Wallhanging

I’ve been working on two rag dolls this week. The ‘Tilda’ doll that I made for Katarina for the Easter Swap turned out to be quite popular with a few other ladies who make lovely cards with the ‘Tilda’ rubber stamps and, as a consequence, I have received two orders for a doll and have been busy with those.

So, the only thing that I can show this week is a wall hanging that I started over the Easter break. I’ve used some of the absolutely gorgeous Moda ‘Harvest Home’ fabric, which I just love (a lot)!! I decided to have a go at the pinwheel pattern (that is what it’s called, right?!). I haven’t attempted it before and had thought it would be relatively easy, but, for goodness sake, trying to sew all eight corners together is a bit of a pig (sorry, challenge)!!! Then I’m going to have a go at some proper needle turn appliqué – I’ve only ever done it with ‘Heat n’ Bond’, i.e. no hems and I shall do some simple appliqué on the side borders, but not until I’ve finished my ‘Tilda’ doll orders!!

Hope everyone has had a good weekend - back to the grindstone tomorrow!!!

2 more Giveaways!!

I've come across 2 more Giveaways!

Thearica at Pigtails and Quilts is very generously giving away 30 FQ's in celebration of her daughter's 30th birthday - and you can say which sort of fabrics you would like to receive if you're lucky enough to win - sounds great!

....... and then over at My Little Raggedy Blessings, Renae is hosting a surprise Giveaway. Renae make lovely things using really beautiful vintage images.

Go and check them both out and tell them I sent you!!

Happy Easter:0)

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!!!

That means eating loads and loads of chocolate until you feel sick - Right?!! Well, OK, that's not the true meaning of Easter (tis to me!!) - "oh, heathen" I hear you say!!!!

Here are a few piccies of my Easter display - I've not done one before, but felt inspired to after seeing other bloggers displays - reminds me that summer will be on its way soon (hopefully anyway). Have a lovely time with your families - I'm going to my brother's. And despite the fact that my nephews are now 22 & 19 years old respectively, they still want an Easter egg from Auntie Julia ...... and of course I can't say no to them!!

Have fun!!!

Weekend Easter project

Yippee – no more work for the next 7 days:0) I’ve got an extended Easter break – what a relief :0)

I spent last weekend making these Easter/Spring cones for some friends (hope they like them!!) and filled them with a little bag of Cadbury’s mini eggs – yummy (nearly didn’t get given away though, as I love Cadbury’s mini eggs!!!). The cones are from Nancy Halvorsen’s ‘Easy Does It For Spring’ Art to Heart pattern book. I have several of her books, but this is the first thing I've made from them!!

Easter Swap goodies and much excitement!!!

I had received my Easter swap package on Tuesday when I got home from work, but wasn’t sure whether I was allowed to open it straight away or whether we had to wait until Easter – nevertheless, by the end of the evening, it had, of course, been opened!!!! I simply couldn’t wait.

And this is what was inside, all the way from the very talented Kymberly from Oregon, USA – a really beautiful stitchery made up into a cushion pad using a beautiful lilac, floral fabric. I can’t believe how tiny the stitching is and SO neat – it put’s my embroidery skills to shame! THANK YOU SO MUCH Kymberly, I love my gift and will display it somewhere prominent. Kymberly also included a sweet little chick, which will go on my Easter tree (when I get/make one), some bunny tissues and some Easter chocolates ........ which were delicious !!!!!!!! Oh, flippin heck, was I supposed to save them until Easter Sunday ........ too late now I’m afraid!!!!!

