Sew Obsessed

Time

2012-01-24T16:44:00.000Z

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!

2011-12-24T18:19:00.000Z

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

2011-12-23T16:56:00.000Z

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!

2011-12-13T10:16:00.003Z

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!

2011-11-04T13:26:00.000Z

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!

2011-09-09T21:19:00.000+01:00

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!

2011-09-01T21:05:00.000+01:00

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!!

That Feeling......

2011-08-28T22:06:00.000+01:00

Ever since #1 started school I seem to reach this time of year feeling guilty. It is a strange feeling of guilt as it is based on various thoughts. The thought that part of me is happy that in a weeks time life will go back to some sort of routine, whilst the other part of me is feeling guilty about how sad I feel that our time together chilling out is coming to an end. Also I know that for the first few weeks of school #1 will be upset which makes me already feel upset. And then there is the feeling of guilt that I have, over whether we really have made the most of the last 5 weeks off. Of course British summer time has had a part to play and in many ways has let us down again in giving us dreary wet days that don't lend themselves to picnics and days spent splashing in the paddling pool. I do seem to have kids that love being at home and the boys by and large have got on better than they ever have, and it has been very special to see them engrossed in their lego and make believe games, it's been a real sign that they are growing up. But this and endless rain, has lead to many days inside and I do worry that they will return to school and preschool to hear stories of flights and holidays spent exploring places new and exotic and when asked what they have done there answer of "played lego in my bedroom with my brother" will sound extremely bland and boring. But heh this wasn't the case for all the days oh no!! We did manage a camping trip to Cornwall and even though 4 out of the 5 days were wet we got around and saw things that we hadn't seen before and had experiences that quite frankly I can't imagine we will experience again!

On the second day of our camping trip we set off across the coast to St Ives. #1 was very unimpressed with the whole day we had planned as whilst we were in St Ives we wanted to visit the Tate Gallery and the Barbara Hepworth Museum, neither of which filled him with delight, but as I tried to explain we all had things we wanted to do on our holiday and if the rain disappeared we would spend the rest of the day on the beach. Well we eventually got to the Tate, I say eventually as we ended up following signs for the car park only to find ourselves parked a good distance away and with no pushchair we did end up dragging (quite literally) the 3 kids quite away to reach our finally destination. And just when the day couldn't get much more unexciting for them, and the thoughts of why are we trying to go round an art gallery with a 6, 3 and 1 yr old we spied the balloons. And in answer I'm sure to my 6 yr olds dreams yes you 'even' got to go in with them. Now that is an experience I'm sure we won't get again!

The experience of walking through a room full of balloons (curtsey of Martin Creed) is crazy and incredibly fun, (possibly not what our 1yr old thought) but whether or not it got you thinking about spacial awareness as it was intended to, it certainly lifted the spirits of two young boys and followed by being measured for another installation the Tate got the thumbs up! And the boys left having seen and experienced things that they didn't except to and that is in many ways the delights of Art.

Measuring the Universe by Roman Ondák is a mark of your height with just your name and date taken written which when viewed looks like the words speed past you from right to left, a very clever idea and probably my favourite room in the gallery. The trip to the Barbara Hepworth Museum didn't manage to stimulate the kids in the same way but for me it was so worth the visit and a fascinating view into a life of a very creative mind.

Thankfully the rest of the holiday followed suit and we had some lovely days exploring gardens in between showers and finding beaches that we hadn't set foot on before.

So maybe that's it. The day before they return to school and preschool we should have a slide show. Just to jog their memories of the days spent as explorers finding our way through the undergrowth of the Cornish jungle! Of the sights, smells and tastes of experiences new. Of the evening spent in the drizzle crabbing when 'mummy' was so petrified that #3 (22mth old) was going to full head first into the sea over the harbour wall that I wouldn't even let go of her long enough to take a photo, though I wish I had when 'daddy' decided to let the bucket of crabs go on the wall and seemed to think that they would all naturally jump back into the sea. The sound of the kids squealing as the crabs went in every direction other than the sea was delightful. Of the evening spent sitting in a steamed up car eating a tea of fish and chips whilst watching the fishermen (in the rain) and realising we weren't haven't to tell the kids to 'eat' every five minutes. Of the only dry evening spent running around the campsite playing a family version of football that left us all crying with laughter. These memories I hope will stay with the children for a long time because for me they have made my summer.

A Little Relaxing And A Year Older

2011-08-08T13:35:00.000+01:00

Well it wasn't quite the start to the summer holidays that I had planned! On the first day of the holidays I came down with a throat infection, which completely knocked me for six, and it soon become apparent that the only thing I could do was to wait for the antibiotics to work and in the meantime rest. Now rest especially bed rest doesn't come easy to me, I normally try and carry on regardless. But once I got over the guilty feeling of lying in bed in the day, and leaving my OH to entertain three very lively kids, I soon realised it was a chance to do a bit of reading.

My birthday is exactly a week after my eldest so it's easy for it to get a little over looked. I did my usual of ordering myself a present on behalf of the others in the house! I've been excited about this book 'My Heart Wanders' ever since I read about it in the first issue of Mollie Makes. It is a gorgeous book, and soon my thoughts turned to living on a house boat in Amsterdam. The only tiny thing that I think is a shame is how dark the photos are. They certainly set the scene but leave you wishing you could see more. Now I must quickly say that after I had unwrapped my book another present appeared and inside was this lovely Orla Kiely mug. I've been wanting to start collecting them for ages so this was a real treat and I think my OH has made a very good choice!

Then just when I thought my birthday surprise couldn't get any better a third present appeared and inside was this stunning Oral Kiely storage jar. Well let's just say I spent the day feeling very spoilt! What with such gorgeous presents and a little fabric shopping and a lovely lunch at Cowslip Workshops it was one of the best birthdays for a long time! And then just to top it off I decided to spend my birthday money I had been sent (thanks mum and dad) on an Orla Kiely composter.

I just love the fact that something so practical can be so stylish. And it now takes pride of place in our kitchen. So now I seem to have crept into my mid-thirties how did that happen, and how did my little boy suddenly turn 6? His growing up really does feel like it has crept up on us and then shouted boo! And I'll admit that I spent a few days leading up to #1's birthday feeling pretty low and depressed. Purely for the fact that 6 sounds old and he really now has become a boy. He has gained independence and a life of his own out of our family unit with school and at times I feel like I just want to hug him so hard and keep him all too myself . So I really had to work hard to get excited about his birthday which I know sounds terrible. But then it happened.

We had celebrated his birthday on the Sunday even though it was really on the Monday. So after school on the Monday afternoon we asked him what he would like to do and gave him options like going to the park. His choice was to go up onto the moors and after a paddle in a stream we set off on a hike up one of the Tors and it was at this point that I realised that his growing up was very exciting indeed. For a year ago a walk on the Moors would have been met with a 'no', but now, now my big boy wants to run and jump, explore and climb. He wants to get to the top of the hill first and generally does, he can sit and admire the view and begin to understand the beauty in his surroundings. He has really matured in the last 12 months and in doing so has become a very caring and sensitive soul. A little stubborn at times and still unsure of new things but he has become a lego crazed boy and I'm looking forward to doing a hell of a lot more exploring with him, for I now realise that him becoming 6 has opened up a whole new chapter in our lives, which is something to be celebrated and for that reason and a million overs I love him dearly.

Non Stop

2011-07-28T08:45:00.000+01:00

I've been a wee bit quiet around here of late, but that doesn't mean I haven't got things to share with you, oh no quite the contrary, I just haven't had a moment to spare, every second I can find I've been busy sewing. I'm not complaining as the interest in 'a crafty hen' has been amazing, but I am looking forward to slowing down now that the summer holidays are upon us, and to take stock of how my little business is growing and where exactly I want to take it.

I had a great time at our pre-schools summer fair at the weekend. And I'm pleased that all the hard work and late nights were worth it. It's not just the making of the items that takes time, it's the little things like printing off labels, threading ribbon through them all, attaching them to the item that takes time. Then there is the display to work out and the props to find, all this equates to my OH having to cook of an evening and me still sorting it all out at midnight!! I'm beginning to realise that behind all good businesses there is a very supportive partner, in my case a very understanding, if a little neglected husband! Of course if I could convince my youngest to go back to having a nap in the day it wouldn't be so bad, but unfortunately nap time seems to definitely be a thing of the past so if I'm to continue at this pace it looks like I'll have to get use to late nights!

So I'm looking forward to catching up on some sleep over the holidays and hopefully once I have worked through the commissions I have, some family sewing. And then there are the blog posts I want to write and the camping trips to plan and the days out at the beach, I have a feeling that the next five weeks are going to zoom by!

Strawberry Fever

2011-06-28T21:27:00.000+01:00

So the strawberry season is well and truly among us, and the kids have been happily munching their way through our crop so quickly in fact that I have failed to get a photo of our best crop ever to show you or even to eat one myself!

All this 'strawberry' fever has had an effect on my latest choice of fabrics. I couldn't resist this fun berry print when I saw it and I have enjoyed teaming it with a dark pink gingham fabric to make this bib and burp cloth set which is available here and here.

I've also been making some girls tote bags for the fairs I have been doing. There size makes them ideal for a young girl to fill with her toys, hair clips or books and to carry them around with her just like her mummy!

I can't believe how quickly girls get into their bags my 19mth old already loves filling hers up with what ever she can find and I do mean 'whatever'! I have added one to my on-line shop and one to my folksy shop a crafty hen

As for our crop of strawberries, I think the kids have eaten most of our crop and have now started on our raspberries and loganberries. I wonder if I'll manage to get to eat a few myself or even better to get some into the kitchen to do some cooking with them?

Yes it is the summer

2011-06-27T10:50:00.000+01:00

We have spent the last few weeks trying to convince #2 (our 3 yr old) that it is indeed the summer. On a daily basis he asks the question "Is it the summer now?" and however hard I try to explain that yes it is even though it may be a tad cold and wet it is the season we call summer he looks at me through very disbelieving eyes and smiles rather patronisingly and shakes his head! Well finally yesterday with temperatures suddenly soaring into the mid twenties he announced to us all that

"Today, it is summer",

so with that we headed up onto the moors to do a bit of paddling!

I think we forget sometimes what is on our door step.

And with views like this we all enjoyed our 'day' of summer very much.

And today, well as it gets darker and darker and looks like it's about to rain, #2 has just asked me what season is it today! When will I finally convince him that it is the summer it's just the British summertime weather that he needs to come to terms with!

At Home With The Blues

2011-06-21T23:16:00.000+01:00

I love the colour blue, especially when found on this Cathrineholm coffee pot that Mr D spotted at a vintage fair on Saturday for the ghastly sum of £6!

I'm hoping this means that our thrifting drought has ended!

It's now taking pride of place in our kitchen. And taking centre stage in our garden is my new blue hydrangea. The photo does not do the vibrancy of the colour justice. It is such a gorgeous blue and a welcome splash of colour in the garden especially under the grey skies we have been having lately.

And on my work table this small fat quarter makes my heart jump, every time I catch a glimpse of it. It is such an attractive blue and being voile it is so silky to the touch.

My regret is that I only managed to buy such a small amount off Kate from misformake. It is such a powerful blue and I am having to stop myself from getting too distracted by it's charm.

Vintage Solution

2011-06-10T20:08:00.000+01:00

I got some very strange looks as I carted my newly bought vintage suitcases home this week. There we were youngest in double pushchair sat next to 3 suitcases piled on top of one another in the seat next to her, with #2 walking alongside. Not only did we get some puzzled glances we also got some odd comments! I couldn't decide in the end if people thought it was cruel that my 3 year old was having to walk whilst the suitcases travelled in style or if they thought I was a gypsy travelling alone with two young kids either way, I couldn't help but laugh!

And here they are safely at home with the other two I bought a few weeks ago. I must say I am totally in love with there usefulness and charm. Each one is so different, in size, colour and in condition, and even the most scruffiest one tells a story. The large suitcase on the bottom fascinates me with its stickers of countries visited.

To me , they conjure up some fantastic images and stories in my mind!

