Organic Cotton Stripe Ribbon... and work avoidance...

 Just the word ORGANIC makes me go all weak.

I swear, chocolate tastes better with the word 'organic' on the packet.

Bread has no fat or calories if it is 'organic bread'

I am a gooood person if i use organic cottons...

 Aaaah, the lies i tell myself.

The fact that these new cotton tapes are 'organic' is really just a PLUS, incase there are crafters who need / like to use very earth-friendly products or they are sewing with babies and children in mind.

I bought some because they are very pretty and have a vintage look and feel to them.

 http://www.lovepaperfish.com/ is selling them as a mixed bag of 3metres - 1 in each colour: sage green, periwinkle blue and a strawberry pink. yum-yum.

I have been keen to get a bit of sewing done, just so i can use them. I try to NEVER sell a craft product that i haven't used myself. I think then iam a more trustworthy retailer? you know, i know, what i sell is good etc....

 I made a bit fat quilted Lavender Heart and you can too, if you want.

I had scraps left over from a cushion. 2inch wide strips of cotton fabric.

You can sew them together to make up a block of fabric.

I then quilted this (actually the wadding is also Organic and made with Bamboo - it is gorgeous to work with ) i just did any random quilt pattern all over the top.

 My piece was big enough to slice in half - so i did - 'just like that' - no planning or thinking. Let's just freestyle this whole thing.

I cut out a paper heart as a template and cut around it on both pieces of quilted blocks.

 Go back to PHOTO.1. and you can see i added a few embellishments on top - scraps i had from previous failed projects plus 2 small strips of the organic cotton tape. Very nice.

I placed this finished heart block FACE DOWN on top of a very loose weave fabric.

Sewing machine around the edge and leave a 2inch gap.

Turn it inside out - so correct sides now facing out.

 I stuffed these big hearts mainly with lavender - and yes! it was organic lavender.

but i popped a little stuffing in also, to help keep it's shape.

Sew it up at the gap by hand.

I also used the Cotton Tape as the final hanging ribbon and fastened it in place with a big button.

Happy Lavender Heart Gift! with lots of organic elements.

And this sobering picture is really what i should ahve been doing today, rather than quilting Lavender Hearts....

 Do think again before you assume that selling crafty supplies is all fun and games.... those packets need a great deal doing to them before they can be ready for sale.

(I am waving happily to *my best girl J* as she knows SHE is helping me out with this large task)

ToodlePip Craft fans!

I am off to do some Half-Term stuff and pop into the Post Office en-route.

MAKE STUFF! it is good for your soul xxx

2011.....no rest for the [very] wicked

 Was there a holiday? Did we have a break from work?

Forgive me if that all seems a vvverrrryyyy long time ago now!

Aaaaah, i shall not complain about 'work' - you all know i LOVE it.

I had to catch up on a few commission pieces from 2010....

 Mainly, log cabin cushions-a-plenty.

The above is a smaller cushion, packed with Hops, Lavender and Chamomile. The brief was "use blue", so i did.

 Then there were 2 cushions - much larger, approx 20inch x 20inch

I was so pleased with how these turned out.

A lady ordered them for her daughter.... and then kept them for her own bedroom!

[well, why not?]

 Old shirt labels and mixed linens (mmmmm, linen) and some Japanese fun scraps.

 Starting a new batch of thhhhheeee cutest PinPuffs, with an eyelet and bookring so you can hang it: on a bag, on your sewing machine, on your needlebook....

 This is totally irrelevant to my sewing activities but WOW! how much do i love my new giant bird ring? It is an awesome Sales find of £2 and totally too big to be practical.

 This cushion is for me - in red, pink, slate, blue... it shouldn't work, but it does....

 Yummy scrap of vintage lacework and more old shirt labels....

 And, lastly, yellow Tulips - from my friend MrsB

[she knows what i mean]

Joy to the world my friends

and the happiest of fresh New Years xxx

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

A day off!... drooling over quilts at Birmingham!

Where to start?

i cannot even begin to tell you the joy in this day. A day off from all my stresses and a day ON quilt viewing and fabric shopping. This Fish was in heaven...

The above quilt is by my pal Lucie Summers - the work in it just hurts my eyes! She is such a huge talent... so i was chuffed to bits that this gorgeous Porthole quilt was on display...

And truly *proud by proxy* that this stunning quilt WON! Whooop - and so deserved. It was hard to get close to it as there were crowds of adoring ladies around it. And Kaffe Fasset too! but i couldn't hear what he said. Still, nice to see the man himself.

There were many quilts working on the theme of 'upcycle' and using clothing remnants and labels. This was just heart stopping however. An entire quilt made of name tapes / sew-in name labels and it looked so amazing. It should have won something as everyone stopped to talk about it.

Again, labels... so fun and interesting to look at it.

You know these few quilts are just the tiny tip of a huge array of quilts, right? i had to stop to snapping and just 'enjoy' after a while....

I just loved this hexagony quilt - It worked so well. It was traditional but contemporary... the colours worked beautifully....

I am no critic, i should just let the quilts doing the talking.

Ughhh... pretty pretty quilts.... everywhere!!!

More honeycombs and muted shades...

My friend with her camera - she was the perfect companion for the day. Equally obsessed with fabrics and quilts and sewing AND very much in need of a day to herself, like me :)

*sooo want to own this quilt*

....... i mean......... wow! just wow!

Our favourite stand in the shopping area. And it turns out she lives up the road from me! She was great: "Washed and Worn"? i cannot remember. The lady has no website so i cannot link her but her stall was inspiring and she was selling JellyRolls cut from loads of mens old shirts. Just cool!

It may surprise you to know i did not spend a fortune. I bought a few choice bits, an apron, an old spool, a few fabric offcuts... but you know what? my friend was lovely and the day out was just like a home-cooked meal and a few chilled glasses of good wine... it left me with the feeling:

Replete. Happy. Relaxed. Inspired.

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!!!

and now for some quilting...

I haven't quilted anything since i was about 13 years old.
I tried quilting when my mum bought me a book called "Happy Quilts"... i probably still have one or two hand-stitched hexagony 'shapes', half started and never finished, in a mothy box somewhere.
My mum wasn't a confident seamistress and didn't feel able to hand down what untrained knowledge she did posess, so, in turn, i never felt equipped with the confidence to continue. 20 years later... (can that be true?) and i am an entirely different being.... indeed, i am now a Fish.
I had it in my head last week that i was going to try some simple, 'Log Cabin'-esque, quilted pillows. And so that is what i spent last night and this morning, doing.

I made this large and simple quilted pillow for my cheeky little nephew. Actually he loves KNIGHTS! so i might work on a mini quilt for him (if i can source some good Knights fabric)

And below was the first quilted item i have finished - ever!: Needless to say, in true KirstyFish manner, i am now hooked and obsessed with quilted scatter cushions (lavender stuffed of course)

My first mini-pillow used strips of fabric 1.5" wide and i found it took me too long. You know what a short attention span i have. So i increased the width to 2" strips and it was a quicker process with just as much satisfaction.

Now, i am going through my family members thinking "what would my niece like?" ..... "it IS Mothers Day soon" - any excuse to make me some more.

All that yummy fabric.... *sigh*

This afternoon i ordered 50 metres of batting, 10yards of fabric and 2kg of lavender.

You know i don't exaggerate about 'how much' i get obsessed with things. You have seen the evidence right here!

Not being entirely frivolous, i decided to back the pillows in contrasting felt, as you *know* i have plenty of that stuff :)

And a few little details on the back to finish, gives them that special touch.

Because you love crafting too, you'll know how great my day was today... x