Blocks called Fred!! ✓

In the spirit of me finishing things and getting them inuse I have finished the blocks called Fred!!!

And put them together and made a cushion!
Which I have to say it pretty good!

I use Nummers and bike paths for the back, with scribble from Ed Emberley for the binding!
It finished up a gorgeously big 24", which for me is the perfect size for a sofa cushion.

I quilted it with lots of straightish lines in Aurifil , but ran out before I could cross quilt it! 

The two youngest are fighting over who's bedroom it is going to live in, so that is a win for me!!! And it's another thing off my FAL Q3 list!!!! WooHoo, so that is just another 3 to go!! I had to say, don't hold your breathe on me finishing the Swoon!!!! 

Stormy Hitchhiker ✓

As we hit the hottest month so far in the year I thought I would finish my Stormy Hitchhiker Shawl!!

This shawl has been slowly worked on of an evening in between other knitting projects since April and to ensure I got it finished before we get any cold weather I added it to my 2014 FAL Q3 list.

The yarn is a super soft Cuddlebums Superwash Merino Sparkle Sock in 4 ply and I used 200 grams to get an extra long shawl. The yarn has the most gorgeous rainbow running through it and it knits up beautifully.

Instead of the normal 42 teeth you should get on the Hitchhiker I have got 60 teeth so it is really really long and will be so cozy!

This was yet again such an easy knit that I could do in front of the TV once I had the pattern in my head and I could easily pick it up and see where I was in the pattern by counting the rows from the last tooth.

The details are

Pattern : Hitchhiker by Martina Behm

Yarn : 2 Skeins of Superwash Merino 4 ply in Stormy Rainbow by Cuddlebums 

And here it is being modelled by myself on a sweltering August day!! I just know this will get lots of wear in the winter and for once I'm ahead of the game and organised…..although I really don't want to wish the warm weather away for a while yet!!! 

I might be mad, but I've cast on a Color Affection for some holiday knitting, so if it's not too hot while we are away I might come home with another shawl…….at least my neck will be well dress this winter, even if my legs will be melting this summer!!! 

Liberty Loop Scarves

During my visit to FQR (I'm sure I mentioned I went!!) I was determined to get a visit in the the Liberty Fabric Mecca that is Shaukat and on the Saturday evening myself, Sonia and Jen made the short trip down the road to fondle all the liberty lawns. I went with the purpose of getting some of the new Isle of Wight print to make a present for my sister who lives over there and of course I had to get myself a little something to remember the visit!

I planned to make an infinity scarf, so just bought ½ a metre of each of these prints, without a real plan in mind. 

Then came the search for a kind of simple pattern with only a few days to go till her birthday and I stumbled across this one by SeamStar which look super easy and all I needed was bias binding to go with them. 

With my recent addiction to Frumble's bias binding I knew I wouldn't have trouble finding the right shade to match!

So within about an hour I had two loop scarfs all ready for the hand sewing bit. 

And then I had a really good excuse to sit in front of the TV and stitch down the binding!! 

These are definitely going on the 'I need a gift in a day list and it gives me a really good reason to stock up on some ½ metres of Liberty for emergency present making!

Here is my Elvis Lip concentrating modelling face to show you how it looks on, the husband has mumbled something about too much fabric, too much time on my hands and not enough days in the week to wear the shawls and scarves that I've been making, but I'm ignoring him! What do men know!! 

The sister has received it and loved it (well she said she did) and she commented about how that fabric would really match her front room so I can foresee cushions for the visit I'll be making to The Isle in October. 

Molly Market Tote ✓

Oh, it feels so good ticking these things off that Q3 list! So, number 2 off the list is the Molly Market Tote, I had spotted this on Instagram when the pattern was in the testing stages and knew I had to make one. So ordered the pattern straight away and then spent ages pondering fabric choices! I decided to copy be heavily influenced by the original bag that Michelle made and caused me to fall for the pattern!

I mean those birds and striped fabric was a well picked combination for me!
For the lining and pockets I went for a mix of blues.

This bag is ENORMOUS, I took it to FQR with me and on most days I had

an iPad

DSLR Camera

my Purse 

my mobile

a Cardigan

bottle of water

the Goodie Bag

fabric (especially on the quilt market night!)

Pouch full of chargers, scissors, pens and rotary cutter

and loads more stuff that woman carry around for no known reason! 

I did originally worry that the handles wouldn't be able to take the weight a bag of this size can carry, but it has come back from the weekend as good as new. I think I will be using it to travel on the plane as hand luggage for our summer holiday as I always end up carrying everything in my bag……

All ready to leave for FQR

The fabrics I used are 

Echino Birds for the outside 

Navy Sunburst Stripe by Dear Stella (this is a Christmas fabric unbelievably) for the bias binding

Random stripes and chevrons for the insides 

I think it would be an amazing bag if you used QAYG panels! 

So that is another ticked off the FAL list just 5 more to go…..

