Wednesday 20 June 2012

Thrifty fabric finds & a quilt tadaah..

Hiya lovely bloggers :o)
Hope this post finds you all fine n dandy this Wednesday evening!

Oooo, I'm getting good at this posting lark aren't I? lol.
But I do have to admit that I wanted to write this post Monday. Alas time gets away from me too quickly these days.

Thankyou all kindly for your comments on my last post -the first in my little series of 'spotlights'. I always think it's nice to find out about lovely blogs and people you may not have heard of. I shall be spotlighting another victim  another blogger this weekend. It may even be you :D

I had a little thrifty shopping to do the other day, and I was so pleased to find some large pieces of lawn cotton fabric, and a most beautiful feathered organza that I absolutely adore!  :: 
This is all of them together::

A lovely Aisan style lawn -2metres (£1.95)::

Another 2 metres Aisan style lawn -£1.95::

Five metres of dress fabric I think it's a viscose blend (£1.95)

A most gorgeous coloured, 3 metres of dress fabric that I'm going to make at least one skirt with! (£2.25)

And this most gorgeous feathered organza!! The colours of the feathers are so beautiful -especially with that aqua colour! -3metres £1.50!


So as you can tell, I had a bit of a spending spree!

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Here's some pictures of another quilt that I keep forgetting to show you.

I didn't make it to any pattern -which shows! lol-

I quilted in the ditch in the end. That's after free-machine quilting it all first, then not liking what I had done, so I unpicked the WHOLE quilt and started again.

This is the back.
I did actually make this for someone, but I was so un-happy with it, that I didn't give it to them!
Sometimes I do think I'm just a tad of a miserable old bag, 'cos when I look at this quilt now, I like it, and think they would have too!!
I think I was just being picky after being so disappointed at my first go a free-hand machine quilting.
I used my walking foot to stitch 'in the ditch', and it worked a treat.
(I ought to say that my friend didn't go without a gift, I gave her something else!)
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A fun patchwork pillow that I made my son :D

Yes, he is much too old for monster and Mr Men fabrics, but it made me grin, so he got it :D

Well, that's me for today.  I suppose that's it on our sunshine for a while now too :o(   Can you believe it's the summer solstice tomorrow!  Lordy, halfway through the year already!

You have a great week my dears, and take care. xx

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This photo is for all of you lovely bloggy friends.  xx


This photo is for Jo and Jennie, who I know are both having a very hard time at the moment :o(
You take care my dearies, and keep your chin up! xx


This message is for 'Trills'!

Dear Trills, thankyou so much for always leaving such beautiful comments on my blog posts. Unfortunately blogger won't let me respond to any of your comments for some reason, so I have no way of contacting you :o(
But i just want you to know that I so appreciate your lovely words (as I do everyones), and they help to make my day.
I'm looking forward to when you get brave enough to blog yourself my dear :o)
Take care down there, and have a lovely week. xxx



Saturday 16 June 2012

'Fabulous vintage rosey' scrap quilt :o) ---1st up :D

Well Hello again!
Two posts in one week from me seems amazing, but I frequently do amazing things (not) lol.

This post is mainly about one lady who IS amazing though!
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Since I have been blogging, I have *met* some of the most lovely people I have ever known.
Bloggers are in the main, the most inspiring, friendly, genorous people there are.
I have been friends with a few people for a few years now. We have exchanged gifts and cards, support, help and advice. You all reading this know who you are.

So I thought over the next few weeks, (and to encourage me to get back my blogging mojo) I thought I would do a little series on bloggers I know who are extremely inspirational, talented, funny, sad, happy, colourful..... you get the picture.

So ahead of time, I'm warning you that if I comment on your blog, if your blog makes me smile, inspires me, or I think you're amazing, I shall be writing about you here. I make no apologies beforehand for putting you in this little spotlight (and it is little, so don't fret dearies :D) and I won't be telling you individually beforehand either, you will just tune in and here you are. This is your warning :D

I do however, hope you like it, and take it in the way that you are meant to, in the fact that I think you are amazing for one reason or another, and this is my way of thanking you for helping me along in one way or another over the past few years.

So here goes and first up!  :D :D.

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The lady on todays post is the owner of the first blog I ever saw/read.
I used to do an enormous amount of fabric crochet. And one day when I was googling it on the web like you do, I came across a selling site called Etsy.
And right there was the most amazing rag crochet I had ever seen!

