IT'S A STEEP LEARNING CURVE ...

For years I've dabbled on the edges of patchwork - I love to sew and have done since my teenage years, but mainly clothes and household furnishings. I've done the odd patchwork cushion - you know the kind of thing, squares from scraps or bits of log cabin, but never properly planned and thought out patchwork projects.

The last few years I've been buying books and nervously teetering on the brink, and I finally got a book of small "weekend" projects that I thought would be good to practice on. Wrong again - I see now that even though I'm only making a tiny wall quilt, setting out to do stars was a bit of a challenge for a beginner, and I might have done better with straight lines!

So for the first time ever I got out my patchwork ruler and cutting wheel, with a planned set of fabrics. I didn't find the cutting part too hard - it was easier than I thought to be accurate, even with my concentration problems (I have to read everything at least 3 times). It was when I started stitching the parts together that it got tricky! I had recourse to the unpicker several times before I got the measurements right.

You can just see a picture of the project in the top picture, and how I WISH I'd never embarked on those tiny squares! The unpicker has been red hot .... but I'm determined to persevere and learn this noble art, though I confess I wish I'd got someone to teach me. My goal is twin bedspreads but right now that's looking a long way off! If anyone can recommend helpful websites do let me know. They do say it's good for the brain cells to learn something new ....

TURNED OUT NICE

I'm delighted with how the knitted flowers turned out - they went in a hot wash and have felted very nicely. I actually like the fact that in some places you can still see the stitches. I've added a link for buying these kits to the previous post, so if you are inspired to have a go ....

As I said, it's highly likely that my friends and family will be getting these for Christmas - the kit includes brooch pin backs. Now where did I put those knitting needles?

KNITTED FLOWERS

I've been passing time in front of the TV in the evenings (the programmes lately are such rubbish that I need something to engage my brain) knitting these flowers! I warn you they're addictive!

They're knitted on 6mm needles with pure wool yarn, and the pattern is designed so that you put the flowers in the washing machine and they felt up - I'll let you know if it works. The flowers come out about 3" but of course they may shrink as well as felt.

It seems entirely possible that many of my friends and family might be getting a felt flower brooch in their Christmas stockings ....

If you want the kit which includes yarns and pattern go to www.knitting4fun.com.

New Look?

Well how do you like my new look? I think the header needs work, but that's not something I'm clever at, and the person who made my old one very cheaply has given up, so it may have to stay as it is.

I was feeling the itch to revamp - in fact I toyed with the idea of closing this blog down and starting something new and different - and it may still be a work in progress. I feel like a different person to the one who began blogging ... and my focus is less on ATCs than it used to be.

I'd like the new revamped blog to reflect and reveal more of me as a person - which I wasn't quite ready to do before - and the breadth of things I get up to. Hope you'll stay with me on the journey? I've also been meaning to apologise for the fact that I don't get around to other blogs as often as I'd like - computer time makes my neck hurt so much that I have to limit it, so I tend to focus on just a few.

And by the way - we found out last night that our third grandbaby will be another little girl - and my poor daughter was so hoping for a boy this time. You have to just love what you're given don't you? She'll be welcome whatever.

SNUGGLY

I used the beautifully soft and snuggly fleece fabrics I bought to make a baby bag/nest for what will be our 3rd grandchild. My daughter loves bright colours and stripes and since we don't know whether it will be a boy or a girl, the yellow was a compromise! I made the ties out of a fat quarter and I'm really pleased with the result - a soft little cuddle nest to be wrapped up in. In fact, I think I'd like one myself!! Once the need for a snuggle blanket is past you can open it out and treat it like a playmat.

MORE OF MY PURCHASES

Here's the rest of my USA purchases. The balls of yarn are wool and made specifically for felting, so planning some fun with that! The fleece fabrics and pattern are to make a cosy nest for the new grandchild we're expecting in a few months.

The picture below shows an assortment of "stuff" - oddments that I picked up in sales and dollar stores, beads and buttons, a tin that just caught my fancy because it was pink and spotty ....














I always buy some of the Jo-Ann fat quarters because at $1.49 they're a fraction of the price they are here in the UK.

