cheaty free motion looking wiggly line quilting

It's not new, it's not clever, it's just easy. I did a little how to over on the Fat Quarterly blog. You can find it here. (thanks to my quilting hero and guru - Amy for showing me how to a couple of years ago).

Ps - for those of you that wanted to know what the fabrics were in this quilt. It's a mix of 2 jelly rolls of American Jane's Recess (mostly) and Look and Learn (a little bit).

busy busy busy

I'm trying desperately to get stuff finished at the minute. The poor sad quilt tops that are hanging up on my fabric closet door (and have been for ages) need quilting and binding and then they can go to new homes. Some of them have been sat around for at least a year. That's no good, is it? A poor baby has been without his or her quilt that I promised for that long. I'm a terrible friend/relative.

In the spirit of getting things finished (and fast) I'm using a fail-safe, cutting corners, easy peasy way of quilting that I like a lot but haven't used for ages. A couple of years, maybe.

I'll do a little tute when I write up the final quilt along post on the Fat Quarterly blog monday.

Speaking of which - that pic up there is my jelly roll quilt along quilt - all finished and washed. I'm so pleased with how it turned out, and how fast it was too (if a little tedious with all those repeated blocks). I've got a second one cut out and ready to go, but I have to finish quilting another quilt first. Time to get my priorities straight, I think!

If you need a quick and easy idea for a Christmas gift you could do far worse than give the quilt along quilt a try. It's beginner friendly, uses 1 jelly roll (for the top) and can be done in a weekend. Just go and check out some of the quilts in progress in the FQ flickr group. They're amazing.

more sewing

A doll (in the shop)

some more dolls sans legs (will be in the shop later this week)

and a bag made from japanese oilcloth that my friend brought back from Tokyo (for me to make a bag with...for her to carry her stuff around in)

It looks very wonky in the pic - oilcoth doesn't like to sit still and drape nicely when you're trying to photograph it. Darn stuff.

a finish

I started this last year. And didn't quite finish it. Now it's all finished, washed and soft and wrinkled.

And in my shop. Bit nervous about that really, I haven't sold a quilt before. But it's very reasonably priced (cheap!) so hopefully someone will give it a loving home.

EDIT; and they did! It's off to live with a white bunny in the netherlands. Thank you Nicole x

Measures 50 x 50 inches. cotton/poly blend wadding, all cotton fabrics.

I also have a few dolls I'm trying to finish up and get listed over the next day or so. Keep an eye out for them as well! (one is in the shop so far, more will come. I promise)

fancy a soak?

For my birthday this year I got a new camera. I love my new camera. But I am not a photographer and so my pictures have been nothing special. I can't use the camera to make it do the clever things I know it can do, so I set it to auto and hope for the best.

The other day I managed to take a picture that actually made me really happy. It was the first time I've taken a pic and thought 'oh, check out my skillz' and do that finger clicky shake thing that chavs do (UK to US translation; Chav = white, trailer park trash, teenage, either gender). Maybe even suck my teeth and give myself a 'wassup girl, you so fly'.

I made a bath mat for the urban home goods swap on flickr, had to take a pic (next to the bath - obvs) so I threw all the crap that lives on the side of the bath into the bath (toys/shampoo/shower gel - yes, shower gel in the bath, face cloths dripping on the sides that hadn't been wrung out etc etc), kicked the real bath mat to the left of the bath (just out of shot), and kind of dusted around with my jammies to pick up some of the dust bunnies and talcum powder puddles dotted around.

A quick fiddle in picnik (do you love that site as much as me? I'm thinking I might upgrade to the posh account where you get all the good stuff) and I uploaded it to flickr yesterday (although I'd sent the parcel off at the weekend).

I am fully aware I'll never recreate that pic, and I'm sure there are actually many faults with it (if I were a real photographer and knew what to look for), but I am smugly proud that for once I took a pic that makes me go mmmmmmmmm.

Enough of my ego stroking, because it's vulgar and certainly not becoming of a lady to tell herself she's so fly.

Let's move on to boggle eyed dolls with huge heads and very skinny legs. It's nearly Blythecon UK! . Myself, Miss G, my best friend Sascha, Miss G's best friend Eby, my other friend Sasha and our dolls are going to spend the day looking at dolls, buying clothes for dolls, learning about doll stuff, listening to talks about dolls, fawning over the Queen Bee and generally being a doll geek. Eeek!

more destashing

Sorry for the spamming of destash pics - but I need to get my closet cleared out so I can actually get into it!!!!

More things to be added over the next few days over in my shop. The usual 15% discount for more than one item purchased if you mention you've come from here applies - just mention it in notes to seller and I'll refund you via paypal xxx

destash!

