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!!