Sunday Stash...and a meet up

It's stash time! This weeks is feathered friends by Wendy Slotboom for in the beginning fabrics. Want some? I got mine from here.

Check out other stashes here.


I had a great day on Thursday. The ginger one and me went down to Ikea Nottingham and Starbucks to meet up with Apryl, Amy,
Leah, Lindsey, Sam and Kerry. I had met Apryl, Amy and Leah before, but not the others so it was great to see new faces, and chat face to face to Lindsey, who I have 'known' for a while, but never seen in the flesh, so to speak.

Ginger fell in love, hard and fast, with Sam's little girl, Emma, and as Leah had brought her daughter along too, he was in his element, charming them with his dinosaurs, and some beads he had stashed in his pocket (such a charmer). It was all too much for him when the time came to say goodbye, he sobbed his little heart out, much to the bemusement of the girls.

Lindsey brought gifts for us all (I did too, but obviously I forgot to take pictures; taking pictures would involve me being organised, and I am not). Look at my little bag of Christmassy delights....




I'm going to buy some magnets so I can stick them onto the back of the scrabble letters and stick em on the fridge. She also made a little bag filled with chocs for the little ones...but Ginge scoffed the chocolate and has hidden the little bag away somewhere.

I also got a little pressie from Apryl, which is happily sat on my fridge...



Thank you everyone for a fab day, we will have to meet up again soon, and Sam, my son is pining for your daughter...

A Baby Quilt

with all of the Liberty fabrics I've been buying recently I thought I'd make a baby quilt. Not that I have any babies (boo hoo) and partly because they are sitting here waiting ever so patiently to be turned into a big quilt, behaving themselves so nicely and being such polite pieces of fabric. As with children, good behaviour should be rewarded, so I made this. And I even managed to make the quilting lines nice and straight, and it's so soft, and so silky. But I don't have any babies, I don't know any girl babies, so I've put it in my shop. W keeps moaning at me for spending money on fabric, I haven't made any new dolls for ages (ok, that's a lie - I have, for Christmas presents and also orders from friends, but I haven't made any shop ones). Well, it's there, in the shop, if anyone wants to give it a home.

I really don't like doing the 'go and buy stuff' blog post, it isn't really me. But, there, it's done.

My friend Beth is having a giveaway on her blog, 2 chances to win, there are 2 great prizes - a baby quilt and a bag. Go wish her happy birthday and sign up. I can't, she sends me too many presents through the year, I'd feel a bit cheeky trying to win these too (although I am sorely tempted).

Yesterday I had a lovely blog meet up with a gaggle (is that the term?) of bloggers. I'll be back tomorrow to tell you all about it.

Fancy seeing you here, Mr Postman...

...but so nice of you to visit, and bring with you this stack of wonderousness...check it out!

I won the giveaway on Rachel's blog and got this little stack of goodies (the chocolate is one of my favourites, so will be gobbled up rather quickly)...



My excellent and fab friend, from Texas, y'all, Beth took the hint that I wanted her to go shopping for some Martha Stewart tree decorations (at k-mart! K-MART, I thought they only sold complete rubbish!!!)...thank you Beth (and her mum too)



The winner of my Christmas giveaway, Nicole sent ME a thank you present for her winning the giveaway (I was hardly going to say no to some fabric squares, was I now?). And one of them is a very special Liberty Print cord, it's the one at the top left of the picture...with the tiny flowers on. Thank you Nicole, you really needn't have, but I'm so glad you did! I love them!



And finally, Louise sent me a stack of wonderful fabrics all the way from a land down under, as a thank you for sending her some fabric she had seen I'd sent to Fi and liked the look of (confused? It is a bit...I'll explain...Fi won a giveaway a while back, I sent her some bits of fabric too, Louise saw them on Fi's blog, asked what one of them was, I told her but said the shop had run out, although I still had a bit and would she like it? She said yes please, I said ok, there you go, all's good. Got it now? Probably not, but never mind)

Look at Charlie Brown! I do love Snoopy. And the mushrooms, and the robots and the one with the dressmaking dummy on and the flowers and the other flowers, and the other one with a bigger patern on, and all of them!!! Thanks Louise, I am STOKED!



