{quilt} while you're ahead

75**2013

It's getting a bit late and the air is a little too chilly for me but the boys are still outside playing nicely together and I daren't disturb them.  They seem to have found a common language in long cricket matches and I love listening to their chatter and laughter without being seen.

Another sunny day.

Yes!

Sport, sport, sport. Pakchoi for lunch and a few stitches stolen here and there. 

Chocolate milkshakes and little frogs.

And I made this.  Because it was in my head and needed to get out.

(Talking of OUT... how do I get the boys to come IN?  Wish me luck).

7**2013 - project bag revisited -

I don't know about you, but I have three children who do lots of things and whilst THEY do all their things I get to do lots of waiting around.  Sometimes I read, sometimes I knit or crochet or whatever which means that I always carry around a project bag.

For the past few months I've used the same one and I've grown quite attached to it and so I had this idea that I would record on it every little work I did whilst using it...

As you can see it's not many yet, but I can't wait to see it completely covered!

(I don't know where this compulsion of documenting everything that i have comes from.  A blog, a diary, photo albums... now this.  I like to keep cinema tickets and don't get me started on the amount of 'bits' I collect when we go on holidays.  I have boxes and boxes of letters and it physically pains me to delete emails from friends.  Do you have the same instinct?  Is it a disease? Does it have a name?)

3**2013 - sashiko mat -

This was the absolute last project of 2012.

It was the perfect antidote to the noise and pace of the holidays.

Following the printed lines was very cathartic and satisfying.  

It reminded me of the hours I happily spent 'colouring' when I was a child.

And that can only be a good thing.

 

143//2012

... Easy like Sunday morning...

(porridge and shashiko)

102//2012

The boys are in Italy; I dropped them off at the airport and off they went... I miss them, the house is totally quiet and feels very empty.  Lilli and I look at each other and we both agree that it's not the way we like it.  Then she runs off chasing squirrels and I'm left with the hoover.

I'd rather be chasing squirrels myself.

Anyway, Mr M and I are off for a week by ourselves to the land of the rising sun (very excited!) and I've been trying to sort out the house so it doesn't scare me when I get back and pack in a mature and organised way (normally after packing for the three boys I'm so bored with it I throw my stuff in a case without too much thinking!)

So this is what's coming with me:

 

A new 'Artsy clutch' (from Bend the rules sewing) for the essential passports.  We have a 'family' one we've been using for years, but that's gone with the boys.

(remember when they were all the rage all those years ago?

A new small pouch for little essentials, like ipod nano, lib balm, moisturizers etc.

 

I really enjoyed all those little stitches.

And last but not least a new project bag for knitting on the plain essentials. 

 In this case a pair of socks. Pale grey, simple lace pattern.

More sashiko...

 

So that's it folks, be good... I'll be back in the next few days with a new series: Postcards from Japan!

 

33//2012

I need your comments on something:

http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&articleID=5580313351826706477&ids=c3cVd38MdjcMd38Qe30Oc3wRdiMTczwSejoNdzcVdz0UcjgNe3kRb3cTe3oTc3sMczAMdPwRdj0UdjkIczkUdP4NcPwNc38UcP0RcjwRdiMTdPgSc3sSczwNdjcPcjcMe3kR&aag=true&freq=weekly&trk=eml-tod2-b-pub-0&ut=38lrIpt7WquB81

What do you think?  Have you read/heard other concerns?

Scaremongery? True? False?  Food for thought?  Should I run? Erase? Hide?

Should I stop pinning? Carry on pinning?

And because I can't really post without a photograph (And I was going to take a picture of a gorgeous soup but I've eaten it now...too late) this is my latest wip:

A very old and frayed and fragile piece of quilt, shaped like a tea-cozy.  I feel it is still missing something... don't know what though... the 'juices' ain't flowing at the moment.

 

 

19//2012 {{ giveaway }}

Have you ever come across Janet's blog?

No???? Geeshhh.  Run, go there now.  And then come back and keep reading this post, there's a give away at the end.

If you have, then you'll know what I'm talking about when I say that she's a lady of immense talent.  In this huge quilting/craft world we live in it's not often that some one comes up with a distinct and unique creative vision and aesthetic.

Janet has.

Everything she does is 'Janet', do you know what I mean?  She quilts, she knits, she draws, she embroiders, she teaches, she sews... have you seen her gorgeous 'dressing gown'?

AND she has a book out:

It is a wonderful book full of wonderful quilts and other sewing projects, ideas and templates all with Janet's wonderful illustrations.

And because Janet is incredibly nice too (you should meet her) she sent me a couple of copy of her books; one for me (hurray) and one to give away to a lucky lucky reader.

If you'd like a chance to win it, just leave me your name and a way to contact you and I'll draw a name out of a hat early next week.

How's that for a Wednesday post? eh?

120/2011 ** daisychain ABCs **

First of all let me thanks Kristina (and Tracey... too).  They know why.

I had so much fun embroidering this sampler.  The instructions were clear and the colours just perfect.  

I had no experience of embroidery before.  I dabbed a little by myself and attended a morning class at The Make Lounge in London (hey girls remember that?) and so I was completely taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed it!  Now I need to take watercolour classes and learn to sing and play the piano and I'll the perfect Jane Austen heroin.  Although that would make me the boring one who never gets the handsome husband.  (And I've got one of those anyway, thank you very much).

I love making daisies.  And French knots.

Just perfect.

The pattern/kit originally came from here.  Go and say hi!

I'm not quite sure in which room it'll end up, so in the meantime it graces my studio door!

38/2011

Just in case you're wondering - I am - this is still a craft blog.

And crafting is happening in the background, I can assure you... it's just that... well certain things are secret (I'm designing a quilt for SewHip, shhhh) and most of them aren't finished.  I'm kind of 'butterflying' from one project to the next making small and not very noticeable progress in all of them and therefore there is not much to show you.

This is one of the works in progress 

Cross-stitch and I go back a long way.  I remember walking into a gorgeous craft shop in Rhode Island over 20 years ago (gulp) and falling in love with all the samplers on the wall... my first one was huge.  I remember the skeptical look I got from the shop lady who thought I was completely mad and delusional attempting such a project first time around but I was smitten by the alphabet and all those New England houses running around the outside.  To this day I've never done anything as big.  Unfortunately it was left on the wall of an old boyfriend's house (doh) and it's now lost.  I also lost a box containing about ten samplers I completed through the years, during a house move... sad. So so sad.

I began the one above last Christmas when staying with my parents (mum got the cross-stitch bug too).  I don't know why I stopped working on it because I really like it still.  I think using blue thread gives it a more contemporary edge that will hopefully appeal to Mr M who dislikes samplers about as much as I love them.  I'm looking for a modern way of framing it too, so if you have any ideas, please let me know!

Keep crafting people!

27/2011 ** felt flask cover **

Today is my sister in law's birthday.

She's a cool chick.  She's been working really hard for the past five years to earn a teaching degree, whilst holding down a full time job and looking after her family.  Now, not contented with all this she's also becoming a forest school practitioner.  Unstoppable.

We wanted to give her a present that was useful and pretty and a little bit home-made.... So Mr M came out with the flask idea (for those cold days in the woods surrounded by muddy children) and I dressed it.

Because you can't beat circles of bright colours and big stitches.