A "no pictures" post

It seems to be taking a while to get in gear after the Christmas holidays and it's been a sad start to the year - a friend's brother was killed in a car accident, and a relative has died very young of cancer.  New Year already involves a bit of reappraisal of priorities, and things like these make you realise that you have to concentrate on the many ways in which you are fortunate, and seize the day.

Anyway, with this in mind it seems particularly timely that Lynne has just posted a plea for quilts for the charity Siblings Together. Last year's appeal was an incentive to make my first two full size quilts (if you want to read about them just click on Siblings Together in my Post Categories list in the side bar) and this year it's just what I need to escape the doldrums and I've signed up.  It's a great cause, and you can read more about it here.

I'm trying to stick to my New Year's resolutions, though the aim of doing something creative every day has so far consisted of adding and painting a wood trim to our new bathroom which took aaages.  I seem to be spacially challenged and kept cutting the mitres wrong.  Am I the only person who has to lay HSTs on the floor and rotate them until they are in the right position?!

So far as getting fit goes, I have now actually got as far as adding running shoes to the sports bra and in the hope that this is not going to be like college textbooks where somehow having bought them seemed enough (maybe if you have them on the shelf you can absorb the contents by osmosis), tomorrow will be the first day of the Couch to 5K program.  Wish me luck:-)!

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a lovely Christmas.  We managed to escape all lurgies, and lots of turkey, chocolate and red wine was consumed - Hooray!  The homemade festive bunting was hung...

and I actually managed to make something new too. This table runner was in use on Christmas day and somehow managed not to get gravy spilled on it straight away.

It is backed with cream sheeting - no binding, just placed face to face and sewn all around, leaving a hole for turning.  I was really taken with the cranberry/natural combination and imagining a quilt in these colours in the future.

I also like the wonky straight line quilting, which I sewed at roughly 1/4 or 1/2 inch intervals.

The first resolution for this year is to lose the extra half-stone put on over the holidays.  The others are:

• If it's going to take no more than a couple of minutes, do it right away.  (For some reason I pulled an old management book off the shelf during the holidays and some of it actually applied to real life.)
• Do one creative thing every day.
• Get fit.  I have made a start by buying a sports bra - hopefully it will get some use as I'm going to try this Couch to 5k program which is ideal for the lardy sloth I've turned into.

I am not going to sign up for any finish-alongs.  I am in awe of all the fantastic lists of WIPs I've been reading, but what I really need is a Start-along.

Jolly Merry Holly Berry

This time last year I had only had a blog for a couple of weeks and had just made my first ever quilts using machine piecing.

This blogging experiment has been a lot of fun.  I am still on a steep learning curve but it definitely was the incentive I wanted to Do More Stuff...

... and I have 'met' some really nice fellow bloggers.  I'd like wish you a very merry time over the holidays and a fantastic 2013.

Happy Christmas!

Back next year!

Travellin' Pic Stitch Blog Hop

There is only one day left to vote at Quokka Quilts for the EPP blocks made for the Travellin' Pic Stitch Blog Hop. I think there is no doubt there is going to be a runaway winner in the European section, and there are some absolute beauties there so I am just very excited and grateful to have had any votes at all for my flowery/nautical block.

Camping and Caravanning Hooded Quilt-Wrap

Earlier this year I made this:

It's the towel-lined hooded quilt-wrap that I designed for my spot on the Let's get Acquainted blog hop and it was made to act as picnic blanket/cosy wrap for swimming, and trips to the beach, etc.  The tutorial is here, and I have just updated it a little to include details of a new version:

This one is backed with a cosy fleece, has a lined hood for extra warmth, and is ideal for taking camping - use it as a spare blanket over your sleeping bag, and wear it to keep you warm round the camp fire!

The top is made from a layer cake of Lily Ashbury's beautiful Tradewinds fabric, using the alternative method for sewing HSTs which is very quick, but you could use any design, even whole-cloth.

It is lovely and snuggly and my youngest daughter loves using it to curl up in on the sofa, or spread over her bed.

Eyes glued to the telly...

If you have a quilt top waiting to be backed you could even run one up for Christmas!  

Slow Bloggers Linky

Can it really be December tomorrow?  Anyway, time to look back over November and take stock.  Here in the land of the slow blogger it has been a mixed month.  For the last week we have been living in chaos because we are having a new suite put in our tiny and previously horrid bathroom. This involves using a bucket to flush the loo and washing in a saucepan, so it's a bit like camping (just as cold too because the heating has to be off most of the time) but for some reason it's been quite good for productivity - it must be the adrenalin:-)

So, I have finished my bunting, and made a tutorial for Liberty brooches.  I also have two quilts in meaningful stages of progress and not on the back burner.

Other highlights of the month include falling backwards into a rosebush in front of my gardening group of small school children and shouting "Bollocks" really loudly.   What about you?!   If you would like to share a little creeping progress, and the events of your month, please do link up below.

WIP Wednesday

Leaves quilt has been put aside at the moment while I try to clear my pile of some other projects.  I've been working on the quilt top I'm making with Lily Ashbury's Tradewinds.   I love these beautiful bright colours.

It's going to be for one of my children.  Does anyone else find it hard to find your own personal style?  Maybe you shouldn't be pinned down to one thing, but it does make interior design problematic:-)  I really love things with quite a restrained colour palette, but then I also really admire things which are very bright and colourful. Making things for my kids is rather handy, because I can really go for it!

Talking restrained colour palette, I've been making Christmas bunting with my lovely star bundle.

So far I have made ten metres, and I have fabric for another two and a half - so it's going to work out at about £1.40 a metre.    I'm so happy with it - the fabric is a lovely slubby natural cotton (calico? muslin?), and I found a wide bias binding in exactly the same colour to string the flags on.  It looks quite classy and "Country Living Magazine";-)   I had to hang it up on the window temporarily to photograph because I'm mean about not having decorations up until the week before Christmas - but I'll post a picture of the whole thing in situ then.