So - a very good post day. Yes? I think so.

Tomorrow I am off to Starbucks and Ikea near Nottingham, although actually nearer to Derby, to meet up with a little group of lovely blog types and some of the smaller blog types in training...I won't tell you who, you can wait and have it as a surprise when I get home. I'm having a great week!

Best get back to the machine, it's now less than a month to the magic C day, I have too much to do (thanks international world recession and credit crunch for making me work harder than usual in order to have a frugal Christmas...yeh, THANKS A LOT!)
Sleep? Sleep is for wimps. As Jon Bon Jovi (I think...don't quote me on that though) said, I'll sleep when I'm dead. Until then, you will find me strapped to Nina, the Bernina, working my already bony fingers even closer to the bone.

Oz folks...a request

please please please, will one of you Oz types get me this when it comes out on Dec 3rd. I'll send you pennies and postage pennies and whatever other pennies you want.

Please and thank you (can you see me smiling ever so nicely?)

And a big huge whoo and well done to Rachel for getting her bag design featured in it - isn't she a clever lady?

the love of my life...

Sorry, darling husband, but it's not you. It's this place. And in particular the fabrics.

I can remember the first time I ever saw Liberty prints, I was only little, my cousins had Liberty Print frogs, I really wanted one. I never got one. Maybe that's why I am now a bit on the obsessed side and can't walk past the shop without popping in for just one overpriced metre of the special stuff.

Anyway, yesterday I went to the knitting and stitching show in Harrogate. I was on the look out for some cheap Liberty prints to feed my addiction. I was very sensible, I didn't go crazy, because I've been going crazy lately and snapping up as many of the cheap ones I can find - online, on the phone, in seedy, dimly lit back street car parks where a man called Dave will meet me on the hush. No, that's not quite true...Dave doesn't exist. Maybe he does, if anyone knows of a secret back street Liberty print dealer, let me know. I digress. The knitting and stitching show. It's not that great, it's alright. There are a couple of decent fabric stalls, and some very lovely exhibits of graduate work. I wasn't very efficeint, I didn't take any pictures. I even forgot my glasses and had to walk around wearing sunglasses (with prescription lenses) so I could see. I looked a bit of a tit, to be quite honest.

I bought some bits and bobs (see yesterday's stash photos) and also some liberty print scraps from these lovely people. I say scraps, they are hardly scrap like - more like gorgeous big strips, 2metres worth for £18.50, so not horrific prices either.

There they are....aren't they beautiful?




The highlight was seeing this though...



Janey Forgan's Liberty Jack quilt. I couldn't get a photo, there was a grumpy looking woman minding it, so I bought a Quilt 2008 brochure with lots of photos of other Festival of Quilts beauties and took a pic of the photo in there. So you can't see it very well, you just have to take my word for it that it is the most wonderful thing EVER and if I could track that Janey Forgan woman down I would tell her she was akin to a God, and that I wanted to marry her.

I even touched it, albeit very delicately, and I wanted to wrap myself up in it, but it was attached to the wall and the aforementioned grumpy woman might have hit me. I really really wanted to have a peek at the backing, but I didn't...that grumpy woman was scaring the pants off me. If anyone did go to the Festival of Quilts this year and saw it and happened to have a peek at the backing, would they let me know what it was like. I think I'll be dreaming of possibilities for the rest of my life.

In February of next year I am sending 15 parcels of Liberty prints to people far more talented and able than me and they will each send me back one quilt block, then I'll sew them all together, find some more lovely fabric for a backing and binding, probably pay another real life proper quilter to quilt it for me, and be the happiest lady on this planet. Me and my one true love, together forever, wrapped up watching TV every night. It's a real life fairy tale, isn't it?

Sunday Stash

I went to the knitting and stitching show today, in Harrogate (more on that tomorrow), and I bought a teeny tiny (cough cough) bit of fabric whilst I was there; two Liberty prints, and a boden. Ooooh, PRETTY!