They work so well storing all my excess fabric and are great for transporting my handmade goods to the fairs, it was an ingenious idea of Mr D, though at the time of suggesting it I don't think he was expecting five to appear in our bedroom! He is beginning to think a studio would be a very good idea, I wish!!

For now I will be grateful for my new found storage solution, at least they stack neatly away on top of my wardrobe and I can spend my nights dreaming of where they have travelled and what they have seen.

I can imagine they have a tale or too to tell!

Just one more day!

2011-06-06T09:07:00.000+01:00

I'm trying to ignore the fact that today is Monday and Mr D has just gone off to work, and tomorrow my two boys return to school and nursery. We've had a lovely week off and had our first camping trip of the year, made even more exciting as we met up with my Brother in law and family which meant the kids had two older cousins to play with, or should I say to keep entertained!

There was plenty of 'follow my leader' going on!

And plenty of new places to visit even though we never left the county of Devon!

Bicton Botanical Gardens did not disappoint and there was so much to see and do that it was impossible to explore it all in a day.

Though I know there will be no complaints from the kids when we say we want to go back, they loved it!

And with memories of days like this it is so difficult to contemplate the thought of returning to our normal routine tomorrow. So the plan for today is a morning spent in pjs and an afternoon for the boys spent at the park with Grandparents, and for me time on the sewing machine, a great end to the holiday then!

Taking Time Out

2011-05-10T11:21:00.000+01:00

I was so excited when I got back from the fair on Saturday to see that my copy of Molly Makes had arrived. I first read about this new handmade living magazine on twitter and had high expectations and so far I have not been disappointed.

Sitting there Saturday evening, flickering through this gorgeous magazine which is packed with lovely photos, inspiring articles and things that I want to make was just what I needed to help me relax. Such perfect timing as I had given myself Saturday night off from sewing!!

My photos do not do this attractive magazine justice and with contributors like Dotty Angel, Fine Little Day and Lola Nova you know that it's going to be high quality it reads like a best ever blog list.

Like many of us I had high hopes for Sew Hip which started so well but has never really recovered from losing Manda from treefall design as Editor so I do think there is a place for magazines like this. Even with most of us following blogs which are great inspiring reads I do love to buy and hold a paper magazine.

Even Mr D has picked this magazine up and commented on how well it is put together. There is a great mix of things to make, ideas for sewing, places to go, but it is the articles of people's homes that interest me the most. It has come at a time when I really need to rethink my work space and try and organise it so I can be better prepared and more productive, so pictures like the one above and below have given me loads of ideas on how I can go about achieving my goal. Wouldn't you just love a space like Zee Longenecker's workspace below!

There is a very reasonable offer on at the moment 3 issues for £5 which is a great way of trying this magazine out at very little cost. And believe me you will be left wanting more. I am so pleased that this is a monthly magazine, I am already counting the days until the next issues comes through my door!

Here We Go!

2011-05-06T23:42:00.000+01:00

Well I'm all packed up and as ready as I'll ever be for my second fair tomorrow.

I'm surprisingly more nervous about tomorrow than I was about the first fair I did a month ago and I feel some what less organised largely down to all the holidays and short weeks the boys have been having lately. When I agreed to do to this fair I completely forgot about the Easter holidays and no school/pre-school means I get very little sewing time so the last few days whilst they have been back at their various places I have been sewing like crazy!

I haven't finished all the projects I had hoped to have completed and some have been shelved for another time! But I have managed to get a couple of tea cosies sewn up one in a gorgeous retro tea time print and one out of some vintage fabric out of my stash. I've also made some mini bunting that looked so perfect on my daughters shelving that I'm almost tempted to not take it to the fair!

As I type this, the photos are starting to appear blurred so I think it must be time to get some well earned sleep, well after I've finished hand writing the last of my labels for my bibs. I must look into a better way of doing my care labels! I can only hope that the rain that is pelting down now eases off tomorrow otherwise there won't be a single sole at the fair!! Never mind!

Right now I'm actually looking forward to an evening tomorrow doing

No sewing!

Infectious Enthusiasm

2011-04-11T09:26:00.000+01:00

Do you ever get caught up in other peoples enthusiasm and before you know it find yourself agreeing to things that if you had any sense you would say no to!

Well after phoning to enquire about putting my name down for a Christmas craft fair (yes, I really was thinking that far ahead!) I found myself signing up for a craft fair that was to happen in 2 weeks time. It wasn't until I was telling Mr D and a friend all about it and seeing the look of horror on their faces that the realisation of what I had agreed to started to dawn on me. How an earth was I going to be able to sew enough stock in 14 days to fill a 6ft table!!

Well let's just say a very helpful and patient husband helps and plenty of sleepless nights! It's quite surprising what you can achieve when focused and somewhat stressed! I don't recommend it though. Trying to create a stall worth of stock in such little time as well as looking after 3 young kids it's quite hard work!

But standing there on Saturday behind my stall and making my first sale which luckily wasn't my last, all the lack of sleep, nerves and stress seemed worth it. And to be quite honest I felt very proud of myself. I had a good morning though the fair went quiet in the afternoon, I think the warm sunshine probably had a lot to do with that. I had a very positive reaction from both buyers and other stall holders so the event has certainly not put me off doing another one.

I now have some good stock which I can 'slowly' add to! I have been loading some of my new stock to my new on-line shop
a crafty hen where I will be selling items I make using new fabrics. But for now we have the Easter holidays to attend to, a house that needs spring cleaning due to hardly any house work having been done in the last two weeks and my mum coming to stay, so I best go and get the hoover out!

It must be the sunshine!

2011-03-19T21:29:00.000Z

The weather over the last few days really has been magnificent.

Blue skies, a warmth in the sun, a smell about the air that is a sign that everything is beginning to wake up. Little by little there are true signs of spring, the birds are singing the spring bulbs are brightening the garden up and the seedlings are making good progress in the greenhouse. And as for me,

I've been surrounding myself with 'spring' fabrics!

It's been a real joy to pick out this gorgeous orange and pink vintage floral print and match it up with other vintage and new fabrics. With the sun streaming through the window whilst I sew, creating this large drawstring bag has been a pleasure.

Both sides are different and are finished with a trim of velvet ribbon.

It is fully lined with another summery vintage print and closes with a cream barley twist rope. It is a perfect size for keeping laundry in or even toys.

It is part of my slowly increasing 'Dotty Vintage' range in my Folksy shop . I have also added a set of two burp cloths also made out of this lovely range of cheerful fabrics.

These handy cloths match perfectly with my 'dotty vintage' bib making it a lovely idea for a gift.

Well that's me done!!

I'm off to have a good night sleep as tomorrow we are digging over the allotment, a job that needs doing but is rather back breaking! At least it looks like we will be doing it in sunshine!

Enjoy :)

The Post I've Been Meaning To Write!

2011-03-04T10:05:00.000Z

Honestly this is one of those blog posts I've mean being to write for the past few weeks!
I've been very lucky to have been passed 2 blog awards a Stylish Award from Emily Parkes and Lou at littlegreenshed and a Liebster award from Justine at sewjustinesew. A big thank you to all three of you, it's always lovely to know that people do read what you waffle on about!!
One of the parts of the award is to list 7 facts about yourself, interesting facts!! And this is where my mind goes blank! I have been lucky enough to receive a couple of awards before and did manage then to come up with 7 facts, but another 7 things, do I have that many more interesting facts about myself!! I must have! I am very happy to realise that I am not the only one who has struggled to think of things. Beth at Thelinencat made me laugh when she wrote "let’s face it, obviously I’m just very dull" when she suffered a mental block when trying to think of those 7 things! I can understand entirely how Beth was feeling.

But not to be defeated I have put my thinking cap on and have had a brainstorming session . This got me thinking, "What intrigues me about people I'm interested in?" I'm always fascinated to see inside someone's home, even better inside someone's work space/studio this got me thinking about people's collections. What someone collects can often tell you a lot about someone and then I got thinking about fabric! At the end of the day I collect fabric and the nosey person I am always enjoys seeing other peoples fabric stash!
So I thought I would show you my 7 favourite prints that I have stashed away!!

I once read an article about fabric shopping that said people who buy fabric come under one of two categorises; one who buys fabric to use for a project, and the other, a person who buys fabric on impulse. Well I do both! But it is the fabrics that get my heart pumping that little bit quicker that really excite me. I often have an idea in my mind of what I will eventually use them for others I quite frankly just have to have!!! The following fabrics are in no particular order but this one has got to be the one that I am most precious about. I am yet to use it and am annoyed that I only have a fat quarter to play with! I bought it from Isabelleandkate's shop on folksy which I didn't realise until much later was misformake's shop.

I have no idea who the designer of the fabric is other than it is Japanese. I love the simplicity of the design and the colours and know that one day when I use this fabric it will definitely be for a project for myself!!
The next fabric is a vintage piece. It's called 'Heidi' and is by Genia Sapper. I fell in love with the print when I spotted it in a design magazine and spent awhile tracking it down, I eventually found the odd piece on ebay. After being outbid many times I finally 'won' this piece which was used as a curtain. I intend to use it for cushions but haven't yet been able to bring myself to cut into it!

My third fabric is an Amy Butler print called Chrysanthemum. I love the olive colour of the background and the sky blue leaves of the chrysanthemum's. Let's be honest no fabric stash would be complete without an Amy Butler fabric!

Anna Maria Horner is another designer I can't imagine my fabric stash being without! I've been slowly collecting her Little Folks Voile to make a quilt for my daughter and it is this print that especially stands out for me. It's the use of the deep colour's that I particularly like and can imagine using it one day for a top for myself.

Now this fabric I bought the second I saw it! It's a great Japanese woodland print.

You'll probably see a theme running through my favourite 7 fabrics that I didn't quite realise until I started to photograph them, that they all tend to be blues and browns! Like this one again from Japan.

I bought this fabric from one of my favourite shops on etsy ikoplus. Again it's such a lovely simple design, and being a blend of cotton and linen makes the fabric such a lovely weight. Staying with a simple design is this print from Joel Dewberry.

This is one of those fabrics where you buy a fat quarter, only to know as soon as you see it that, that won't be enough so immediately buy more, and then have a panic on when you realise that it's becoming more and more difficult to find!! I just love this print from his deer valley collection. It has a great vintage feel to the design. And then finally my 7th fabric choice is a vintage fabric that I picked up from the scrap store. I managed to find two pieces and have already cut one up ready to make into a quilt for our lounge.

So there you have it my favourite 7 fabrics. I've had great fun pulling out and choosing them and have come to the conclusion that instead of having them stacked away hidden in my cupboard, it would seem somewhat more sane if I was to use them all!
Why is it that some fabrics are just so difficult to cut into!!

Was that a glimpse of Spring?

2011-02-20T20:59:00.000Z

I do believe it was!!

We have had a gorgeous spring weekend that has shown us a little of what is to come!

It's been the most perfect weekend to go exploring a spring bulb garden.

At varying paces!

Even the frogs had a spring in their hop!

Today's outing has almost been so perfect that I will just about forgive the fact that it is now pouring down and the forecast for the next five days of half term week is rain.

Almost forgive I say but not quite!

Come back Spring!

Wait For Me!

2011-02-11T14:03:00.001Z

I can't believe we are already in February,

February, where did January go?

And yet in a weeks time it'll be half term and then March.

I wish I could just slow down time just enough for me to catch up with it! Everywhere I look there is something to be done, many little jobs, some more important than others, but nevertheless they all need doing. I keep telling myself to concentrate (yes I talk to myself!! But that's I whole different story!) on one thing at a time but then the time runs out and something else pops up that needs doing immediately and the other job I was doing remains half done!! I know they are many of us out there swaying from one thing to another. Running from school to nursery, from washing machine to cooker, doing the shopping, the cleaning, trying to find the quiet times to encourage a reluctant 5 year old to read, the decorating of the bathroom that is long overdue and is turning into such a nightmare I'm beginning to wish we had never started.

And then there are the jobs that we create ourselves, no one told us to take on more allotment, no one told us to buy all the fruit bushes that were on offer and are now sitting outside our back door waiting to be planted into their new home. No one told us to order all the different varieties of tomato seeds that are now needing to be sown into their trays, which means finding the propagators and more importantly finding an area in the house that they can start their lives undisturbed by little hands!

