Time

So there I stood Monday night in my only sewing time of the day starring at my bulging fabric cupboard and instead of sewing the pile of bibs that lay by my machine ready for finishing off for the local shop in town, I found myself wondering 'What If'.

 You see it all started on Sunday morning with a phone call. The call that stops you in your tracks, a call that makes you wish you were still a child and unaware of life's wicked twist and turns. A phone call that seems all to common these days, the call that tells of another tortured soul that has decided to pass away. That call that makes you shiver and wonder why.

 So here my OH was listening to a kind and loving mother telling him of her loss of her son and asking him if he will still please tend her garden just as he always does on a Monday as the plants will still grow. So we carry on our day taking the kids out for a 'scoot' on Dartmoor and we watch and we laugh as our 2yr old, who has very quickly mastered her Christmas scooter, overtakes her 4yr brother who has a somewhat more relaxed action on his scooter and we take in the stunning views and we walk and we talk and then we go silent and you just know without words being exchanged that your minds have wandered to the same place, the place of unknown and you find yourself looking at your children and you can't help but hope that they are happy. And that's it, a parents hope for their child, not fame or fortune but happiness and fulfilment. You look into their eyes as they laugh and gaze back at you and you hope that they will be the ones seeing you into your grave.

So there I found myself Monday evening staring at my fabric stash and wondering what would happen to it all if I was to die suddenly. And I imagine the scene and the conversation as my family empty my cupboard and the four Orla Kiely Tesco bags overspilling with fabric 'What an earth did she intend to do with all this!?'

And then I start hunting. Searching for those 6inch squares that I cut this time last year that were suppose to become a large cosy quilt that we would all spend winter snuggled under. And there they were neglected and forgotten about at the back of my cupboard and I start to pull out new fabric and to cut more squares. And the pile of 'important' bibs were no longer as important as they had been before Sunday. And that sometimes it really would be good to get things finished before too much more life passes by.

Excitement Builds!

A walk to one of the highest Churches still holding service,

A moment to take in the amazing views,

and to understand why people believed it was the nearest Church to heaven.

And after the marching and climbing a Hot Chocolate to warm our souls!

Not a bad way to spend Christmas Eve.

Have a very Happy Christmas

J x

Sewing on the Countdown

Surprisingly this Christmas I found myself with only one present to make [so mum if your about to read this before xmas day please look away now!] So I felt under no pressure as I was sure having the week before Christmas to make a set of cushions for my mum would be plenty of time. Of course if I had stuck to my original plan and had no last minute shopping to do, lots of wrapping to get done and the entertaining of 3 very excited kids to contend with, then yes a week would have been fine!

 Ever since this mail bag arrived in the post I've been wishing I could get a fabric just like it so as soon as I saw Joel Dewberry's Heirloom collection over at  M is for Make I feel in love with the colours and patterns and set about quickly cutting and sewing up the cushion fronts. I love Dewberry's Rose Bouquet in gold and it is more of a gold than a yellow as it has come up in my photos and the leaves are a deeper purple. I do have a concern that the colours are a bit bright for my parents house who like their neutral colours but it's been lovely working with such bright and luxurious colours I'm just hoping they will fall in love with them just as much as I have.



 For the second cushion rather than sticking with my original idea of doing a log cabin block I decided to try something I've never attempted before but has been on my to do list for sometime! Of course this is the moment the 'no pressure sewing' turned into a complete nightmare as I got totally confused with how the blocks of two strips of different fabrics that I'd made were ever going to form a zigzag but eventually after quite a lot of head scratching and wasted time I managed to make cushion 2!

I'll be honest and admit that the lines of zigzags were supposed to be all different, but as I said I did get confused and found having every other line as the plain fabric made it easier to put it all together. I also didn't realise until after I'd sewn the cushion front together that it was too small, and not being able to add more blocks to it I decided to put a thin border in which I think has worked out well.

I thoroughly enjoyed making it and could have quite easily carried on sewing the zigzags together to form a quilt top if I'd had more time. So whilst I can remember how to do it I'm definitely going to be making more! Both cushion fronts have been lightly quilted, with a layer of flannel and then some plain fabric. I also sewed the cushions together using French seams, as I wanted them to be neat for my mum, though in doing so the corners are rather bulky and cushion #1 has become a bit smaller than I had hoped for. The envelope backs are made using a linen/cotton blend fabric and I've finished them off with a decorative stitch.



