• crafts - swaps

    Sock Monkey

    I spent the weekend making this cute sock monkey from a pattern in Sock and Glove by Miyako Kanamori. I had loads of fun making him, (it’s definitely a he) and I’ve called him Alfie. He’s made out of a very special sock from M&S and will be winging his way across the Atlantic to my swap partner shortly. In other news, this afternoon I got engaged!

  • crafts - Dear Baby Jane - vintage

    D-3 Jason’s Jacks

    Today I finished D-3 Jason’s Jacks using a lovely bright fabric from Aunty Cookie. We spent Easter on the Isle of Wight where I scoured the local charity shops and picked up some lovely vintage toys. The weather was bizarre, sometimes sunny and warm, but also windy with snow, sleet and hail. We braved Ryde seafront yesterday for a walk in the wind where we struggled to stay upright.

  • crafts - swaps

    Tired :(

    This week feels veerrry long, probably as my weekend was so short. I needed a break from the Dear Baby Jane blocks (A7 Dad’s Plaid looks hard!) so I tried my hand at making a Dotee doll. These are very popular at the moment and it was quick and fun to make. I signed up to a swap to make a local Dotee doll, so used the union flag on the body.

  • crafts - swaps - Tech!

    New toys

    Today I was lucky enough to receive three gifts. The first was a new laptop, a lovely MacBook Pro (to replace my old PowerBook). Then a Nikon D70 (as my boyfriend treated himself to a newer model). Finally a wonderful swap package arrived containing a handmade Easter ornament and some lovely pieces of fabric. I spent the evening making another block for my Dear Baby Jane quilt, this time C-9. I found this block hard as it involved cutting out the tears and sewing them in place onto a second fabric. I’m also not too keen on the fabric I…

  • crafts - sewing

    Finally – WIP!

    Ever since our little boat holiday I have been working towards making my own quilt. I made my first quilt when I was 16, for my first serious boyfriend who was off to Uni. When we split up I didn’t think it was polite to ask for it back. Fast forward 14 years (oh I feel old) and it’s time to make another quilt and keep it. So I’ve been paper piecing my octagons and going through my stash of fabrics. I don’t think this is going to be a quick project but hopefully posting about it will give me…

  • crafts - swaps

    Frustration.

    I made the mistake of looking through the flickr pool of the coaster swap I joined and I really wish I hadn’t! My carefully chosen fabrics suddenly seemed uninspired and dull. So I spent the last few days making these: log cabin coasters I had never tried making a log cabin patchwork before and enjoyed choosing the fabrics and sewing them together. I was feeling proud of my effort until I washed them and they fell apart… I’m not sure what happened but I’m glad I did wash them before sending them off to my swap partner. I’ll be taking…