And I find myself when we finally sit down of an evening having to remind myself that all these extra jobs are ones that we have put upon ourselves, and the stresses that arise from them are stresses that we have created. And maybe life would run a little smoother and calmer if we didn't have all these extra pressures. And I realise that I am my own worst enemy. It was only me who agreed after a chance meeting, to go and see another local shop about supplying them with handmade bibs and possibly more. I could have quite easily said, "Thank you very much, but I'm not sure I have the time at the moment", and yet those words never came out!! Instead my head was whirling with possibilities, these chances don't come up everyday let alone appear right in front of you, when you least expect it. So I have to remind myself to remember that all these stresses and pressures and all the extra hobbies that we have are what make us.

Mr D and I wouldn't be the same without these extra activities. The fact that we grow some of our own vegetables moulds who we are and changes what we believe in. The fact that I sew changes the way I see things. Someday I will have more time and as much as I find myself longing for these extra hours I know that they will come soon enough, and that right now I need to enjoy the busyness and lack of time that young children bring.

And yes I am going to blog this post without photos as it means that I get this finished, as I have a kitchen full of shopping to put away, cooking of apple muffins to be done with #2 in the hour I have before picking #1 up from school!! So I must go and carry on running around, and unfortunately for now I think I'm just going to have except the fact that I have a hundred and one things that need doing!

Dotty Vintage

2011-01-17T12:17:00.000Z

I've come over all spotty!
I've been tidying up my fabric stash and on seeing these spots of Amy Butler's, I couldn't resist having a play around with them, they work so well with vintage fabrics. I think the combination of the fabrics create something very cheerful, bright and playful, perfect for a young child.

These three bibs are the start of a range of "Dotty Vintage" items that are now in my Folksy shop.

Backed with soft, absorbent cotton terry towelling, and a generous size with two snap fasteners, they are perfect for newborn right the way up to a toddler.

If I was to have a favourite then it would have to be the turquoise, the colours are so fresh and vibrant.

I'm having so much fun playing with these spots that there will be more colour ranges to come!!

So it's 2011

2011-01-13T20:22:00.000Z

I'm still here and enjoying getting back into some sort of a routine! Which is something I never thought I'd hear myself say, as I loathe the school run, but now after the Christmas holidays, I realise how much we all need some structure in our day. Even E our youngest who is only 15 months old benefits from the routine set by her older brother and his school day. To be honest by the end of the holidays and after having all three children suffering with chicken pox, our days were all over the place. Christmas 2010 will always be remembered as the spotty one!

We spent a lot of the holidays indoors, so it was lovely Sunday to be able to get out of the house and quite literally blow away the cob webs. There's nothing quite like splashing in the sea to get rid of cabin fever!

Or having a waddle on the sand!

So with the first full week of school coming to an end, we are all slowly getting back into our routines. J has realised that school unfortunately carries on even after Christmas! A is finding his 4 sessions at nursery saps his strength! And E is getting back into her daily naps! So hopefully I will get back into the swing of blogging and maybe even more importantly find the time to catch up on all the blogs I read.
You just never know!

Goodbye 2010

2010-12-31T18:12:00.000Z

We have a household full of kids with chicken pox. So the last few days and nights have been difficult and tiring to say the least. But we have the music going now and are having a boogie with the kids and I don't think it'll be long before we treat ourselves to a glass of Elderflower Champagne, so we are slowly getting into the spirit of things!

[Flossing after the turkey!]

We won't be staying up to see midnight in, hopefully we will be snoring away catching up on some lost sleep!

Whatever your celebrations I hope you all have a good night.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year,

and a Prosperous 2011

xxxxxx

This Is It!!

2010-12-24T20:29:00.000Z

The mince pie and carrot are by the fire waiting for Father Christmas and his reindeer, the children's stockings are ready and we have just put three very excited kids to bed!

We've been tracking Father Christmas and as I write he is delivering presents to children in Madagascar!
So he is on his way!
I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas,
Best wishes and enjoy xxx

Finished And Complete!!

2010-12-23T20:40:00.000Z

The last of the wrapping is finished.

The trip to the butchers is done, and my last bits of sewing are complete!

Our daughter's present is a wooden pram, and no pram would be complete without a quilt set!

The pram has red wheels so using this as my inspiration I chose a Russian Doll fabric that I have had in my stash for ages and I couldn't resist teaming it with one of the Westfalenstoffe prints.

I've made it reversible and it'll be interesting to see which side she prefers to tuck her dolls up in.

I've used a plain linen for the mattress and also used it with the Russian doll print on one side of the pillow which is my favourite part of the set.
So with this present finished I have put my sewing machine to bed for Christmas!
Well until Boxing Day that is!

4 More Sleeps To Go!

2010-12-21T14:30:00.000Z

Every morning my oldest tells me how many more sleeps there are till Christmas. Too him the ever decreasing number of days brings excitement, for me it brings on just an ounce of stress and concern! Will we have everything ready for the big day!

The disruption caused by the snow might mean that certain parcels haven't arrived and that a weekend spent with my parents in law didn't quite go as planned, with them stuck the other side of the moor, with the only road between us closed by the police due to heavy snow, but the snow has meant that Mr D hasn't been able to work, which has it's bonuses as it's meant that I've been able to get on with making Christmas presents.

After seeing the flannel/Voile scarf tutorial over on Seamzine I knew that I wanted to make them for my mum and sister and of course myself!! I was wondering what Anna Maria Horner's voile would be like to work with, so I decided I best make my scarf first, purely for learning purposes you understand! The Diamond Mine in Ink goes perfectly with her flannel Forest Hills in Moonlight which I have become just a little obsessed with, and have already bought more to use for a blanket for #3. The scarves are very quick to do, I found the cutting took the longest. The voile and flannel are lovely to sew through.

The finished scarf can be worn wrapped round 2 or 3 times. Worn with the voile against your skin it gives you the feeling of wearing silk and worn the other way, the flannel makes it the most cosy of scarves. I chose a mix of mauves and yellows for my mum's scarf and Diamond Mine Sky for my sister's.

I apologise over the quality of the photographs!! They do not show the scarves at their best, but time is limited and I decided to try and do them myself rather than rope Mr D into helping. There is something about the bottom photo that I adore however unclear it is!
Right that's another job to tick off my Xmas to do list!!
I am slowly getting through the jobs and have high hopes that on Christmas Eve we will be able to relax with a glass of port, rather than having the last minute rush wrapping gifts, that has over the years become quite normal in our house at Christmas time!

Busy Sewing Stockings!

2010-12-14T22:43:00.000Z

In any spare time that I've found lately I've been busy making stockings for the kids. Last year they ended up using some walking socks of ours as we couldn't find their stockings. And I've come to the conclusion after rummaging through the attic that somehow they have ended up being thrown out. Of course no Christmas is complete without hanging up your stocking on Christmas Eve so I've been eager to get this project finished.

I found a free pattern on Denyse Schmidt site's called "All the Trimmings Stockings" and if I'd looked properly would have noticed that she includes a pattern for the stocking that you can print out and enlarge. I didn't notice so got Mr D to draw the shape for me, which I think adds to the uniqueness of them. I made the first stocking up following the pattern's instructions for quilting through all three layers, folding down the top edge and sewing around the top, but I don't think the finish is very neat, though that's probably a lot more to do with me rushing than the pattern!

So for the other two I made a separate liner that I sewed in at the end and I much prefer the finish. I also played around with the "trimmings" and added some of the fabric from the body of the stockings to the top. I'm really pleased with how they have turned out and also of how quickly they came together.

I also love the fact that they are similar but different enough that each child has one that is their own so hopefully no arguing Christmas morning over whose is whose!
And of course the most important thing is the fact that the boys are also very happy with them, especially the size of them. They have never had such big stockings and are now busy imagining how many gifts Father Christmas will be able to fit into them. Saying that I too are wondering how many presents it's going to take to fill them!

A Christmas Sale!

2010-12-10T12:04:00.000Z

With Christmas quickly approaching and the last posting date before Christmas in my shop being the 15th of December, I am offering 20% off all Christmas Bibs and Decorations.

So if your looking for a special something for a little person or a unique decoration to decorate your home then please take a look in my Folksy shop.

Vintage Wise Old Men

2010-12-06T19:52:00.000Z

It's surprising what can be found in a sleepy village in Devon.

Well actually, not that sleepy, it would be better described as positively thronging! Which is a great sight to see and one that I feel I miss out on, as I normally work on a Saturday. So with day off work booked we decided last minute to cancel our family shopping trip to Exeter, I'm so glad we did. We haven't been to Exeter for well over a year and I have very fond memories of sitting outside a cafe by the Cathedral but whatever were we thinking, Christmas shopping with three young kids?? Thankfully we came to our senses before it was too late and headed instead to Ashburton.

Ashburton is filled with independent shops, antiques and collectables sit amongst quirky giftware shops, and a lovely vintage emporium that was so wonderfully set up that the boys collapsed onto the sofas and asked where the TV was! Which was great as it gave me chance to mooch and stumble across these two vintage hanging ornaments and this lovely teal vintage fabric.

We found an amazing fish deli, that not only provided us with red mullet for our evenings dinner but also a great selection of olives where we found the brightest green olives I've ever seen. They even had a sign up saying "these have not been dyed" as they were so vivid. The boys came to the conclusion that they must be alien olives!

I couldn't resist this card by Rob Ryan which I hope to frame as part of our decorations.

But it really was these two wise men that were the star find of the day, with their crowns and their jewels, and who are now going to take pride of place in our festive decorations.

Christmas Shopping, Fabric Style!

2010-12-03T21:10:00.000Z

Christmas offers such a perfect excuse to do some fabric shopping!

And I've been doing my fair share lately. Luckily the weather hasn't managed to stop our postman doing his deliveries! In fact Mr D thinks I single handily keep the Post Office going,
how cheeky of him!

I've been after some festive fabric to make the children's stockings out of, a print that's not too childish, something that is reasonably stylish, and I think I've definitely found it in these quirky prints from Westfalenstoffe, which I brought from Celticfusionfabrics.

They are adorable, and I haven't been able to resist ordering more when I saw a few different prints over at Fabricrehab. I've also bought some fabrics over at Saints and Pinners. I think they will become a staple in my stash and not only for Christmas as I can imagine so many uses for them and at £1.75 for 1/4 meter they are very good value for money.

As for today, I spent a lovely hour this morning shopping for voiles and flannels to use to make Christmas presents, well that was my excuse! It was a very indulgent online shopping trip that unfortunately came to a very abrupt end when I realised that the washing machine pipe which I thought I had defrosted was in fact still frozen and we had a stinking puddle of dirty water on the utiltiy floor.

How ever lovely the sprinkling of snow we've had is, I really wouldn't mind it getting just a little warmer!

In for a Penny, In for a Pound!

2010-11-29T20:25:00.012Z

I have this very annoying habit of giving myself extra stress when quite frankly life, especially heading towards Christmas, is hectic enough! What makes me do it I don't know, probably the lack of hindsight is partly to blame! So last week I found myself in a shop in my local town asking whether they would stock or even just display some of my Christmas baby bibs.

Now I've been thinking of approaching this shop for awhile but my nerves always get the better of me, so why last week was different I don't know. Of course starting a new "venture" just a few weeks before xmas is ridiculous, maybe the fact that I was half expecting them to say no has something to do with it. So when they said yes and then started talking of all the things I could make for them reality started to hit home. And I came away a little shell shocked! When do I think I will have the spare time to start doing all these very exciting new things?! And of course even just getting a few bibs ready to take in to the shop at the weekend meant spare minutes spent writing out labels and thinking of a way of displaying them.

I've been given quite a free rein at the shop, though they have suggested Cath Kidston's fabrics to possibly appear in some of the items. I have mixed feelings about this, from a business point of view it makes sense, especially when I look around the town, but I am hoping that once the owner sees the astonishing range of fabrics new and vintage that you can get these days that they will be convinced that other fabrics are just as saleable.

In exchange for the "freedom", the shop will only pay me if an item sells, so that way it doesn't seem like such a gamble for them and they have agreed to take a commission of 30% which I feel is very reasonable, but being new to this game I don't really know. So the last few days have been very exciting as well as rather daunting.