 So now I just need to get them wrapped up and finish the kids wrapping so it looks like we're in for a busy evening but then I think we maybe ready for the big day. 
Of course the kids have been ready for Christmas Day ever since the first decorations arrived in the shops in September!!

Counting down!

The countdown for Christmas is among us, 

in fact for me it feels like it has nearly ended as I will be closing my a crafty hen shops tonight at 9pm so I can get orders wrapped and ready for posting on my way to work Wednesday morning. My OH asked why I was closing the shops and not keeping them open, making it clear that after Wednesday I couldn't guarantee arrival of parcels before Christmas day, but no I can already feel myself slowing down and the last few months have been good, and profitable but very hard work and I'm quite desperate to have a moment to catch my breathe!

 {last stocking in shop}

Anyway I still have Christmas presents to make and projects for the house to complete and then there's the trousers for #2 and #3 I've been meaning to make and the tunics for #3, and the quilt for snuggling underneath on the sofa to finish that I started this time last year, and the wholesale enquiry that I need to consider and then of course there are the usual demands of Christmas that young children bring, the nativity plays, award assembles, xmas parties, quite frankly my head is spinning and I need a rest!

{new fun cushions in my shop}

2011 has been an amazing year for me. Starting out as 'Sew Vintage Obsessed' as a hobby and ending with 'a crafty hen' as a small business. I have a lot of thinking and refining to do and I also need to remember everything I have learnt along the way and are still learning, good and bad and to take it all on board.

{Gorgeous Gift Set with a lovely Scandinavian Xmas feel to it}

So for me the nights of working into the small hours completing orders and making stock for fairs is coming to an end, and I'm looking forward to finishing off personal projects for my family and then I'm also excited about new ideas and fabrics that I have to make new stock for filling my shops with for the New Year, 

so in fact I have a feeling I won't be slowing down at all!

Still here!

I'm still here just! With a head spinning of all I need to get done for fairs in the next coming weeks, stock to take into local shop, commissions to finish and an online shop and my folksy shop to keep stocked!! I'm starting to feel a little stressed. As ever in the back of my mind I am wondering if I have bitten off more than I can chew, but I keep telling myself that once November is over I think things will calm down. I am already looking forward to an evening when I have no sewing, no cutting of labels, no stuffing of items to be done, and I know Mr D is looking forward to not being on cooking duty every night of the week! However we did find the time to take the kids out trick and treating for the first time, with friends and they had a wonderful time. It made me realise how generous our neighbours are and what a wonderful neighbourhood spirit our village has. I really can't believe how excited the kids got about Halloween and after coming back with bags full of goodies I some how don't think this will be the last time we go trick or treating, though trying to explain to our 2yr old that putting her witches hat on and going out in the dark doesn't mean she'll get sweets is proving difficult!!

Regular blogging will resume soon, I promise, especially as I have so much to share with you! I'll see you then!

Me Time!

Tonight I am enjoying the view of my sewing area.
For today I have finally managed to do some sewing for myself and family! 

And it feels good!

Hello September, Hello New Stock!

I wasn't expecting to get much sewing done through the school holidays, maybe a little for myself, but not a lot for my shop. I started the holiday with finishing off commissions, lost the middle of the month to life in general and then somehow out of nowhere I have managed to grab little opportunities throughout the day to get ironing and cutting done which has then meant that I have got quite a bit of sewing done in the evening.

I have completed three new baby gift sets, each comprises of a matching bib, burp cloth and come nestled in a storage basket, which can be used for so many things. I adore making these and are pleased that they sell so well. The set above is made using Carolyn Gavin's Spring Street which is such a bright and cheerful print that is perfect for both boys and girls.

This farmyard set uses one of my favourite boys prints. I love the tractors with their smiley faces and the cute vegetables and teamed with the red gingham fabric I think it is adorable. And then I've finally got round to restocking this Girls Scandinavian Gift Set. The first time I listed it on Folksy it sold within a day so I have my fingers crossed that this one will do as well!

I have also made matching ribbon blankets, though I have listed them separately as they make for lovely presents whether on their own or bought with a matching gift set. 

 

All the gift sets and blankets are available in my a crafty hen shop and I will be listing the items on Folksy over the Next few days. 

Well if I can carry on at this medium pace I might just get ready for the few Christmas fairs I have planned! And as for the bit of sewing for myself, that never happened, though I did buy some gorgeous fabrics for myself, so I guess that is a start!!