And now, like so many other ladies, I can show what I’ve been working on recently for my Easter swap partner, Katarina from Sweden. When I first received the details of my gift recipient, I found it a bit of a challenge to know what to make as Katarina’s main craft is rubber stamping and she makes the most beautiful cards (she sews too from time to time, but mostly makes cards). I saw that she seemed to like the image of a sweet little girl called Tilda (not the Tone Finnegar one) made by Magnolia, which Katarina has used to make some really nice cards, and that’s where my inspiration came from. I love making rag dolls (as if you didn’t know), so I decided to design and make a rag doll based on the Tilda image. These are a couple of the Tilda rubber stamp images:-

Aren't they sweet? And this is my rag doll version of her:-

I was pleased with her, but still a bit apprehensive as to whether or not Katarina would like her too – not everyone loves rag dolls after all. Well, to say that Katarina was happy with her gift is an understatement – I had the most wonderful email from her to say thank you and how much she loves her ...... and that makes it all worth the while doesn’t it – putting a smile on somebody’s face?

This has been my first swap and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it – many thanks to Julie for organising it for us all – it must have been a bit of a nightmare!!

Sheep in the Willow

I’ve finished the next two instalments of my Primitive Gatherings ‘Sheep in the Willow’ BOM – this is February and March. I purchased all of the blocks last year and decided to set myself the ‘simple’ (!!!!!!) goal of completing one block each month. January I was going great guns!!!!! - but it didn't take me long to slip!!LOL Anyway, just in the nick of time before March is out, I’ve finished February and March ....... and I’ve taken ‘April’ out of its packet ready to do (positive thinking you see!!). They’re looking quite nice I think and will look better with some yummy homespun bordering them perhaps?

A Giveaway!

Pat at the Sewing Room is having a 'Giveaway' over here and there's a choice of prizes, so why not go and take a look!!

My Country Home

At last I’ve got something to show! This is the completed embroidery from the Tracy North, ‘I Luv Country’ pattern I won from Jo in her recent giveaway. The only thing I’ve changed from the pattern was to make it ‘My’ Country Home instead of ‘Our’ Country Home. It didn’t take too long and fortunately I had a lovely pine frame to put it in, which is just ideal – it doesn’t look too bad does it – I hope you agree. It seems ages – well, a while at least – since I posted anything, but that’s because I’ve been occupied with finishing my Easter swap goodies. Thankfully though, I have finished them and they are now winging their way over to ........... somewhere, oops, nearly gave it away then!!!!
What I am I going to tackle next I wonder?

Watercolours

As I'm not allowed yet to blog about my Easter swap thinggie, I thought to myself, "I know what, I'll impress everyone with a couple of my old watercolours" - tongue in cheek here of course. Neither of them are terribly clear unfortunately (maybe that should read fortunately!), but I didn't take the photographs, so it's the best I can get. The house used to belong to someone I worked for - it was a commission, but I think he was just being kind! And the other is of the High Street in Sherbourne in Dorset, where said person used to live.

I got into watercolours around 1995 and really fell in love with it, but as with so many things, it was so hard to find enough time (same goes for sewing eh) and it is a craft that you need to practice often to avoid becoming rusty as I now have, which in turn has led to me losing my confidence in my abilities. I haven't lost heart though; I shall probably go back to it perhaps when I'm retired, although, writing that down makes that seem too far away - work really does get in the way of my arts & crafts you know ..... oh well. These were some of my earliest paintings and I have painted better ones than these, I just haven't got photographs of any of them - I never thought to take any back then. I'm only an amateur painter, but would love to do much better.

Can't wait to show my Easter swap thinggie - the date is getting close now - I hope the recipient will like it!!

My Giveaway Prize

My lovely postman brought me a special parcel today. It was my ‘Giveaway’ prize from Jo at Home Sweet Home. As you can see, I’ve had a ‘Primitive Stitches’ pattern book and a pattern called ‘Our Country Home’, both by Tracey North of ‘I Luv Country’ and an absolutely gorgeous Yankee tart candle – really cinnamony (just made that word up!!) and country smelling – yum.

I don’t know what I shall make first from the pattern book! I love the ‘Happy Holidays Swag’ and the ‘Angel of Faith’ cushion cover and the ‘Primitive Wishes’ picture and the ‘Welcome’ star garland and ... and ... and ..........