I delivered my first few bibs on Saturday and I am really pleased with the way they look. I bought the "Santa's little helpers" fabric earlier on this year and have had great fun teaming it up with other festive fabrics. I am hoping to take in a couple more made out of some different fabric this week. But I think my ideas for stockings and blankets are going to have to shelved for this year! I must soon start on some of my family sewing. I really can't believe its nearly the 1st of December, I must finish our Christmas shopping.

I have listed the patchwork bib above in my folksy shop and I am hoping to have another one listed in the next couple of days. I must look into last posting days as I think they will be upon us before I know it. I have had some feedback from a lady who brought some items from my folksy shop and she said that buying from the site was quite hard work, rather complicated, and thought the fact that she had to register quite annoying. I don't know if anyone else has any thoughts on the matter. I think it is a shame that you can't buy on the site without setting up an account and going through the registering process and do wonder if this puts people off? Anyway it is a thought I will continue to ponder over, but right now I must start preparing for Mr D's birthday which is tomorrow, and just seems to have crept up on me and bitten me on my bum!

Ouch!

I'm no Super Mum!

2010-11-25T14:29:00.000Z

I'm sat surrounded my all three children due to #1 being off school ill. Unfortunately both him and his younger sister have upset stomachs so it doesn't look like we are going anywhere today. The place is a mess with toys everywhere, I feel like I've got 3 extra shadows and quite frankly I have forgotten how exhausting it is having three young children at home all day. However upset #1's stomach maybe (and believe me it's awful!) on the face of it he seems fine. It certainly doesn't seem to have affected his voice and his constant list of demands. But I am no super-mum, or even an octopus and he is beginning to realise that not treated right I can be just as stern as his teacher!

But this week is no where near as emotionally draining as last week, which quite frankly was a week to forget and just as I thought it couldn't get any worse I realised mid way through Friday morning that the black Tahitian pearl that sits proudly on my engagement ring was missing. Well as I'm sure you can imagine, Madame here who was already an emotional mess rather lost it, and started wailing and turning the house upside down, much to the puzzlement of my 3 year old who found it all strangely exciting as he loves a good treasure hunt! And quickly got his magnifying glass! Miraculously, after calming myself down, I re-traced my footsteps and found it amongst tissues in my coat pocket!! It is now at the jewellers, and I've got my fingers crossed that it will come back as good as new as they have warned me that it needs to be drilled there is a chance it may break. I am being positive (well trying) and believing that it will all be ok!

So after all that "excitement" with the ring I decided that Friday afternoon I must do something nice with #2 that didn't include watching his mummy cry! He has been asking for awhile for a cape, but it's always at the wrong moment, either just before bed or just as we've about to leave the house to do the school run, so I suggested that we made him the cape that he wanted. After he got over the fact that I didn't have any purple fabric, as apparently all superheroes have purple capes, he settled on blue and then choose to have two circles on the back and did surprise me with his colour choices. He sat on my lap patiently while I used the sewing machine and it was a great quick project that we both got something out of. Though it wasn't until after we'd finished and I put it on him that I realise it looks like he has one big target on his back!

Of course as soon as #1 saw it he wanted one and they decided that they wanted to go to the party Sunday as superheroes. Unfortunately in my usual forgetful manner, it wasn't until 5 minutes before we left the house that #1 reminded me that I hadn't done him a cape so not wanting to upset him I spent a hectic moment cutting and sewing and explaining that it wasn't possible in the time scale to sew the words "super hero" across the back! It wasn't until we were running to the party that I realised I had made the cape the same size as his younger brothers so it was in fact at least 4 inches to short! Oh well, as I said I'm no super mum and considering #1 took it off after 10 minutes on this occasion I really don't mind!

Time to Decorate!

2010-11-17T21:47:00.002Z

I'm really very excited about Christmas this year.

The boys excitement is certainly catching and I can't wait for our 1 year old to see all the lights and 'sparkley's' that Christmas offers!

All this anticipation has got me busy sewing, not the i-pod case promised for Mr D, or the skirt and trousers planned for #3, not even the stockings that need to be ready to be hung, oh no I've been busy making decorations!

Whilst making my 'Hidden Trees' my mind has been whirling with other ideas using the same concept as 'stacking trees'. And with Christmas nearly upon us it seemed only natural to create a hanging tree decoration.

I've had so much fun going through my fabric stash and pulling out 'festive' fabrics that I now have a work top full of mini trees ready to be finished!

I've enjoyed mixing vintage fabrics with linen,

finding all my red fabrics, and being surprised at how many I have!

These so remind me of toadstools, which again has set my mind racing but I've capped it for now, though my sketch book is getting full!

I must say I'm in love with this blue set and are going to make some for our house.

What I haven't enjoyed lately is trying to get a decent photo of them. I've brought white boards, had Mr D helping by holding boards up trying to diffuse the light, been traipsing all over the garden to find an area in full sun but without any shadows, been fretting and then being told to calm down and get a grip!!

The light has been terrible and it does make me realise why it would be worth getting prepared for Christmas in the summer. Which is definitely another lesson in crafting learnt!

All sets of Hanging Tree Christmas Decorations are now available in my Folksy shop!

Pour Mamie x

2010-11-14T21:23:00.000Z

My little girl decided that Wednesday was the day to start walking.

I came home from work to a very excited household and cries from the boys "Mummy she can walk"!!

It's such a huge moment in their development and one that is so cute and special.

And also one that I so deeply wish I could share with her Grandparents, so for Mamie and of course Papy here is your Granddaughter finding her feet!

{Please ignore my voice! Don't you just hate hearing a recording of yourself talking!}

Like A Girl In A Sweet Shop

2010-11-12T17:03:00.000Z

We are lucky enough to have a quilting shop in our town, which from the fact that its often very difficult to move in there due to the amount of shoppers it's doing very well. I see it more as a "sewing" shop as it's the haberdashery section that excites me. I rarely look at the fabric which is very 'traditional' and mainly moda, for me it is the treasure trove that is passed all that tucked round the corner out the way. Delve into the shelves of ribbons and ric rac, baskets of threads and well quite frankly nearly everything that a sewer could need is there. And if like me, who acts like a child in a sweet shop, it's not often what I need that I buy it's often what I can't bear to not buy that I leave the shop with!

So armed with a list, I set foot in the 'sweet' shop on my lunch break, which gives me a chance to concentrate on what I'm looking for rather than worrying about what little fingers are up to. And who can blame them from wanting to touch all the trinkets of delights in there.

So yes armed with my simple list of thread and ribbon, I left the shop with the above purchases!

Quite refrained I thought!

One of the things that I have been struggling to find in there are some beads to go on some decorations that I'm making. The ones above unfortunately don't fit onto the thread I'm using, but just as I was beginning to think I was going to have to look online, Mr D reminded me that a bead shop had opened up in town. Now I'll admit that like many others, when it became common knowledge that this prime empty shop was to open selling beads, I wondered how on earth a bead shop was going to help our struggling high street. Surely a bakers or even a fishmongers would be more useful? So there I found myself somewhat begrudgingly standing in this sparse shop. But my thoughts of "why do we need a bead shop" soon disappeared when I noticed that the walls looked like they were glistening.

I even didn't flinch when being offered a loyalty card and found myself eagerly signing up! The shop reminded me of why I loved playing with beads as a young girl and of why when a student I use to make simple necklaces to sell to other students in exchange for drinks! I found myself thinking of attending a workshop that they hold there, better still arranging a bead party! I truly feel spellbound by the place, the beauty, colour and variety of the beads is amazing.

I left the shop with more than enough beads and my head whirling with ideas of sewing projects that I can do, that give me an excuse to go back and buy more of the 'sweets' in the shop.

Why does our town need a bead shop?

Surely every town needs one!

46 days and counting!

2010-11-09T11:00:00.000Z

The trouble with Halloween and Bonfire night being over is that you become very aware of what is just round the corner.

There's simply no hiding away from the fact that in 46 days time it will be Christmas day!

So I've decided to embrace the fact that in 46 DAYS time we will have wrapping paper all over the lounge floor! We will be tripping over more toys and that the boys will have already eaten too much chocolate.

In fact I've embraced it so much, that the boys already have a star that lights up hanging in their room. Well that and the fact that #2 made it impossible to leave the shop without it, and then once at home there was no way he was going to let me put it away until December. So for an easy life its up and shining, and I'm passing it off as a night light!

So if like me your starting to think of Christmas, and are looking for some decorations for the festive season, then you might like to know that I have just listed two more sets of "Hidden Tree, Hidden Forest" in my shop.

A more traditional set of five Gold and Green trees, and then a very "Granny Chic" set of five purple and blue trees, which I must say are my favourite so far and are definitely not just for Christmas!

The Generosity of Bloggers

2010-11-08T20:45:00.000Z

I was the very lucky winner of Mother of Purl's "Great Autumn Giveaway", and my package of delights arrived last week, and they fit so perfectly into my Autumn loving at the moment that I thought I must share with you my winnings.

So cutely wrapped up,

That I don't mind admitting I've taken off and saved all the stickers! I love the foxes as for the hedgehog!

The generosity of fellow bloggers will never cease to amaze me.

Inside my parcel was not only the shopping bag that Charley has embroidered herself using one of Andrea Zuill's patterns but also more seasonal goodies.

The Observer's book of Wild Flowers that I can add to our collection. I can't wait to try the gooseberry jam, and Mr D has informed me that he thinks the mystery bulbs are crocuses and has very kindly already got them planted up so I'm looking forward to seeing if he is right in Spring!

Thanks Charley, you've given me yet another reason to adore this season.

The colours of Autumn

2010-11-04T16:24:00.000Z

Halloween has not passed us by this year without leaving its mark.

Our kitchen table has become home to an ever growing collection of pumpkins, in all shapes and sizes.

I'd love to be able to tell you that we grew them all, but that would be stretching the truth somewhat!

I think seeing these wonderful coloured squashes everyday has started to influence me in my shopping,

I couldn't resist this hand knitted cushion that sits on the sofa looking like one huge over grown pumpkin!

Or these vintage fabrics, reflecting the colours of Autumn,

I'm even enjoying the fallen leaves that cover our lawn. Unlike Mr D who is trying very hard to keep on top of collecting them up. The brightness that they bring lights the garden up, which is very welcome in the dull grey days we've been having of late.

So even though Halloween is over and the nights are drawing in I'm refusing to let go of Autumn and I'm not quite ready to admit that Christmas is just around the corner!

Hide n Seek

2010-10-26T14:13:00.000+01:00

I've been a fan of Hidden Eloise's work for sometime. So I've been very excited about receiving this parcel.

I find Elosie's drawings enchanting, full of magic and wonder, and this print is my favourite. Even the name of the print makes me fall in love with her caracters that bit more
"He says he can hear the forest whisper"
......I can only hear his big heart.
Her blog is also a wonderful place to escape to for awhile.

Even though the print looks right at home amongst my growing forest of vintage trees, it is actually a present for a very dear friend.
But I don't mind, for I know that she will full in love with the fairytale print just as much as I.

Happily Drowning in Vintage Fabric!

2010-10-23T21:19:00.000+01:00

I'm having great fun sorting through my vintage fabric and putting prints together to make more Christmas Tree's.

My Christmas Forest is certainly growing and more sets will soon be available to buy in my Folksy shop

I've just added some more vintage baby bibs

I love this print but are quickly running out of the fabric, one of the draw backs of working with vintage fabric, though it makes the handmade item that bit more unique.

I'm really happy with this print. I've been searching for a vintage fabric that is suitable for a boy for quite awhile, and I think this is perfect. It certainty will add some retro vibe to any boys outfit.

I'm building up quite a selection of vintage bibs, that I think it's about time I tackle the storage buckets I was busy making for the boys when my machine broke. I'm quite nervous though as the fabric was obviously too thick that it did quite a bit of damage to my machine so I think a re-think is in order!
So it's back to the drawing board for me!

Autumnal delights!

2010-10-20T09:53:00.001+01:00

Autumn you have truly blessed us, with the most gorgeous sunny days of late.

