my mate for life

Happy Valentine's everyone. We don't really celebrate Valentine's day in this house with any seriousness. Occasionally, if the other is lucky we might present a card. Like a lot of the world we try to celebrate our love and togetherness in small ways every day, and rather rebel at being told to show love.


However, I did feel compelled to make my love a small lavender pillow to keep his smalls scented. With a heart on one side and a swallow on the other. As well as some rather dubious homo erotic and criminal meanings, swallows also symbolise love and loyalty as they choose a mate for life.

And B? He made bagels... what more could a girl ask for?

Next project: a quilt for the new blog

I've started on my next project... a quilt for the Backstitch blog (which will be up and running soon) I was basting it at the weekend which is a bit of a job with an expanding bump!

I'm hand quilting this one so some dedicated hours in front of the TV I think.

Just desperately in love with this fabric though, which will be in the shop once I go live.

Hello out there!

We are had our 20 week scan last week, and I'm happy to say that all is well in there. Next time I see this little chap/ chapess (there were no clues!) it will be in the big wide world. Gosh.

Finally Finished!

I have finally finished my 'first' quilt that I started back in September 2008. Yes, I know, it's a miracle, it only took me 16 months! Truthfully, I am overjoyed and relieved to have completed this project. I have started quilting it twice, and unpicked it twice, started with one type of batting, and ended with another... basically changing tack many times before ending up here, at the end.

I completed the quilt top in October 2008 after joining a quilting and patchwork class. Then I had to figure out how to quilt it on my own. It sounds daft saying 'on my own' about a task that seems pretty straightforward to me now, but I just didn't have the confidence, or (dare I say it) experience, that I have now. This quilt really makes me realise how much I have been learning over the last year or so, not just in being able to finish it, but in the quality of my stitching.

I am VERY pleased to have it finished. I love that it is no longer in a pile under my desk. I love (most of) the fabrics and it's rich and playful colours. I love that it is for us, and I won't be wrapping it up and giving it away like so much that I make. And, I love that we have already been snuggling under it rather a lot.

Kimono for May

My friends seem to be producing babies faster than you can say reproduction at the moment and so there has been a load of baby makes recently. This is the last for a while... I actually think that I am next... now there's a terrifying thought!



I liked the look of this 'Lucy's Kimono' in Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing. Like a lot of people in the Flickr pool I did have some trouble with bunching where the sleeve seam meets the main body, but it is not too bad.



I made an error with the shoulders too - the shoulder seams meet each sleeve in a different place, but again, it hasn't effected the overall appearance too much.


I used a red flannelette so it's all cosy, and some floral bias binding that I got from my local yarn shop... I bought them out when I saw it! I think if I do this pattern again I will do a snap closure on the inside (rather than another tie) like some others on Flickr have done. I think a snap would be more practical.

Overall I am happy and I think I'll do this one again.

Quiet

It's all been a bit quiet on here over this cold festive snap. We had a very lovely Christmas and New Year, and things have been happily peaceful.

We are all back to our normal routines now though, so I should be back blogging, but the crafting has slipped a bit.

I have been busy with other things including the new business, of which there will be more talk another time, and of course busy growing.

But until my crafting enthusiasm thaws, here is a picture of some roses, taken last night after dinner.

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Sorry to all those who have received this in their readers... just a boring formality!

Merry Christmas to you all.