• Merry and Bright Mini Quilt
    Crafts for adults

    Merry and Bright Mini Quilt {Part 3}

    December 27, 2022 - By 

    The run up to Christmas was super busy and I didn’t have any time to sew. However I picked up my Merry and Bright Mini Quilt on Christmas Day after the kids had gone to bed (when they eventually did!) and managed to finish the hand quilting, cut and sew the binding. Merry and Bright Mini Quilt {Part 3} This Pretty Fabrics and Trims kit contained the pattern with detailed instructions, plus all the fabrics, including pre-printed cotton/linen mix fabric for the embroidery elements, embroidery threads, English Paper Pieces, ribbon, trims, buttons, wadding, backing fabric and binding fabric. I managed…

  • Shipping Forecast quilt
    Crafts for adults

    Sewing in i-sew-lation: my Shipping Forecast quilt

    May 2, 2020 - By 

    So I finally finished something! The Shipping Forecast quilt I started (a long time ago) is finally finished and I have to admit that I feel a bit flat without my long-term WIP hanging around. My last update was in March when I had pinned the three layers of my quilt sandwich together. I knew it wouldn’t take me long to finish it. The fabric I had originally bought wasn’t really long enough to use as binding, and my quilt backing shrunk a little as I quilted the layers. I trimmed the edges to make sure they were neat and…

  • The Shipping Forecast quilt
    Crafts for adults

    The Shipping Forecast quilt {update 6}

    March 8, 2020 - By 

    Last week my son was sick so spent a day at home with me. He spent most of the day lying on the sofa, watching tv, which meant I needed to find something to do. My Shipping Forecast quilt had been sitting in the corner, looking at me, so it seemed like the perfect time to get it out and work on it. The Shipping Forecast quilt I love listening to The Shipping Forecast on Radio 4. Before my children came along I used to stay up late, listening to it before bed. Now I’m in bed a lot earlier…

  • Using the Cricut Maker to craft a quilt top
    Crafts for adults - Cricut Maker

    Using the Cricut Maker to craft a quilt top

    June 23, 2019 - By 

    I’ve been pretty terrible at making time for me recently. My poor son broke his wrist and has been demanding a lot of attention – rightly so. Anyway, a few weeks ago I did manage a little progress on my Shipping Forecast quilt (I will finish it this year!). I used my Cricut Maker so thought I would share a few details of how it saved me time with my little Shipping Forecast quilt. Using the Cricut Maker to quilt You may remember I had pieced the felt map of the UK to the backing fabric, and I had cut…

  • Stitching by the sea and a Shipping Forecast Quilt update
    Crafts for adults

    Stitching by the sea and a Shipping Forecast Quilt update

    April 20, 2019 - By 

    This Easter we managed to get away for a week to Teignmouth. Fo the past few years we’ve stayed at a wonderful little cottage on the back beach. The location is perfect – beach outside the front door, pub and Fish & Chip shop 2 minutes away. Teignmouth is blessed with a good climate and there’s also an arcade, children’s playground, tennis courts and crazy golf 2 minutes in the opposite direction. The children have loved playing on the back beach and found quite a few treasures. I had to limit them to a little container, otherwise they would bring…

  • My Shipping Forecast Quilt update
    Crafts for adults - quilt - sewing

    My Shipping Forecast Quilt {update 1}

    January 26, 2018 - By 

    It has been an embarrassingly long time since I wrote an update about the Shipping Forecast Quilt I have been stitching. In fact the one and only update I have posted was back in May 2015! I am a little red-faced right now. As part of 2018 and my Year of Craft I am trying to finish my WIP’s and this is my biggest one. So I eventually located my project bag and had time to look at it. I hadn’t really made as much progress as I thought I had. My Shipping Forecast Quilt update This quilt is based…

  • book review - crafts - handmade - Patchwork & Quilting - quilt

    Wise Craft Quilts by Blair Stocker

    February 19, 2017 - By 

    I’ve been reading craft blogs for a long time and one of the first I discovered was Wise Craft. The author, Blair Stocker, has followed her very successful book with a second, called Wise Craft Quilts: A Guide to Turning Beloved Fabrics into Meaningful Patchwork. Quilts are stories we compose with fabric and thread, providing physical and metaphorical warmth, and Wise Craft Quilts is about creating these stories. Whether making a quilt from baby’s first clothes or from a collection of Tyvek race numbers stored away in a box, sewing pieces like these into quilt form creates a new level of appreciation…

  • Wild Olive Stitching Clubs
    crafts - Patchwork & Quilting - sewing

    A new mini quilt for our home

    October 18, 2016 - By 

    It feels as if I’ve lost my crafting mojo lately. You think there will be more time for crafting in the colder months but I seem to be busier than ever. The only thing I have been making time for is the latest Wild Olive Stitching Club. This week I finally put the last stitch in place to finish off a new mini quilt for our home. I’ve taken part in a few Wild Olive Stitching Clubs. You get sent a pattern to stitch every week via email and they build up to make a quilt. The latest Stitching Club…

  • Lego - mindfulness - quilt

    Monday happy things – Week 73

    February 15, 2016 - By 

    Yay, we made it to half term! I’m writing my weekly post about the things that have made me happy before I get back to the important task of enjoying being with the kids. I stitched a cute little mini quilt inspired by love hearts. I totally meant to hand stitch some messages on each one but didn’t have time. I gave my children boxes of Love Hearts yesterday and was surprised by the modern sayings on them. I think I prefer the ones I grew up with. Last week I had the termly Parents’ Evening for both children. I’m lucky…