Days so bright and crisp, perfect for learning to ride a bike.

You have shown us such beautiful light and the most spectacular Autumnal colours.

Days so sunny that we have managed to harvest yet another picking of runner and green beans, and a good harvest of borlotti beans. Your rays of sunshine have helped ripen our tomatoes and we even have a few cucumbers in the greenhouse ready for picking.

Days so dry and warm that we found ourselves playing on a deserted beach, paddling in the warm, yes warm shallows!

We have spent days foraging, the last blackberries, the apples that fall to the ground like heavy jewels, destined to become fillings for pies and crumbles.

And maybe best of all has got to be the afternoons spent sitting by the back door in the last heat of the day, teaching eager hands how to use a nut cracker to get into the nuts of our sweet small harvest of hazelnuts.

For all of this and more I thank you Autumn.

Please don't leave us, not for a while anyway!

Why Buy Handmade?

2010-10-16T22:51:00.000+01:00

There can't be a better example of why I love buying handmade than this, Meet Mr Fox....
No wait,
before I introduce you to The Linen Cat's Mr Fox, let me show you why I buy handmade;

The first thing I did after opening the box was to call Mr D to come and take a look, the second thing was to grab my camera. The care and attention Beth has put into her packaging alone is amazing. Have you ever seen a mass produced item arrive so well packaged? Let's just say Mr Fox arrived in style!

And then there are the personal touches, the little extras that are well thought out,
and the ones that are, well quite frankly naughty!
Thanks Beth!

With the internet, and most crafters these days having blogs and twitter sites, it allows us to follow the whole design process through words and photos, it gives us a chance to "get" to know the makers, and this adds to why I find handmade items so special.
So without futher delay, let me introduce you to Mr Fox!

As soon as I discovered Beth's blog I knew that one day I would have to own something that she had made.
I can relate to Beth, she crafts in between bringing up two young boys, grabbing every opportunity she can to sew, inbetween doing the school run and the daily chores, I know the limitations of that, the frustrations that it brings. And all of this adds to the story that lies behind her handmade creations. I find her posts of how she works fascinating, I've seen photos of nearly ever stage of my Mr Fox being made and this helps make him special.

It is clear to see the dedication Beth puts into her work. The quality is amazing, everything is so perfect, so well thought out, so well designed. Even his cravat is a liberty lawn print and is ever so soft, and makes him look so dapper! Her dedication to detail is just fantastic.

So why buy handmade, well because the item you buy is unique.
No two Foxes will quite be the same, yes they have the same outfits, matching cravats, but they are different for the fact that they have hand sewn features. Their hand stitched noses give them their own personality that is unique. So I urge you if your not familiar with Beth's work go take a look at The Linen Cat you won't be disappointed.
For now "my" Mr Fox, is going to stay in his home, in his very posh box as he is #3's Christmas present from Father Christmas, (Santa has very fine taste!) so less of "my" Mr Fox, more of my daughter's Mr Fox, but at least I have a linen bird to call my own!

Hidden Tree, Hidden Forest

2010-10-12T22:35:00.000+01:00

I've been busy making trees!

Christmas trees with a touch of "granny chic".

This set of five trees is now available in my Folksy shop and will make a great alternative to your more traditional Christmas decorations, sitting either on their own or together as a "forest".

They are very 'child friendly', and can be stacked on top of one another to make one large tree or stacked inside one another turning this into a fun hiding game of "Hidden Tree, Hidden Forest"

I've already made a set for us at home, and all the kids have had delight playing with them, it's been interesting watching them as they stack and sort them, then watching as they turn them into hats and then start playing games by hiding other toys under them and having to guess which tree the treasure is hidden under, not that you have to guess to hard as #2 ends up telling you within seconds!

So if your looking for a Christmas decoration that is unusual and quirky and one that is sure to add a vintage vibe to your celebrations then this could be the one for you!
I'll be adding more sets in different vintage fabrics and colours over the next few weeks or if there is a colour-way that your interested in then please email me.

The Next Chapter

2010-10-11T19:59:00.006+01:00

Our little girl turned one over the weekend.

Her first year has flown by and she has quickly become her own person with a lovely cheery character, a great chuckle and a tremendous high pitch squeal, especially when sticking up for herself amongst her brothers!

She has made our family feel complete, (at reading this my mum is probably breathing a huge sigh of relief!) so amongst all the celebrations I can't help but feel a sense of sorrow, a feeling of an ending of an era, the realisation that the "baby" period is behind us. I'm excited at the thought of the future, at being able to watch my children grow, change and blossom. Though I try not to think too far ahead as to be honest I find it all a bit scary and a tad daunting.

{#2 trying to splat gnats! }

For now I'm concentrating on trying to learn how to find a nice balance of keeping three very different individuals, an artistic and very emotional 5 year old, a "wild" free spirited 3 year old, and a strong minded one year old, who seems to think she can do anything her brothers can do, happy and content.

So Happy 1st Birthday my little one,

I'm sure you'll grow out of turning the TV off every time your brothers are trying to watch something they enjoy,

the need to sample the cat's biscuits before emptying the entire contents of the bowl over the kitchen floor,

and the fascination you have with the potty!

Well let's hope so!!!

Come Back Autumn Sun..

2010-10-01T16:23:00.000+01:00

{This moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by Amanda Soule .

Wishing you all a great weekend x

Singer Sadness!

2010-09-27T15:22:00.000+01:00

I've been at a bit of a loss the last few days, due partially to #2 starting pre-school and partially down to the fact that my sewing machine has been at the menders since last Tuesday.
It's the first time I've not had my machine for a couple of years and it's made me realise how much sewing has become a large part of my life.

It all started a week last Friday!
I knew that the prospect of having a day to myself sewing was going to be impossible in reality. But I grabbed the opportunity as sewing time has been non-existent recently, and the day started well with Mr D doing the school run and taking the two younger ones in tow. So I got going on one of the most pointless of projects that I had knocking around. Why I didn't put the dog to one side to concentrate on more important things I don't know. But I wanted to get the dog sewn up which I promptly did and then spent a ridiculous amount of time making a decision on his eyes (which I don't like now as I think he looks more like a non prickly hedgehog crossed with a womble than a dog) in which time the "tribe" had returned home.

So peace was shattered as #2 on being asked to leave mummy alone upstairs, did in his usual manner the complete opposite and I promptly found him at my side refusing to leave the room! Now I should be very grateful that someone enjoys my company so much that they want to be joined at my hip, but occasionally it becomes rather suffocating and this was definitely one of those moments!
Anyhow throughout the day I persisted and eventually got round to the task in hand of sorting out our lack of storage. It's been something I've been meaning to get done for about the last 18 months and I really don't want any more plastic containers in the house and I can't bring myself to buy fabric storage buckets when I know full well that I can make them myself. So with fabric selected and cut I began sewing with #2 watching my every move! Now this is where it turned nasty!

As I had my doubts that the my machine would get through the layers of thick fabric and as it wined then started to make a knocking sound I started to curse the little onlooker who had insisted that the fabric bucket should have handles! Well let's just say the birds nest of thread was a good one and after clearing it out I'd somehow managed to affect the feed dogs and the tension both which I couldn't put right. So after much huffing and puffing, cursing and sighing I resigned myself to the fact that I needed someone who knew what they are doing to look at it. Unfortunately we don't have a menders in town but the local quilt shop does run a service where someone comes in once a week and picks up any machines needing a service or mending, takes them away to return them hopefully fixed the following week. So fingers crossed tomorrow I should have my machine back, oh it will be good to have the rather heavy I must say work horse back! And this time I think I'll pay her a little more respect!

In the meantime it's been hard not to notice that Autumn is here, we even woke to our first frost at the weekend, and the sunshine we've been experiencing in the days has meant we've got some very needed clearing done in the garden, and rather than Mr D occupying the kids whilst I sew he has had a chance to get some wood cut, so I don't think it'll be long before we light our first fire of the season.

Right now in the anticipation of some sewing happening tomorrow I'm off to clear my work space, and make room for my very missed friend!

A Butterfly Cycle

2010-09-19T20:58:00.000+01:00

I'm feeling old!

My middle child has turned 3, and I'm left wondering were does the time go? That and how are we going to top this birthday next year! As today we have had the great pleasure of making his dreams come true! His favourite animals are meercats, butterflies and otters, so to be able to take him to see 2 out of his 3 favourite things was just amazing. And amazing it really was.

The otters didn't disappoint, especially as we got there at feeding time.

He's one even doing a meerkat impression!

Look at those teeth, maybe their not as cute as they look! But it was the butterflies that stole the day.

Everyone of them as stunning as the next.

The boys loved the fact that they could get so close, and the heat and plants made it into a great exploring game.

But for me it was the chrysalis and the butterflies emerging out of them that I found so amazing.

They looked like shells found on an exotic beach,

Or some gorgeous handmade beads.

To see the whole cycle was incredible. And when I say the whole cycle I do mean the whole cycle!

Which seems somewhat fitting, seeing as this time 3 years ago, our second son was born, and what a character he has turned out to be. Mr Arl, you make us smile, you bring tears to my eyes when laughing with you, you give the most amazing hugs for someone so small, but my gowd you make us go bananas.

Happy Birthday xxx

A shop keepers Dilemma!

2010-09-13T12:00:00.000+01:00

After getting off to a flying start with my Folksy shop, with 2 quick sales, it has rather slowed down.

Though I keep telling myself that I need to be patient, I have also been doing some thinking, especially after reading the blog posts on Folksy, which I have found been incredibly informative and useful.

So I have decided to rename my shop! Even though when I set up my Folksy account, I read that you can't change your user name, I rushed into doing it and after setting it up decided I didn't like it and named my shop something different. But even I find it confusing having, sew obsessed as my blog, Sewn Vintage as my shop name, and sew vintage obsessed as my user name, so I have decided to change the name of my Folksy shop to the same as the user name, "Sew Vintage Obsessed", phew!!

I have been busy adding to my shop, in between trying to settle back into our school routine.

Though it'll be all change again next week, when my middle child starts pre-school. He becomes 3 in a weeks time, and he will start to have his own routine, his own "life" out of home, some independence and without being aware of it, he'll start to carve his own way in the world. And what a big world it is for a little 3 year old. At the moment any talk of pre-school results in a shout of "I'm not going" and he has such a strong character that part of me thinks that if that's what he says, that'll be what happens, but I'm pretty sure that once he gets there he will be fine.

As for this week, I'm determined to make the most of him being 2!! And watching him rule the roost whilst his older brother is out at school. It's lovely to watch him play with his sister, who even though is only 10mths old loves to get involved.
So all of this means that I definitely need to get over my new found obsession of checking how many views each item on Folksy has had!! Very sad I know, but unfortunately very true!!

A vintage brain shared!

2010-09-09T12:47:00.000+01:00

It comes in very handy that Mr D and I have similar taste in things or as some would say, "share the same brain"! As it means that I'm safe in the knowledge that when Mr D is wandering through the market past our favourite stall upon spying this vintage curtain he knows without a doubt that the only possible thing for him to do next would be to buy the curtain for his fabric obsessed wife that was at work.

You could even go as far as to call him "well trained", like on Sunday when he took #3 out for a drive to help settle her, on stumbling across 6 cars parked on the moors having a car boot in the Devon drizzle, he was able to spot this retro braid poking out of a pile of boxes on someone's stall.

This 'sharing a brain' also means when thrifting it's possible to know the items that each other won't like or will find funny or even just odd and need to be investigated further! It also means that when we wander around a car boot Mr D knows without the need of speech which boots of 'junk' I will need to rummage through.

So when I spotted these two lovely vintage aprons and this rather special Egersund ceramic lidded pot he knew that the best thing for him to do was to stop, hand out the refreshments to the kids and make room in the pushchair for 'mummies' new purchases!

I will just add that it works both ways and I have quickly learnt that upon coming across a stall full of old tools that my best bet is to find somewhere comfortable to take a breather as it could be sometime before Mr D finishes his bargain hunting!!

Finally ......

2010-09-03T20:44:00.003+01:00

I'm not sure how it happened but some how today I found the time to upload some of my items onto my new Folksy shop. So here it is, Sewn Vintage is born and up and running!!