A lot of thought has clearly gone into my prize as it is right up my street – THANK YOU SO MUCH JO!

And now I’m off to do a bit more work on my Easter swap gift – I’m getting on quite nicely with it now, but am not allowed to show yet. The sooner I finish it, the sooner I can start on my prize!!

Twins!!

Here I am again with my rag doll fad – a couple of Peter Rabbits! For the many ‘Tilda’ addicts out there, they’re actually made from the ‘Tilda’ Rabbit pattern which many of you ladies have also made. I wasn’t planning for them to turn out like this ..... they just sort of developed that way, as these things do! So I’ve ended up with a ‘Tilda’ Rabbit on a theme of Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit. The coat is made from blue felt, the carrots from scraps of fabric and to make them a bit more ‘Peter Rabbit’ ish, I’ve wired the ears so that they stand up instead of flopping down.

And, finally ...... ahem, do excuse Peter’s bum won’t you; a scrap of wadding for his tail.


And now, I really MUST get on with my Easter Swap project – ideas are starting to flow; I just need to get cracking and bring them to reality!!

Quilt No.2 finished!!

......... well, very nearly anyway, I just have a little bit of hand sewing to complete the last part of the binding, but I wanted to take a photograph of it in the daylight to get as true a refection of the colours as possible. I'm very pleased with the result - I love the colours, but the best part was how quilckly I've made it from start to finish, which has been a matter of weeks as opposed to the 18 months my first quilt took me to make. Of course, this is a much easier pattern, but it still looks good. It's not full double bed size, well, not so that it would hang down the sides anyway. It's certainly big enough to cover the top of the bed, but I've decided I'm going to just keep it in the lounge to snuggle up under on chilly nights in front of the TV - sounds good to me!!

I don't know about you other ladies, but I find it difficult to allow myself to start on something else until the current project is done, probably in fear that I'll never go back to it, so now that my quilt is finished, I can start to think of my next project, which will be for Julie's 'Easter Swap'. I have the details of my swap partner, so now I have to get my thinking cap on ........ I wonder what I shall make!!

Well, Spring is around the corner .... hopefully anyway! It is still a bit chilly, but let's hope we're done with the snow for this winter. We've had a bit of sunshine and the buds are starting to come through - enough to make you feel brighter eh!

Humiliation!!!

... just had to share these two pictures with you - I mean, just how damn cute are they? They're pages from a daily calendar that my friend at work has on her desk and I thought the 'humiliated' hamster so lovely - don't you agree?

Afraid I don't have any sewing to show you at the moment! I've very nearly finished my second quilt though; I've just got to add the binding and then it's done. It should have been finished before now really, but I become a yellow belly coward when I get to the quilting stage and I did nothing but look at it for about a week. Hopefully I'll have it to show at the weekend - keep me to it!!

Bye for now!

A 'Tilda' Giveaway!

I've just found another

'Blogaversary' giveaway over here at Chiara's blog. Chiara is a 'Tilda' fan and as such, her giveaway prize will be something made from the "Tildas Landsted" book. So, go over and say "hi" to Chiara and you'll be in with a chance of winning a lovely prize! The giveaway post is dated 3rd February so you'll need to scroll down to get to it.

I'm a winner!!

I've won my first 'bloggie' prize!! I entered Jo's (Home Sweet Home) giveaway and I won 2nd prize ......... and if you pop over to Jo's blog, you will see what I have won - my prizes are so 'me' prim & gorgeous and now I can't wait to have them ...... yes I really am 48 years old, I just sound like an 8-year old!!!!! But who cares?

Now whilst you ladies over in Oz are melting away in the heat; have a look at what we have over here today .... and it's due to keep on coming all week - we've got Siberia to thank for it apparently! Now come on everyone, join in ..... "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas ........." oh bugger, too late am I not?? Never mind. Yes it's pretty, but not when you've got to battle into work in it!!

Going to wrap myself in a blanket now in front of the fire, brrrrrrrrrr