Happy New Year

Less than thirty minutes until the New Year starts here in Devon.  I would like to wish all my readers a Happy New Year.  Thank you for your support over the last year.  I pray that the New Year brings you peace, good health and many blessings.
See you all again soon in the year 2013.

Global Sealed Pot Challenge

It is the end of my first week of the Sealed Pot challenge.  I have two pots.

The little yellow pot will be used to save any money but £2 coins.  I have been collecting £2 coins annually for special occasions such as a birthday present or holiday money.  I usually save the coins in a small purse. In 2013 the £2 coins will be saved in the Winnie the Pooh Pot.

Every year for Christmas I give Little Boy and Baby Girl and their partners a large pot each. Mr D and I also got a pot this Christmas.  So my whole family are taking part in the challenge.

Yellow Pot
£1.20 saved by not having coffee in town whist shopping with Baby Girl last week.
50p saved by emptying purse on Sunday.
£1.00 saved when Mr D emptied his wallet on Sunday and shared it with me.

OPAM

This year for Christmas I made many gifts.

All the ladies of our family received Make-Up Bags filled with smellies.

I also made a set of Table Mats and a set of Coasters for family presents too.

I am looking forward to spending time in the New Year working on my own projects.  I have spent most of this months making Christmas gifts.

Note to myself- start making Christmas gifts in January 2013 not December 2013. Maybe I should start a Christmas project stitch along!

Some Kind of Wonderful

Here are a few pictures that I found in my pictures files. I still have not been out to buy new batteries yet for the camera.

I have made up my mind to have this project finished by the end of January.

Going out to town in a few days time, so I will try and update blog with new photos of SKOW quilt soon.

Some Kind of Wonderful

Just a quick update on my Stitch-A-Long quilt. I am way behind with the project but spending time between Christmas and New Year celebrations to catch up and get on the path to a finished quilt!!
Got to go and do some more stitching.

P.S. Will post some photos when the camera has new batteries.
 

Global Sealed Pot Challenge

I have be challenged by the idea of several bloggers that using sealed pot to save for a special occasion.  I have joined the challenge at SFT blog. There are over eighty bloggers saving each week in their sealed pots until December 2013. 

1.  Emptying my purse of loose change each week into my pot.
2.  Saving all my £2 coins into my pot.
3.  Save and no spend days. Fed the pot by not having coffee or lunch out.
4.  Making all my own gifts for family and friends birthdays etc, including cards. Fed the pot.
5.  Fed the pot with the money saved when using coupons at the supermarket.
6.  Save money and fed the pot by using my very large fabric stash rather than buying more fabric for new projects.
7.  Fed the pot by not buying a chocolate bar. Oh this may be hard to achieve.
8.  Walk to local shops in village. Use car only when really necessary.

I will try to write an update each week in 2013 on the progress of the sealed pot challenge.

Winter Solstice

Best time of the winter is not Christmas as you would expect for a good christian girl but today the shortest day. As from tomorrow the nights become shorter by a few minutes each day. To me this signals the end of winter and that spring is around the corner.  

Christmas and New Year brings new hope and a cheerful soul as I wave good by to yet another winter solstice!

I pray that you all have a peaceful Christmas and Happy New Year.

Meduim Christmas Stockings

This is the last of my orders for Christmas stockings. These stockings took a little longer to make as they are meduim sized stockings. My Christmas 'sweat shop' is now closed!  I will re-open my 'sweat shop' in January 2013. I am going to be more organised next year and make at least one Christmas gift and a dozen stockings a month..... I say that every year.  

No, no, no, Christmas Stockings

Nineteen more small Christmas stockings made over the last few days.  I have not made a single Christmas gift for my family and friends as orders for my stockings still keep me busy.  My sewing room is beginning to feel alot like a 'sweat shop'.  On the bright side, my fabric stash is being reduced and I have a few pennies to buy new Christmas fabric for 2013 gifts!!!!

Oh no, more Christmas Stockings!

More orders for small Christmas stockings. My Christmas fabric stash now fits onto two small shelves in my sewing room.  My Janome sewing machine and I need a rest!  

More Christmas Stockings

I cannot make Christmas stockings quick enough. Today I had to forget making Christmas gifts for family as I received more orders for small Christmas stockings.
 

Christmas Stockings

The stockings that I blogged and showed a few days ago sold!  Now I have orders to make some more stockings.  I have made fifteen more small stockings in various Christmas fabrics. These stocking are about seven inches in height.

Now back to making gifts for family and friends, otherwise December will be over before I find time to get ready for Christmas. 

 

Meduim Christmas Stockings

I have decided to make a few extra Christmas gifts for family and friends. I know that I have left it a little late to make gifts for this Christmas.  

The picture of the stockings are one that I am going to sell as they are the ones left over.  The stockings are ten inches in height. If these stockings sell, I am going to put the money in my saving pot to restock my fabric stash.

