Happy New Year

Just popping in to wish you all a very Happy New Year.

May 2014 bring many hours of sewing and creating for all of us.

I want to welcome my new followers and thank my old ones for all your kind comments, support and inspiration.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

~ Maria ~

Crazy Patchwork Table Topper

Trying to rush through with my sewing in the hope that everything will be finished before the New Year but just realized that's not going to happen.

I finished this custom order last night at 2am. This one is for the lady that I made the Allsorts table runner for which you can see here.

This one measures 60cm x 60cm. The fabrics used weren't all quilting cottons, in fact most of them are polyester cotton. I knew that if I made the top completely before putting it onto the batting I wasn't going to get it properly square so I just made the center four blocks with the burgandy border first. Stuck that onto the batting and then added the other borders like a quilt as you go method. Once that was done I put the backing fabric on and then quilted it.

I'm pretty pleased with the quilting and was surprised how quickly it was done. Normally I get up every 10 mins or so but this time was determined to park my behind on the chair and not move until it was finished.

I put it on my coffee table to see what it looked like and it's perfect in my sitting room. The colours match perfectly. Now I don't want to part with it.

I've still got loads more sewing to do and some posts to add to my blog so I'm off to clean my sewing room and then get cracking again.

~ Maria ~

Fabric Desk Calendar Tutorial

Hope everyone has enjoyed Christmas and is now getting back into the mood for sewing. I took a couple of days off sewing and last night started clearing clutter from my sewing room and generally tidying it up ready to start again very soon and thought I'd share a lovely project with you to start off the New Year.

I subscribe to emails by Sew Can She and in today's email was this post with the link to the free download.

I wasn't planning on getting back to my sewing just yet but this project might just entice me back to the sewing machine. Wouldn't it look just perfect in any sewing space.

Everyone had been very quite lately on blogs, I'd love to hear from you. When will you be sewing again and have you any particular projects you would like to start with in 2014, or maybe you still have loads of ufo's from 2013? Maybe your list is already a mile long like mine.

Drop by I'd love to hear from you.

~ Maria ~

Santa Came On Christmas Day In The Form Of A Postman

For some of you Christmas Day has come and gone and I hope you had a wonderful day with family and friends and for others you will be celebrating it today.

Mine couldn't have been more perfect. While preparing Christmas Lunch the door bell rang. It was the post man who had come bearing gifts from lands afar.

These gifts were a long time coming. In fact one took 25 days and the other 19 days.

Christine from ChrisWDesigns had very kindly sent me the Homespun mag in which my Sugar & Spice bag, which I tested for Christine, had been shown. You can read about it HERE.

I love the internet and getting patterns sent to my email is just amazing and so quick but there is something really special about actually being able to hold a magazine and flick thorough the pages.

My to do list for the new year is already a mile long and these I hope will get done in 2014.

Here are three projects from the magazine that I hope to tackle. All of them very challenging or me and can't wait to start.

This would make a gorgeous wall hanging for my sewing room.

And this would look fabulous on my bed but I think it's a bit to adventurous for me so maybe a table runner.

And this gorgeous bag to go shopping with.

Thanks so much Christine you have no idea how happy you made me on Christmas Day.

Now to Samantha's lovely gift. Samantha from At home with MrsH was supposed to be just sending a card but popped a little gift in too.

Isn't this just beautiful.

Along with the card came an ornament for my tree wrapped in this lovely piece of green fabric and tied with the green and red ribbon. You have no idea how much I fondled that fabric on Chrismas Day LOLLLL

Thanks Samantha I couldn't have wished for anything better and I plan on framing everything for my sewing room. I just can't bare to cut the fabric and want to be able to see your ornament all year round.

Thanks again to both of you. This is one Christmas that I will never forget.

~ Maria ~

Merry Christmas

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

May you have a wonderful time with family and friends.

Our Christmas will be a very quiet one and I may even possibly sneak into my sewing room for a bit. 

I plan to try some new projects in the New Year. Things I wanted to do this year but never found the time. Maybe some hexies in 2014.

Once again Merry Christmas 

and 

Wishing all of you a very Happy New Sewing Year.

