Festival of Quilts 2011... Part.one. The Quilts!

 Bigging it up Quilt styleee = me with my Craft Homies

My Good Self - Lu Summers -  Lupin

Birmingham NEC Festival of Quilts 2011

What a great day out!

 My head, heart and throat were swollen from talking and thinking and seeing...

Above is Lu Summers fantastic bright quilt.

There were so many styles and disciplines and ideas. I took but a few photos to share.

 Dynamic blocks of colour and gold with tiny tiny complicated quilting.

 Always beautiful, the nostalgic quilts... the above was full of detailed embroidery.

 A superb knitted quilt that was cleverly constructed so as not to lose it's shape or hang oddly (due to how heavy wool can get) This had lots of attention.

 Emphemera and notions. Nostalgia and haberdashery.

 Blocks and strips of shades and tones. Mixed hand quilting and machine quilting.

 Tiny weeny complicated quilted Art.

Rabbit... Hazel....Watership Down??? 

Me singing "Bright Eyes..... burning like Fire......"

and Lupin and my chum Alison not knowing what on earth i was going on about!

Such Fun!

Thankyou my sweet Alison for a great day out.

Awesome fun to meet with Lu and Lupin

Part.one. was the quilts...

Part.two. will be the people and the shopping...

pOm pOm Trim.... snowballs!! and a Scottie x

 Quick Flash update...

There are new prices on the 15 metre cards of pOm pOm trim.

Now available in these cute snowballs, aswell as Aqua, Raspberry and Apple - for just £12.50 for the full 15metres on a card. Awesome value. I am so happy as that makes it cheap enough to use for any  projects - or even Christmas wrapping!

Aaaah, i made a cute mini-scottie as a prototype to "see if i could"...

 Then i made my daughter a bigger version for her bed.

Randomly i had the exact same ribbon in my stash that matches his own collar.

 - "ahhhhhh" she said *sniff* "you should have put lavender in it"

ggrrr, the thing is, i thought EXACTLY that same thing when i had finished him!! tsk tsk

Another bright and linen mix Log Cabin cushion as i was desperate to try some of the new fabric stash i had bought. Now i have seen it together, i am even more convinced it needs to be made into a quilt!

That's all folks xxx

Busy Sewing Bee...My mojo must be back!?

 It was those Button Bouquets.... i swear! They got my mojo back and SUDDENLY i felt the need to sew.... En Masse!

 Piles and piles of lovely hearts. Pieced together from random 2" cotton strips in lots of crazy colourways.

 Finishing touches are scraps of trim - new and vintage.

And Buttons (of course)

 Stuffed to burst with Organic English Lavender.

I was asleep by the end of this!

 A Girlfriend asked me recently "is there Lavender in your bedroom?"

"Darling" replied i (i'm so theatrical) "Where isn't there Lavender in this house?"

I do, in fact, store my hewgggee bag of it IN the wardrobe so it gives off all that delicious fragrance into my cottons. (Clever me)

 These look so delicious all bundled together for photographs and hanging round the house.

I hang some in my wardrobe - and in my daughters.

One or Two in the bathroom.

A few on cupboard door handles...

 These are going into a *real* shop as this is where internet selling fails.

I don't feel the photos can do justice to the colours and the patchworky-ness...

and naturally NOT to the fragrance :)

 But i did list a few in Etsy PaperFish >>>>

and i sold one already so i was really pleased about that. I feel a bit 'shy' sometimes, selling stuff i've made.

How awkward of me when this is, essentially, my job!

So much lovely stuff to come...

Cath Kidston Fabric Pack...

 Hello Colour / Cath / Sewing / Fabric faaaannnnnssss.

 This mixed pack of 5 fabrics are available to buy in the LovePaperFish shop.

I thought i had too much fabric and too little time so i have made these packs up.

I am saving some pieces however, as i have 'Grand Plans' to make myself a big big quilt (yes i know i already have many quilts)

 Each sheet is a heart size approx. 21" by 14" which is ermmm maybe 53cm x 35cm?

 This pack is ideal for making smaller homeware pieces as it is the thicker double weave cotton duck fabric. You could make bunting, patchwork, purses, cushion covers, covered notebooks, placemats.... and yummy stuff like that.