The brown(ish) fabrics are to make a little wall hanging quilt in one of the books/magazines on quilting I picked up ... promised myself that I would try to do more in this line, and I do LOVE sewing.

I also bought a couple of really great books including the Collaborative Art Journals which is SO inspiring! I've done circle journals but would like to go further into the more arty styles. Now who can I persuade to be in them .....??

As you can see, when it rained I didn't waste any time, and I'm delighted with my purchases. Most of them were reduced or on special offer or bought with 40% off coupons etc., so I actually didn't break the bank although I know it looks like it!!

WHAT FUN I HAD!!

Just back from Florida ... where far from wall to wall sunshine we actually experienced a six day tropical storm in which it rained buckets the whole time .... However, in such circumstances the tough go shopping, so I did - to Michael's, Jo-Anns and any and every other shop I could think of. Below you can see the stuff I bought from my US Stampin Up contact - a chance to buy a few things not in the UK Catalogue!

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On the right above is the USA themed scrapbook stash I bought to to complete our travel album. I make an album out of every trip we do, and it's wonderful on a cold winter night to get them out and relive happy times.

I invested in quite a lot of wooden blanks - particularly birdhouses - which weigh very little and are such fun to work on. Many of these were sale or clearance items and I only wish I could have got some of the bigger ones home!!

More pictures tomorrow as I gradually unpack and try to find homes for everything ..... Can't wait to have time to actually PLAY with this stuff!!

FINAL STUDIO PICTURES

These pictures complete the tour of my Studio - showing the storage to the right of my central workspace. I keep my paper in those slim 12 x 12 boxes, sorted mainly by colour but with a few manufacturers too (eg Basic Grey and K & Co collections).

My large cutter has it's place here too, and most of my stuff lives in Really Useful Boxes. The lined
baskets hold mini books and CJs.

The lower pictures show the left hand side - this is where the Cricut machine lives, and on the wall above is a shelf meant for CDs which holds my most-used colours of acrylic paint.

Once again RUBs feature heavily and the plastic drawers hold an assortment of bits and pieces (like my Twinkling H2os) which don't seem to fit anywhere else. It's such a pleasure to come in here in the mornings, and my spirits lift every time I see those curtains - worth every penny!!

I know I'm lucky to have a room of my own, let alone one this big, and I do try to share it with lots of other people. The trick to having one is to persuade your kids to move out!! Please ask if you've got any questions and hope you've enjoyed the tour!

I'm off to Florida tomorrow so see you in two weeks .....

STUDIO AGAIN

To the right of the Expedit bookcase is my desk - and computer. This is where I cruise the net, work and write. You can see the pink letter trays to the left - a friend was getting rid of them and had an idea I might like them ... which of course I DID!! I like to have lots of art I've been given around me which I put up on the notice boards, and there's some of my own work on the shelf above me.

The desk itself is simply a modern flush door varnished, which stands on two pedestals that I had built.

On top of one of the speakers sits my ball-jointed doll Lizzy - who often acts as the voice of my conscience . If what I'm writing is a load of rubbish she gives me this look as if to say "oh come on Rosie ....". The desk chair is just a cheapie typist's chair, which (having been cheap) isn't really up to the job and the height adjustment doesn't work terribly well. Sometimes without warning it suddenly descends to the lowest setting! It all keeps you on your toes I guess, but if I ever spot a pink one this one's going in a skip!!

Just one more group of pictures to come now .....

EVEN MORE STUDIO PICTURES ...

Along from the shelves I showed you yesterday is the door - and I picked up a tip somewhere online that this was a space you could use! Then when I found a PINK shoe organiser it seemed meant to be .... now I keep my SU punches in it.

Along from the door is the wardrobe I use as a cupboard, and the washstand where my sewing machine lives. I've never quite brought myself to use my super duper machine on paper, but I do a lot of actual sewing with it and am just branching into free form embroidery. Next to that is the filing cabinet trolley which doubles as a "refreshment centre". OK, it's where the kettle and mugs live, so that groups meeting up here can have the necessary caffeine and biscuits!

