Keepsake Quilting comes to the UK!

Keepsake Quilting, the largest quilting catalogue in the USA, has been running since 1987 and today offers an unparalleled range of quilting fabrics, kits, books, patterns and haberdashery items. To meet the demands of customers in the UK, they are bringing Keepsake Quilting to the UK!

I am delighted to have worked with Keepsake Quilting to produce a Modern Solids Quilt which is now available through their website to order as a kit. Some of you may have already received the Keepsake Quilting catalogue through the post and spotted it.

I love the styling they have done with the quilt and it was great to work with the new range of Freespirit Designer Solids. Of course having the wonderful Elizabeth Dackson for company on the opposite page with her stunning Sparkling Diamonds quilt is lovely too!

The Keepsake Quilting website and catalogue are bursting with gorgeous quilt kits, its hard to pick but my favourites of the moment have to be the Honor Roll Flying Geese Kit and the Bumblecomb Quilt Kit

But its not just kits, there is fabric galore and oodles of quilt and project patterns. including this free Queen Charming Pattern download that is just perfect for Layer Cakes.

They also have some great fabrics from Tula Pink, Joel Dewberry and Heather Bailey in the sale! Of course I want you all to hurry over there and grab a bargain (if only to stop me spending all my money!) But what I really would love is if you brought my quilt kit ;-)

A new top and a shop!

I cant believe how much sewing I have been doing behind the scenes here, so many finishes and wip's that I just haven't had time to share with you.

But today I've swung by to share one of those makes that you are so glad you did, you know the one that will get used so much it will wear out (why can't every make be one of these?!)

I purchased the Grainline Scout Tee pattern a while back and remembered my lovely best friend had given me some beautiful tribal fabric brought on a trip to Africa about 15 years ago. A perfect match!

This top is so comfortable, lovely and loose and light, it will be perfect for those warm days that must surely be coming soon. In the meantime I have been wearing it with jeans and a cardigan. 

I made my own bias binding for the neckline from some Chicopee Heatwave Stripe. I do like a little contrast somewhere if I can get it in.

When I haven't been sewing I have been trying to get my Etsy Shop back up and running. I still have a long way to go with taking good photographs and writing winning descriptions that make people run for their purses but hopefully it will be a way of supplementing a little income. I have a few quilts and some little items that make great gifts and I am hoping to add more as I can. Let me know if there is anything you would love to see in there!

I want your scraps!

Specifically and only Aneela Hoey ones though I am afraid.....you may remember on my FAL list I included the Aneela Tribute Mini Quilt. I want to make a mini with a little of every line she has so far, along with my Aneela signature and embroidery (yes I am just a little crazy!)

Problem is I only have a charm pack of Walk in the Woods and a few scraps of Sherbet Pips.

This is where you come in. I need just scraps, any shape and size as it is going to be a bit 'improv' in nature, of the following lines:

Sherbet Pips

Little Apples

Sew Stitchy

Cherry Christmas 

(I am aware that most people wont have this yet as it is only just being released)

Because I only need a few scraps from each line you can understand why I am reluctant to buy from a store, it would work out very ineffective cost wise.

So I will do whatever you want to get your scraps, ie pay you, swap with you (provided I have something you want in return) make you something or just make sure everyone knows you are the most awesome lovely person on the entire planet for helping me out!

Can you help me? Pretty please :-)

Jumping on the Zakka Train

I have A LOT of birthday presents to make over the next month so when I saw Zakka Style at The Book Depository for only £5.99 including postage I knew buying the book would make much more sense than buying presents!

It helped that I had been admiring all the cute projects being sewn up in the Zakka Style Blog Hop, everyone seemed to be making such cute things, I didn't want to be left out!

The lovely charm pack arrived on the same day - my prize in the first quarter finish-along sent by Clover and Violet Patterns, so pretty!

