Sssshh don't tell but I have something to celebrate!

So a few days ago the lovely Susan pointed out to me that I had passed a rather celebratory milestone, 100 followers!

And then today a timely parcel arrived from Indie,

How cool?!

 I am sure she could whip you some up if you ask her! Today I had a lovely friend visiting, we went to University together but don't often get to spend time together. She doesn't do much sewing but that didn't stop me dragging her into my sewing room to play with the new fabric. In no time at all we had cut 3 pouches and sewn up two. 

Then I had to drop my friend back to the station and found a little time when I got back to sew up the last one (my one)

So I sent one home with my friend as her Easter gift

She picked the fabrics and how she wanted them set out and I sewed that little beauty of a pouch up. I sent her off home with the suggestion that she should immediately fill it with a bag of mini creme eggs!

I also made one for myself out of the DS scraps left from my Sew.Happy.Geek QAL.

Who is the third one for I hear you ask?.....Maybe you!

I have an almost Jubilee Britannia colour theme going on with this one, it was my test pouch and the zip ends are no where near perfect on this one, but if you love it it can be yours.

As a special thank you to all my lovely followers I am going to send this to one of you, I just ask one small favour. Leave a comment below, I'd like to know a quilt pattern you recommend for using up charm squares. I seem to have an abundance of rainbow charms (can't think how that came about) and want a good pattern to use them up.

The pouch is only on offer to my current followers, I'd love it if you are new here and want to start following me but I am not doing this as a means of gaining new followers but a way of thanking those who have been with me over the last few months.

Phew, that felt good - what with all the sickness in our house I haven't sewn in over a week, I'm glad I got it out of my system! Hoping for a little more sewing time this weekend and perhaps even a trip to the local quilt festival if I can persuade my husband ;-)

EDITED TO ADD:

I will leave the comments open until Thursday 5th April 9pm my time, then I will draw a winner at random. Good luck!

Last one to the party......

So a while ago Sarah caught me in her net, I'd like to say I was a beautiful mermaid with long flowing hair and a sparkly rainbow tail, in reality I think I am an undersized flounder!

Here is everything you need to know about me.....

I don't need to blame any one for my public farts...I do not fart, I am a lady.

My favourite TV theme tune is In the Night Garden, because it means that its almost bedtime and therefore 'me' time!

On my mix tape I have some Black Box, a bit of Wham, some Johnny Cash and Billie Holiday. Perhaps some Girls Aloud and even a couple of Aretha Franklin and I will be giving it to a psychiatrist because clearly I have musical schizophrenia!

Neither Roller boots or roller blades, I value my life too much!

If a cushion is a pillow then a pillow is obsolete and also talking to my psychiatrist about its abandonment issues!

My Dr is either Matt Smith or David Tennant, call me fickle but anything older than that and you are creeping into my childhood era. That makes the earlier doctors just strange old men if you ask me.

If I don the ruby slippers and click my heels I am going to end up as Judy Garland, with a beautiful singing voice and power to instigate spontaneous singing and dancing in public crowds!

My fabric softener is 'value' fragrance, it is cheap and my washing smells of cotton and fresh air (when I get it on the line) not overly perfumed formulated fragrance which is just the way I like it.

I like them each and every which way they come. Young and firm or old and soft I don't mind as long as they are covered in cream and chocolate sauce ;-)

F**k knows why a raven is like a writing desk......hang on while I use my default method for solving problems I don't know the answer to.......google.....

watching my dog eat up our chickens poop...can you guess the question?!

So that is all, all you ever needed to know about me huh?! And after all that you won't want to know anymore hehehe!

Germs should not be shared....

I am a great believer in instilling good manners and behaviour in my children, sharing is one of these.

However, germs are the exception. On this occasion I will not be praising my daughter for sharing her germs with me! I have been up for 4 hours and used up two whole toilet rolls and half a box of tissues (emergency shop run purchase!)  on my nose already!

Today's post will be short, full of photos, snot and self pity!

Tuesday - Another pleated boxes pillow for my Mum for mothers day. Sew-Along instructions can be found here.

Tuesday - A Black Apple Doll for Eloise, a get well dolly from Mummy to daughter, it seemed to do the trick except now I have to make another for Juliette!

March 1st - My Bordered Star block for the March Queen in the Stash Bee (posted out today which reminded me I hadn't blogged it!

 I loved trying out this great block, I hope it sits well in the quilt for Cindy. I used fabric I won in the Fugly Fabric Party from Kelli at Small Town Stitcher. I love the thought that fabric I won from the US came to the UK to be made into a block to go back to the US to be part of a QOV! It was also a big leap into paper piecing for me, I can't wait to try more now.

Wednesday - Started a Mini Eye-Spy quilt for my new baby nephew.

Juliette had a lovely time testing it out before I had even finished making the top. I had the top sewn up in less than an hour and the quilting done in 2 hours last night, I must have known these germs were coming to me! Binding will have to wait, I have a new order to snot work on.

Finally, great news - the final charms arrived for round 2 of the rainbow charm swap, they will be out in the post in the next few days, check the flikr group for more information. I'll get a photo as soon as I can put the tissue down!

Sick Day Sewing

Yesterday big daughter was off school poorly, cue lots of running about fetching drinks, quilts, snacks and reading books.

I did get the chance to sneak off to the sewing room whilst little daughter had a nap and big daughter lounged on the sofa. Spurred on by a bit of blog reading this is what I whizzed up

My friend Mary made an amazing pillow with her vintage sheet scraps, it was so beautiful it filled me with a need to sew!

