Busy, busy Wednesday

It has been a fairly busy start to half term with a big list of jobs to get done for the boys and visits to friends squeezed in!!
I have made no progress this week on my spinning stars, (I seem to do well with these blocks every other week!) or on my wrist warmers!
I have been trying to concentrate on finishing my Vintage Holiday quilt top, but even that has been slightly ignored.
This is mostly due to deciding yesterday, that I had to make a present for a friend who I'm due to see on Friday. It was her birthday on Monday and I was going to go with flowers and chocolates but I'll also be giving our other friend her wedding tea cozy so I wanted to make her something!
I have been watching and drooling over the totes popping up on Flickr and blogland and so it had to be one of those. So this is were I'm up to....
We have a pocket

And a bit of quilting.

So It should be done.
I am still to hem the Music Box Jumper dress for the baby to wear on Saturday! And I now have to go and tackle these with the little people who have been waiting sooo patiently.....

And feed random children who are banging down my door sugar, Happy Halloween!!!
I'm linking up with
                                                               

WIP Wednesday!

So, my progress this week has been fairly good. I've still not got anything finished but I'm still plodding along nicely!

I've added another three blocks this week to my Spinning Stars and am impressed with how its growing. One more row to go and then I can start joining them together.

I thought I'd lay them out on the bed to see if it will big enough with just one more row and I think it will be perfect! 

I've made all the blocks now for the Vintage Holiday quilt, but I ran out of time to add the white to those last few, this is something I would like sashed and together by next week. (Yeah right!)

The photo is terrible but the weather here is so dull, it's been impossible to get a decent photo!!

And............. I have made a dress!! I'm amazed, I've followed a pattern and not fiddled with it and it has come out just like it said on the packet!

It's still not finished, it needs button holes and hemming but I'm so pleased with it, I'm hoping to finish this up this week too!

I've not touched my wrist warmers again this week! I need to concentrate too much to make them an enjoyable evening project.

I'm linking up with

 

Dress in progress!

I may have mentioned in my last post that I have been working on a dress for the little lady, well here it is in it's very unfinished state.

I've pinned it rather badly to shorten it for Rose to try on, but I'm so chuffed with how its turned out!
The pattern is Music Box Jumper by Oliver + S which I bought at The Village Haberdashery and I used some chambray that I bought in John Lewis that it is so super soft. I made it in size 2T and although it very long, the yoke fits her perfectly with a t-shirt underneath. I still need to make the buttonholes on the back and decide on the length and hem it.
I tried to take some pictures of Rose in it, but she is proving to be a temperamental model and would only pose while doing the actions for head, shoulders, knees and toes!!

Day out at Ally Pally

So, last Saturday I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go to The Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexander Palace. This meant that I could wander around for a good few hours looking at the most wonderful displays from artist and then spend some pennies on some goodies for myself.

Even though I live just a short drive from there, I hadn't been here for years and had forgotten how wonderful the building was and that stunning view of the city!!
There was so much to see and unfortunately most of the displays asked you not to take photos, but I did write down a few names.
Some of the quilts that took my eye were by Marina Kamenskaya, they were very modern and the quilting was just stunning to see up close. Another was Kathleen Loonis, her quilts were breathtaking!! I then found Mr X Stitch's stand where not only could I take photos but the work was amazing!!

Mr X Stitch himself at the back of the photo!

I loved the embroidered door, by Sarah Greaves and there was also a cross stitched car door by Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė that I can't find the photo of(!!), and tiny embroidery on silk stretched over cups and saucers by Diem Chau. The detail was amazing.
But my favourite was these two!

The Gold Rhino and Saola by Zoe Williams, they are needle felted and I just couldn't take my eyes off them!! They were just so unbelievable!! 

So, after seeing all this wonderful work I felt I needed to make some purchases! 

Wool from the MillaMia stand, for a cardigan for Rose. 

Out To Sea by Sarah Jane from The Village Haberdashery stand.

