Christmas in August

Today I visited a friends house for a sewing day.  We were both working on Christmas quilts.  I’m very pleased with my progress as I managed to complete a further 9 blocks for my Tula 100 quilt.  That puts me at a total of 25 blocks completed.

My fabric choice for the 100 blocks is Joy by Kate Spain.

They’re so pretty… I might have to sew up some more this week :)

Happy Christmas

I had lots to post about in the run up to Christmas but unfortunately the Flu virus struck our house & pretty much changed all of our plans.  After spending several days in bed & shipping the twins off to Grandmas over night I would say that I'm feeling about 85% now.  Not quite 100% but getting there.

I leave you with a photo of my completed fabric door wreath & wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Fabric Door Wreath

Silent Sunday

Cross Stitching Mojo

Well it appears that finishing the Cinderella cross stitch for a friend has really got me back into cross stitching in the evenings :)

I've started a nice new Christmas design from Hinzeit called Charmed Christmas Past.  I've had this chart all kitted up in my stash for *ahem* a while!!!  I'm stitching for 1-2 hours an evenings once the children are in bed.  So here's my progress so far:

Hinzeit - Charmed Christmas Past

It would be nice to have it completed in time for Christmas but I'm not concerned if it isn't, I'm just enjoying the stitching.

Just in case you are wondering about this weeks Silent Sunday post, both of the twins were poorly over the weekend & we were going through liquid Nurofen like it was going out of fashion.  Thankfully one of them is back to normal with just a cough but the other has developed tonsilitis so has been off school.

Happy stitching :)

My New Toys

Thought I'd share with you some of my lovely crafty christmas gifts :)

Ribbon Storage unit from CraftMates
The individual slots can be removed to allow for wider ribbons

Lovely selection of quilting & craft books

Accuquilt Go! cutter... an upgrade to my Go! Baby
Two new Go! cutter dies, double wedding ring & dresden plate
Two new mats for the cutter, both for use with the new dies
Accuquilt toast rack.... well it looks like a toast rack but it's to store all of my dies in :)

Hexagon Garden quilt kit from The Quilt Room, Dorking

Hopefully throughout 2012 you'll see some of the above in use.

Happy stitching ;)

Merry Christmas

I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays.

Bent Creek Design, Christmas Cracker.
Completed December 2007.

Christmas Tree Wallhanging

WOW.... we've been major busy here over the last few weeks. Christmas is in full flow in our house & the twins are keeping us more than occupied with their wish lists that appear to grow day by day!

I have managed to finished a couple of projects & this is one of my favourites. It's a christmas tree wall hanging. It's new home will be on the dining room wall over the festive season. It was part of my college course I've been doing. Althought the course has been about curved seams our tutor thought it would be nice to throw in a festive project. Lots of the students embelished their trees with beads & sequins etc but I felt my fabrics looked lovely without any glitz or glam.

I like it so much I've already gathered together a selection of fabrics to make a different colour theamed one for the lounge :)




Happy Stitching :)

Latest Finishes

A few of my latest sewing finishes. Two small mug rugs & a slightly larger christmassy rug. All were made from scraps :)





Happy Stitching :)

My Christmas Fabric Gifts.

This first picture is a lovely snowy panel called Winters Gleam from Wilmington Prints. Along with the panel I received the bag of batting & enough snowflake style fabric to back the panel. My parents bought me this little gem from a quilt store that they came across in Virginia while on holiday.


The next is also from my parents & that's a Moda Jelly Roll & a Moda Charm Pack both of which are from the same fabric line, Dream On by Urban Chiks. I'm already thinking about what quilt(s) I can make from these lovely fabrics.... do I use them together or on their own.... lots of choices here!



The last picture is of my new christmas fabrics. They include a Seasons Greetings Charm Pack from The Cotton Patch. I totally love this charm pack, it has 50 different fabrics & all of them are christmassy.... wooohoooo. The other 3 fabrics in this image are from a Secret Santa swap that took place on a craft forum that I chat on. My secret santa stalked me on the forum long enough to know what I really like & these 3 fat quarters were part of my gift. Thank you Santa.


What a brilliant christmas I had in the way of craft this year. I can't wait to get started on using them.