Turning to the right again is my main Expedit bookcase from Ikea - absolutely ideal for scrappers as 12 x 12 albums fit beautifully into the cubes. My albums, books and files live here, and the basket at the bottom are great for hiding those untidy bits and bobs that everybody seems to have. Ikea strikes again in the wooden magazine files.

You may be wondering what the yellow boxes are and these are from a kit company (Scrapagogo). I really like their kits but as you can see they've mounted up a bit so I decided to give them a rest for a while!!
Just one more set of pictures to follow and then you'll have seen it all ....

MORE STUDIO PICTURES!

On the right hand side of the Studio I have a set of wall shelves - we had these made in 1984 and they're still going strong 3 houses later! I keep my SU stamp sets here (and a few odd bits like metallic paints and alcohol inks).

The space between the bottom of the shelves and the radiator always seemed wasted, so I've begun to put small shelves in there to make use of it. These are from Ikea and hold my buttons (ask anyone - I LOVE buttons and use them all the time) in their cute little bottles. Below them is another Ikea shelf that I haven't got around to putting up yet, and a set of hanging pegs which I bought at the charity shop and painted PINK!! Not quite sure where they're going yet either.

To the left of the shelves is a small Expedit bookcase (Ikea again) which is newly imported and doesn't have much on it yet. The baskets on top hold my needle felting yarns etc. I've started to keep my Big Shot here too as it doesn't get used so often now that we have a Cricut (the "we" is our scrapbook group, but the Cricut lives here between crops). The other shelf is one intended for CDs which was surplus to requirements downstairs so I nabbed it in the belief that it was BOUND to come in for something ....
And there's my scrapbook trolley, one of the first pink items to arrive, a Christmas present 3 years ago from my beloved.

Beyond the Expedit bookcase is my new toy - a shiny trolley I bought from Amazon which is the best thing since sliced bread! It came flat packed and was so easy to put together, and it satisfies my NEED for organisation! I keep all my SU stuff in this so that it's separate from my "other" stash. Pictures of the next bit to follow ....

STUDIO PICTURES

Well as I promised, here is the first instalment of the pictures of the redecorated studio - now white with touches (well quite a few actually) of pink! As you can see I'm lucky enough to have a large room on the top floor of the house, which has a wonderful bay window with a view over the garden and local rooftops. I love it up here and have my workstation built into the window.

Our old dining table occupies the centre so that I can teach and hold groups here (assuming they can puff their way up all the stairs). I had a double fluorescent strip light installed over the table so that we work in a good light. I can take up to five people (six at a pinch) and the blue polka dot PVC tablecloth stands up to some heavy use, although I do find that inkpads can stain it. I'm looking for a pink replacement because the pale blue isn't that practical - or do you think that might be TOO MUCH pink?? As if ....

The next picture shows where I work in the centre of the window, with the storage of all my most used items around me. I have a large cutting mat here and my MM tote which holds all my basic tools. The surface is a kitchen worktop which is perfect to work on and stands a good deal of abuse and still comes up clean! The shelf at the back is an Ikea CD storage shelf which I turned upside to use as cubby holes. On top I keep my catalogues of stamps, my markers, and binders of collage sheets, while the spotty case holds some of my favourite clear stamps.


As you can see below most of my storage is Really Useful Boxes, although I also love the metal buckets from Ikea which just fit in the spaces between the windows! I'm wondering if I should spray them pink too - the wire cake rack on the left already got the treatment!

You may also notice that I have two bins - I'm a passionate recycler so I have one for paper which will recycle (which is most of the rubbish I generate), and I only very reluctantly put stuff in the other bin because that means it will have to go to landfill.

You might be able to see my super lamp - not only is it completely adjustable and on a swivel base (which is built into the worktop), but it includes a lens for very close work. I used to use that a lot when I made miniatures. When the daylight fades I get a lovely cosy pool of light from the lamp - I'm often surprised how people set up beautiful studios and scrap rooms without giving the same attention to the lighting, which is key!

I'm sure there must be lots of things I haven't mentioned (like that plant I'm always trying to kill) so if I've missed anything out and you have questions just ask!! Yes before you ask I did tidy up a bit for the photos, but I am usually pretty tidy anyway!!