apples” fabric

…to make her a little bag, and as i had a bit left i thought i would use it to make her a brooch for her birthday.

i was inspired by this tutorial by allison of cluck, cluck, sew, and it was super easy. want to see? here it is:

i particularly like the way the edges of the fabric are left ‘raw’ so that they will fray a little with use and get a shabby look.

so, next time you have some fabric that is just right for a certain friend and you’re not sure how to use it, i can highly recommend that tutorial as an easy and fun solution!

commissioned quilt

right now i’m working on a quilt that a friend commissioned.

it’s great, because i’m getting the opportunity to play around with pretty fabrics that i would not ordinarily have reached for in the shop…

it’s a coin stack pattern that i’m pretty much working out for myself - i’ll let you know how it goes!

commissioned quilt

right now i’m working on a quilt that a friend commissioned.

it’s great, because i’m getting the opportunity to play around with pretty fabrics that i would not ordinarily have reached for in the shop…

it’s a coin stack pattern that i’m pretty much working out for myself - i’ll let you know how it goes!

do you hear a pitter patter?

a few of my friends are expecting babies in the not-too-distant future, so i’ve started thinking about handmade gifts for newborns. then, a couple of days ago, a little man who seemed to be a newborn last time i looked turned one! i made these booties for him a year ago…

…and that reminded be about what a great pattern they were made from! heather bailey’s ‘bitty booties’ pattern is easy-as-pie to follow, and is free to download from her blog. better yet, she has a flickr group full of photos of all the different ways that people have made these booties up - it’s full of inspiring ideas!

i have a feeling i’ll be making a few pairs of these in the next little while. i’m thinking i’ll steer clear of pink and blue, and go for bright purple, yellow, green, and maybe even orange.

entirely new

i’ve recently signed up with a ‘mini-quilt’ swap group onflickr, and i am having such fun with it. i sent my first swap package off about a week ago, and now that my swap partner has received it i feel i can post pictures.

what i am most excited about is that i designed this little quilt from scratch. i’d never done that before! the patching was pretty straightforward, and nothing to get too excited about, but i think the stitcheries are a bit special.

i hope my swap partner, two cheese please, enjoys owning it as much as i enjoyed designing and making it!