guess what I'm making ...

for my WIP Friday I would like to present....


I decided to start with the bunny from weewonderfuls' booklet - I know the fabric I am going to use (grey flannel head, arms, legs and old cotton PJ fabric for the body) but I'm still in a quandary about the button eyes - black, blue or brown. It is fascinating looking at the Flickr group to see what everyone else is upto and to glean some inspiration.

Other than that today has been gloriously sunny and hot - so I decided to clean the windows and boy did I regret that. The good news is that the weather, at least in this neck of the woods, is to continue being great.

Thank you for the lovely comments regarding my husband's work space. Of course the purpose of the photo was so I could remember the halcyon day(s)* of it looking neat and tidy. I do not believe it will remain like this for long and in my heart I hope it gets messy soon because at least that means my husband has work and is working. It is a double edged sword work=mess (good), no work=tidy (bad).

*delete as appropriate

I'm tired ...

I didn't honestly think I would get a chance to blog today. I have been up to my neck in boxes - this morning it was a trip to the storage unit to deposit said boxes.

Then this afternoon was clearing through the stuff in our under eaves storage. Which was a treasure trove of finds. I found the part-made messenger bag that I was making for my husband. I think I started it 3-4 years ago! So now I have found it there are no excuses.


I also found several pieces of Cath Kidston oil cloth that I completely forgot I had. Found an un-opened bag of batting (queen-size) that, again, I had forgotten I had. Various assortments of fabrics and yarn also came up to face the cold light of day. The yarn for my Jolly Red tapestry kit also turned up - so I can now finish that too.

But there is still have a long way to go before the day is over... I have to try and pull together a web-site idea for a meeting on Monday - I need to do it now otherwise it will be like all my homework ever was - a last minute scramble. The windows also need washing but it is far to late to start that sort of malarky now - it is this sunny weather that is the problem it shows up all the dirt.


But as I look behind me I can see my husband's work space and it is looking so much better than it did this morning and the hard work feels so very worth it - and the bonus was I got to find some things I had forgotten were even lost.

Oh my god...he has just come home with another 3 boxes, an A3 printer, guillotine (for paper not heads) and other odds and sods - here we go again.

look what arrived in the post this morning ....

I think I will make a little kitty, um, no I think it will be the bear, oh, um, no it will have to be the bunny. Oh heck can't choose so all three it will have to be.

Now the fun of selecting the fabric ..... and what colour eyes? and what little trimmings? Oh what a world of possibilities.

It was knitting group this morning so I resurrected the Rowan 'Florence' I am trying to knit. I am not a great knitter and I have run out of enthusiasm for this project - ribbing is so mind-numbing. Unfortunately, I am not someone who can knit with out giving it my utmost attention so watching a film or the TV whilst knitting isn't really an option.

I am feeing slightly overawed by all the things I want to do - I end up forgetting an idea I have had or a project I want to try out. I really must, must, must create my crafty to do list. On a positive note though I have been quite pro-active and set about archiving my photos which involved removing a lot of photos from my computer (1458 to be exact) and putting them onto CDs. Now I feel very virtuous and it makes my computer feel a lot happier too.

run, baby, run...

hurray! today was dry and the sun actually shone for the duration of Sports Day. It was such good fun and a really happy occasion.

The move is a foot - my husband is currently shuttling his paperwork, equipment and general office clutter from the old office in central London to our loft in south west London. Next week is the beginning of our new working life - I say 'our' because with my husband at home I know my little life will change. When he was freelance before I was out at work so never really got bothered by having him 'under my feet' and I enjoyed the benefits of coming home to having the supper cooked. It will be different now.


My etching class this morning was interesting - I finally got to print up the carborundum plate that I made last week. I had to wait for the glue to dry. Unfortunately, I think most of the image is provided by the glue rather than the carborundum. But the relief is interesting and I think I find the back of the prints more alluring. It is the play of light and shadow that I like so much.


