Big Cot Quilt

It's not long now that our sweet little baby girl will be moving from her crib into a cot-bed.  I feel a bit sad in a way as at the moment her crib is situated in our bedroom where she sleeps with us but a full size cot won't fit so she'll have to go into her own room (which is literally next door to our room). But the time has nearly come and it's a small milestone in her life. She came home from hospital as a new-born and looked so tiny in her crib but she's growing well and is getting too big for it now, also as she develops she'll soon learn to sit up and then pull herself up and she won't be safe in the crib any more. So after Christmas we will make our way to Mothercare (my lovely work colleagues were generous with vouchers for there) and choose a new bed for our baby.

So in preparation I have made a new quilt for her new cot. I purchased the 4 fat-quarter bundle from Elephant in my Handbag called 'Vintage Baby'. I love, love this website. There are loads of lovely things to buy. I also ordered the pink velvet ric-rac (gorgeous) and blue ribbon from there. And then I set out to work.

I utilised what I had the best I could and cut squares, triangles and mini-squares and made a plain border at the top edged with the ric-rac and ribbon.

I bound the edge with the Tilda fabric I bought the other week (also used for the Sweet Sewing Basket) as there wasn't enough of the bundle for binding. I used Hobbs White Heirloom 100% Cotton Wadding (pre-washed) from The Cotton Patch with a plain cream backing. I quilted on the diagonal as I find it one of the easiest methods and I'm never really keen on the quilting stage.

The quilt is really too big for the crib and is tucked in at the sides and bottom.

I hope my baby will love her quilt and keep it to pass on to her children in the future (OMG GRANDCHILDREN!!!!!!!!!)
I have also made a crochet blanket for the forthcoming cot, just need to deal with these:

Have a lovely weekend, be back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cherry Pinny

When I was rummaging through my tea-towels the other day I found this pretty pinny I made some time ago. I don't wear aprons or pinnys as a rule (my mother-in-law always does) but do think they look fab when I want to play 'house' and pretend to be a domestic goddess (some of you may already be a goddess in the kitchen, I'm more of a 'oh my dear god don't go near the cooker again - ess').  I love the photos on the inside cover of Nigella's 'How to be a Domestic Goddess' book and took inspiration from there.

 

I have an absolute love of cherry print fabric and have a selection of various ones in my stash. The red polka-dot goes so well and I must admit I use this combination a lot.

 

The frill and bow are a frivolous addition, the whole thing reminiscent of the 50's housewife. I love the fashion and styling from that era, although I do think it's a bit romanticised. I wouldn't want to be a housewife of that time though as I would miss my friends: Mr Dishwasher, Mr Washing Machine, his brother Mr Tumble Dryer and of course Mr Click & Collect!

 

The sun is shining today, much better than yesterday. A beautiful autumn day to enjoy xx

Sweet Sewing Basket

Good afternoon to all on this miserable rainy Saturday. Lets close the curtains, drop the blinds and shut out the dark skies and cuddle up with a granny square or two, or even a nice bit of sewing, blog reader and of course a cup of tea.
From my book 'Sew Retro' by Judi Ketteler I found a nice simple pattern to make a basket for my WIP yarn.

 

 

I used my Tilda fat-quarters I bought when I went out on a jaunt with my sister recently.

 

And decided to make something useful as well as pretty, something that will help keep things tidy and looks a lot nicer than a plastic carrier bag lying around the place with my yarn in it.

 

 

 And it really is useful! At the moment it contains the yarn, my hook, 'end needle' and little scissors as well as the pile of little circles I'm making at the moment for a cot blanket. Best Boy likes me to sit with him when he goes to bed after his big sis scared him at Halloween and he can't get this out of his mind. I bring my little basket (it's not weaved or made of wicker but is it still a basket? don't know but anyway...) and I can crochet away while he nods off. My son loves me to sit and crochet or knit near him, I think he finds it comforting, bless him.

 

 

 

I used some fusible fleece to give it structure. It's the first time I've used this product and I'm very impressed and already thinking of other good uses for it. When something does the job it speeds up the making process and gives a better finish. If you're interested it's Vilene H 640. I also used Vilene S 13 for the base, and a circle cut from a Weetabix box for extra firmness. Using this bought back a distant memory of a work jolly to Vilene HQ, back in the days when I was a pattern cutter for a M&S supplier. They gave us a talk about all their interlinings and fusings they had 'invented'. Compelling. Lunch was nice though, lol.

 

 

I'm very happy with my little project, Cassie likes it too :-)

 

 



Crocheted Morris the sensitive panda

Morris the sensitive panda

After buying the book 'Meet me at Mike's' by Pip Lincolne at Jo Flannery's fabric sale I just had to make Morris. He's such a sweet little thing and his expression makes you want to give him a hug to reassure him.
My eldest daughter and my son both want to own him so I'm going to have to make a twin to avoid a fight. Luckily he is quick and fairly simple to make.
There are loads of lovely things to make in Pip Lincolne's book, like the cutest baby knickers, but will have to make another Morris before starting anything else (yeah right).

Daisy Rag Doll

I made Daisy with 2 of my fat-quarters

Last Saturday I went to a fabric sale at The Lane in Bedford. It was run by Jo Flannery of School of Craft. There were loads of quality fabrics available but I was really good and only bought some felt (for cupcake workshop) 4 fat-quarters and a book called Meet Me at Mike's.
With my fat-quarters I wanted to make a rag doll, more of a childhood reminisce than for my baby daughter!  I made her in a few evenings and my middle daughter thinks she looks very posh!
Her hair and shoes are made of felt and I found some lace in my stash to sew to her hem.
I can feel more rag dolls coming on - poor Daisy is lonely!

Hexagon Patchwork Cushion

Hexagon Patchwork Cushion and Knitted bébé Door-sign

Here's a photo of the rocking chair in LJ's room.  It was a bargain at £30 from Ebay and I love the shabby chic feel of it.  I re-covered the seat pad in Laura Ashley fabric and made the hand-stitched hexagon patchwork cushion cover in neutral colours as I didn't know if I was having a boy or girl.  The knitted bébé door-sign was one of the first baby things I made when I found out I was with-child again. It is from a beautiful book called Simple Knits for Cherished Babies by Erika Knight