A Christmas Cushion

I'm struggling to keep up with blog posts for the things I've made recently, so here's a little cushion that I made a few weeks back, ready for our home when the festive season is upon us!  

I just love the background fabric and knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted to make a snowflake cushion.  It was lovely to use a combination of techniques too; machine applique, machine quilting for the background, and some hand quilted detail.  I had forgotten how much I enjoy hand quilting!  

It was lovely to make something for the family, and I look forward to getting this cushion out every winter, hopefully for many years to come.  

Thank you so much for stopping by,

Sarah x

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It's beginning to look a bit like...

Christmas!

I know it's early, but I have lots of stockings to make, including for my Little Candies...I could hardly leave them out now could I ;-)

They have a little bit of hand stitching across the top...

And another appliquéd star on the heel on the back.

I can't wait to give them to them on the 1st December to hang by the fireplace.

Sarah x

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Bagging a Bargain

This weekend was a particularly hectic one.  It seems my children's social lives consume the majority of my life.  But in between under 5's socialising madness, I did manage to grab myself a bit of a bargain. 

 

In Jersey we have a store called Imagination.  It's a toy shop come kitchen/electronics shop, come café/card shop and it has the biggest selection of adult craft materials on the island.  I was always popping there for threads, rotary cutter blades, buttons...

 

But now the craft section is closing - disaster!  I am really gutted as I was always nipping there when  having a craft shortage and didn't have the patience to order online and wait. 

 

But the silver lining is, they've extended their 50% off sale to no less than 75% off all adult craft materials!  Well who was I to pass up such a good opportunity to stock up. 

 

 

 

The shelves were pretty depleted but as you can see they still had a good range of threads, so I bought most of them!  And some ribbon to wrap my customer orders, some navy bias binding and some plastic pockets.  All this for £15.00.  I think that's the bargain of the century :-)

 

I've also been busy with bunting orders, this time a couple of sets of butterfly bunting, similar to this one.

 

 

 

Another busy week lies ahead; I shall be making some Christmas bunting for a customer, a bit like this one but with the word 'Noel'.  The perfect decoration for someone who's travelling (as she is) as it will fit nicely in the suitcase :-)

 

 





 

I also want to make some of the quilted journals that I made a few weeks ago.  I'm looking forward to sharing them with you soon!

 

Sarah x

 

 

 

 

 

A little bit of Christmas

Hooray!  Mr Candy has fixed the laptop!  So full blogging service can resume.  Phew.  I felt like I'd lost a limb not being able to blog and email properly for nearly 2 weeks!

 

One good thing about not having easy access to a computer is, it does create more sewing time.  So I've been very busy on my machine this week, but I shall tell you about that another time. 

 

For now, I want to share with you two sets of bunting that I've made for Christmas using the 'In From the Cold' collection by Kate Spain.  I just love this range and I couldn't wait to get started.  This first set is a series of little Christmas appliques.

 

I hope you are appreciating the Christmas decorations by the way.  As well as re-building the laptop, I've had Mr Candy up and down the attic getting the decs out and then away again, in aid of my little photoshoot.  Hopefully it was worth it! 

Anyway, here's some close ups of the detail.  I love buttons and I hardly ever get to use them, so here was the perfect excuse.  A little star at the top of my tree.

And here's another star, on this gorgeous star fabric, that I think I am going to have to purchase by the bolt, I love it so much. 

And as my centre piece, I've put some mistletoe on the mistletoe - anyone for a kiss??!  (Offers from tall, dark, handsome men only please).

So that's the first set.  The second set is very similar and looks like this. 

The idea is that it can be personalised with whatever Christmas word you like.  Someone suggested Ho Ho Ho to me on facebook, and I loved it, so that's what I went with. 

Here it is close up. 

And I just love the snowflake white fabric for the letters too.

Isn't this fabric just so pretty?!  Sorry, I said that already. 

 

Well, I hope you like them.  For now they shall be going away, and coming out again on the 1st December.  We are away for Christmas so the added bonus is they will fit in the suitcase! 

 

 

Back soon with lots to tell you about, and maybe, just maybe a quilt tutorial.  Watch this space. 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by,

 

Sarah x

 

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Only 97 days till....

Guess what??!!

http://www.xmasclock.com/

So I thought it high time I put my Christmas fabrics (there, I've said it!) to good use. 

I bought these lovelies at the Festival of Quilts, (which you can read about here) and I've made a start turning them into some festive bunting. 

I've decided to make two types, one with some lettering, and some with applique shapes and maybe, just maybe, a little extra embellishment.  I'm making good progress but you will have to wait and see how these ones turn out ;-)

At the Festival I also purchased these gorgeous ribbons and buttons. 

Aren't they just the cutest!  And a complete bargain too at a £1.00 for 2 metres.  I'm looking forward to putting these to good use, but it remains to be seen if they will feature on the bunting. 

 

In other news, I have 2 children off sick at the moment.  So that's my sewing day yesterday out of the window.  Both will survive, I have one happy boy who is well on the road to recovery and a very subdued daughter :-( I think we've entered the winter sickness season a little too early!

 

But on a positive note, it's less than 2 weeks until I meet one of my oldest and dearest blogging friends, Julie from Thimble Fingers!  I've known and been emailing Julie for over 2 1/2 years now, and although we live on the other side of the world from one another, (she's in Western Australia) we've become firm friends.  And tomorrow she is heading to UK shores for 2 weeks, before making the trip to Jersey to come and meet me and the family.  I'm so excited (and a little nervous) I can't wait!  Julie's work, in particular her embroidery is inspirational, so I highly recommend grabbing a cup of tea and looking through her blog and admiring her beautiful work. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. 

Sarah x

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