As for my friend's card I made something which I am happy with - or may be I just liked the looking through bits and bobs and then stamping and sticking - like a kid in a crafting candy store.


Thank you to Jessica for backing up the masking tape idea - just need to get on with that quilt now. 'Stitch in the ditch' requires so much less work!

pegs, labels and tennis...

Ah - the first day of Wimbledon so the heavens have opened. It has become as much a part of the tradition as the strawberries and cream - but it makes the house so gloomy. Come back sun - please.

The weekend was a real mixed bag - trips to find out about renting self-storage spaces (boy are they creepy), to stationery superstores, parties and fetes.

I finally found some dolly pegs - I have been looking for some for a while now - I had found some on the internet but the post and package charges were double the cost of the pegs in the first place. They were in a shop just around the corner though I swear to goodness they weren't there on Friday.

There are no plans afoot to make peg dolls with them but rather I want them to help plan out some designs I have in mind.

I also have to make a card for a friend, I thought about making one of my corsage cards but fancy trying something a wee bit different - but her birthday is on Wednesday, so it needs to be in the post tomorrow at the latest so with time against me I may well plump for the tried and tested.

Also my new dolliedayream labels arrived this morning but they are wrong - entirely my own silly fault but such a nuisance.

Following on from Friday's w.i.p I also bought some narrow masking tape. I plan to use it to mark out the diagonal lines on the quilt top as I have been using the lack of effective line-marking as an excuse not to progress with it. I claim no credit for the idea as I read about Jane using this method over on Yarnstorm.

I was really hoping for some brilliant sunshine because I have got some solar plate I wanted to expose and take to my class tomorrow. I only have a few more lessons because I decided not to enrol next term so my chances to use the press are limited.

I hope to goodness tomorrow is a better day weather-wise because my son has his sports day.

wip...

Work in progress is a frightening thought - suddenly all the things I have started and not finished are brought into sharp focus.

My main thing is this quilt - which was really quick to piece and the top was ready quicker than usual but I just don't seem to have the inclination to quilt it. I don't really know why because I ususally really enjoy just sitting down and stitching.

The pattern is 'Ice Pops' from Denyse Schmidt's book. I used very little imagination in choosing the fabric but I really enjoyed using the plain fabrics for a change. Although there is a nod to Denyse as I used her Posies fabric in Sunshine. The bonus of using plain fabrics is the difference it makes to the cost of the finished quilt.

There are also many other projects waiting to be completed or developed

• ideas for some more freezer paper stencils.

• I need to make an octopus softie for my nephew - he wants it to be all the colours of the rainbow and very, very, very big. I think there may need to be some compromise between the brief and the design.

• various knitting projects need finishing.

The worst thing is reading through other blogs and seeing the fantastic projects and ideas that are out there and wanting to try them all out. Too many ideas too little time.

catch-up time ...

Yesterday I went to the my knitting group (using 'my' sounds very proprietorial when I have only been a few times) our meeting place is Stash Yarns which can prove fatal for my bank balance. Too many lovely yarns - it is just like a candy shop albeit an adult candy shop.


I took the opportunity to knit a blue square for Knit a River. I had a ball of Rowan Kidsilk in a pale grey-ish blue hanging around with nothing useful to do so it became a 15cm x 15cm moss-stitched square. Now hopefully it will contribute to something useful.

In the evening I went to hear Julie Myerson read from her new book "The Story of You" and answer questions. Sadly, there weren't a lot of people there but Julie did give some interesting insights into her writing processes and ideas. She is a writer I admire although I would never say I enjoy her books. Their subject matter, tone and presence can make them quite uncomfortable and upsetting to read but I appreciate the journeys they take me on and the way they make me think and reflect on things.

On a lighter note my Japanese craft book arrived this morning - I love it. It is one that I have seen a lot on other blogs - "Machine Made Patchworks" - but I know it will provide me with so much inspiration. I am now trawling 'the Bay' to see which will be my next purchase - I knew registering would prove dangerous!

