CHARM ABOUT YOU

Here's what I've been up to the past couple of days...

I am grateful to Jessica at Life Under Quilts for providing me with great inspiration and making do with what you've got. I have been struggling to find somewhere to put my binding...


I totally stole her genius idea, when I finished my binding this was in easy reach!!

I have been eating this...



provided by a nice neighbour!

I have also been doing some making :)

In between making quilts I randomly decided to make something as a gift for my sister. I needed a break from quilting so I did some quilting on something smaller?! No I can't make sense of it either, I guess I just like making different projects sometimes!

She mentioned she might be getting a sewing machine, so because I can't afford to buy her one :( I'm doing the next best thing and making her stuff to go with it!!


I used a great tutorial by Amy at Lots of Pink Here for this cute travel sewing kit. I'm proud of how it turned out.


I used up some left over bits of fabric (mostly from my Dead Simple quilt) and a nice scrap of Lizzy House that was given to me.
My sis is a Manchester City supporter so I hope she appreciates the blue! I went for something a bit different on the outside but I think she'll like it.


I also made her a scrappy pincushion. I used this super easy tutorial at Ellison Lane Quilts by the lovely Jennifer.


I have to be honest and say I don't own any lapel stick so I just pinned it and I don't have any lizard litter either so I used stuffing! It was still super duper easy to make though :) I love how it looks, all big and squishy! It is a great way to use those tiny bits of cool fabrics you don't want to bin!





There were some firsts - the first pincushion I've ever made! Also making the travel sewing kit was the first time I've hand sewn a binding on - I totally wasn't going to (I'm VERY lazy like that) but it was obvious that it would look a million times better. I'm really glad I did. I have to say though I'm really impressed with those of you who sew all your bindings on by hand! I just don't have the patience so I'm not even going to attempt a whole quilt, I might one day :)

I'm starting to think about all the other sewing things I want to try:

I've yet to make a cushion, so that's definitely on the list (Nicky is so helping me!!)
I've never made a wonky star (think I'm the only one who hasn't!!)
I HAVE to learn to paper piece properly, really it's not funny how bad I am!
I really want to make a cute pouch and I know exactly where I'm heading to do that - making rebecca lynne!
I also MUST improve my barely existent embroidery skills
...and the list goes on.

Oh well! Less of what I'd like to do and more of what I can and have!!
Make sure you check back here on Friday because for now all I'm doing is celebrating like this...

Now I know you're all super busy today hopping around and entering giveaways but please can you take a moment to come and visit me at Live a Colorful Life where I'm playing the name game!

Oh and if reading about me isn't enough to get you over there, you'll be happy to hear that Cindy is having a giveaway too :)

It's ok for my to say that, I only have one!

The past few days have really been about my son, with a bit of her too :)

On Friday he was in his first school play - cue me with tears in my eyes!

Saturday we had a lovely big Christmas meal with my wonderful family in Chester - there were a few tears there too, remembering the ones who are no longer with us :(

Today we went to see Father Christmas for the first time at the fabulous Quarry Bank Mill in Styal, a great National Trust place to visit - yes I got teary, the kids were just so cute!
Then to top it off we've just been gluing and sticking and my son wanted to write MY name on his picture because it is for me!!


(We are not American, that is an upside down 'u'!!) I know I'm a big sap but if your first born wrote that you might well up too!! He's only 3, I'm very proud!

So to celebrate my love for him, I'm working hard on this:


Just started on the quilting and some of this to add on:



Also want to give a shout out to say thank you for all the really kind comments and emails I've had recently - you all know who you are and you're all true friends, thank you so much! Gonna stop there before I cry again, really I am a sap.

...obviously I'm talking about Christmas ;)

If you've already seen my decorations you know how seriously we take things around here! In that spirit we've been making cards and homemade decorations.

Now I have to be honest, I was NOT planning on making any cards (you'll see why in a sec.) but when I sat down this morning with the little girl and she was having a ball cutting, gluing and throwing glitter everywhere, I thought I might give it a shot.

We ended up getting the scraps out too. I have no Christmas fabric at all, it's not really unfortunate because I'm not sure even actual christmas fabric would have helped me...

gratuitous shot of our 'Charlie Brown' tree

See?? At least they're glittery!! I used what was once pretty Valori Wells and some strawberry print fabric, sheesh at least it's red:


Don't you think my neighbours are going to love me when I give them one, especially if I also include one of these delights:



My wonderful children made salt dough decorations and we had SO much fun doing it!

I got the instructions from the wonderful Hoosier Toni and I actually think my house will smell like cinnamon until Christmas! We painted them (may have been a mistake, they went slightly smushy) and then topped it off with an abundance of glitter and PVA glue.

