Two blogs close and another blog opens!

So I have decided that it is way to hard trying to keep up with the two current blogs of 'little possum designs' and 'tillytom designs' so have set up a new blog HERE which will be everything and anything from sewing to knitting, crafting to quilting, family, life and more!

I hope that those of you that do read and/or follow my blogs will continue to do so over at the new one. This will be the final post here : )

Cheers!

EB Round Robin Quilt Swap - fabrics

These are the fabrics I am using for the EB Round Robin Quilt Block Swap. The swap involves 12 participants making up the same 12 inch quilt block in everyone else's fabrics. Once eveyone gets back their 11 blocks plus the one they make themselves they will have 12 quilt blocks in their fabric of all different designs (like a sampler quilt). Then we just have to put it together as we please! My finished quilt is going to be for Miss M's big bed when she moves out of the cot. I have a fat quarter bundle of the fabric collection 'Riley' by Anna Griffin which I am using.

Most if not all of the other participants are going for creams/whites as their backgrounds I think but this is my background fabric for all the blocks - bright enough? YES!

And the following are the fat quarters that I am using out of my bundle for the rest of the blocks - we send off one fat quarter of the background plus 2 fat eighths of different fabrics for contrast.

Take-a-long quilt . . .

I am thinking of adding something like this little quilt to my 'shop' as a "Take-A-Long" Quilt that you can roll up into a little bag. It measures 85cm x 100cm so a decent size for taking to mum's group or the park for bubs to lay on, plus also good as a comfort blankee or cradle size quilt. I put the quilt top together last night after dinner and sandwiched and FMQ it today at lunchtime while the kids slept - it seriously was a quick little one to make up! Just need to do the binding.

Quilt top

Backing

Close up of FMQStill learning . . . a little bunching on the back from the FMQ

I love fabric : )

Some more gorgeous fabrics that have arrived in the post today. I have a night market tomorrow night, maybe I can get some of these sewn into some pretty skirts and dresses by then - if the weather is kind and lets it dry on the line today!

Something new and something old

Happy birthday to me! Hubby bought me 'Weekend Sewing' which arrived a week or so ago (as posted below) and is taking me out for dinner tonight with some friends without the kids which will be lovely!

Mum dropped round this morning with these gifts. Hooray for the new rotary cutter! and the book has some great projects in it.

I also got these interesting folders from my mother-in-law who discovered them when tidying up her sewing room. The are two big binders filled with all sorts of projects ranging from knitting, needlework, workwork, painting, fabric crafts, pottery, and the list just goes on! They were published in the 80's sometime so the pictures are not flash but the projects with full instructions on how to do everything are great! There are hundreds of fact sheets that I have been looking through today, some that have made me laugh and some that I am very interested in having a go at.

Here's just a few of the fact sheets included;

Sock puppets

Flower arranging
Tucking

Caning - something my grandmother used to do

A crocheted bedspread

Marbling

Trapunto quilting - looks very interesting, something I would like to try

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend.

The rain is still about here which is lovely, but it is very cold days and even colder nights.

Quilt finished and a good day out

Apologies firstly for the terrible photos. This was about 10pm last night, inside under the lights. I really should have got a better shot today outside but the weather has been cold and miserable and we are finally getting some decent rain.

I finished the binding while hubby watched the footy.

I took this quilt to the craft fair I had a stall at today and received lots of lovely comments. It was terrible weather but luckily we were inside. I had a great day, with lots of new and returning customers from a previous craft fair which was really great to see. Some people were even seeking me out because of comments from friends from the last craft fair with others asking which craft market I was going to be at next which was very positive! I also caught up with a friend of a friend who also had a stall at the craft fair today and makes the most gorgeous little softies and gifts with chenille. You can find Leah here.

FMQ finished

I started FMQ this quilt yesterday lunchtime and had drama after drama with the tension on my machine, I was getting very annoyed and had to do lots of unpicking. I wasted so much thread and gave up. I got stuck back into it last night determined to get it done and after more tension issues, more unpicking, finally I finished it - with hubby saying 'are you coming to bed - its late!' lol It wasn't that late. I don't know what was happening with the tension, I got the setting all right and then about half way through the bobbin my machine would crack a wobbly and I would have to change the tension to the complete opposite settings - its was driving me up the wall! Anyway, its finished now, just waiting on my binding material from the FQS that hopefully is at the post office today! I love the crinkly effect the FMQ gives the quilt.

Quilt top

Close up of back
Back of quilt - I just went with plain natural coloured homespun with a simple strip of random colours a quarter of the way up