I've started with my vintage baby bibs, backed with cotton terry towelling.

And vintage fabric burp cloths, backed also with terry towelling that coordinate with the bibs,

I had a little hiccup when it came to uploading the photos, as I haven't realised that Folksy square the photos off, so I had to take a lot of them again taking that into consideration.

I struggle to find any area to photograph items where the light is good and the background is neutral. My sewing table once uncovered offers me a white background but the light isn't great. I'm sure as I go along I'll learn new tricks and to be honest I was starting to think that I wasn't going to get the shop up and running so I'm just pleased to have got my first 6 items onto Folksy!

I have more waiting to go on, probably Monday. And lots of ideas floating around to what I want to do next. What I can say is that I'm starting to work my way through my vintage fabric stash which gives me the most perfect excuse to go shopping!

Looking for some "idees"

2010-09-02T11:41:00.000+01:00

I guess there has to be a plus side to having your parents living in another country. For me one of the bonuses of my mum being in France is getting my hands on copies of "Marie Claire idees" and with my sister returning from a holiday there the other day it means I get to have a flick through the summer issue.

And as ever it's full of lot's of inspiration

Gorgeous uses of colour and fabrics

I especially love the little girls dress.

What about this fish for an idea of what to do with your bottle tops!

This picture has given me lots of ideas of how to make the map on the wall in the boys room more inspiring!!

And I want the globes,

and love these badges!

Even the recipes make me want to get baking,

I've got plenty of courgettes I could use in this courgette and goat cheese bread,

But enough of this relaxing, flicking through magazines, I have a boys uniform that needs naming ready for the start of school on Monday!

If like me you love magazines, you may be interested in the magazine swap going on over at Troc, Broc and Recup, you have until September the 10th to sign up to what looks like a great simple enjoyable swap.

I can't wait to see what magazine I end up with!

When all else fails ................

2010-08-26T20:31:00.000+01:00

Thank goodness for tomatoes!

We've had a really disappointing growing year.

After our nightmare with pea thrips, all our legumes came to very little, which was a shame for the boys, as #2 pointed out as he was ramming the last few tiny peas we found on the rather decaying plants into his mouth, "I like the peas out here, just not the peas in the house" referring to the shop bought peas lying in our freezer.

Out of a dozen or so runner bean seeds sown only a handful appeared and well lets just say they have only just started "running"! The borlotti and french beans have struggled and the sweetcorn is only just looking like we might get a crop.

But who can blame the veg! They started life in a heat wave, struggling for shade and gasping for water

and then they have spent the last two months sat in doom and gloom, and in wind and rain, in what has got to be a couple of disappointing summer months.
So the tomatoes that have been growing in the greenhouse, and have over the last few weeks been producing bountiful amounts of fruit, are a complete treat.

We've had tomato salads, roasted tomatoes with garlic, and gorgeous small yellow cherry tomatoes that don't make it into the house, let alone out of the greenhouse! But even though our allotment hasn't kept us in veg, the generosity of our fellow allotmenteers has. We've had gifts of runners, kale, cabbage, lettuce,and summer squashes, some swapped for soft fruit, which we have done well with this year and some just because!

So with our presents and let's not forget the courgettes which seem to be able to solider on regardless, we haven't gone hungry!

What are we going to do today?

2010-08-21T21:46:00.010+01:00

That was the question asked this morning when we woke to yet another grey, wet and dismal day.

Another day spent cooped up in the house was out of the question and anyway I'd booked the day off so no way was I spending it knocking round the house. So when Mr D said well let's go to the House of Marbles the kids and I jumped at the idea.

And what a brilliant idea it was.

A journey over the moors in the fog driving cautiously so to avoid the sheep who have a tendency to make the road their temporary home was well worth it. The House of Marbles is home to a museum all about marbles and glass, amazing marble runs,

the chance to watch something being made

plenty to keep the boys amused

And all set in an incredible setting,

And then there were the very tempting items to buy,

We were very good,

though we do intend to go back before Christmas!!

Oh and I mustn't forget the boys treat of a bag of their own hand picked marbles a very worthy bag of treasure. And the day didn't end there as Mr D had another trick up his sleeve! In the same village was the Devon Guild of Craftsmen an excellent exhibition place and shop that I've been wanting to visit for quite some time. Oh I was so excited!!

And it didn't disappoint in fact it made me wish I'd stayed focused when I was at art college, but as they say the youth is wasted on the young and at the end of the day I had some living to do.

And the treat of a day didn't end there as Mr D knew of a shop nearby that might interest me, just a little!

It's very surprising what can be found in a sleepy Devon Village

A lovely quilting shop with 20% off in August where I managed to get some lovely flannel prints for trousers for #3, 4 fq of French General Rouenneries to make those napkins that I promised my parents to match their table runner and a couple of other prints that I couldn't leave the shop without!!!!

Oh thank you Mr D,
what an excellent day out regardless of the constant rain, you found that something for all of us!

I turned round and found .............

2010-08-20T15:08:00.003+01:00

A sleeping baby!

I guess lack of sleep catches up with all of us

even the youngest of us!

Oh if only!

A moment of Madness!

2010-08-19T15:50:00.000+01:00

I was so happy to see on my return from work yesterday a parcel had come for me. I waited patiently until the evening when the kids were tucked up in bed to open it,

so I could open it in peace!

But rather than take my time and savour the moment when I realised the vintage pillowcases that I had bought on ebay were in fact still sealed in their original package, a moment of madness came over me, and in my excitement at just how beautiful they were I tore at the packaging, just like a child at xmas, ripping through the bag as if I had no respect for the fact that it was

in it's original packaging!

What was I thinking,

"I can't believe you've just done that" was the remark from Mr D who was stood watching me and had a look of utter disgust on his face at my lack of respect for the vintage fabric.
And I sat and sulked very annoyed with myself.

Today is another day and I'm back admiring them. The print is so vivid, it's astonishing to think they have lasted all this time unused. 78 is marked on the bag so I wonder if this means 1978?

I'm in two minds on whether I can bring myself to cut into them or if they should be used for exactly what they were intended for and be given a home on our bed. Though that could be a bit of a shock to Mr D as they are so bright and funky. Maybe a pillowcase dress for #3, we would certainly see her coming! I quite like the idea of a little skirt for her. Whatever I end up deciding to do with them I have learnt my lesson!!
They now have my utmost respect.!

I've just started having fun over on twitter so if you fancy having a tweet click the twitter bag on side column and I'll see you over there!

Clocking In!

2010-08-17T14:43:00.002+01:00

I've noticed that my last few posts haven't included much sewing even though I have been busy working away on my machine, so I thought it was about time that I shared with you what I've been up to of late.

You see I've been busy plotting!

It all started after Xmas when a friend was telling me how well her home-made jams and chutneys had sold at the school Christmas fair and suggested that I joined her in a stall at the summer fair. Well I think I was still in my 3 children honeymoon period and the full extent of lack of sewing time hadn't really dawned on me. So quite foolishly I agreed. Well the months went by, spring came and went and I quickly realised that I had very little if any real stock. So I was rather relieved when the school announced the date and I realised I was already tied up with #1's birthday party and my friend was in fact away on holiday.

At first I was rather relieved, but that was followed by a feeling of disappointment. I realised that deep down I had been looking forward to it even if the prospect had seemed a little daunting or should that be nerve wrecking!! I always find it a bit scary when I show people what I make! Now the most sensible action at this point would have been to put my few things away and to gradually add to them in preparation for the Christmas fair.

But Oh not I, after a day or two of do I or don't I, I decided to go ahead and open up a folksy account.

Now this is where naivety comes into play. Hats off to all of you that have already got shops up and running. For I did not realise for a second how much time and preparation it would take to set one up. If it wasn't for the recent posts on the folksy blog I don't think I would have got as far as I have and as for HTML's I had no idea they existed until the other day.

So yes Mr D I do have an idea of what to do with my ever increasing collection of vintage fabrics especially the pile of bed linens that I am struggling to find a home for and are currently taking up a lot of room in our bedroom. I am not for a minute thinking that my new adventure will mean I can give up my part-time day job!! But it would be nice to earn a little to help finance my fabric buying obsession. And as I don't think we'll be moving into a bigger house in the near future I must do something with my ever increasing stash.

So there you have it.

I hope soon to have my shop up and running but for now if any of you have any advice that you think might be helpful I'd be more than grateful to hear it!

Catching up

2010-08-12T18:34:00.000+01:00

We're back from our camping trip a little exhausted, a bit damp, and with a new collection of sticks and stones collected by the boys!

I've spent the past couple of days since our return ploughing through our pile of washing and have been desperate to get reacquainted with my sewing machine. My poor machine has spent it's last days hidden under laundry, one of the draw backs of having it set up in our bedroom. But enough is enough so with the want to make something quick and fun, and after a quick flick through my new books which I had for my birthday,

(no birthday is complete in our house without a present of books!)

and voilà a beetle bug was made!

It's a nice and easy softie to make and a perfect opportunity to use up some fabric from my vintage stash and also delve into my felt pack which I bought from Ray Stitch. I've been meaning to make #3 a soft toy for awhile now and seeing her reaction to "bug" I'm sure there'll be more to come.

I'm really pleased with the book, "softies Only a Mother Could Love". I can imagine making most of the softies in it especially these, which would be just perfect for the boys

I'm also looking forward to having a go at one of the patterns out of Emma Hardy's "Making Children's Clothes". I'm a little disappointed that a lot of the patterns start at age 2. I would have liked them to have started a little younger but I'm sure I can adapt them. #3 seems to have already chosen what she likes best out of the book. A very good choice as the bloomers are for her age.

I couldn't resist Anna Maria Homer's "handmade beginnings". I love the way her books are put together, the photographs are beautiful and even though I wish this book had been published when I was pregnant I'm sure there will be projects that I'll make. I especially like the look of this dad bag;

It feels good to have had some sewing time but right now it's going grey outside and with more rain forecast I best go and get the washing in off the line.
Some chores are definitely never ending!

Everything but the kitchen sink!

2010-08-04T22:57:00.000+01:00

Well the car is packed,

the kids are way too excited but thankfully finally asleep,

it looks like we have packed everything but the kitchen sink and

tomorrow we are off camping.

It's the first time all five of us will have slept under canvas and I can't wait and then on the over hand I'm a little worried as last time we went camping with just the boys, #2 woke in the night crying wanting to go "downstairs" so much so he became hysterical. He woke the whole camp-site, we had people coming round wondering what was wrong and in the middle of the night with an over emotional son who at the age of 23mths couldn't be reasoned with it wasn't the most relaxing of experiences!! And slightly embarrassing, so we'll see. We're only going for a few nights so I'll see you soon, god help Cornwall!

Weekend Memories

2010-08-02T09:33:00.000+01:00

Our weekend was spent discovering little things;

who kept us amused!

Meeting up with relatives we haven't seen in ages

and forming new friendships

I hope your weekend was as enjoyable.

A bit way laid.......

2010-07-26T14:36:00.000+01:00

In my search for demi johns I found this pyrex dish;

couldn't believe my luck at finding these vintage sheets

got more than a little distracted by these rather special vintage curtains

and then found myself at my local scrap store where you just have to have a rummage

but my quest wasn't in vain as I did manage to find Mr D his demi johns, 9 for £5 the best bargain of the day,

so in Mr D's excitement my bags of yet more thrifted fabric managed to go unnoticed!

Heads Spinning

2010-07-22T13:00:00.000+01:00

The last week has seen Mr D and myself both engrossed in our own projects. Every evening we have been beavering away.
We haven't had the best success with our veg plot this year. We struggled to keep things watered enough in the heat of June and quite a lot of plants either wilted or bolted! As for the legumes which take over the majority of our plot they just seemed to stand still. The mangetout, which are usually rampant started to produce distorted pods so after some research we discovered that we had pea thrips which explained why we weren't getting a yield of sugar snaps and peas. So we decided to take the plants out. It wasn't an easy decision and it certainly was a frustrating one as its too late to do another sowing but we are hoping that we have caught it in time before it spreads to the broad beans.

On a cheerier note our soft fruit harvest has been amazing.

