signing off for the holidays

The tree is trimmed, there's a stack of gifts waiting to be ripped open, it even snowed today (although not much).

The poor cats are freezing their little paws off (but luckily for them there's a variety of quilts to choose from).

NooNoo is snuggled in the Liberty print one on my bed...



BooBoo prefers Ginger's hexagon quilt....




It's time for me to finish wrapping presents, tidy away the sewing machines, and spend some time with the family before the Big Man comes to visit next Friday.


I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and I'll see you once calm returns to the Monkey house...

a good day for Anglo-German relations

Kreiger and I are having a great day today. Since she came in from the garage (where she was unsuccessfully quilting on the frame) we've had a difficult relationship. I've not been too fond of her, her 'talent' for snapping thread and her general stroppiness was getting on my nerves. I'll say this quietly, so she doesn't hear, but I was beginning to think I might have wasted my money on her. *sigh* Not good. But, I left her alone for a few days, we both sat and sulked. I had a lot of fun with Nina Bernina, and we decided we were better than Kreiger, and that she couldn't be part of our gang anymore. I know, I know - infantile. Bitchy girls.

Well, it was time to get quilting again, so I took a deep breath and dusted Kreiger off. Determined to prove myself wrong and that she was worth the money. Guess what? She is.

Today we've been stippling a quilt that the husband decided (yesterday) I had to make for his friend's baby (who lives in Australia - I think I might be missing the last christmas mail day if I'm not super fast). And the only thing that's annoying me is that my stippling isn't too great, but that's me and not the good lady pfaff. We're getting on brilliantly. She's running like a dream, we've gotten through 3 bobbins already and we're only just over 2/3 of the way through the quilt. Don't tell Nina Bernina, but Kreiger makes quilting really enjoyable, that long throat is dreamy.

I think I'll be ready to brave the frame again soon.

(just in case you're curious - the quilt is made with flower sugar by lecien, some liberty print corduroy and some European florals)

mum - don't look, I mean it

I'll try and throw her off the scent with the rather beautiful pic of Hope Valley. Don't you think that would make a lovely quilt block? Just a square of each fabric, sewn together into a rectangular patchwork block, sashed and quilted. I might have a plan for the new year. I like that idea.


So. Mum. Have you gone now? She says she doesn't read my blog, too many pictures of tattoos. Tattoos are a sore point, a bit of a point of contention betwixt the two of us. Many arguments could be had, we won't go into it, I'll start ranting, she'll start sighing.




Are you gone?



Go on, go away. You'll just ruin your own surprise. Not that it is a real surprise, you picked the fabric, and you've seen the top unquilted. But still, I mean it, go away.





Ok, so I think she might have gone now. I can show the rest of you.

I picked up the quilt I really do hate yesterday (the one for my mum and dad for Christmas). I tried to look excited by it when I saw it, but failed miserably. I do hope Chris the quilter didn't think it was her quilting that was making my face look so sour.

The quilting is beautiful.....oak leaves and acorns, a perfect choice for the William Morris inspired designs.



It wasn't until I got it out, laid it on my bed, and tried to balance on the end of it without falling off (I fell off twice, and bumped my bum on the hard bed post - ouch).
My sour face changed.....



It's actually really lovely.

Do you agree?



Even the husband agreed, and he was really quite mean about it before it was quilted.

Now, to the binding. I think that this year, despite being somewhat of a disappointment where the body art is concerned, I will score excellent daughter points. (Insert smug smile)

still slaving away

I'm working hard to try and get some finishes for the joy in the new year challenge over on Jacquie's blog. I have, though, lost my list of things to do, and now I have no idea how far I've gone with the list. I THINK I'm up to this little lot so far....

Ginger's hex quilt
christmas dolls (5 down, more to go)
Annabelle's baby quilt
value quilt
christmas quilt

The spiderweb is coming along nicely. I now have the backing pieced. I wish I could get more of that cursive writing fabric, but it's gone forever, I can't find it anywhere. Makes me sad. I think it'd be perfect for any project. If you spot it anywhere, let me know, I'd love more. Really would love a whole bolt, but that's crazy talk. I'm going to quilt it in lines, kind of like this quilt of Tia's. I'll start with wider lines, just in case I can't bear the tedium. It uses a whole lot of thread, and time and patience, and I'm not sure I'm strong willed enough to do so many lines.

Spidey is going to end up smaller than originally planned, partly so I can quilt it without having a breakdown and partly because the husband pointed out it was going to be too big for anything if I wasn't careful. So rather than a king sized quilt it's a double...or a king twin. I'm not sure, but it's about 70 x 80 inches, or 5.5/6 feet across, 6.5 long. Or so. Big enough, yes?





Speaking of crazy talk, Hope Valley has hit stores. I pre-ordered a half yard set of the collection on fabfanatic and I don't think it's going to get here before January. I did save money buying it that way, but I'm almost annoyed with myself for not just snapping up everything as soon as it hit the stores. To make myself feel better (and to give myself a pre-christmas treat) I have ordered more half yards from Dana. Not that I could even consider starting anything new with a list that seems never ending to get through. Looking at them will be enough. I want a bolt of a few of those too. I think I NEED to back quilts in Hope Valley. NEED, as in couldn't live if I didn't. Especially the grey and the pink ones.