I love the pops of colour and the fresh white together and while I didn't have enough vintage sheet scraps of my own I did have a little pile of re-cycled fabric I got from Flaming Nora recently that needed a purpose.

Using the pattern from here I managed to run through this in the 2 hours that little girl slept. At one point I started to feel that the fabrics we're looking awful! But thankfully I fell in love with them again, it had found the perfect place on my new 'old' kitchen bench.

I am hoping to sew up another one today for a mothers day present but it's not looking hopeful, big daughter is worse if anything. Nurse Emily to the rescue! 

Pleasure pain balance

So, life has been keeping me busy recently to say the least. You may recall my laptop broke, oh how hard it was to be cut off from the internet, I think I lasted about 2 days before going and stealing borrowing my mums laptop whilst she was at work!

Well, I have to 'fess' up, I have had the laptop back for about a week now, how naughty of me not to blog! To tell the truth I actually found the radio silence a blessing, it came at a time when I was making some very big and difficult decisions about my life. I have decided to step back from the running of the monthly 'Meet and Make' workshops I was co-hosting and also the organisation of a local 'Handmade Market'. Both really big and important decisions for me. I loved being involved in both of these and I know that crafting is truly where my heart lies but when it comes to work/family balance and making a living it just wasn't working for me. I have decided that I need to spend more time with my youngest before she starts school and I had to take on a job that would give me a guaranteed weekly income.

Ok so for the time being I wont be doing something I love for a living but I will know that I only have to be away from the children for a couple of hours a week. I am really hoping that when Juliette starts school I will have the time to do work I am passionate about. In the mean-time I will still take commissions for Strawberry Patch and hope to run some small sewing workshops in my new home studio (with home-made cake of course!)

Anyway so that is the pain, here is the pleasure balance! And wow how lucky I am, lots of lovely things dropping through my door when I need them most.

First to arrive was my AMAZING package in For The Love of Solids swap from the super talented Aylin

I wanted this so much and told Aylin as much when she posted it in the Flikr group. The darling person that she is re-did the second side of the machine cover after she saw my comment on her mouthy stitches pouch, I simply loved the colours in those small squares. So she incorporated it into the machine cover for me, what a gem!

She stalked me really well, getting it just perfect! I love dp and rainbow colours, white background, ahhh I could go on all day!

It is awesome is it not?!

And she sent me washi tape and some cool homemade binding. I have wanted some washi tape for ever, I am over the moon with my lot, thank you Aylin, you can go and see her other amazing swap makes here.

Then the very following day look what the postman brought me:

My Mouthy Stitches pouch from Susan @ Canadian Abroad. Some of you may be thinking huh, Susan's partner already got hers??!! Well Susan is a very thoughtful lady and sweetly made me a pouch because my poor partner has had really bad flooding and hasn't been able to sew. I don't know who she is but I hope everything gets back to normal for you soon.

Susan is not only an awesome swap mama and sweet person but a very talented lady too. I'd say she knows me well because those cute tiny squares, perle stitching, text prints and linen and perfect for me! And all made in a last minute hurry!

Just look at how neat her zip end and top stitching are.

Super cute lining and the perfect size, it went straight in my handbag, once I had filled it with a nappy and wet wipes. I am feeling far more glamorous at nappy change time now! Susan not only sent me a lovely pouch but on the same day she awarded my blog the Liebster Award (and sent me a very sweet email to cheer me up about my big decisions). Thank you so much for giving me a thoroughly spoilt day Susan :-)

So now I am supposed to link back to Susan and nominate 5 blogs I love reading that have under 200 followers.

1. Erin @ Billy Button Design - I love what Erin makes, she has a wonderful eye for colour and design.

2. Sarah @ Chic Quilt Geek - Sarah makes some super cool pieces, she also has some fab things in her online craft store.

3. Lynz @ Domestic Light and Magic - Lynz is the coolest quilter on the block, everything she makes is awesome!

4. Nicky @ Mrs Sew and Sow - Nicky can quilt, in her sleep I suspect! It has been an honour to get to know her better and I can't wait to meet her in June at the FQ retreat!

5. Sarah @ Narcoleptic in a Cupboard - Sarah makes me laugh, a lot! She is funny and can quilt like a demon (in a good/cool way!)

So a huge thanks to Susan for nominating me, for the followers that read me and those that might find the patience to listen along in the future! (Hint, I'm edging closer to the 100 mark and I've been working on a giveaway to celebrate!)

Susan is having a lovely giveaway on her blog right now to celebrate the new Village Haberdashery shop. Hop on over to enter here.

Finally, more goodness of the parcel postie variety, look what I won!

I apologise in advance for the gloat that is about to follow, but I can't help it. A fq bundle of Curious Nature by Parson Grey, sent by the lovely Kate of M is for Make. I love this shop, the fabrics are so cool and modern, the postage is not only reasonable but very very fast and beautifully wrapped. I highly recommend stopping by the shop. I did actually do a little run around the room dance screaming 'EEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeppppppppp'!!!!!! 

when I found out I had won! I cant wait to get stuck in and make something with them, perhaps for my long suffering husband (if he is nice to me of course!).

I also have a ton of finishes to show you, I haven't spent the last 2 weeks blog free simply receiving ace swap parcels and delicious fabric, but I'll save them for another day, you must be bored of me by now ;-) !!