With a bountiful picking of these summer jewels,

With the kitchen full of baskets brimming with gooseberries, redcurrants and loganberries a decision had to be reached on what we are going to do with them. We still have so much jam and chutney from previous years that I can't imagine making any more for a while. And then whilst sampling our elderflower champagne a eureka moment happened, why not try our hand at fruit wines. Well let's just say Mr D has got rather engrossed in this new project.

With our first batch of redcurrant wine happily bubbling and gurgling away in our under stairs cupboard and the faint smell of a brewery lingering in the air you could say we have been just a little distracted. So the fact that today is the last day of #1's first year of school seems to have just sprung up on us. The change in him both physically and emotionally is incredible,
he is incredible.
Without realising it he is paving the way for his brother and sister and he is doing a damn good job of it. A little shaky at times, and a wee bit stressful. But we got through this "major" event and watching him this morning run off with his friends happily giggling away brought one very proud mummy to shed a tear and to come to the conclusion "aren't children amazing!"

Show and Tell!

2010-07-16T20:48:00.000+01:00

Buying fabric in the UK is definitely on the up, with some great new on-line shops appearing giving us much more choice. Many of the shops have blogs or newsletters which are a great way of keeping up to date with new products, sales and give-aways and The Fabric Loft is no exception.

I stumbled across the site a few weeks ago and couldn't resist the above print. It's the first time I've seen the Leanika range and I love this mod circles. It doesn't show up too well on the photos but the circles are a pale blue. I'm hoping one day soon to find the time to turn it into a piece of clothing for myself. One has to dream!! While I was on the site I found Lizzet's blog and she was having a giveaway with the chance of winning 4 fat quarters of your choice, well it would have been rude not to enter!

So 4 fat quarters later!
Yes I was one of the lucky winners, remember me saying I never win anything, well it seems my luck has changed!

It was a tough decision choosing just 4!

I finally decided on Nicey Jane Hop Dot in olive and sky, Leanika mod circles in pink and mingle rings in leaf. Four geometrics prints that I can imagine using for many different projects. So a big thank you to Lizzet at the Fabric Loft for such a generous giveaway, and for such a great service, I have a sneaky feeling I'll be a returning customer!

Simples!

2010-07-12T14:53:00.000+01:00

The garden was prepared

Ailen cakes were made

Party bags were sewn and filled

and the kids came, played and ate

and our oldest boy turned 5, and all of a sudden our little boy seems, well very old and grown up.

Duplo has been replaced by lego star wars in fact we are now surrounded by star wars. It's no longer Postman Pat or Bob the Builder being watched but Star Wars "A New Hope". I've been a stormtrooper, Princess Leia, I've even been allowed to play at being Darth Vader! It really feels like we are entering a new phrase with #1. And it's exciting, if not a little scary!

We've had a weekend of parties and cake, seeing family and friends, tigers and leopards,

But for me the highlight of our trip to the zoo was the meekats.

It wouldn't have surprised me in the slightest if one had turned around and said "simples"!

But unfortunately through it all #3 has being suffering with conjunctivitis, an upset stomach, and teething pains as her third tooth pokes through, we've had unsettled days, taken it in turns to pace the house in the middle of the night just holding her, praying that she'll settle and eventually have some sleep. So for my birthday next weekend I'm not hoping for a day out, not even a meal out just Mr D and myself but for a good nights sleep as I'm starting to feel my age!!

Birthday treats

2010-07-08T12:48:00.000+01:00

There are many benefits of having a birthday in July,

the sales are definitely one of them!

50% off on Orla Kiely bags is too hard to resist!

A girl can never have enough bags!!

Especially when the inside is as gorgeous as the outside!

And as for notebooks,

Am I the only one who finds it difficult to use notebooks when they are this pretty! So thank you Grandma and to think it's not even my birthday yet for another week!

Whose that Girl?

2010-07-02T17:21:00.000+01:00

It's been a bit of a disjointed day today.

#3 fell asleep just as it turned 12 o'clock so rather than eating lunch, I grabbed the opportunity to go and do some weeding on the veg plot. We had an incredible amount of rain last night which has turned a rather yellow patch of vegetables into a green oasis over night. It has also turned the weeds into monsters! Huge things, towering over the peas and the struggling sugar snap seedlings. Well at least you can now see the plants and #2 was happy to occupy himself, munching his way through our peas and the last lot of strawberries. Talk about eating alfresco! The rain really was needed not only does everything now look so lovely and lush our water butts are full to the brim which means watering won't be so much of a chore.

Talking of all things bright and wonderful! I do believe the thrifting gods have been looking down on me lately as our thrifty finds have been coming thick and fast and if they continue to happen as often as they are, I fear that we may not have room to move in our small "cosy" home! At this point you probably are thinking that all I need to do is show some restraint or in fact don't enter an emporium of delights for then the vintage treasures would stay hidden from view, but having self-control when it comes to thrifting or indeed fabric buying is something I am yet to gain!

Out of all our new purchases the vintage hanging shoe organiser has got to be the most perfect find. For I knew exactly where I wanted to hang it the moment I saw it, in fact the nail was already there in the right position waiting patiently for such a find. So it now takes pride of place in my daughter's room. But as I sit on the chair at night feeding her I can't help but get myself all confused! For I keep asking myself who is she?

As my sister said the first time she saw it

"didn't we have a doll like that"

well yes I think we did but what was she called? It has Daisy printed on the top of the organiser and at the bottom it's marked 1974 Kirby Martin Associates. I think she was called Holly Hobbie or I know their was a doll by that name.

Is this her?!!

So please if anyone has any idea can you let me know, as it's one of those small niggling questions that I can't get out of my mind!
And in the night when I sit facing her it would be great to address her by her name!!

Vintage pizazz!

2010-06-26T21:18:00.000+01:00

Doesn't it feel good to tick things off your to do list!

And this project has been waiting in the wings patiently for quite a while. I'm eager to turn our box room into a lovely girls retreat, with just enough pink but equally filled with a mix of new and vintage fabric and finds. So transforming this;

into this,

was high on my list, but it still didn't have that pizazz.

It needed something. So after a quick rummage through my vintage stash,

cushion one appeared,

And just in case it got lonely and to make the chair extra comfy a second cushion appeared.

It's lovely as little E who is now a whopping 8 months old got all excited when she saw her transformed chair, her chubby legs went berserk and she grinned like a Cheshire cat.

I'm beginning to think she might already share her mummy's obsession with fabric!

The garden takes over!

2010-06-21T22:26:00.000+01:00

The gorgeous sunny days that we have been having lately has meant that sewing of an evening has been replaced by watering our veg patch and greenhouse. I'm not complaining, as its amazing to wake everyday to sunshine but with our water butts now completely empty, watering from buckets out of the stream bordering the allotments is quite hard work. Though we are already beginning to reap our rewards.

The kids are munching through our best crop of strawberries ever, I am happy to be left with our patch of wild strawberries which I prefer, the boys choosing size over taste! We also picked our first crop of peas yesterday. None of them made it as far as the kitchen. It brings me much delight to watch the boys sitting on the allotment amongst the veg snacking on peas. I have very clear memories of my sister and I on holiday in Wales sitting podding peas, it was a case of eat one, put one in the bowl!

Our rhubarb is still going strong. I'm hoping to get one more picking before it's time to let the plant rest. It's become a great trading item on the allotments. In return for rhubarb we have had courgette, squash and tomato plants which is great as we're been behind on our sowing. I've also stumbled across some different rhubarb recipes. Rhubarb and ginger cake was delicious, the rhubarb helping to make the cake lovely and moist. On the same site I found a rhubarb relish recipe. It made less than two jam jars and I served it at a small family barbecue we had the other week. I was concerned that I had added too much chilli but seeing as I only have a spoonful left that obviously wasn't the case. It went down very well, so I'm definitely going to be making more.

I'm also keen to try this recipe for rhubarb bread. I used to make a lot of bread before #3 came along so I'm looking forward to filling the kitchen once more with the smell of freshly baked bread. We cooked our first meal last week using our conger. We cooked it in an onion and tomato sauce with potatoes, the recipe called it a soup though it turned out more like a stew. The fish was tasty, with the flesh being very meaty. As for bones well I can't imagine eating it in a restaurant as we sat there with kitchen roll at the ready, the bones made it fiddly but it was still worth it, which is a good thing considering how much is still in the freezer!

The sunshine really has made the flowers bloom. Just when we were giving up on the clematis as it usually gets clematis wilt before it flowers it has produced the most gorgeous velvety deep purple flowers, The climbing rose has an abundance of flowers on it. It wasn't until today that I noticed it rambling happily through our neighbours trees!

The gazania's open up every morning soaking up the heat,a bit like lizards basking in the sun!
The white clematis not wanting to be out done by the purple one has produced flowers the size of your hand.

Inspired by this lovely lady Mr D and I are attempting elderflower champagne for the first time. It's busy doing it's thing in a quiet corner of the house, if their is such a thing. We're quite excited about making this drink and Mr D is busy planning more hedgerow brews, with help from his Father's Day pressie.

Our redcurrants are nearly ready for picking and if we get to the gooseberries before our chickens do it looks like a bumper crop. So I'll soon be making jam, talk about being kept busy!!

this moment ...........

2010-06-18T15:14:00.000+01:00

Just a photograph, or two!

a special moment I'd like to remember always, no words, inspired by Amanda Soule.

Have a great weekend!

Birthday table runner

2010-06-15T10:17:00.000+01:00

July is birthday central for us. Starting at the beginning of the month with #1's birthday then a week later mine, followed by my dad's, my Gran's, then mum's and their wedding anniversary, and finally at the end of the month my niece's. So it's a busy time and one that I try to get as organised as possible for.

As soon as I saw French Generals "rouenneries" range for Moda I knew it would be perfect for my parents. The fabric has a linen look about it and there is a lovely selection of small and large prints as well as solids. To me it just speaks of kitchens and reminds me of my mum and dads, so I decided on a table runner.

I wanted to use as many of the great prints as possible so I decided to use a charm pack. And what a delight, anything that takes the cutting process out is a bonus in my eyes! The hardest part of this project was deciding the layout though also very enjoyable, I had great fun selecting the arrangement of the prints.

I've added a linen border and used a heavier interior weight fabric on the back. Both these fabrics were bought from ikea (here) who are beginning to produce some very useful fabrics at excellent low prices. I used a bamboo/cotton wadding and kept the quilting to a minimum.

It's one of the quickest sewing projects I've done and I'm very pleased with the result.

The loveliest thing is with my mum over for a short stay I've been able to give her their present, in person, a little early but great to see her reaction. And judging from her "ooh's and aah's" she too has fallen for this gorgeous range of prints and the table runner will soon be taking pride of place in their French farmhouse kitchen.

Let's all do the conger!

2010-06-11T20:29:00.000+01:00

How do you spend your evenings?

Ours last night took an unexpected turn, when this rather large creature turned up!

One of our neighbours loves going sea fishing but he and his family don't like fish! This I thought was quite a shame all that fresh fish and nobody to eat it! So last night there was a knock at the door and not being one to say no to some free food, a bin bag was handed over and inside along with lots of other great catches was this huge conger eel!

The only problem was how exactly do you skin a conger.

With a pair of pliers it seems and some brute force!

The fork through its body was for me to try and hold it steady whilst Mr D tried to pull the skin off. It wasn't the quickest of operations and not for the squeamish but we got there in the end and have now a freezer full of scrumptious fish.

So tonight I'm searching for recipes. Apparently it has sweet tasting flesh but unfortunately plenty of bones. I'm thinking soups and stews, plenty of onions and tomatoes a bit of garlic and handfuls of parsley. Any suggestions are more than welcome!

A Homage to "Red letter Day"!

2010-06-08T12:45:00.000+01:00

My second quilt is finally complete!

Just when I was beginning to feel like I would never find the time to get it finished, half term came and somehow with the boys occupying each other and #3 napping, a little sewing got done, and I'm extremely happy with the results.

I must say I've made mistakes, some of which irritate me, especially because as soon as I had made them I realised what I'd done wrong. I guess this is what happens when you teach yourself something so that's ok as its a learning curve, I just need to remember to learn from my mistakes!