I have spent a very satisfying amount of time peeling the PVA from my fingers. It is SO VERY satisfying, especially when you get a really big bit!! Or is that just me??!


p.s. I HAVE to share this with you, whether or not you have kids immediately go to this: http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home
I made a video from Santa for my son, it's amazing! You can personalise it and even put them on the naughty list!! It's OK they do it really nicely, as in 'you still have time to be good'!! It also encourages them to do a particular thing, for us it was for him to 'try and get to the toilet in time'!! Brilliant is an understatement!! You can also make cheeky adult versions!

I was chuffed to bits when the lovely Nathalie from Noas'Libellule gave me an award! Thank you so much Nathalie! She has an interesting, cosmopolitan and stylish blog, so check it out! The best bit about this award is that it was given to me by someone that reads and enjoys my blog - who knew?! It means a lot to me :)


There are some rules that come with the award, one of which includes passing it on so I will be sending some emails out to a few of my favourite blogs! You also have to share seven things about yourself, so here goes...

1. I married my husband after only knowing him for five months - best thing I ever did! A romantic whirlwind, one day I'll have to tell you about how he proposed, it was magical!

2. I worked for five years as a University lecturer before quitting and getting a job on a make up counter, which was the best job I ever had!

3. My lifelong ambition was to be a mum - success!

4. I practiced Rollerderby until I broke my elbow - my derby name is 'Thunder Bird'

5. I could live off Coca Cola and I have no fillings!

6. I would love to own a pick up truck - preferably a Warrior with monster wheels

7. I love Joss Whedon

So there you have it! Seven random things you didn't need to know about me!! ;)

In other news I now have this:


An EMPTY divider, which can mean only one thing! I've finished my 'does not compute' blocks! Yes I have!!


Here they all are, some still waiting to be pressed and then sewn into rows to make the long awaited quilt top! Stay tuned... you never know I might get the thing finished for a certain upcoming Friday (not this one, this week's TGIFF is at Quilt Matters, truly thank goodness!)

I have one more quilt finished, a present for my friend's son. I just randomly picked this design after making a bunch of half square triangles and it went together really well - I especially love the orange binding and I quilted it with yellow thread :) Since I'm lacking any better suggestions or ideas, I'm calling it 'Diagonal Stripes HST Quilt' - thanks Kristastitched! (before you judge and think she's not creative - hahaha - go check out her blog, especially the DP layouts she did recently!!)




I love these fun boy fabrics too!

So that's another one down, now just three more quilts to make before Christmas??!

So glad I have Janine at Rainbow Hare Quilts keeping me on track with Making Christmas:

I rarely drink, hardly ever, but last night I had two close friends from High School come over and I had two glasses of white wine. Two. That's it. Yet today I feel horrible and have a banging headache that will not go away. Is there something about being over 30 that's means you can no longer feel spritely the next day?!

Anyway, despite the hangover I finished binding my Drunkard's Path QAL quilt today! I love it and hope my MIL will love to receive it for Christmas :)






I think my nifty walking foot device helped! And I love the concentric circles against the solids and florals. Sorry for the poor light in the pictures but it's just that time of year (actually I'm in England, it's often like that!!). I've said it before but I thoroughly loved being part of this Quilt Along and you can click the button to join in at anytime. I am completely in love with Drunkard's Path quilts and will certainly use them again. So thank you to Needle and Spatula and Obsessive Crafting Disorder for hosting such a fantastic QAL and introducing me to my favourite blocks! If you head over to their blogs you can see more finished quilt tops and undoubtedly be inspired :)


I know I've been crazy lucky since I started blogging and please don't hate me but the gorgeous FQ bundle I won from Crazy Old Ladies arrived today. It's her new Hall of Fame Collection for Michael Miller. I just adore it:




That's the little one picking out her favourites! She has good taste :)

And just so you don't think my life is perfect here's the decorations I successfully retrieved from the attic yesterday:



It's a good job I didn't hurt myself on our attic ladder because it was just NOT worth it!!! Seriously a garland made from holographic cardboard and wool (kiddie project last year!!) and the most PATHETIC fake tiny tree with horrible lights and some 'interesting' decorations. The coke bottle I actually love and the yummy mummy was from a friend I used to work with but what is the rest??!! I don't even know - I think the hat might be one of those free ones from an innocent smoothie drink and there is one I got when I worked for Estee Lauder. This is terrible. Thank goodness I made that cute advent calendar or we'd really have nothing.

Ok it's not Christmas yet Lucy!! I'll be down to the pound shop on Monday and see what other treats I can find :) I might just go for the tacky and cheap look and embrace the shame! Just in case you think I have no taste, let me point you in the direction of some beautiful decorations and a gorgeous tree at making rebecca lynne, that is what I'm aiming for next year :)
It's never going to happen this year because I still have 3 more quilts to make (maybe 4!). Hopefully lots more finishes to show you this month but for now I'll be linking this one up to Crazy Mom Quilts and Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday at Quokka Quilts this week!

There are some that are fugly and some that are pretty and some that I downright love:

I adore this funny fabric holding man more than I can express

Well last night I realised it was the end of November so I stayed up and made this!




I even practiced some fmq and did some swirly loopy quilting :)