I love this picture from the book - it sums everything up - quiltin' and knittin'


Today at 4.15pm I logged onto weewonderfuls shop and was lucky enough to purchase a copy of her book

I couldn't take a picture of the cookies I made the other day because the light got too bad, however I took some first thing next day. So for your delectation here they are - suffice to say there are merely crumbs left. That Ina certainly knows how to make delicious cookies.

a lemon of a day

Yesterday was not the greatest of days - grey weather, upset tummy and my son at home on an inset day, though to be fair he was on great form - just I wasn't.

I was determined today should be a bit more satisfying. So after my class, I got on the computer and checked out what was happening in blogland, ordered some new 'dollie daydream' name tags. Then I bit the bullet and joined the dark side .... yes, I finally registered with eBay. The only thing that had kept me in check and saved me from spending untold amounts of money on stuff was the fact that I hadn't ever bothered to fill in all the details. But that all changed and today I purchased my first Japanese craft book - a quilting one.

I have been reading about Japanese craft books for a while and have been keen to get one of my own. Craftlog has lots of info on these books and her site provides a real feast for the eyes. When my book arrives I will have joined the club - I can't wait.

Then I just had to make some chocolate chip cookies - they are an Ina Garten recipe and are simply scrumptious.


Anyway, I am off the go and eat some of those cookies (yes I did say some - one is never enough) .....

my little craft corner...

is finished, more or less, of course I envisage some tweaking here and there to get it just right.

This redesign was mainly borne of necessity - my husband will be working in the opposite corner when all the equipment arrives - but I also felt inspired by photographs of Alicia's divine workroom and simplesparrow has been busy organising all her goodies too. It kind of makes you twitchy to clean up your own act and surround yourself with pretty, crafty goodness.

For such a small space it seemed to take a very long time to sort out. But may be that was because I kept coming across things that I hadn't seen in ages. Be it a magazine that I just had to flick through and then would end up reading through. Or fabric that needs folding but then you start thinking of all the endless possibilities it possesses and before you know it an hour has passed by and then the same thing happens when you go through your yarn, threads, trimmings. Well, you get the picture.

I would like to brighten up the magazine holders the plain white isn't very inspiring but I am pleased with the little (ubiquitous) Ikea drawers they had been painted in bright, almost fluorescent colours but now they are more sedate and pretty. The table had boring brown legs - not any more. The chair is just a cheap and practical one but not so comfortable so I made a little cushion pad to cosset my bottom.

I have also been flicking through this...


it arrived on Friday but as yet I still haven't digested it properly.

another year older...

....but not necessarily any wiser.

tuesday and wednesday all rolled into one..

Yesterday's post was a rush job - a desperate attempt to post something, I couldn't not post something it was only my second day and what a bad precedent that would have set.

Tuesday was in fact a very satisfying and productive day. Before 10am I had made the beds, given the house a quick clean round and made this...


My son needed a bag that was easily identifiable as his and small enough not to be dragged on the floor but big enough to hold his stuff. It is a very simple bag of heavy unbleached calico and the initial was applied using the freezer paper method which I read about here. I really like this bag's simplicity and how quick it was to rustle up.

Then I headed off to my etching class at Putney Art School. This is my usual haunt of a Tuesday morning. Our usual tutor was off so her stand-in had us messing about with acetate. Which provided much more immediate prints (and cheaper) than using zinc plate.


Today on the other hand is taken up with sorting this mess out...


My husband is going freelance again which means he will be working from home so the space I have luxuriated in has now got to be shared.

a birthday corsage

Tomorrow is my sister-in-law's birthday but rather than opt for a shop-bought birthday card I thought I would make one for her - especially as her present isn't that imaginative.

The pattern for the corsage comes courtesy of Molly Chicken and I have just taken the idea and attached it to a card. A slightly more adult version of the "I am 4" badges.

well here goes....

I decided it was finally time to jump on the bandwagon and start my very own blog.

So on a hot and sultry Monday in June the adventure begins......