Oh boy, did I aspire to be as good as this lady, and I was amazed that you could actually sell items that you crocheted. (Yes I've led a sheltered life! lol)

SosoRosey is run my my best, best friend Jennie.  I *met* her about four years ago now on the web.
In that time I have come to realise that Jennie is one of the most talented, professional people in the world.
Not only does she run sosorosey, but she also sells vintage items in her shop sosovintage.
The range of vintage items are awesome, and one of her specialities are vintage sheets!
These are cut into fatquarters, or charm packs (or whole if you need that much fabric).

Out of these packs, she often has scraps left which she sells as scrap packs.  I bought a scrap pack not so long ago to make a little project (just $5 -around £3.25) and this is what I made for just £3.25.




I made this little scrap quilt-as-you go raggy quilt.
A bit unconventional in shape, and measuring nearly 3ft square (although obviously it's not quite square). It is so soft and cosy and my two teenage girls argue over who's turn it is to cuddle it and take it to bed. I just wanted to show you what can be made with just a little pack of scraps. Bear in mind that had i not 'quilted-as-you-go' this would make a 6ft x 6ft quilt top -easily as I have some left. That is an absolute beautiful bargain -a quilt top for $5 or £3.35!!

The vintage fabrics are awsome:::

(A $5 current scrap pack -photo shamelessly stolen from Jennies shop)


The crochet is awesome::::


(This photo has been shamelessly stolen from Jennies shop too !)


And now, Jennie has opened another amazing, original shop::


She adores vintage fabrics tremendously. And not being a sewer (although secretly I don't believe this, and think she would be a fantastic sewer) she has come up with the idea of stiffening her fantastic vintage fabrics, and making beautiful treasures with the stiff fabric-just like paper!! -Genius!!

I have stolen more photos from her shops!!
Just look at these!

Beautiful wedding favour boxes!!  ::


Amazing cupcake picks ::


Little treasure box ::


I mean can you believe that these are just made out of fabric with NO sewing?

I truly admire Jennie. She works tirelessly with absolute professionalism. Now working on three shops as well as being wife, mother, and daughter.

So, if you haven't met her, pop over to her blog and take a peek at all she does.
You too will be amazed at this lovely lady :o)

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Well, I hope you like the start of my little series. As I said, I just want to introduce you to others in the world, so they can see how amazing you are as well!

So look out B, G, J, L, V, S, G....to hint at a few, as you never know, you might be next week :D

Take care lovely people. Have a great enjoyable Fathers Day/weekend, and will speak to you next week. xx

P.s. I never knew that I knew how to steal photos, so I'm quite proud of myself at these little 'thefts' !
:D :D :D



Tuesday 12 June 2012

Ta-Daah! :o)

Goodness me, over a month has gone by without any sign of a post from me!
Is anyone still there?

If you are still about -HELLOOOO!! hope you're fine and dandy, and the world is ok with you :o)

I've been a busy bee.
I've had a birthday! A lovely day was spent shopping, thrifting and crafting. I do have some thrify finds to show you, but I want to make them over first so's I can show you the before's and afters.

My son had a 15th birthday too. Goodness they grow up so fast. I'm now officially the shortest in my little family of five as well!

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Do you remember the quilt that me and my eldest were making for her Teaching Assistant?
Well, it's finished and handed over!



 
We made a label to sew on the back too. We called the quilt 'Bloom' as thats what the TA has helped our eldest do since she'd been at that school, and we used some fabric from one of my daughters old toddler dresses in the roses as well.  The lady in question cried when we gave it to her!
Oh it was so lovely to see her appreciate it. (I don't just mean cos' she cried lol)

I think Teaching Assistants are mostly amazing people and they don't get no where near enough credit for all they do either!

As you can see by the photos, we had some beautiful sunshine here during May didn't we?
Oh, I do miss it now!  I went walking in the rain last night with my two daughters, (we're getting thin n' fit :o)  and I had to wear thick clothes and my woolly hat as it was so cold - I was walking fast too!

I have lots to show you, but I'm (again!) going to try to post more regularly with smaller posts, so as this is the first of many over the next few weeks, I shall keep todays short and sweet! :o)

You take care now, and I'll speak soon.

Love Donna xx