 There are 4 florals and then this yummy minty green spot which i just adore and goes with all the florals really nicely. But that is one of the reasons i love CathK designs, i think they all look gorgeous mixed up together.

p.s 2 packs of 10 2cm yummy, pearly, blush pink buttons will go into BigFish.

I fished these out whilst going through the Blush Pink jar and *loved* them so.

More new buttons and fabrics will follow shortly....

Cushion Making....

 I had a lovely crafty day last week, sewing up some cushions. I admit tha,t a few have been sitting in the cushion box for some weeks 'waiting' patiently for their final filling.

 This is a really large cushion made in log-cabin style patchwork and quilting.

It is a comission from a local lady who liked my work but wanted something BIGGER!

I tend to make smaller pieces as they sell better at Craft Fairs and are easier to ship internationally, so it was a real pleasure to go bigger with this cushion.

 I love adding all the details to my pieces. Appliqued trims and patches, the odd button, ribbon tags. I think this is what makes my work 'me' (however often we 'artists/ designers' are replicated.....)

 I must confess at buying these handmade crocheted flowers as an embellishment for my pieces. I have no time or talents for this. I love the detail they add and how a flat faced cushion becomes touchable / tactile. Most senses are stimualated in these designs

Tactile exteriors coupled with the fact that these cushions are packed with:

LAVENDER (for relaxation)

CHAMOMILE (for sweet dreams)

DRIED HOPS (for restful sleep)

 I just feel i can never photograph these to their true potential. Maybe because internet selling relies on just one sense - you can't sniff these or hold them in your hand, like you can at a Craft Fair or in a shop.

 They are primarily made to put on your bed (hence the herbal stuffing)

but they are equally at home on a dining chair or a sofa.

And, of course, choosing between all the delicious fabrics available is probably my favourite task.

Linens and unbleached cottons V bright crisp quilting cottons?

There is room for a little of everything x

Quilting and Patchwork and Moving Home....

Sometimes life throws so many chaotic situations at you, in such a random order, that life can see unbelievably overwhelming....

 2010 has been pretty much like that for me. It is one of those years that is bringing such craziness - i pinch myself to check i am still breathing.

But i know i am tremendously lucky - as other people have entirely overwhelming lives!! i can see how my year will slowly improve.

Step.1. I am moving house.

And this is proving to be the longest move in history.

I am in the midst of clearing out and re-decorating the house into which i will move. The home must come before the new studio as i have a child who needs a safe place to feel cozy (don't we all?)

Stock is half packed in boxes and new supplies wait for their new home....

And i continue to make *new* bits and pieces as i must still earn my pennies and Craft Fairs / Internet sales cannot wait, simply because i am busy - what a "Catch22" - what a squash - what a headache.

So all my blogging ideas sit on a small shelf of my brain until a time where i am more settled and ready to chat CRAFTS with my Craft loving Cyber-Friends.

So, lucky me to be moving on and moving forward. Don't think of me this Summer taking my umpteenth trip to the recycle Centre or CarBooting... losing vital items in endless boxes and Ikea bags... cursing the Homeware stores and waiting for a sane moment when i can make curtains!!

Enjoy your children if they are off school.

Enjoy your moments of crafting when you can get them.

(if you are a customer of mine - i continue to trade and ThankU for shopping with me)

AAAAArrrggggHHHhhh - moving house!!!

Am i 'So Hip'?...

#1 apologies for hurried photo...
#2 Wow! Yippee for me x and Manda McGory, the very kind editor of this new magazine -
"SEW HIP" Manda featured one of my products (inner glee) in the launch edition!
I was just browsing at Borders Book shop when i suddenly remembered ... "Oooh is that new magazine out yet?" ......... I saw it ....... i reached for it ........ i stood thumbing it at the Paperchase counter ...... "LOOK, that's me!" i shouted and the girls that worked there made all the right appreciative noises to massage my craft soul.



I love this page! It looks yummy - i sort of feel not good enough to be there.... but there I am, in the bottom right corner .... my Matroyshka NeedleBook!


You know, like many, i too have that childhood story "no good at art" / "not allowed to take the subject" / "craft isn't a proper job" etc.... Look teachers, i made a 'proper job' of it.

And just to finish ... i was going to Blog my great new purchases - handmade lovliness... but that will have to wait to make way for the hasty magazine shots.
Instead i will end this post with my 4yr olds photo "Ode to Rat" - rather good i thought.

Thanks for sharing my enthusiasm friends x