Happy Stitching :-)

Happy Christmas

I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas & a Happy & Healthy 2011


Oh yeah.... & I just unwrapped an Accuquilt Go Baby Cutter :-) WOOOOHOOOOO

Happy Holidays xx

My First Quilt

Here we are, a quick picture of what I did last week at my quilting class. The first part of my Sampler Quilt, it's called a Wonky Star. I haven't got off to the greatest start with it but I'm not going to frog it. I quite like it & hopefully my little boy will too :-)


I have a new quarter inch foot for my sewing machine & a couple of fabric prints which I think work perfectly with the three that I'd already chosen (the three original ones are across the top in the image below)..... what do you think?



I'm having a bit of a quandary at the moment. It's regarding my christmas stitching. Now I love my christmas cross stitch, it's my favourite type of stitching, the colours & designs are fabulous & always make me smile. Anyway, I'd like to know what people think about keeping christmas designs up all year around. Do you consider them to be just another lovely design that deserves it's place or are they classed as decorations & should only be displayed at holiday time?? Let me know what you do or would do?

Happy Stitching :-)

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone has enjoyed christmas as much as I have.

Now that the twins are 20 months old the whole christmas concept is brilliant this year.... lets just say that they have "unwrapping gifts" down to a fine art now! Our modest house is like toy central, yet again, & in the evenings whilst they're sleeping we'll be having a toy cull. The toys that the twins have grown out of will be donated to Twins Club, Playgroup, our Dr's waiting room & my boot sale box.

I've had a few stitchery gifts this christmas & will at some point get around to taking a picture with my new camera.. yes that's right, DH bought me a nice shiny new camera, an IXUS 100 (an upgrade on my current IXUS40). I had some new fabric, a Lizzie*Kate Christmas Kit & a pull along trolley for my sewing machine :-)

I was well impressed with the trolley as it was a bit of a late addition to my christmas wish list (bit of an afterthought really). I've booked myself onto an evening course for quilting. Although I could probably get along fine with some patchwork & quilting I've never actually dabbled in it properly so from 18th Jan I'll be doing 10 weeks on a Monday evening hopefully making up my first quilt. The trolley will enable to me to take along my machines, fabrics & all the trimmings. I can't wait to get started.

I made a small start on Yoyo's Christmas SAL but then had to frog the lot as I'd completed messed it up. My own stupid fault, I just wasn't paying attention.... gutted... but I've already re-started.... 3rd time lucky :-)

Problem Solved :-)

The dilemma from last week has now been sorted. A friend recommended that I purchase half the threads needed for the new design & puchase the other half at the show. Well I went to order half & then realised that there is only 6 different shades needed so I ordered them all... yay :-)

Below is a picture of the threads & fabric. There are 2 shades from Gentle Art & 4 from Weeks Dye Works. The fabric is 27 count Cream Northern Cross Linen. Have to wait a while for me to show you the design though as it's the one thats a christmas gift. Can't wait to get started!!

Merry Christmas

What a wonderful surprise I had this week. A friend of mine popped into the shop & produced a lovely gift bag full of goodies. I certainly wasn't expecting them & it left me quite humbled. I have to say that it has renewed my faith in good persons... and what a lovely person she is too.

I've been online shopping this evening... christmas eve.. how good is that??? Heaven & Earth Designs have a one day 30% off sale, well it would have been rude not to take part would it not? The design I chose was Ice Dragon, it's a nice blue design that will complement my Dragon Riders nicely... now all I have to do is make progress on that one!

I haven't yet chosen my 2008 Challenge piece for the stitching forum but I have a few days to decide, as long as I let them know before the end of the year I'll qualify for the challenge.

Dad has just informed me that the xmas table is laid & that the turkey has just one hour left to cook. Brother is playing with xmas gifts ready for the boys in the morning & we're watching Deep Space Nine while tinkering on the pc's.

Consultant appointment went well today, saw 2 little heartbeats, heard what we thought was 2 little heartbeats & made an appoitment for a couple of days after our ultrasound scan. Hopefully Greg will be able to make both appointments as I'm loosing track on what I need him for & what I don't... we can discuss it later. Still unsue as to whether we find out what sex our babies are... we're having that dilemma at the moment. Will keep you posted!

Nighty night & Merry Christmas.

Lise xx