Bargain Hunt - Monday

If you have access to BBC1 tomorrow at 12.15 and you want a giggle at my expense you may 'know' one of the contestants!

Getting crafty again

Hello Lovely blog followers, I hope you have stuck with me whilst I have been busy working?

I finally managed to get back into my workroom over the weekend, its still a work in progress with floorboards still to be screwed down and a new storage unit to be built, but I thought you would like to have a look through the new window

I have had a few projects that I wanted to get underway and fancied one that used lots of fabric scraps (am I the only person who NEVER throws scraps away no matter how tiny!?) it was great to get delve into fabric that i had to pack away months ago

i used a real mix, a little bit of Cath, some spotty that came from Australia, some of my vintage Laura Ashley, and lots of vintage bits

Stitched them all together and created some fabric stars for the Christmas tree

I also raided the button tin and made a few wire hearts.

The inspiration for the stars came from here

I got a bit carried away with the pictures!

Another plan that I had come up with some time ago finally got started. I can not resit collecting old fabric and when I visited CTC a while ago i picked up this small table cloth.

It was passed its best with a few holes and a couple of stains that I could not get out, but I felt the lovely printed flowers deserved a second chance.

So I raided the ric rac box, got the scissors out and after a wizz on the machine I came up with these lavender and wheat drawer fresheners

Some are backed with French vintage ticking and the others with some upcycled gingham

They are extra special as they are filled with lavender I grew in the garden and wheat my brother grew on the farm. I love to give old fabric a new life - I like to think I "add value by design" - or I may just be a really good horder!

As for the building work, it is still not finished - we are 3 weeks over the original completion date and will be lucky if it gets finished before Christmas - Henry belongs to the builders but he is like one of the family now as he lives in the hall and I talk to him every day :-)

TTFN

Mitty xx

Sofa dilemma and patchwrok crazy

We have 3 sofas from Ikea and some time ago I bought some new flowery covers, well last weekend they actually got onto the sofas and I adore them. They make the room feel light and fresh but they also gave me a dilemma...............

Our darling dog likes to sit next to us in the evening and she has not learnt to wipe her feet properly so I need to ensure we do not get muddy paw prints on the fab covers. I tried a red blanket.......
I also tried my crochet blanket folded nicely, but neither looked right...........

What I really needed was a patchwork throw that would tone in with the covers. As my sewing machine is packed away it would have to be hand sewn.....

Thank goodness I could still get to most of my fabric stash!

So here is the start of it - I used to love patchwork like this when I was a teenager and it has brought back happy memories of my sewing time with my grandmother.

I have made 300 patches, most of them different...

A mix of old and new, with some CK thrown in for good measure (thanks to a lovely shop assistant in London CK who let me have enough samples to make 35 patches!)

Can you find the Laura Ashley fabric from the 80's - this is left over from my original patchwork adventures!

I have also included fabric I bought in Australia and some special pieces sent by lovely friends on the SSC

Now talking of special friends I had emailed a friend from the SSC who runs a textile recycling centre to ask her if she had any scraps of vintage material she would sell to me. Heather left me gobsmacked when this arrived in the post today.

It needs finishing, but how fantastic is this.........

I have been lusting after some vintage patchworks on Ebay and now I have my very own.

I adore this roses patch

and this is so Cath Kidston dont you think?

The person who has made this had a wonderful eye for detail with her colour combinations, but this patch really made me smile - can you spot the odd one out?

How cure are these little fishes.......

The white patches really make the colours sing.

Do you think this was a lovely party dress in a former life?

And perhaps a special child had a outfit in this lovely print.......

The workmanship is stunning and the stitching is almost invisible.

So will this be another quilt for the dog - not on your Nelly this will take pride of place in my new master bedroom once the building is finished :-)

Can you tell I am in love with it!

Thank you Heather I will treasure it forever

MMxx

Made by me!

Sorry I have been AWOL again, but work is taking up so much time and I have had to pack up all of my sewing stuff whilst the building work is going on. Only another 6 weeks and it should all be finished!

I found some pictures of things i made a few months ago to share with you

I have started a new sewing projest that is hand sewn due to the fact my machine is hidden away, so i will share that with you another time

TTFN

MM xx

Introducing Roger and other Australian delights!

Well I am back in the UK now and suffering with the dreaded jet lag - hence a blog post at 3am!

I managed to take a few hours off from my work schedule and got to do some exploring in Oz. I had a hire car for a day so went in search of Kangaroos. After a bit of investigation the helpful lady at the local tourist info place suggested a trip out to Pebbly Beach. So I packed my picnic and set off.

After a great drive along the coast and down a very long dirt path I found myself this fantastic beach. Can you believe I was the only person on it!

After my picnic I went for a wander in search of the Roos, looks like they were on a family outing to the beach as well.

Now at this point I came across a man who reliably informed me that this kangaroo was called Roger. He was obviously used to tourists and came really close to me - I even got to stroke him (the Kangaroo not the Ozzie guy!) I had a chat with Roger and he was very interested in relocating to the UK and we made plans for him to meet me at the airport, and I had a nice new home arranged for him, but alas I think he got cold feet as he stood me up!

This is Mrs Roger and I think she was the reason he decided against the UK - can you see the babies feet sticking out of her pouch?
Another relative, again with a full pouch

It was amazing to get so close to them, but I would hate to upset them as they can do lots of damage, with those powerful feet and huge tail.

I also got some time out in Sydney so here are the Bridge and Opera house - the 2 most famous sites, taken from the ferry to Manley.

Off to try and get some more sleep now!

MM xx

AWOL - Australia is calling

Sorry I have been absent with out leave but it has been a busy month with lots of building work going on at the house

I have also had the chance to start riding again with the lovely Mr Bart

We have now got 4 chickens - Mable, Florrie, Dotty and Sybil
and I have only managed a little bit of crafting as my sewing room has had to be packed up to make way for the building work
Work has also taken me to Australia so I am typing this from a hotel in Sydney :-) - I have a few hours off later today so am going to try and find some fabric shops or OP shops :-)

TTFN

MM xx