Wanna see more stashes? Go here.

oh, magic bowl, give me a name...

77 of you entered the giveaway...well, 77 comments. One was from John offering helpful advice on viagra (thanks, but I'll be ok without), so his didn't count, the ever so sneaky Trashy thought she'd try for 2 goes, and Annie and Anna won previous giveaways, so are sitting out (very gracious, not necessary, but gracious).

So, 72 names went in to the magic pyrex mixing bowl - an opaque one this time, Ginger uses it for popcorn, he saw it this morning and wasn't pleased when there were bits of paper in it. I really must ask, 72 people - are there that many people lurking out there? Or did you sniff out a giveaway - either way, I am very pleased, thank you for coming! Come again! I like giveaways, I should do it more regularly. Let's get this one out the way and Christmas, first, eh?

Drum roll please.......


Action shot of me stirring.... (building up tension, y'see)







and the lucky winner is...... (now, I say lucky, but I always think to myself - what if they're not lucky, what if they actually think it's a crappy prize and don't want it at all?) Well, want it or not - there's a prize here for you!



Nicole - a new visitor, I hope you come back again. Email me with your address and I'll pack up your parcel and post it out to you.

It's Christmas! (kinda)

I got a parcel that is beyond amazing today in the post, from the supremely talented and all round super great bird, Ruth. She sent me this beautiful christmas bunting for the christmas ornament swap on Emily's blog.

I cannot get over how amazing it is. It came wrapped up in a little matching felt bag (ok, I need to take a photo - i'll do it and put it on flickr) and she also sent me some really cool tape measure tape (yep - in the excitement I haven't taken a pic of that either)

Ruth, thank you. I can't tell you how happy I am with my present. And thank you to Emily for organising the swap.

I think my quest for knitted socks is also sorted - hoorah.

And finally, today is the last day to enter the giveaway. Leave a comment on this post. I'll draw a name out of the magic pyrex mixing bowl tomorrow.

one knitter required

Dear knitting friends,

I can't knit. I can't learn, I am too impatient, too stroppy, and left handed, which makes it difficult to copy a right handed person should they have the time, the patience, and the energy to teach me (no, I haven't found anyone, except my Nan but that was when I was about 6, and I've since forgotten everything she taught me).
So....knitty types. If one of you has the time, could you knit me some socks? I'll pay you kindly! (not in kind, you filthy minded creatures, KINDLY, as in generously). My feet are cold, my slippers have holes in them, my one pair of knitted socks needs washing, and then I will be even colder.

Oh, and not acrylic, the fibres make my teeth go funny.

Please?

Yours hoping, and smiling sweetly,

Katy xxx

ps - giveaway still going on, until tomorrow evening (UK time)

Sunday Stash

Amy Butler Midwest Modern...it might not be new, but it's still damn fine!


It's Sunday Stash day. And I do have to make an early apology to Kitty for the link to this etsy shop. But I will mention - super fast shipping, really friendly seller, fabrics came wrapped like a present in tissue and ribbon, plus she has a very tempting offer of the week special. I picked up the Amy Butler FQ (top of pile) for a $1! Plus it was shipped free with the other fabrics. Need I encourage any more? Go on.....


Wanna see more stashers? They're all here

And don't forget, if you still haven't entered my giveaway then go and leave a comment on that blog post until Wednesday evening and I'll announce the winner on Thursday.

Merry Christmas Giveaway!

Tescos have brought out a Christmassy Cath Kidston recycled plastic bottle eco-friendly grocery bag! After the last giveaway I had was so popular I thought I'd better do another, and this time open it all and sundry. Even you lot living within a sneeze of Tescos (that whinged and whined about being left out last time). So, this time we have 1 x christmassy Cath Kidston bag, some christmassy ribbon (9m in total), some felt snowflakes for you to applique onto stuff and get you feeling all festive, a jingly bell (tie it to the cat's tail for hours of amusement), and no doubt some chocolate (it's not Christmas without chocolate) all stuffed into a stocking made by moi out of Cath Kidston and Boden fabrics. Hoorah!!!!

