Wah

I haven't posted on here in AGES.

I have been busy with work (still not liking it much).

Christmas has been and gone.

BUT

There's a possibility of having my own stall at Woodhorn's Craft Fair on Easter Monday!

So I've started  making LOADS of bibs and bunting, and will start making loads of burp cloths and smaller patchwork quilts to sell also.  I'm excited.  I've always wanted to sell on a stall.  I've sent off the relevant details and photos, and they will decide at the end of Feb whether or not to include me, but it's looking good so far.  My mum has offered to knit little booties and hats too, which will be fab.  So I'm swotting up on HMRC tax forms and public liability insurance and the like.

I've really struggled to come up with a business name, I think it's been the hardest thing.  I've spent hours trying to think of things but they're already taken.  All the "What Katie/Katy did" ones, all the "crafty corner/spot/makes".

Does anyone have any clues or ideas for business names? Time is ticking away and I need to get a move on! :(

Here's a photo of my rabbits....

Getting ready...

Long time no blog!

I'm excited about Christmas. I'm turning the applique Christmas tree into a wall hanging, now that I've worked out how to drop me feed dogs and "properly" quilt.

Sleeping sack temporarily on hold. 

Rabbit quilt on hold.

Mum quilt on hold.

Cushion covers for Mike still not started.

Christmas bags being made.

Busy busy busy. 

Happy days!

Rabbit quilt

You know how it is... I've got a dozen other things to finish but I saw the @elizabethagh cat block on her instagram page (go follow her, she has some gorgeous quilts on there) and on the Janome website and I thought "that's cute, but wouldn't it look more me if it were rabbits instead?".

So, I've made the first steps and made five yellow patchwork "shapes" which will be more refined when on a background (I'm thinking grey...?). I want some blue, green and fushia perhaps? I'll have to look through the stash and see what I have. Eeee, bunnies!

Bunting frenzy!

I've bought a 50m roll of white bias binding from eBay (it was only about £8).  I thought it was high time I made some bunting, and what better way to start than by making Christmas bunting? I'm not sure that my rabbits will be safe around a Christmas tree (they jump up on the bay window and on the settee) so bunting is ideal as far as I'm concerned.

The fabric is Rowan and about £14 a metre from John Lewis, I think it's gorgeous. I made a bunting for my partner's sister who (like me) loves bunting. I gave her it as an early Christmas present - she loved it!

The yellow bunting is a lot smaller and it's for little Sally who will be 1 at the end of November. Hopefully it'll go nicely in her bedroom :)

Dillan's birthday

I made a frog card for my nephew's birthday... I hope he liked it!

Sorry about the lack of posts, I've not long got two little house rabbits that need a lot of watching - I've only just started sewing on my machine when they're hopping about my living room. They're sooooo sweet. Crafty posts will commence soon - I'm going to the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching show tomorrow and I'm very excited. There's even a life sized knitted nativity scene - as well as other exhibitions and plenty of opportunities to spend money. Hopefully I'll be able to do a workshop too. Eee!

Becca's birthday card

I love a handmade card, and as you'll probably know from my past posts I'm a big fan of the "bunting" card - it's fairly simple but very effective.  I got a lovely one from my friend Claire and have copied it many times since. Here I've used a strong background against the bunting, and used pen to create a shadow effect.

It's so simple it doesn't warrant a tutorial, I would only say this - the bunting triangles will be smaller than you first think!

Farmer's Wife Quilt...

I've been getting restless with quilts. I have never been the most patient of people, and making quilts with one continuous pattern is getting a little bit dull. I've looked into various basic block combinations but not felt enough "pull". Then, I discovered this book....

The Farmer's Wife Weekly magazine ran a competition in 1922 for the letters answering the question "would you let your daughter marry a farmer?". There were various cash prizes for the best letters. Over 7000 people wrote in, and the best letters have inspired a block which makes up the pattern on the quilt. I'm going to attempt this as I liked the idea of picking and choosing on a large project, and will be using a limited colour palette (hello, dark reds and yellows!). I'm fully expecting this to take me years.

Can't wait!