So first up we made the sewing pouch. I say we because this is a present for my 7 year old daughters friend and my daughter felt it only right that she make it up. I did all the measuring and cutting, she did the sewing. Very proud of her I am too!

I decided it just wouldn't be a Zakka pouch without the little bird so I made a quick lino cut and used that to stamp the pouch. I hope it is well received by the friend, she has a very keen interest in sewing and I know she is getting a machine for her birthday so hopefully this will tie in nicely.

Then today I got stuck into the next project in the book, a pencil case but as this is going to be a gift for my mother-in-laws birthday I determined it to be a spectacle case.

A very quick project to sew up

Luckily I have the same initials as my MIL so if she hates this I can keep it!

Oh how did that little lino birdie sneak on the back ;-)

I got word a couple of days ago that my FQ Retreat name tag arrived safely at its destination, so now I can reveal the front.

To my relief Jo was really pleased with it and not p***ed off that I had basically copied one of her embroidery designs! I was so taken with her wonderful woodland creatures hoop that I wanted her tag to have a bit of that unique and amazing design on it so everyone at the retreat would know what Jo was all about. You can see what she had to say about it here!

Before I go I just HAVE to show you this cute tape I picked up today in Totnes, I went on an impromptu outing with my Mum, she had the day off and came over, which hasn't happened since last July! We had a wonderful  morning looking in lots of pretty shops (Totnes is great if you love handmade, vintage and quirky). I fell in love with the Belle & Boo tape on the top and the pink tape has cute woodland creatures and even cuter packaging! Luckily my wonderful husband had given me a few pennies, they didn't stay in my purse for long.

Now to go and find things that need sticking together ;-)

I love my postie!

Well, truth be told not my postie actually, just all the goodies he brings me. OK so he is not bringing them out of the goodness of his heart, it is his job AND I have paid for them myself :-)

It is like Christmas all over again here. I got this cute parcel from Saint and Pinners yesterday

Cute wrapping huh, just that alone would have had me happy but look what was inside....

Oh yeah, Hope Valley. It maketh me smile big time! I love this and plan on using it for the SEW.HAPPY.QUILT Along. Outstanding service too, this arrived only 2 days after I ordered it (which was on a Bank holiday too!).

Someone else who does fantastic service is M is for Make. More Hope Valley and a fq of Loulouthi Hugs and Kisses, all at great prices in the sale.

Then later in the day a lovely courier man brought me a huge parcel and the poor guy had been driving around for ages looking for the farm! I must get around to making up a sign for the house!

But look at the goodies he brought me!

I wouldn't normally count this in my list of shopping haunts but it all came from Abakhan. I was tempted to go there when The Sewing Directory posted on Facebook to say they had 70% off their daylight lamps and lighting. I scooted on over! I have always wondered if a daylight lamp would make hand embroidery easier, oh boy does it! It is fantastic! I would highly recommend it and at the sale price it was a really great buy (and meant I wasn't worried about wasting a LOT of money on a lamp if I didn't like it)

It is a neat little clip on lamp that has a long flexible neck, great for clamping on the table, on the sewing machine, anywhere you like in fact. Its a godsend in my new house, with its tiny sash windows and lack of natural light. I've taken a photo of it in use and you can see from the darkness around it, it certainly makes a difference! The bonus being there is no glare. And its arrival was very timely as I had just started to get on with my Birdie Stitches block for Rhonda's Finish Along.

So if you have a little money burning a hole in your pocket and a dark dingy house, head to Abakhan.

I also bagged a bag'o'zips for very little money indeed, lets hope they are all useful! A very cheap embroidery hoop and packet of embroidery cotton both for less than £1! Finally, a lovely piece of quilting cotton for only £1.15 a half meter, I wanted more to back my Hope Valley quilt but the website wouldn't let me, perhaps I had the last?

In other news, there are just 7 spaces left in the Rainbow charm swap!!! Get in quick if you want to take part, they are filling up fast.