~ Maria ~

Allsorts Disappearing Nine Patch Table Runner

This is the second table runner I finished recently. The lady that this was made for came round and we chose fabrics from my stash to come up with this.

This one measures 110cm x 50cm.

I wasn't completely convinced this one would come out right when we chose the fabrics but I'm quite pleased with the result now it's finished.

 The green square is my favourite.

I have another six wallets cut out so I could well be making those over Christmas.

~ Maria ~

Candy Makeup Bag

I used the same fabric as the Candy table topper for this makeup bag.

No piecing to do so it was another quick project.

~ Maria ~

My Handmade Christmas

I was a bit late putting up the Christmas decorations this year but I finally got them up about a week ago. Most of my decorations are things I've made over the years and just keep putting up every year. Most years I add to them but this year haven't had time to make any extra decorations.

Here's a look at some of them. This Santa was given to me and I'm still not sure if I like the look of him or not. He looks kind of scary to me but his beard is so soft.

We always had a natural Christmas tree but some years ago I bought this artificial one, it's not the same as having a real one but so much more convenient. We have a large mirror in the sitting room so I always put the tree up in front of it. Makes it look like I have two trees.
Next year I have to make a new tree skirt. With the exception of the star and the glass baubles all the decorations have been made by me.

This wreath is just a metal coat hanger covered in tinsel and a ribbon added.
The penguin belonged to the kids when they were small.

This fabric tree comes out every Christmas. I made it about 17 years ago from a coat my mum made me.

And I couldn't have Christmas without my dear 21 year old robin. He looks pretty good for his age. LOLL

 ~ Maria ~

 

Candy Table Runner

I finished making a couple of table runners a few days ago and this Candy table runner is the first I'll show you.

This was a super quick runner to make because there was no patchwork piecing to do. The fabric is one piece. Perhaps I should have titled this post cheaters table runner.

The measurements for this one are 90cm x 50cm.

~ Maria ~

Floral Makeup Bag & Wallet Set

I just finished making this wallet and makeup bag this morning and am thrilled to bits with them. I've made them for someone who saw the fabric in my stash and liked it. I wish I'd thought of making them in this fabric sooner because of all the wallets and makeup bags I've made these are definitely my favourite ones.

I had a job trying to find a zip that matched the lining fabric but finally managed to find one. 

 I used a tutorial from Nicolaforemanquilts.com to make the makeup bag. I tried to give the direct link but for some strange reason her page won't open up for me.  I got it to work click HERE for the tutorial. The tutorial is for a pencil case that measures 9" x 11" but I cut mine out at 12" x 12" to give a good size for a makeup bag.

I think I may just have enough of the floral fabric to make a pocket tissue holder.

~ Maria ~

Where Is Everyone???

Has everyone disappeared off the face of bloggy earth? Am I the only one left?

                                                                source

For the last couple of days I've been so lonely looking at my emails and waiting for someone to post to their blog but nothing came. Maybe everyone's just busy with Christmas preparations so just too make sure I checked blogger and there were my favourite blogs posting away and I was missing all the gorgeous creativity going on. Bloglovin seems to have forgotton to send me updates. I don't have a clue why.

Has anyone else had any problems? I'd love to hear from you especially if you have. Please let me know if you've experienced the same.

~ Maria ~

Sewing Room Wreath

This was a project I made during the end of the summer and have been meaning to post it here but kept forgetting to take photos.

We have a grapevine in the garden that was growing wild so I cut it back and twisted the branches into a hoop. When it had dried I added a couple of small pincushions I made plus some fabric flowers, you can find the tutorial for them here, then I tied some fabric scraps to it and wound a tape measure around the wreath. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and now adorns my sewing room wall.

~ Maria ~

Stuffed Bunting Christmas Tree

Seems I'm the last one to do a post on something to do with Christmas. Most of the blogs I follow have either mentioned Christmas or have been busy making Christmas gifts. I've been so busy lately that I haven't even put up my decorations yet although I will in a day or two.

I made this stuffed bunting Christmas tree for my friend, the one who's nuts about Scotland, Christmas too. LOL

It was really easy to make and didn't take long. You can find the tutorial HERE.

~ Maria ~