So, we're into December. Ack. I have to finish off my mum and dad's quilt (otherwise known as the one I really hate). I'm picking it up from the quilter's this afternoon. Now that is a big one. Too big for my frame, and I'm so glad I sent it out for quilting, I would have cried if I'd have done it. I know Chris will have done an awesome job, so I'm looking forward to seeing it, and getting the binding on.

Update on the frame....I have decided that Kreiger the German doesn't like Liberty prints. I was having a complete bitch of a time finishing off the first quilt I put on the frame, and so I took her inside for a stern telling off and a fiddle about. On practise sandwiches she was fine - beautiful, worked like a dream. Back on the frame, spitting and snapping threads and getting all in a lather with herself. I practised on a liberty print quilt sandwich inside. Same thing happened - so it is quite possible that the slightly sticky fabrics are causing too much pressure on the thread and it snaps. (they are a bit like silk - you know how the needle almost sticks to the fabric? I know what I mean, it does...honest). When I piece liberty tana lawns I use a really sharp, fine needle, but I can't use that when I quilt (threading the bloody needle is one reason - it's a nightmare). Part of the problem might be that the backing is tana lawn too, so the poor thing has to quilt through 2 layers of slippery, silky, sticky tana lawn, and it's getting annoyed. So was I. But now I'm feeling a bit better, and hopefully I can get another quilt on to the frame next week and finished in time for Christmas.

But now, back to the doll factory. I have another three to do, one has to be finished for the weekend so I can mail it off, the others are going out next week. It's nice to be busy, and I have really missed making dolls for people.

shop update

Just a quicky - I have put 2 Christmas dolls in my shop, in case you were stuck for a gift for a little girl. (on the picture above, it's the blonde one with a snowflake in her hair, and the brunette with bunches).

yesterday...

My new tattoo, so far. The outline was done yesterday and a little bit of shading on her hair. You can't see how amazingly detailed it is from the picture. The line work is really fine, like pen. And - now this is amazing - it didn't hurt. There was one slightly ouchy bit, but even then it wasn't really painful. Maybe the shading will hurt more. Even so, Saira, has magic fingers and is so gentle it's unreal. I could have sat for much longer, but she had another client, and I had to go meet my friends' new baby.

Speaking of the new baby - she is 12 days old, and her mum has to set the alarm at 3.30 am to wake her up for a feed. She will sleep through otherwise. Last night it was cold, rainy, and generally not very nice. We met up for dinner and Annabelle slept the whole time, even when her mum tried to wake her up for a feed, she had a little bit of milk, then fell right back to sleep again. She didn't make a peep. She just lay curled up in her little new baby ball, looking like a perfect picture of a baby.

Not only that, her mum looks amazing (like she's never been pregnant), and for first time parents, they are both incredibly relaxed. Although, to be honest, if anyone was going to fall right in to being the 'perfect' parents, it was those two.

And, yes, they loved the quilt. Both of them said it was the best present they'd had (which made me very happy).

All in all, I don't think I could have had a more perfect trip to the big smoke.

finishes and progress

Five dolls. Finished.




The spiderweb. Growing.
The long side is 77 inches, and will actually be the width. The short side is 55 inches, and needs probably 2 more rows on it. Originally I had planned for 7 x 8 setting, but now I think I'd like a square quilt instead. My decision has nothing at all to do with the husband saying 'don't you think it's quite big enough like that?' No, he has no influence on me at all. It is going to be big, and I have no idea where it's going to live, because it doesn't actually go with our bedroom. It would go in Miss G's room, but she has an abundance of quilts that are lovely, so has no need for another. Ginger is all quilted out too, and this one is a little girly. Plus, it's mine. I don't intend sharing it. Maybe I'll share it with the cats, or possibly on a cold winter evening watching TV with the rest of the family. It's going to have to live in the sitting room, but it'll be a lap quilt for a giant.




Gingers hex quilt. Finished (finally). The top was finished back in August 2008. Yikes. I loved making this quilt. It was one of the first quilty things I ever made, and I really enjoyed piecing it. Quilting it, not so. I tried hand quilting, but failed miserably, so I 'tied' it using buttons in the middle of each 'flower'. Maybe one day I'll go back to hand quilting it. As it is, Ginger loves it, and that is all that matters.




Last minute baby quilt. Finished.



Nice work, Missus Monkey.

That makes a grand total of 7 finishes this week. If I count each doll individually, which I'm going to do, because it sounds totally impressive and makes me feel incredibly smug.

Tomorrow I am off on the choo-choo train down to the big smoke to meet a new baby (hence the quilt). Watch this space for tales of broodiness and itchy ovaries. Again.

I am also going for a new tattoo. Cue much excitement and clapping of hands in glee. I'm not telling you any more about it until I get back. All I will say is that I think it's going to be my absolute favourite tattoo yet, and I am GIDDY with excitement.

Have a wonderful weekend, whatever you are doing.