Thread Catchers ✓

I'm on a catch-up of all the things I finished in the mad few days before FQR that I haven't had the time to blog! So, for the Sample Swaps I made these colourful Thread Catchers.

The pattern was from Brioni Greenberg's book 25 Ways to sew with Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes and Charm Packs and is called Fairytale Pincushion and Thread Catcher (which you can get as a free Kindle download here!)
I started them back at the beginning of June and then they sat there without lining and pincushion inserts for a good few weeks, so I popped them on my FAL Q3 List as I need to get them done. (and this Quarter I would really like to have some finishes off the list!!!)

I made 4 as I wasn't sure if I was in a group of 4 or 5 but, as I was in a smaller group I got to keep one too and the blue one came home with me.
And Pippa has already posted a photo of her Thread Catcher in use on IG.

I loved seeing it in use, you never know if your making something that is useful to anyone other than yourself!
So, I'm just going to ignore the left over amount of plastic boning I have, as I ordered two lots and be pleased that I have the first thing crossed of my FAL list, just 6 more things to go…….. 

OWOP 2014 - I'm in!!!!

One Week One Pattern…..

I watched this last year from afar, with only one skirt to my dressmaking catalogue I knew I didn't have a chance to join in, but this year I saw the Sign Ups and just knew I wanted to jump in….even if it did take me 20 days to actually sign up,
And after my short foray into dressmaking I bet you can't guess which pattern I'm picking???
So predictable I know.. Anyhoo, from Saturday 6th to Friday 12th September I shall be wearing All The Washi's……... dresses not tape though….I don't think there will ever be a big enough Washi Tape in width or roll size to cover me!!

I've got three dresses made and I have seen a fabric that I would love to make into a Washi tunic, but that will have to be made pretty much at the last minute as we are away quite a bit over August!! So I better hope for good weather on that week or I'll be freezing!!!
So could you do it?? One Week One Pattern?? Shame it's not for children Rose has quite an extensive Geranium Wardrobe!!
Go and have a look at the sign-up's! 

Washi #3 - Squeal!!!

To say I am in love with Washi Dress No.3 is an understatement!
I bought 1 metre of Melody Miller arrows from The Village Haberdashery this time last year, just because I needed them and knew they would come in handy and then it sat there in my stash…….for a year!

But as soon as I made my first Washi Dress I knew what those Arrows needed to be, but I needed more of them, which in the cycle of fabric production was not an easy thing. After a few google searches I found a metre at M is for Make and the rest as they say is history…………

Would you look at that dodgy Salt Water sandal tan mark!!! 

As, I bought it, washed it and made myself another Washi Dress and I flipping LOVE it!!!!

I'm not sure how I matched up that arrow on the front, it wasn't intentional, but I'm chuffed!

And the back! 

I tried to get as much of the border print on the dress as possible, but I had to chop the bottom a bit or it would have been half way down my calfs! 

And those sleeves.........

I'm stupidly happy that I thought to use that border trim to make the sleeves!

Then of course with my bias binding addiction I had to add piping!

There was considerably less swearing this time while I was sewing it in on and one tiny bit of unpicking! 

I used the really yummy bias binding from Frumble (which I now have in 8 colours, is that too many??) to make the piping and trim the armholes!!

I'm not joking when I say I want to wear this dress EVERYDAY!!!!!! Even my husband said I looked happy with myself and when I tried it on he was quite impressed! Which for a man thats lacking the fabric addiction gene, that is great praise indeed!!

Gym Shorts for Daddy Bob or a post with a giggle!

So, I needed some pyjama bottoms for holiday and IG was full of the amazing City Gym Shorts Pattern by Purl Soho….so, I thought I could make those!!
And I did, but I didn't listen to the measurements and though I'd make the largest size, as I am a size 16 lady, so I probably need the biggest size………….no tape measure required, the elastic will solve everything!!

It turns out it didn't and I've ended up with a pair of shorts that look like they belong to my great-grandad!! Do you know what great-grandad look like in pants!!!!

 

My husband actually said 'You've made boxer shorts like your granddad's!'
I'm only joking, but they aren't the best fitting or most flattering shorts, but that is all MY FAULT for not going by the measurements and going by my body image in my head!!

It is a brilliant pattern, than can be sewn up within an hour, if you have everything pre washed. How I wished this was not pre washed and would shrink down!
I won't scar you with a pic of me in them, but needless to say I will be making myself another pair in the correct size!
To make them I used

Ikea Nummer

Bike Paths in black

Dove Grey Bias Binding 

On a plus, I did also make a really really special Washi Dress today that made me squeal!! I'll show you more once I get some photos! 

Oh and Daddy Bob was my Great-Grandad and he did wear pants like this!!!!!!!!!! 

July's Makes

July was fun, fabric filled and fast! I made quite a lot, but haven't blogged some of them yet….so little time around here recently!
So, heres what I did share.

It seems it was a month of dresses and if my fabric arrives today, I might have another dress to add to that Washi Collection!!
I'm linking up with the lovely Lynne's Fresh Sewing Day