I've also learnt about wadding. I followed the advice I got from your very useful comments and bought Hobbs batting. It feels like a lovely wadding but after sandwiching the layers together and reminding myself that I was making a play mat rather than a quilt and it was puffiness that I was after I changed my mind and decided to use 4oz polyester instead.

Why the word polyester makes me shiver I don't know, after all the polyester is sandwiched by cotton. I didn't find it that easy to quilt but that is probably due to my lack of experience rather than the wadding itself. I am pleased with the end result. It's not as puffy as I had thought it would be, but it is a nice weight and I think it offers enough protection to soften #3's falls even on our wooden floors.

After a lot of umming and ahhing over a fabric for the back I decided to stick with "red letter day" and the duck theme and choose "Sitting ducks" in tangerine. I also used her "pink and lilac" stripe for the binding. So I really feel this play mat has turned into a homage to Lizzy House's Red letter Day.

With #3 sat on her "ducks" as I type I feel very happy that I can finally cross this project off my to make list.
I already have plans for another quilt it would be naughty of me not to! I mean I can't just buy the hobbs wadding and not use it, now that would be a waste!

A Bad Influence

2010-06-01T09:57:00.001+01:00

If like me you really don't need any more fabric I advise you to look away now!

I've been debating whether to share this knowledge with you all or whether it would be better for everyone's bank balance if I kept quiet! You see the other day when I was innocently flicking round the internet I ended up here. Unfortunately the shop in question five valley designs is closing down which means that there is a sale on. A whopping 40% off everything. This includes many sewing and knitting patterns, books and fabric. So you can guess what happened next, well I just had to take a quick peek!

Well it would have been rude of me not to have helped clear the shop of stock!!

Most of the fabric in the shop is Amy Butler's. I'm a fan of her prints but I must say her "Love" range up until now has really past me by. But I do have a love of spots, so I couldn't resist buying these. There a great addition to my stash. The colours are fresh and bright, very spring like.

I also couldn't resist her Memento in Burgundy.

Oh and just in case I run out of projects on my to do list which isn't at all likely but you just never know I bought Amy Butler's barcelona skirt pattern.

So as you can see, the internet can at times be a terrible influence on oneself, how dare it show me a fabric sale!

And just in case you find looking at images of fabric slightly boring my boys thought they would make the photos more entertaining!

#1 "Mummy what are you doing", my response "taking photos of fabric",

#1 "WHY?" followed quickly by "how boring" and that was that my little bit of peace was shattered and my innocent photos turned in to the following;

I'll leave it up to you to decide if the photos do indeed

look more interesting with the help of my dear boys!

If I have been a bad influence on you, and you fancy having a look at five valleys their sale is on until the 30th June.

Car Boot Sunday

2010-05-31T15:16:00.000+01:00

The warmer weather means our local car boot sales have started. So Sunday mornings can be spent mooching around looking for treasure! And I'm pleased to say that even though Mr D was convinced that all the good stuff would be gone, as it did take us what felt like hours to get out the house, on this occasion he was wrong!

We found a vintage wooden clothes airer

A seventies wooden cheese board,

The couple who were selling these two items amazed us so much when they said they only wanted £1 for the two things, that we immediately offered to pay more!! But they insisted a pound was fair so eventually we agreed! Then there was the all important fabric find! And let's be honest the thrifting experience wouldn't be complete without a fabric buy!

Proof that the clothes airer will come in handy!

And with this old tonka bought for the boys, and that includes Mr D, who I think was a tad more excited about the buy than the boys, especially as it was another bargain at just £2. We all left the sale very contented. What a wonderful start to a day.

I'm busy blowing bubbles!

2010-05-25T23:04:00.001+01:00

The gorgeous sunshine of the last few days has meant a lot of time spent outdoors.

The allotment is finally looking more productive and less like a plot of weeds. The garden has become an extension of our house with meal times being had outside and even the paddling pool has made an appearance. And my time has been spent blowing bubbles!

The boys are fascinated with bubbles and I can't blame them.

Can you ever grow bored of blowing bubbles?

In our house the answer is clearly no!

There's nothing like some scrap!

2010-05-19T18:23:00.000+01:00

Let's be honest this sewing lark can get quite expensive.

All those fat quarters mount up, the wadding, threads, the list is never ending, and with all the great on-line shops around and sites like etsy it's very tempting to keep buying. Of course the end results are more personal and unique than most things you can buy, but making something yourself is usually the more expensive option, so this is where I think thrifted fabrics and re-purposing textiles can play apart.

I love having a rummage through other peoples junk whether in a charity shop, at a car boot or a jumble sale so was delighted a couple of years ago when a friend introduced me to my local scrap store. I'd never heard of the scheme before and didn't realise until recently that there are over 100 scrap stores in the UK and I believe elsewhere in the world. The general idea is that local businesses and people donate safe scrap to their local scrap store who sell it on at a low price to playgroups, schools and the general public, who then in turn reuse and recycle it!
The scrap can be anything from paper to plastic, wool to wire. In the past I have been lucky enough to find 3 rolls of vintage wallpaper that I used here, blank envelopes for handmade cards, and an endless supply of paper and card for the boys to use in their art work! In fact if your children love crafting this is definitely the place to go.

And to my pleasure my local scrapstore also have a whole section dedicated to fabric.

Of all shapes and sizes. Some large like the fabric above which was over a meter in length and I have already used it to make a scarf for myself. Some small pieces perfect for patchwork.

Some floral,

and some vintage, like this double sheet.

And when you think this was all acquired under one roof in one shopping trip it can't be bad.
I'm not sure if the schemes are all run the same way, but at my local store you pay £5 for a years membership and can then fill a supermarket size shopping bag for £1. With larger items like the vintage sheet being also a pound. So what can be better than a fabric fix that's easy on your purse, the enjoyment of finding such a diverse mix of vintage and new, plenty of materials to keep the kids happy and busy and the thought that in your crafting your helping to reduce landfill sites.
If you would like to find out more head over to http://www.childrensscrapstore.co.uk or follow this link to find one close to you.
Fingers crossed that you may just discover your own little crafting haven.

What wadding !?!

2010-05-11T13:03:00.000+01:00

My playtime quilt top is finished, finally!

In fact if I could only just make a decision on what fabric to use for the backing, oh and decide on a wadding I would have made better progress! I was going to use a plain fabric on the back, maybe pierce it with some of the fabrics used on the front but now I'm wondering whether to go for a patterned print to make the quilt reversible, so when the inevitable happens " is that some baby sick I spy" I can simply turn it over!

As for wadding the pattern suggests "Fairfield Poly-fil Hi-Loft batting" but I don't think you can get this in the UK so I'm not sure what to use. I've only ever used a bamboo wadding which wouldn't be thick enough, my local quilt shop suggests a 4oz polyester, though they don't have any!! What a great help that was! At least the owner of the quilt looks pleased with it so far, if only she could help her mummy with all these little dilemmas oh and have a nap occasionally, she may get a quilt to play with before she's walking!

Random Ramblings

2010-05-01T21:39:00.001+01:00

I've been given the beautiful blog award by Julie over at forestpoppy.

It's put a great big smile on my face, so thank you Julie. Her blog is a great read, so it's well worth popping over for a gander. I am now required to reveal 7 random things about myself and to then pass the award on to 2 other bloggers. So here goes;

1. I can't stand shop bought mayonnaise, I even struggle to put a knife in it to spread it on my son's sandwiches which is unfortunate as my oldest son loves it and can eat it by the spoonful. Even writing about it makes me shiver!

2. Mr D and I collect a lot. Everything from glass vases to vintage radios, 60's and 70's coffee pots to clocks, so much so that Mr D is going to have to shelve out another wall to accommodate it all!

3. Right now as I'm typing this I'm watching Mr D cook us pollack in beer batter. I love being cooked for by Mr D it's a regular Saturday night thing. Though usually its a curry. We both adore spicy food!

4. My favourite curry from an Indian restaurant is Chicken dansak.

5. I also collect cook books. I love cooking and read cook books cover to cover as if they were novels. I have over 80, but will usually find myself going back to Nigel Slater and Jamie Oliver for inspiration.

6. Mr D and I met in a Nightclub in North Devon. He was on holiday, we met and had a dance and agreed to meet the next day in my local town. I wasn't going to go but a house mate persuaded me to go. So I walked past the meeting point on the opposite side of the road just in case I didn't like what I saw! Mr D was still there even though I was quite late. I liked what I saw and this June it'll be 16 years and three children since we first met! Who said you can't find true love through drunken eyes in a seedy nightclub!!

7. I will never tire of watching my children sleep. I think it is one of the greatest privileges of being a parent.

I've really enjoyed writing these 7 random facts, and would now like to pass the award on to Kelly at Handmade at Home and Dragonfly. I really enjoy reading their blogs and receiving their comments has made blogging all the more addictive to me!

Kaffe Fassett Spots!

2010-04-30T14:43:00.000+01:00

Oh my its Friday again and already the end of April? Where has the week gone, let alone the month?

I've finally managed to convince #2 that nappies are yuck and the potty is the place. So potty training is now in full swing and with a bribe in place, so far so good! Though thank goodness for wooden floors.
I've also managed to keep the postman busy!

I couldn't resist these spots when I read that saints and pinners were celebrating their first anniversary with a sale. There is something about spots that I find very addictive so this super duper fabric pack of Kaffe Fassett's prints is perfect!

It comes so well presented that I nearly resisted taken it apart, but eventually the draw of playing around with the spots got to strong!

These 14 fabrics are a great addition to my stash, which is growing quite large and I wonder if I'll ever get round to using it all!

Maybe that should be my challenge! I'll save that thought for another day as right now I need to persuade #2 to wear a nappy for the school run. Very confusing for the poor boy whose now left wondering whether mummy really does think nappies are yuck or actually very essential!

A Gourmet Mushroom!

2010-04-28T14:17:00.002+01:00

I have been eagerly waiting for the postman to knock at the door for some time now. Every morning I have been checking almost stalking the poor postman for I have been waiting for a lovely prize to come all the way from Canada.

A while ago I stumbled across deedee9:14 a great design blog. I think it appeals to me as it features a lot of posts on vintage chairs and they are something that given more space and a lot more money I know I could quite easily become an obsessive collector of!

Whilst I was taking a look around I happened to notice that they do monthly giveaways. Now normally I don't enter, I tend to have a "I never win" attitude but for some reason I was feeling very positive and thought what the hell. So I'm sure you can imagine my surprise a few days later when I read that I had won the April giveaway a pair of vintage wooden mushrooms from "hindsvik" who were sponsoring the giveaway and have an etsy shop selling vintage home decor and furniture.

I must say I'm very taken with these little guys. I love the fact that they have flown over the Atlantic to get here, making them better travelled than I. There cracks give them aged beauty much like the wrinkles around my eyes!! And I no longer have the opinion that I never win anything, in fact seeing as it's Wednesday maybe a should pop off and do the lotto.

Well you just never know, think of all those chairs I could buy!!

Lizzy House

2010-04-21T20:20:00.005+01:00

Remember the ducks?
Well I thought it was about time I started cutting into them and finally make a play quilt for #3.
She could do with it right now, the way she rolls around on the floor, so before it's too late and is no longer needed I've been busy with the rotary cutter!

It's taken me a while to choose the forth fabric. I've finally settled on "Wild seed pods" by Carolyn Gavin and I'm pleased I did. The combination of pink and orange has grown on me the more I have worked with it and now I'm feeling really excited about how it's looking.

This is only the second quilt I have attempted and will also be the largest. I am following a pattern for the play mat from Amy Butler's "little stitches for little ones." Its the first project I have tried out of the book and so far so good! I do however have to keep reminding myself that she uses a 1/2 inch seam allowance. I've got so use to using a 1/4 inch and I must say that a half inch does feel like an awful waste of fabric, though I guess that's just me being "fabric" stingy!!

I'm hoping to get a chance to finish the top of the quilt this weekend. Though all this sunshine is highlighting the many jobs that still need to be done in the garden and more importantly the allotment, so I do feel a little torn between working in the sun or sat at my sewing machine.

But I have a sneaky feeling that the ducks might just win!!