Liberty tana lawn and the super-special-and-now-you-can't-buy-it-anywhere oilcloth as well as other stuff as I get it listed. In my etsy shop now.

If you buy more than one thing I'll refund you 15% as well - just convo me/send me a message with your purchase to say you came from here. Special treatment for mates, you know ;)

a little sewing

I've been hoarding a little stash of Echino fabrics for a while and wasn't sure what to use them for. I also had some leather (look) bag handles pinned onto my bulletin board above my desk which seemed to like the idea of being used.

A lot of ripping later and you've got a bag!

Not sure what to do with it now though. I'm not a big bag person. Etsy? Hmmm......

EDIT - it's for sale - in my shop, $25 including worldwide shipping.

ANOTHER EDIT - it's gone! Thanks so much!!!

I'm destashing as well...I'll keep you posted (lots of liberty lovelies and other fab fabric stuff)

almost the end of summer

Well, the summer has flown by. It's September already. Really? I don't feel like I've done anything for the past 8 weeks or so, although I suppose a fair chunk was taken up with losing my beautiful Nan.

Miss G has had a wonderful summer. She went on 2 trips with friends to Spain and was (apparently) a joy and a pleasure to take (huge sigh of relief).

It has also been her 11th birthday. E-L-E-V-E-N, how did that happen? I'm sure there must be a mistake because it doesn't seem that long ago. It doesn't seem half that long.

Being 11 means a move from junior school to high school. Seniors. Oh deary me. This is where the boys, and the make up, and the arguments for high heeled shoes and fancy designer items happens, isn't it? And then there'll be those nights where I'll stay up worrying that she'll come home ok because she's 2 minutes later than she said she would be.

As long as she isn't like me I'll be ok. I know I was a hellish teenager. Oy, I hope there's no such thing as karma. I have to say that she does me proud. I've really enjoyed this summer with her, when she's been here (which hasn't been often). She has a wicked sense of humour and makes me curl up in a ball laughing. The other week it was her little cousin's first birthday and she was eating the food and said dryly 'well, it seems they've got things the wrong way round here. The drinks are warm and my fish is cold'. She comes out with snappy retorts and hilarious one liners all the time. But never gives her teachers any lip (thank God). Mostly just her dad (but they are made from the same mold and will wind each other up until one of them finally snaps - usually Daddy). My baby girl is growing up into someone I would be proud to be friends with.

Miss G's birthday involved the purchase of new dolls..... (she's 11, yes, but these dolls are not your average doll, and in this house we have an unhealthy obsession for the vinyl toy. The husband is the worst culprit.)

And with the dolls came a sudden desire to sew. At last!!!! Hopefully the little seed will now sprout and grow.

She even sat quietly with her brother and they dressed them together

What do you do for an 11 yr old's birthday party? Apparently a sleepover was in order. 8 girls getting their nails done, having face packs and telling ghost stories. And playing the cardboard box game. That's a fun one - you take a box and have to pick it up with your mouth - no hands, without falling over. Each round you cut an inch strip off the box and make it smaller and smaller. Miss G was surprisingly good at it. Although the winner was a wiry little gymnast/dancer (go figure).

There has been some discussion lately of make up and leg shaving. Her new uniform requires opaque tights all year round. She is blessed (more like cursed) with monkey fur (like me) on her legs. It keeps you warm in winter, but doesn't look great poking through your opaque tights. It looks bloody awful poking through your black opaque tights, actually. So leg shaving has been okayed, but I think her make up skills might need a little work, don't you?

(make up and high heeled shoes along with inappropriate clothing for a child are my sticking points - when you need them, you can have them has been my stock answer. And when will she need them? Ha. Never.)

His Gingerness starts full time school tomorrow. He's very excited. I am having mixed feelings - on the one hand I really need to be able to get work done during the day. The summer has scuppered my plans for doing much at all and I am way too far behind on my deadlines for Fat Quarterly stuff. On the other hand I will miss that little Ginger beast terribly and the house will feel dreadfully empty without him.

He is most excited about having a packed lunch. It will consist of a cheese sandwich, some quavers, strawberries and maybe a biscuit (he says). I do have a feeling he will struggle with the full days as he's still inclined to take a nap after lunch but hopefully he'll fall into his new routine without falling asleep at 4pm every day.

Next week I will be on fire - me and Nina Bernina have the Fat Quarterly jelly roll quilt along to do. Will you be joining us? Speaking of the quilt along - there's a giveaway over on the FQ blog at the minute courtesy of Robert Kaufman fabrics.