Leave a comment on this post telling me why you love Christmas so much for the next week and I'll announce a winner next Thursday (the 20th).

If you hate Christmas, leave me a comment too, I'll still enter you...and I'll send you a stick to poke Carol Singers with if you win (or something).

Good luck!!!

One Happy Boy

Ginger's parcel for the one good book swap organised by Jill arrived yesterday. To say he was excited was an understatement.....

He pulled back the tissue paper....




peeked inside....





dino goodness galore!!!!....




(you see the trees at the back of the picture? There's a dinosaur that goes with the trees, but he had already gone to meet his new friends)

I have one happy little boy. Thank you, Jill and a big thank you to my swap partner, Beth

Sunday Stash

Since I have run out of fancy shoes for Sole Monday, it's time to delve into another of my ridiculous collections...fabric (this one should run for a while...seeings as I have an addiction). You can find more sunday stash types over on quarter of an inch's blog.

First up, My Folklore, by lecien. I haven't got much, a few scraps and fat eighths. I'm clinging to the bigger bits, waiting for the perfect project.




I used some little bits for a cushion I'm working on, it's for a christmassy swap. I need to finish it off with some snowflakes on the blue linen panel at the bottom (recognise that blue linen, Monda?!), and some mother of pearl buttons on the patchwork tree. Plus add a linen border (and the back, obviously)





Seeing the cushion like this makes me want to go out and buy up loads more to make a house full of cushions. But that's a little excessive, isn't it?

If you fancy some bargains for Christmas, Meg from charlie motel is shutting up her etsy shop to embark on a new career in childcare. Which reminds me, I'm off to buy up some bits from her shop now....

ok, party over, let's all get back to work....

After the celebrations and elation of Wednesday I suppose it's time I did some real work and not just sat watching the news and googling Obama stories.

And here y'go....bits and bobs I've been up to in the last week.


this week I've been making...
Originally uploaded by imagingermonkey

The baby quilt was made using the leftovers from this quilt. I had bought red polka dot backing, washed it 4 times (just to be sure) and I wasn't convinced the colour wouldn't bleed, even with the addition of 4 colour run sheets, and washing on a cool wash. So this little quilty - which will be for a swap I'm doing, but I can't say which one, was my practice run. I think the colour may have bled a little bit, but it's so dark today I can't get any decent natural light to see. If it has it's only bled a little bit, and I think I'll be able to get it out....or not. We'll wait for some light and see.

I'm appliqueing a tree onto linen for another swap, again, I can't say which one and I can't say what it's going to be either, but I'll show you soon, I promise!

Christmas is a-coming (I keep telling you this, so you don't get a sudden shock the 3rd week of December when you realise it's 3 days away) so I've been making stockings. My plan is they'll make excellent gift bags for little presents. See, I'm not completely daft, you know!!!

And last of all - the quilt top I made using look and learn and wee play fabrics (American Jane, Moda) at my quilt workshop last Saturday. It's about 60 inches square (ish - I guessed), and I am so happy with it. I've now cut out 12 inch squares to piece together for the backing and then I think I'll get it quilted by someone who knows what they're doing. I'm not confident enough to free motion quilt the whole thing, and I don't want to just stitch in the ditch. Now I need to find a quilter local to me...

So - it's Friday!!!! It's the Weekend!!!! What are you up to? We're going for a pizza tonight after school (cheese free for me - what's the point?!) and to try and buy t-shirts that we all agree on for Miss G. She's suddenly got longer and less, well, wide. (it's so funny how they always seem to do that - grow out, then up - Ginger has just done the same, so he now looks like a piece of spaghetti)

Miss G did come home from school full of excitement and general giddiness yesterday - one of the mums is making quilted advent calendars and selling them at school (for twenty quid - is it me, or is that a bit pricey?). Miss G is desperate for one. "But I was going to make you one' says I. 'Oh' says she 'You can, but these ones are really cool'.
Poor Mummy...

change has come to America...

...and God only knows the world needs change.

Congratulations, Obama. The world is watching, waiting and praying you follow through with your promises. I, for one, think you'll do well.