Pretty Pencil

I have just had a photo shoot with my daughter in order to show off my first ever attempt at dress making. I went to a workshop in Belfast on Saturday with the intention of making an A line skirt, but made a pencil skirt instead. 

I spent a long time in the fabric shop trying to decide on a suitable fabric and ended up buying patchwork cotton.

This was a bad choice, because it creases so easily. Doesn't it look crumpled in the photo?

It had been ironed just before I put it on.

I do love the colour though, and think it's a pretty summer skirt.

Look what came in the post yesterday. Ebay is wonderful.

I looked at the pattern when It came and got a bit scared. 

But I will give it a go. 

All by myself with no help.!!

And here is the progress I have made with my Beth quilt. 

Not much, but then there's no rush.

I really love the pinwheel design in the middle created by the four blocks.

.....going to do a bit more now, whilst the wind blows a gale outside.

Boori Bags

My friend Joanne asked me to make three bags for her daughter and two of her friends, using this fabric she received from the Australian Children's Laureate Boori Monty Pryor, at an event in the Crescent Art Centre.

Each bag is designed to cross the body like a messenger bag. And each bag is about A4 book / magazine size.

Glad to get them finished and delivered.

Hope they like them.

Boori Bags.

www.childrenslaureate.org.au/laureates/boori-monty- pryor/

So no sewing here.

My husband Charlie ran the Belfast marathon this morning in a very respectable time of 4 hours and 4 minutes.

When we met him at the finish he was a funny shade of grey and he was quite emotional.

He has been training for it for months and has worked really hard.

He has raised close to £1000.00 for The Northern Ireland Children's Hospice.

So I am very proud of him.

I spent yesterday at my much neglected allotment. I have been so busy sewing and doing I don't know what, and haven't made enough time for it.

So it was in a bit of a sorry state when I arrived.

I felt so guilty

5 hours of digging and weeding and I made some progress.

I still have a lot to do but I fell in love with all the digging and the allotment thing all over again.

(my chickens are at this present moment chasing a starling with a piece of bread in it's mouth all around the garden) so funny. They are comical.

So yesterday I planted my onion sets.

I didn't leave them like this. I tucked them up nicely in the soil.

I am sure the mice will get a few.

So no sewing here.

Bags Bags Quilts

This morning Amanda Hall from Monkey Buttons joined us at our monthly meeting of the Northern Ireland Patchwork Guild.

www.monkeybuttons.com

Her bags were absolutely yummy.

Then she showed us some of her quilts which were equally scrummy.

I think her muted colour choices are fantastic.

Look at those chickens!

This one, above, was even more lovely in real life. Made with one jelly roll.

xx

More than a tin full of pins.

After the quilting was complete on my flora piece it didn't sit quite flat enough when hung on the wall. 

So I stretched it on the sewing room floor.

If you are wondering why the carpet looks so bad it's because I used to paint in here and drop and spill paint all over the carpet.

Now it just gets covered in thread!

Along with the rest of the house.

Anyhow, to stretch it I measured it width and length, then taped up a bit on the carpet about 3mm bigger than the quilt all the way round. 

I then pinned the quilt to meet the edges of the tape, pulling it quite hard in some places. And using a lot of pins. More than a tin full of pins.

It was then sprayed with water until it was very damp. Then allowed to dry. I resprayed it about 4 times over 3 days. I removed all the pins and presto, it now sits nearly perfectly flat.

I quilted it in a kind of wave pattern.

Which I like.

So that's all done and dusted and all the mess of it tidied away.

Then this came in the post..

I spotted it on ebay and bought myself a fat quarter. It's quite a heavy Japanese fabric which would make a gorgeous shopping bag. I think I'll buy another fat quarter and make it up into quite a biggish bag.

And talking about bags my friend and neighbour has asked me to make 3 bags for her daughter and two of her friends. 

Made with this fabric...

It's Australian fabric which they were given by an Australian author at a children's book event in Belfast.

So that's next on the list.

And here's my mum peeping over her latest quilt.

I think it's a Pam and Nicky Lintott design from The Quilt Room.

I love that my mum and I share a hobby.

And I love that it's May and the summer is coming and there are so many birds in the garden. And the odd bee.

xxx

Honey