Some Kind of Wonderful

It has been a very long time since I have updated the progress on my quilt.  Or should I say lack of progress!!  Thanks to Chookyblue for sending out reminders of how many sleeps left until the end date of this present Stitch-A-Long.  This has sent me into panic mode. I am so behind that I have spent at least several hours every day for the last week working on my quilt.

I have decided to cheat a little by joining all my empty applique blocks to their pieced blocks.  I now have five columns to work on. This means that I can take it out and about with me as all the applique is already prepared.  I decided to piece the blocks into columns as I had the last two weeks off work due to being ill with ear infections so spent some time at my sewing machine without feeling guilty about household chores.  

So I am making slowing progress but really enjoying getting back into the Stitch-A-Long.  Please keep up the sleep reminders Chookyblue as it helps getting me motivated.

OPAM

I have finished two small wall hanging this week. The Seascape quilt I taught to a local group several years ago. The top was completed as a demonstration example. It had been pinned to my design wall ever since the class. I have planed to hand quilt it with dyed thread but it the end I simply quilted it in the ditch.       

This Daisy quilt again has been pinned to my design wall for several years as I could not make up my mind how I was going to quilt it.  In the end, just to get it finished I have quilted in the ditch around the daisy and borders.

I feel that both quilts needed to be completed before another year pasted by again.

Off the Wall Fridays and OPAM again

Once again Nina-Marie is hosting the 'Off the Wall Friday' blog link party, this is our second week.  Where has the time gone this last week?

I have been helping my Baby Girl, who is an Art Textiles student, with making her first quilt.  I gave her the calico so she could learn how to dye and screen print on her foundation course last year.  She made several garments with the finished fabric. With the leftover fabric she thought it would be nice to make a lap quilt to throw over her sofa in her new flat. I gave Baby Girl the black border fabric from my stash and some instructions on how to attach the borders.
I have 'blocked' and squared the quilt and sewing the binding on now. Here is a question - would it be considered a two person quilt if we were to enter the quilt into a show?

A quick project.

I have not been blogging lately as life here in sunny Wembury has been busy throwing me some curved balls. Nina-Marie has started a Off the Wall Fridays blog link party and this is all I needed to get me motivated again. There has been much chatter on the Quilt Art forum about a blog link for Art Quilters and Nina-Marie has taken on the challenge to set up the party. Check out the link to see some wonderful work being done by some amazing quilters.

Although this project is not Quilt  Art related, it is a quick and easy quilt that I have started to make for my new niece Jessica.

Arrange your squares and sew together.

 Then measure your finished blocks and cut in half along the whole length of your quilt top.

 Rearrange your cut strips and sew together. 

Now all I need to do is add borders, layer and quilt and blind it. Not forgetting a label!

Batik Quilt

I am a very lucky girl as I have a wonderful boss called Marie at Sew Enchanting. When the shop is quiet and I have completed all my tasks and the cleaning, I am allowed to play on the sewing machines.  
Marie has an amazing collection of batik fabrics in the shop.  I love batiks. I thought I would make for the shop display a simple quilt to show off all her batik fabrics.  I started this top in May and only finished it this week due to other commitments.

I know exaclty how I would like to quilt this top, just need to find time to layer, quilt and bind it!

Birthday Treat.

I have a wonderful friend called Sue. Every birthday and Christmas, she gives me the most beautiful hand made gift. This year, her gift made me cry.

 Sue, you are simply the best quilting friend I could ever wish for.

Some Kind of Wonderful

I had a free morning here in Swanage today. So after a lovely breakfast, I decided that I needed to catch up on my Stitch along project called Some Kind of Wonderful.

I cut out all the fabric for the applique main blocks, strips for the sashing and squares for the pieced blocks. I do need to get my act together as this Stitch a Along is due to be completed in October this year!! Now the rain has stopped, Mr D and I are going to visit a Castle.  

Dorset

On the way to Swanage for the weekend, I managed to persuade Mr D to stop for coffee in Dorchester.

It is amazing how my little car Ruby manages to stop outside a quilt shop called Pauline's Patchwork. Mr D had his coffee in the car whist I went in to say hello. I first visited Pauline's shop over twenty one years ago when it was located in The Brewer's Quay in Weymouth on the ground floor.   It would be rude not to purchase a fat quarter or two.  I only came away with six FQ and three half metres.

I am going to make yet another bag with this new fabric.  So come back later as see the new project.

Stitch-A-Long 2012

Some Kind of Wonder - My Favourite Things by Anni Downs is the next project for the Stitch-A-Long.  Check out the blog by clicking on the link.  The girls are producing some beautiful work.
The photo show the fabrics I am using in my quilt.  As usual for me, I am on catch up mode!  We started this project way back in October 2011. Some times life has a habit of getting in the way of my stitching.  I will post next week some of my blocks and show you the progress I am making with is project.   
See you soon, Deborah

OPAM 2012

One Project a Month 2012.  Peg and Kris are the coordinators for the OPAM project.  It is a very simple idea, finish at least one project a month.  It can be a project that is already started or a new project but it must be a finished project to be allowed towards the final count at the end of each month.