I've had my eye on these lovely nautical pinks for a while on their website and hope to make a duvet cover for Rose's cotbed! The fabrics that were on display on The Village Haberdashery stand were amazing, I got to see Field Study by Anna Maria Horner, which I really want to treat myself to. I need some of those feathers and that blue leopard print in my life!!!  Also I got to drool and see in real life the gorgeous colours in the Bloomsbury Garden fabrics by Liberty Lifestyle that they had on display. 

And lastly from the Pin it and Stitch stand some texty fabric by Mama Said Sew! Their shop is here and it's got some gorgeous stuff in it! 

The Pin it and Stitch it shop hasn't been open very long, but they had a great range of fabrics. The ladies had some beautiful quilts on show and really took time to talk to everyone! 

I had a really great day and met some lovely people. 

I'm off to tackle a long list of jobs! Oh, and I may have just made a dress!! Arrgggh!! So excited!! 

Blimey Wednesday already!

Well, my progress this week has been pretty good and pretty bad! I did make it to Ally Pally on Saturday to the Knitting and Stitching show and spent a few hours wandering around, I'll show you my purchases and some wonderful work I saw (drooled over) later this week!

So, I've made very little progress on my Spinning Stars, only one made this week!

 But, have three more laid out ready for sewing.

My big effort this week has been into my baubles for my Vintage Holiday Quilt. Six made this week taking me up to 9 only another 3 to go.

My favourites are these two!

I'm thinking of sashing them in the grey I used for the tops of the baubles and then bordering it in the red and white polka dot, because I love that fabric! The more I'm using it in the blocks, the more I'm falling for it.

My Music Box Jumper dress has now been cut! I decided to make a trial one in chambray instead of muslin, just because I saw it in John Lewis and forgot I was meant to be making a mock one!

Well, thats my wip's for this week. I've made no progress on my knitted wrist warmers so will have to get a move on with those!

I'm linking up with 

                                                               

WIP Wednesday

It's been ages since I joined in with WIP Wednesday, but here goes.

In Progress
Spinning Stars.

I got another 4 done this week, so only 8 left to go! I am really loving this quilt as it comes together, but am very daunted about putting them all together.

Vintage Holiday Quilt

I cut into my Christmas fabrics yesterday and made these. They are so cute and I can't wait to make some more.


Brigitta Wristwarmers.

I've got one of the fronts done and started a back. The pattern (it's a free one by MillaMia) asks for four cabled panels to make the wrist warmers, but as this is my first go at cables I decided to give myself a break and make 2 cabled and 2 plain! I can't see the point of cables on the palm side, but maybe I'm just lazy! The wool is gorgeous to use, it's Erika Knight Vintage Wool which I got at Loop a few weeks ago.
Can you spot my mistake? (I think this will become a knitting game of mine!) A wonky cable!

So a few things to keep me busy, and if that wasn't enough I bought a dress pattern from Annie at The Village Haberdashery.

I've been eyeing this up for a while and finally took the plunge and bought it......now I've just got to pluck up the courage to make it! The plan is to make one for the Little Lady in some Chicopee corduroy, but I think I'm going to make one in muslin first this week to see if I have any troubles, any tips are very gratefully received. 

And lastly, I think I've wangled an afternoon off from the house on Saturday so I can go along to the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexander Palace. I'm so excited, a whole afternoon to myself, the family was offered the chance to come with me but they turned it down!! 

I'm linking up with

                                                          

September's projects

I can't believe that it's October already, winter is definitely just around the corner (the heating is on!) and it's grey and wet here today. I think that September has just flown by, it feels like the boys only just went back to school.
Here's what I've been working on during September, I'm amazed as I got more done that I thought.

A few finishes, a bit of knitting, Spring Carnival in progress and a start on my spinning stars quilt along.
I'm also trying to be organised this year and have bought a bit of Christmas fabric last week to get cracking.

I'm linking up for the first time with Lynne's Fresh Sewing Day