Fabric shopping

 I have been a bad girl. I have been fabric shopping, I am supposed to be a fabric diet but I did use up lots and it is almost Christmas and I need to make presents. Anyway. I bought these lovely little Geisha girls at beautifulwork on Etsy. As I was paying for postage anyway I bought the owls as well.

  Owls are in, my daughter tells me. They are a need to have item.

I also bought these cute little flamingoes, zebras and molecules on ebay. They will be made into little things for my nieces and nephew.
There is a little sneaky moustache fabric peeking out. That is for one of my friends. She likes moustaches.

Need to get back to my sewing machine. The weather is chilly but sunny. I hope to get something, so I have a Friday Finish.

Buttercup bag.

 I have finally gotten round to making one of these little beauties. I found the pattern last year on Rae's blog. I knew it was cute and I wanted one. Cute bags need cute fabric, so I chose these little rabbits. Not too cute I think but cute enough to satisfy my girlish side. 

It has taken me almost a year to make one. Well I needed a reason for a small bag and I am going out on Friday. Without children or husband. Nothing terribly wild. One of the mothers at the daughters' school has organised a meal out. Still exciting though. I don't get out much. Well people don't understand that I want to take my sewing with me.

Not the biggest bag ever as you can see from the size of the phone but should be big enough.
Rae's pattern is easy to follow and the make was quick too.

Upcycling

 I am not sure if this quilt would be considered up cycling. The shirts had pretty much had it as shirts. Well That is what my mother and I thought. My father and husband don't seem to mind fraying collars and cuffs.
The back of this quilt (sorry no photos the weather is a bit grey today) is vintage but has never been used as such. The bolt of fabric has just been sitting in a wardrobe for a good 50 years. Not up cycled really.

The quilt is lovely a warm though and has been dog approved. I used quilter's dream white polyester wadding. This is lovely wadding to use. No fluff, easy to quilt and is warm and light. It has to be light this quilt is 2.2m long, so would weigh a fair bit if I had used cotton wadding.
My father is coming to collect it tomorrow. He wanted to come over today but I haven't quite finished stitching down the binding. Not my favourite job. Fingers crossed there is some good TV tonight.

Overcoming my fear of buttonholes

Yes, I don't like them. They are mean and go wonky and are never aligned as well as I would like.

 This bag needs 4 of them on the handle according to the pattern. I made the bag way back in May. It came as kit with the Sew book and was a birthday present from the husband. And then it was left for five month.

 I couldn't face the buttonholes. I don't like the little beasts. It was made a lot easier by my sewing machine having a sensor foot. However even a sensor foot does not cancel out human operator error. My bag only has two buttonholes. Mainly because I couldn't get them to line up.

However my bag has a lining and the pattern doesn't call for that, so all in all I don't feel too bad about the lack of buttonholes. Daughter 2 has claimed this one as hers, so I need to make one for daughter one. Christmas present maybe? I call that a plan. 

Starry night

 A little while ago I had some orphan navy blue squares. They were going to be cushions but then I changed my mind. We don't have a picnic blanket and I think we need one. I am going to add some more 6inch stars and add sashing.

I don't have a design wall. I have to use the floor. This has certain disadvantages. The knees suffer but also the small black dog likes to give her input on my work. Not always the most helpful.

In other news I have started a facebook page. Come over and say Hello.

Hope to have more stars tomorrow. I may not though; I promised to make apple pie. After last year's abysmal harvest the apple trees are making up for it this year. I don't want to waste this bounty, so I have spent a couple of days peeling apples already.

Familiar

Manly quilt on the "design floor"

 There may be some of you out there who are now going to say:"Hang on a minute, didn't make one of these before?"

 I would have answer with a yes, a bit like this. Oh all right, a lot like this one. I called it the man quilt. This one is called the Manly quilt. See totally different.

It turns out that my father is in love with his Monochrome quilt and it needs a wash. I have made this quilt top out of his old shirts and some of my husband's old shirts.

It turns out they have very similar taste in shirts. If anything father is less conservative with his choice of shirts. 

The quilt back is going to be this lovely soft flannel. My mother found it lurking at the back of her fabric cupboard. If memory serves her my grandmother bought it in the 50's or 60's to make pyjamas for my grandfather out of. There is a whole bolt of flannel. I know my Grandfather was tall but that is just optimistic.
Fingers crossed I can get this quilt basted and quilted by the end of next week.

Omission

I have just realised that there has been a terrible omission from my blog; MY finished quilt. A quilt I made for myself and I am not sharing it with the offspring or the small black dog.

Or my parents, even if mother keeps hinting how much she likes blue and green. This is mine and I am keeping it.

I made it using my accuquilt 4.5 inch half square triangles and 2.75 inch squares. Love making quilts out of all the same blocks. It is so much easier on my poor brain. 

 Fabrics are mostly Fabric Freedom colored dream, some left overs from dressmaking and a lovely peacock print bought at M is for Make. The back is PB textiles and was bought at Lady Sew and Sew.

It is 1.5m by 2.0m a good size for snuggling under.