Hexies

I know. This blog has been rather yarn and fibre intensively recently. I apologise, I really do. If you are not a spinner, or knitter or yarn crack addict then this place is a crafting wilderness right now. I am attempting to rectify this sad state of affairs (even though I think I my spinning addiction is quickly surpassing my knitting addiction... yelp), and so to counter-balance the fibre, here is another craze of mine right now.

Hexagons - paper piecing and using some rather old fabric from the scrap bin, hours can go by as I pile up the little hexes ready to be pieced together.

There isn't really a grand plan for these pieces. I have no idea what they will become. I do know they will be pretty no matter what I do with them. I rather think I can see them as applique pieces for bags or blankets or some such fancy.

I have, in the past, had this addiction before. And such was its all-encompassing madness I had to step back for awhile. In the end I made a rather pretty table-runner with the last lot. I don't really know where this current craze is going. But it's so soothing, and mindless, and pretty, it could go on and on....

Revealing All

OK so after a couple weeks unable to reveal some recent makes, I can now show some things I have been working on - a baby shower gift to a friend and neighbour :: a little newborn nightie and a crib/stroller quilt. The gift has been received and so I can now talk about them!

It's quite difficult finding colours that are gender-neutral without making the overall effect too grown up, and white and cream, let's face it, are boring. I tried to find colours that would be playful, gender-neutral, modern but still have a traditional charm.

The nightie is a soft lightweight flannel open at the bottom to aid quick nappy changes at night. I added a little cross stitch detail to personalise it and give it a traditional edge.

The crib blanket was given a modern edge in comparison and I loved playing with fabric for this and mixing it all up. The fabrics chose themselves to some degree and an orange hue seemed to come together quite naturally given that I wanted the mosque fabric definitely in. I can't remember all the prints, but I know there is the 1001 Peeps mosque fabric, some Joel Dewberry, a tad of Kaffe Fassett, Amy Butler, Denyse Schmidt and a slice of Tufted Tweets by the inimitable Laurie Wisbrun. I'm pretty sure the black spots is Moda. But all modern and vibrant.

This was a genuinely enjoyable make. It's satisfying making handmade when you know the recipient appreciates that aesthetic.

Now all we have to do is wait for the little peanut to make an appearance to wear their new creations! ...



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The 'Goldilocks' Blanket

This past weekend I ran up a blanket for our sitting room. Yes. Another one.







What do you mean 'there's no room for another'? Sure there is ... see that teeny gap at the top? Plenty big enough.







In many ways this is the perfect blanket. It is true we have plenty to choose from, but not for no reason did I call this the 'Goldilocks' blanket. Some of our blankets are too big, some are too small. Some blankets are too heavy, and some are too light. Some are too lumpy and some, well some I just plain do not like. This one is juuuuust right; big enough, warm enough, light enough, and in my opinion, pretty enough for our sitting room.




{The blanket, folded in half}











It was a simple enough blanket to make, being just a blanket, not a quilt, with therefore no batting to battle with and no bias to sew. After the cutting it was a couple of hours of work beginning to end. An easy sew.

The result is a blanket that fits right at home with this room it was purposely made for, and the pattern and tutorial is one that will be in the winter edition of Seasonal Living & Learning. Until then, I'm sure you're going to be seeing a lot more of this blanket around this blog in the future months.



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From Scraps to Riches :: a Patchwork Table Runner

It's funny, isn't it, the things that mean the most to people? I can never seem to throw a scrap of fabric with a good pattern away, however small, and I've built up a tidy little pile of pieces, and I do love just pawing through them and seeing all the colours and patterns together.





Last week, after washing our table runner for the umpteenth time and wishing I could find another I liked in my thrifty treasure hunting, I had an epiphany, and then reached for the scrap bin and began to stitch things together any old how with the intention of making another runner for our table.



It seemed that log cabin worked best and it really wasn't long before four big blocks sat waiting for a border to bring it altogether.





It was a couple of evening's worth of work which satisfied my need to make 'something', whilst resulting in something totally necessary for our home.





And I love it that I am able to make these things for my family, that with each stitch there is a tangible message of love and care. Often it is the subtle messages in our lives that speak the loudest, isn't it? The time that someone takes our of their lives to do something for us, well, that speaks volumes and builds up our subconscious feelings of self worth.

And yeah, it's only a table runner. But like all things handmade, it's also so much more than that.



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The Blankets

I'm almost embarrassed about how many blankets I have stashed in my sitting room.









I've tried to squirrel them down into more sane proportions (can I just say that apart from these four large quilts and blankets, there four or five more behind the shots), and I know blankets are my thing, but still - can I really justify the instigating and making of TWO more, all in the name of cosy??!

Will there be a time when there will be 'enough' blankets in our house? In reality, yes, we're there already. In my head? Never.



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The No Quilt Quilt Update :: DONE!

Remember these humble beginnings? Well, it is DONE!

This vintage fabric, crazy hobo quilt was easy as pie - each block was first pieced, then quilted individually, then sewed together into rows, then each row sewed to each other til the top was complete.

To finish the quilt I added another vintage bedsheet as the backing, tied into place and finished by sewing the binding on the front and hand sewing the back.





I'm not so sure as whether I love it, but it IS colourful! And interesting! And crazy granny chic with a mad glint in her eye. And if nothing else it has renewed my interest in quilting again.

Crazy, mad lady quilt...



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